The Van Buren press., 1900-05-12

Like Drlck? asked the gas man.
"Not on your miniature" returned
the stereopticon man. 81 learned in
the fall, JUS before the water got
cold"
Say" said the gas man, sternly,
"ain't seen you at Coney Island
every summer for four years, wen you
couldn't swim no further than a
bullet in beer bottle? Say, II you
want to lie, why don't you lie like
a liar? I'm weary of your life, / am
That's right"
Say" said the stereopticon man.
"did you see me at Coney Island las
summer? | guess not!"
That's right" admitted the gas
man. 81 didn't. You was in Ohio last
summer. Least you says you was.'
"That's right, was in Ohio. | was
dom two-week stands with movin'
pi'ture machine, AN string Of pat
ent medicine ads, an there's where
the thing happened at made me learn
to swim"
"Sheriff chase you into the river?"
Sneered the gas man.
ut wasn't the sheriff." the stereop-
ticon man went on, patiently. "The
sheriff don't live at could scare me
like / was scared then. 1t was In
Toledo" said the stereopticon man,
"where all the men wear their pants
short, SOS to keep 'em up, outer the
dust. had fine stand on Summit
street, an was shown fight pic
lures to big crowds every night, But
course was loahn' days, an one day
/ walks out along crack in the
ground them Ohio gazabos calls n
river. They call It the Maumee river,
Well, ! walks along in the sun, till !
feels pretty dusty myself, an then ]
lays down under II big maple tree, an
watches the traffic up an down the
crack in the ground, an the clouds
don' hardwalks up in the sky, an the
grass wavin' an the leaves rustlin' an
sporty lookin' sparrers scrapin' over
worm, falls asleep an dreams I'm
borkin' for snake.shop on the Bow
cry, an must a slept long time,
cause it was five o'clock when woke
up, and the sun was come in under
the maple tree and burnt the skin of
my nose, so II looked like picked
beet on free-lunch counter.
swell, the show wasn't opened be.
fore half-past eight o'clock, so just
looks around to see what's in sight,
But there wasn't much, only COW
that had broke into a timothy field
an n couple OF crows sttn' on
fence, But just then, | looks little
way up the crick and there's boy
fishin' Off the end Of an OF scow. Well,
climbs along till | comes to my
hoy, an then gets on the scow,
"'lIow's uck?'
"''Tain't worth hurrah,' says the
boy,
"'What you caught" says /,
"'Not dod.binged thing says the
boy, AN ! bin here all day
"'Well,' says |, your language is
pretty strong-for n boy, says !,
"'Y' otter hear dad says the boy,
an he puts n new green grasshopper
on his hook, an goes on fshin' 'thout
sayln' another word. That's the
kinder kids they raise out west, In
Ohio.
But he was a poor-lookin' boy, an
he had lath instead OF n flshin'rod He
was settin ON the stern of the scow,
with his legs hangin' over, The bow
was high an dry, but where the boy
was the water looked bout 40 feet
deep II was black lookin water, and
you couldn't see an inch In under Il.
Bet the boy don't get nibble, so |
gets tired watchin', an says TO the
boy:
Gimme the line. I'll show you
how 3 ketch fish!' | says"
"An' did he give ye the line?" asked
the gas man.
Cert" said the stereopticon man.
"Why wouldn't hep"
SAY, you're cold bluff!" said the
gas man. "Say, II there was fish at
was olu, w cusv, uu stuTNll Vcu'H,
an ready to commit suicide-you
wouldn't know how to catch IN. An
The boy give you the line?"
"Sure. An hadn't no sooner let
IN the hook than | ketches u fish"
"Aw, say" said the gas man, that
smart boy fishes oll day, and don't
ketch nothing, an you drop In his
line an ketches u fish right off the
bat Aw, say, you make me sick
Why don't you lie like you knew the
business?"
"Tha's right" said the .stercopticon
man. "I1c boy didn't just want TO
gimme the line, but he give II Z me
just to change hiA luck, and see u
could ketch u fish, an / ketches one
right away"
"Dlg fish, s'pose?' sneered the gas
man.
"Well," said the stereopticon man,
aii,idcntly, sit wasn't big fish. But
y was fish au right, all right. !