Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-06-14

asked the gas man, coldly.
"Say. what sort of a lobster are you,
anvway?" asked the stereopticon man,
a little impatiently. "Say, you must
be off your dot. What could that boy
do? He couldn't no more pull me
out than baby couldn't raise spite
driver. But there was little punt
chained close by an 1 shouts to the
kid:
"Boy, for the love of heaven, git
into that punt and shove her over
CAV, swim out says the boy, an
bring my fish line"
"Haw, haw, haw, haw, haw, wow
w.w-w-w!" screamed the gas man.
'That boy was peach"
A dangerous hook crept into the
stereopticon mans eyes, but he went
on patiently:
"T can't SWIM says l.
"'Then I guess I'll lose my fishline,.
says the boy. 4 can't swim, neither
he says.
"'My boy, can't you see I'm drown
ing?' / shouts. Shove over the boat
and help me-
"Well, the boy bundles into the boat
and shoyes it over, but it's no use. She
don't come within six feet of me.
81 thinks I'm a dead 'un for fair,
an then 1 sees a pair of new suspend
ers on the kid an shouts:
"Boy, for the love of heaven tie
them suspenders round my wrists an
make 'em fast to the scow.'
But the kid only looks mad. Say,
he says, that's a pretty smoky notion
Them's my new galluses!'
claw, haw, haw, wow-w-w.w!
laughed the gas man. wasn't that kid
SMOOTH" and the light in the stere-
opticon mans eyes grew deeper, but
he went on:
"'Then find bit of rope 1 shouts.
There's a piece there an I'm cryin
with fear.
"'Where? says the boy. 1 showed
him where an old ropes end was hang
ing and he went to get it. 1 could feel
my hands growing weaker and lets
go groan.
"'Hurry, boy, hurry!' says /.
81 watches him climbin' toward the
rope an then all of sudden he stops
and looks ashore.
"Is some one comm? l shouts.
"'Naw,' says the boy. It's the cows
got into the timothy
81 remembered SEEM the COW in the
timothy an hour before an / wished
I'd turned it out. But only shouted
to the boy.
"Hurry with the rope, shouts, or
I'll drown =.
"'Guess you'll have to wait awhile
he says. I've got to turn the COW
out'n the timothy
"'Oh, hang the timothy 1 screams
"'That settles it, says the boy
That's dads timothy. Now you swim
out!'
"He ran up to the bank an me calm
and screamin' and beggin' him not to
let me die, an could hear the cows
bell janglin' as the boy chased her
away. Say, wasn't that awful?"
CLAW, haw, haw!" laughed the gas
man. Say, that's the funniest l ever
stacked up agin. Say I'd give thou
sand bills to seen you hangin' there.
and howlin' like hyena. Say, I'd like
to meet that boy and blow him OF
to somethin just once"
The stereopticon man s"niled, too.
His smile was menacing, but the gas
man didn't notice it. "G'wan," he said.
"Well, sir, hung there an heard the
cowbell CROWN fainter and fainter,
as the boy chased the cow further an
further away, an wondered what
the bad place would be like, and il
there was any chance of Heaven. An
tried to count up all the decent things
I'd ever done, and see if they'd balance
some of the crooked things. An won
dered how deep the water was, and
what the bottom was like, and If there
were leeches down there, cause l knew
that leeches'll suck drownded mans
blood. An 1 thought about the stere
opticon, and the show that was due
at half-past eight, and how the peo
pied be s'prised when l didn't show
up. an / thought of about million
other things. An all the time | was
whoopin' and howlin' like the whistle
on a sea tug.
"But by that time was about givin
out. I was gettin' weak, an there
was queer things hoatin in front o
my lamps, an my fingers was numb
an the cowbell was still clangin' lonl
: way off.
"It's good-by,' thinks, an thei
1 hears voices an men runnin'.
thinks if l kin hold up minute long
err I'm saved, but my strength wa
gone. tried to hold on, but it WASH
: any use, my fingers let go, and sank.
: Down, down, down-for about
, foot. Then 1 stopped. My chest wa
above water, and could feel the mu'
!, runnin' into my boots"
"An' YOU wasn't drown 'ded," said tn
gas man, in tones of deep disappoint
ment.
mo"
= "An' the water was only about fou
Y feet deep?"
! 81 guess it was four feet and half.
. can you was hangin' there all tn
time worryin' that smart boy, al
4 bowlin' like a Bowery barker--witl
I your toes bout touchin' bottomP"
"Yes."
"An' two or three gazabos to stan
: an laugh at We, by the time yo
7 crawled out?"
I That's right" said the stereoptico
q man, and his smile was becomin
deadly.
g "Well, say" began the gas maj
4 "you're the worst"