The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-29

hide the CLEANS Of hunor in his eye.
When the audience has commissions OF
merriment he has to wait for it to sub
side TO allow him TO slip in the moral
which very few catch. but all smile
anew when he swiftly begins on another
tale.
Mr.. READS STORIES.
These stories in their fullness nobody
but Opie Read can tell or put on paper
They are not all humorous; some are ex-
tremely pathetic. One Of the Tennessee
moonshlners, Who was not before the
judge to beg. but who told how three
generations of patriots made moonshine
and fought in their country's successive
wars, was especially impressive The
moOnshiner was on trial for murder He
told how his granddaddy lived on a little
place up there on the mountain side,
planted corn on the sidehill and run
still But no hahn was done, judge;
no hahn. fer it was powerful good hquo's
powerful good HquO' and the govern
ment wasn't complainin'." Granddaddy
and his two boys left this field to fight
with Andy Jackson; years later the mar
ratOr's father left the same field and
business to fight in the Mexican war,
and then my time comes in 81
We'll, jedge. it was tn same story of
dad and granddaddy. I took my boys
and went to wah for the flag. And I lef'
two of my boys at Shiloh and comes
back with tn las one to tn ole place,
and we went to tillin' of tn Gavin and
maxim of tn liquo' as befo'. Jedge. and
thar was no harm, for It was pow ful
good liquO', pow'ful good, jedge, and
thar was no complainin'.
-'One day, jedge, a man comes along.
and says 1 was maxim of whisky I'M
lawful and that tn gov'ment wanted me
down heah at cote 1 said TO him that
I sees no gov'ment bout tn place, and
he says ne was tn goV'me
Now, jedge. he was not tn gov ment,
for I knOwed he was on tn other side,
fghtin against US at Shiloh But jedge,
he broke up my still. and his body's
lyin' some place up in tn mountain
thar
Such was the mountaineer's simple
plea. and the judge said to him.
Promise me. my friend, that you viii
not violate the law any more. and I will
let you go free"
7 can't promise. Jedge. for thar IS no
harm in ullin' Of tn Gavin and maxim
Of IN hquo. My dad and granddaddy
and tn boys done it befo' me-
well. I can't send you to prison.
for the Union. too. and so did my mar
shal there Possibly you might slip by
him when he is not looking"
II am blind, judge the marshal
said, and the mountaineer silently de-
parted.
Three generations OF patriots. Of
hardy, sturdy Americans-four genera
tions, for one boy survived Shil0hp' Mr.
Read exclaimed in q burst Of eloQuence-
And yet we are told that our country
Is IN danger of militarlSm from race
u men VINO nave ROuES0 cut tLSAA DAoOG
for their country, generation after gen.
Grafton"
Another story Is that of the rival doc
tors. Up in the mountains traveller was
asked TO larry and see a man get the
worst thrashinE of his life.
What are you going 70 thrash the man
1or2' the traveller wanted to know.
WAL, I've bin a. doctah and do a right
smaht practice When 1 tell a man he's
g-wine to die. ne dies Ev' thing goes all
right till anothah doctah comes erlong-
l went 70 see old Jim Smith. who was in
a powerful bad way
90 Jim. you're gwine to die I said Your
liver an lungs are all gone, nothins much
lett OF yOuah lights