Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-02-08

fore fine show opened, and Tom lett
1 me, when the lights began 20 pc hE ~
: look after his tickets aid passes :
! asked him 10 have a drink al a pun
I across the road, but lac rounded Oh rs
like an angry dawg. lie sata pups
was all cellar.fiaps 10 peTllllen. ~
! struck me as funny 10 bear cth Nepp
say q thing like that, thth ~fehaS
| be- ed lie Was bafmy Il dIdh hhoM
/ no better. However. We had I Coz
/ fee nj n stall. aud he swallowed IL as
/ though he was used to 1t. Amt INV
/ fuI sir. wot Il change madness can
bring about in a mann
I could scarcely restrain a U a
| the little newsyendor's quaint a~feai.
| He was himself a sober fellow enough,
who looked forward 10 his glass, al
proper~ intervals, with relish. But. Ike
/ thousands Of his fellows, he han u
profound contempt for the rigid teeto-
taller. and ! deemed II no bus11esS oA
mine TO discuss the point,
II have beard Of worse thah
! change from rum 10 coffee. fepneo'
But go OF with your warn.
well, sir, Rot caring niueh aeon'
! coffee. myself, ut 9 time when / usuai
~ has q ialf-pint, ] went across 10 the
Ut,b. aud there, rs ] expected, ] came
| across some Of the show-people.
| Thinks I Ia myself, 'Sam kobbs, yon're
n bloomin' tee, for the present, -thatb
wot YOU are. an you've got 10 go u
! or TWO better ner Saerlock Holmes, On
this ere occasion. And ] went 'em
/ too. sir, for all ! was worth.
az y,recious soon SDotted tine hoss OF
the show. q fat. good-narured hooking
chan. as WIS standing drinks 10 arega-
lar crowd of EN-. All his w people,
though: and I found out as 'ow ne al
WHY'S did #. afore openin', II business
was ANYWAYS brisk. a r~umlookiltT
lot thew was. too, mostly wrapped M
In rugs or great-coatS for TO hide the
feshliugs they showed IL. And that
iorlv. sir, II did one good to listen 10
en-. Of corrse, az II wa my game ~
get In with 'em. ] watched my ctlance,
! and asked the clown 10 have q drink.
Right Won are!' says he. Make II
a pint, and my pal here VIII 20
halves. en-. DiclIy? DictHy's our Strong
Man. you know
AT first ! thought he was joking, be
| cause the blanket-covered cove beslue
him was barely five feet high, and j
! laughed. So did the little 'un.
'Wot'' this held" he asked, holding
up a quart pewter.
"A quart says /.
"rRet Won q bob II won't saws ne.
Done, 4 y I. wondering where the
bob anne i'll.
He linked his two hands around The
| pewter. and. a moment later, handed q
n..x--.,1 ,-.. x.,,., ~ natal 70 flNn Hrp
man.
"'You've got To get a quart into that,
Jimmy he cried. shaking with laugh
ter.
"'Wot are yer gfvin' usT said the
harman, ~uretendin' To be nut Of the
Know How did this happen"
Cant Il for Sartin', answers the
little Strong Man, but ] rather think
tlte-Stont Lacy n Oh II by mistalxef
'sPut-up job. sir? Well, ] SUPPOSE II
was. and had been worked Oh lots Of
other besides 61e. But ] didn't sac II
in that way al the time, and ] iarfed
fit to XIII myself. After all, II only
cost NE the price Of the beer, for eth
er the Strong Man or the publican
stood the racket Of the pewter. The
Stout Lady Clipped In for a three Of
gin cold, though, before the O took
EN- ali across the road TO give the
show. ] went with them, anu might
easily have g the performance free,
If I'd wanted 10. The fsesS invited me.
and the Strong Mar Threatened TO take
me under his arm. But thar warr'r no
Sherlock Holmes about that, and go q
pays my bob To Tom Webb and sails
into my front seat. long with all the
'Amsted Road toffs. ] wished j had
Oh my spotted red tie and fancy Yes
XIII, but, still. j reckon ] held my own
pretty middIin'. They amt no class
down that way.
81 kept on tellin' myself ] warn't
there To see the show. only. Int for all
that, ] couldn't help enjoying some OF
the rruns, However, rs you'll see EN-
for yourself presently, there amt no
occasion for me to tell YOU about 'em
except Just one thing. That little
Strong Man fairly Fetched me. per
haps, 'cos ] amt huitt that WY my
self. He's only a little I'm, aR I've told
you. sir. hut he's rs strong MS q cart
horse. And, wot's more, hes a great
pal Of Tom Webb's."
Indeed? That reaoubles nv inter
est IL hin. Sam
We'll. it's SO, Mr.. Weston. After the
show was over, he waited ever SO long
for Tom twho was DELAYED somehow
ny his a~ccountsl, and they went off
home together. From what I heard
from some Of the others, i think the
Strong Man has n crippled brother,
who is also q bit dgtty. and that's WHY
he and Tom are such pals
ibid YOU have any further CONVERSE
ton with Tom hinlsef?"
'Very little. sir. j couldn't get sight
Of him until just before he went of
with the Strong Man, who gave me a
pretty broad hint not 10 foller 'em
home. ] wanted TO, but /
didn't care about risking n row with n
chimp who juggles with hundred
weights and breaks horse shoes In his
fingers, So, with Just a few words 10
Tom, that j thought might Jog his
fead-and-gone memory 10 life arain If
he Thought them over, j wished en-
goodnight, and promised 10 bring n pal
Or W to see the show some other
night.
Youth have 10 hurry ND, then,
says the Strong Man. We're of IN