Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-11-24
THE PILGRIM BEATEN.

who hath only tintype outfit and $37
in cash in his hind pocket is the most
content of all.
And likewise:
"Be ambitious, but not too much so.
1t hurts a Teller less to fall from a
fence than from house roof"
| was still feeling unctious and high
spccritcd when along comes two Phil
istincs on hossback. | salutcd them
with smiles of welcome, but thar was
no responsive grins on thar faces as
they got down off their critters. Sun
thin whispered to me that a miSunder-
standin was about to take place and
that it was my duty to put up my
dukes and see it through. Without
wastin any words the strangers pitch
ed into me- and without word lam
basted them right and left 1t was
purity scrap, but alas integrity doesn't
alluS triumph. AFTER about ten minitS
my wind gave out, and the PhiliStines
battered my nose and BACKED my eyes
and left me lyin a human wreck on the
bosom of the airth. AS they moved
away they INDUCED in words which
led me to believe that Teller pilgrim
resemblin me in henignness and inno-
cence had sold them ten city lots in the
town of Golden Hope, and that they
had hunted for the said town in vain.
Hope returned with my second wind,
and as | sat soothin my nose with a
handful of grass found myself sayin:
"a clear conscience Is its own de-
fnncn and al,
Though a licked man | yet have no
fear of bein arrested fur stealth q
hawg."
! had risen up to hitch my boss to the
wagon to purcecd onward when two
other human bein's rode up and pur-
cceded to revile me. Rcmcmbern that
soft answer turncth away wrath,
while calm a man liar stirs up the
bile. gently asked for an eXplana-
shun. 1t appeared that Teller pilgrim
of the same venerable appearance as
myself had sot down with them in the
town of Red Hot to a game of poker
and, hevin lost to them, had worked off
counterfeit bill in payment. AS they
declared me to be the sinner | started
out to argue the case, but they would
not hear my words. When | saw them
peel off their coats and spit on their
hands, | realized that integrity was
called upon to hump herself, and |
gathered up my muscles and sailed in.
Truth is mighty and must prevail, but
she don't allus prevail that same day.
1t was so in this case. | was licked
agin, and it was all of half an hour
before | had bound up my hurts, got
the grass out of my hair and found my
self ObServin:
"He who would not battle for his
conscience Is Il coward. He who would
not fight again after bein licked twice
hath no perseverance and deserves not
success"
Then hitched up and went forward
to the town of Set En- Up. My APP
pearance was not as venerable and be-
nign as | could have wished for, but
my heart was stout. and truth was
ever before me, as | told the inquistive
inhabitants that had been toyed with
by a cyclone as slept the sleep of the
just. They gave me welcome at first,
but when we had brung about dawg
fight and my canine had won the
stakes the people fell upon me for a
deceiver, and l was thumpcd and
pounded and walloped and landed in
the town Jail. lay thar in my sorrer
fur two days. and my food was bread
and water. Then the mayor of the
town visited me, although it was his
dawg which had been licked in the
fight.
Pilgrim" says he as he sits down
beside me In a brotherly way, "the
wild and woolly west is a vast eXpanse
of kentry."
"She surely be-" says |.
"And she is filed with all sorts of
critters. A few may be without guile,
but the rest are full of deception and
wickedness. Fur instance, don't
think you'v' got any guile about you"
If have know it not"
81 believe you had when your dnwg
licked mine and lost 500, but have
thought better of it. Even beneath