The age-herald., 1901-01-29
SKETCHES FROM
 EVERYDAY LIFE

Tt is not always safe to tell the truth about man. no matter how intimate and friendly you may be- said man in
 speaking of his first and only editorial
 "The editor of the Republican paper in my town was a friend of mine, and one day during a hot municipal campaign he want ed to take a day off and go fishing. He said he had written all the editorials for that issue of the paper except one on the political situation. volunteered to do this for him. and knowing that I was Repub- lfcan and not apt to say anything against the interests of the party, and that the Democratic candidate for Mayor was a warm personal friend of mine, he thought he could safely trust the matter to me.
 Caring more about a fish fry than a po- lltcal fry, off he went to the happy fishing grounds. felt the responsibility of the situation and the opportunity to distin- guish myself, and knowing a great deal more about the Democratic candidate for Mayor than the editor, I proceeded to touch him up,' and wrote one of the hot test editorials the paper had seen in long time. The Democratic candidate was a bar keeper and in size equal to two ordinary men. Like most big men, he was good na- tured, and relying on this and our friend- ship, told some things about him not gen. erally known, but which, being true, pro- tected the paper from libel suit. It seems, however, that l made a mistake in telling the truth, for he got furiously an- gry. He found out who wrote the editorial and sent me word he intended to do for me This gave me very uncomfortable feeling, for my business was such that I could not leave town at the time, so I fre- quented the back streets for a day two and avoided the neighborhood of his sa- loon The third day had grown bold enough to venture on the main street, and was walking down town when hand seized the back of my coat collar and I was lifted in the air, where I hung dangling like toy figure on rubber string. I knew who it was that had me, and I could hear the barkeeper feeling in his pockets for a weapon. He did not happen to have one, which probably saved my life, and after a shaking which limbered every bone in my body and cured me of an attach of rheuma- tism he let me go l quit writing editorials, and while I still suffer with rheumatism, I prefer some other cure.
 This same barkeeper, who was known as Ole Kaintuck, used to run a fighting ground as side line There was a little alley which ran by the side of his saloon. Half way down this alley was the side door of the saloon. In one of the door posts was staple and ring about four feet from the ground, and in the wall opposite was an- other staple and ring the same heighth. There was a rope which stretched across the alley and was fastened to these two rings by means of hooks at each end. It was the custom of the town to settle all disputes at Ole Kaintucks saloon. The combatants would be placed one on eacn side of this rope and there they would fight it out. It was against the rules to hit below the rope which reached up to the waist. Nothing takes the anger out of a man so quickly a good knock down, and after fight, both parties invariably shook hands and repaired to the saloon where they took a ''bracer," the custom being that the loser paid for the drinks. They always departed good friends. If a loser failed to set up the drinks 1t was an indi- cation that there was still spleen left in him and that he had not had a sufficient drubbing to take it out. In this case he usually had another fight on his hands in few moments. l remember one man who took three lickings before he set lem up He. called an Irishman who was drinking at the bar, an Irishman. This of course brought on a fight. They repaired to the rope where the Irishman, to revenge his insult, promptly knocked his opponent down. They came back into the saloon but the man who had gone down in defeat fail- ed to order the drinks. Maybe you would like to call me an Irishman said another Hibernian, standing by. Yes, damn you you are an Irishman, said the yanquished one. This meant another trip to the rope where the second Irishman carried on the good work begun by the first. They crossed the bar a second time but the vanquished had not yet gotten to the drink period, and it took third fight to losen up the fount of generosity. When he picked himself up from the ground after his third encounter he was in a perfectly good humor. Come in boys he said, and take drink All three of his victors accepted the invitation, and they all parted the best of friends This custom was much better for the men than shooting or stabbing, and brought considerable business to Ole Kaintuck's sa- loon, which otherwise it would not have received. There is nothing like side lire in business and saloonkeepers might profit by Ole Kaintucks example,
 LINES TO A WATERFOWL.
 Pv William C,,llar Io,.,,,,.