The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-13

smoke and let my temper down and 1t
was while I lay thus that Old Ri came
upon me from behind an alder clump.
why, Biz 1 exclaimed You here,
too! What Iuck?"
What luck?" he replied, Topping down
on the bank after he recovered from his
assumed surprise at seeing me. "Miser'-
blest kind! L sat on the Buckhorn stoop
more thin an hour this mornin', with my
throat well nigh parched, waitin' fer a
good Samaritan to come along n moisten
it. Eph~am Bender come drivin' up with
his OK team, n 1 was hopin' like till he
told me that he had sold his hoop poles
but had took it out in pork n things,
Std o cash, n 1 know'd that he didn't
have no money to put in circulation for
the good of his Teller man, N 1 was ru-
Their glad when he went whoa-geein' n
hawin' away with his oxen, cause had
dime in my pocket that I was dependin'
on, if the worst come to the worst. l
sot spell longer, n was beginnin to
think the worst had come, when EVander
Shaw come along.
Il know'd that Evander was candid
ate fer sheriff ag'in Jonas Snively n
Sam Kinkler, N 1 was glad to see him,
n told him he was wise to be startin'
in early with his lectioneerin', SOS to
git ahead o. t'other fellers-ketchin the
early worm. as it were, I said-though I
told him that it want necessary fer him
to come n 'lectioneer us folks, cause
we was all goln' fer him. n that Jones
hadn't better come round here tryin' to
get any votes, or we'd send him a flynn,
With a flee in his ear. I was all ready
fer the expected moistenin', when Evan
der said that the fact o. the matter was
that him N Jonas had had a confer
ence m that he had hauled off o. the
track in favor o Jonas n want lection
49, IT,
Whistlin', jest as if I want settin there
with my throat puckered like as If it
was puddin' bag with the string drawed
tight.
The worst had come to the worst now.
fer Certain, n I got up n went in n
ted 'Zeke'l, the landlord. to put plenty
O. sugar and tanzy in it, n l laid my
dime on the bar SOS that he could see I
n cant it. While 'ZekeI was fixing the
noistenin' he picked up my dime n look
ed at it, n then showed it back to me
n set the moistenin' back on the shelf.
There was a hole in the dime as big as
buckshOt, l do declare, n I'd jest like
to know who could e. put it off on to
Peggy KNOWN that 'Zek'el had pc
culiar idees ag'in settin' me out things
n waitin till 1 come tomorrow, I was
Walkin' out disconsolit, n chokin, when
who should come in but Jonas Snively.
Il was glad to see him n called him
sheriff, n told him that Ia Jest been
congratulatin' Evander ON his wisdom in
DRAWN off, cause he hadn't no moro
show ag'i in Jonas, l said, than feather d
have in a gale o. wind; n I told Jonas
we was all fer him here to man. was
actually on my way back to let Jonas
moisten me, when he sort O. grinned IL
said he was tremendous glad to hear that
we was all fer him, cause he wouldn't
have TO waste no time lectioneerin us,
but could so right on to the Bear Swamp
deestric, which wan so certain!
q N he went, n l jes grabbed my
fshpole n cut for the brook to get Peggy
mess Of trout thinkin' that maybe she
might-we1 consarn it all! That's the
kind O. luck l been haYin."
Just a scheme against that flask he
knew had as well as he knew he had
come to the creek by another way and
lain in wait for me behind the alder
clump-this merry tale Of disappoint-
ments that bad never come nigh him, the
sly old rascal!
''But / meant what luck with the trout,
BIZ" said 1, taking the flask out and
placing it on the grass by his side And
his amazement, one would have sworn,
knew no bounds.
What" he exclaimed, sitting UP and
reaching for the flask. This aint-thls
ain't-why, merciful man! you don't mean
to tell me that yOu-pshaw! 1t can't be
that its-Why, do declare! Who'd ever
a thunk th't-well, well!-why, it is, as
sure as guns!"
With a twinkle in his eye, and a wicked
chuckle, old Ri 'mOistened" himself well.
reach, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and
turned to me.
Trout, eh?" said he. refectively.
Trout is Jest like politicians; e'zaC'ly
like politicians. How so? Cause you
can't never depend on EN-. You can't
depend on 'em from one day to another.
When you're countfn on EN- doln one
thing, they'll right up n do somethin'
else th't you want cOuntin' on, n II
knock your calculations sl6y-high. Jes'
look, fer instance, how often yen work to
git holt on to some Of trout that's layin'
low for bids down here in the creek. He's
a smart OF fellow, n It'll be jes' like him
TO come up to eVerythin you offer him
n take it thout your ever gittin' holt
on to him. y
'..zArter while, mebbe, you'll run out of
to dig UP Some more along comes an
other chap n puts in a bid for that
trout. That chap, mebbe, is leetle bit
smarter'n you be. n when, you come
back you find that the trout has jumped
at his offer, n that the Teller has got
holt on to him, n after all that you've
ben putin up fer him you're left out in
the cold. Hain't you never heern O.
N then, ag'in, the feler that got the holt
on the trout IL hev a chance to see how
much like a politician IT Is, ef he don't
look out n he wants to be keepin' his
eye open, fer jest while he's workin the
trout for all he's worth, n countin on IL
big, all Of student it'll give flop, n
the other Teller II find that his holt is
gone, n the trout is ready to lay fer
some one eIse's offers. Jest like poIiti-
clans, trout is. Everlastin'ly on tn flopl
But there's one thing that trout don't
take after politicians in; not a bit. Wen
ev'rythin's bright n clear around you,
n no sign of a cloud anywhere threat
enin' you, then the politicians II flock
around you like flies round the 'lasses
cup, n there amt nothin' they won't be
willin' to do to help you along. But let
the clouds come n settle on to you, n
the sun git hid away, so to speak, n you
be they? That's the question. Where
be they? Scarcer thin fur on a catfish!