The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-08
DR.. EPHRAIM sLoAPEY, M. D.

Housken's is four miles Blue Knob. Ark, three
Mills fur and the end of the Main Bottom Road" For
thirty years and has alternately stood
sun or retrogaded Away back in the eos, when Eph
Sloapey built his blacks mith-shcp and put
and bellows things looked quite pear for while and
there was some talk of asking for postofce, but Eph
never got any business the first year except
occasional shoe to tap furnish. nobody
ever thought to him. he gradually gravisated back
into the more dgned though scarcely more profitable
pursuit OF boss docorin Mrs. Martha Housken. after
whom the settlement named kept the general store
eling out comfortable living by swapping calico gro
ceries. shelf hardware quinine such farm and
garden products could exchange for goods in
Blue Knob. Snoot other leading
resident of Housken's. he had built any
thing except Sioapeys shop and the Mount Pleasant
church. he his time contrving impossible
ornaments in scroll carving for his house
and garden
Eph and ST were old bachelors and Mrs Housken
was puxom widow when they drifted into this lonely
backwoods region after the Eph had been
with Grant and ST with Shesman.s and from the day
that the widow bought old Tffln and started
in on her account, her the daily
of argument rivalry and mutual determinations between
the two old soldiers. OF they both made to-
Mrs Martha Housken. but when each found that the
other smitten with the stout charmer they both
backed up and swore that they wouldn't stand in the
way of friend. Then Smoot. who had been deeply i'm
pressed with about Sloapeys skill in
ing the ppp chickens prosecuted the veterinary
with admontions that he THROWN hissef away in
Housken.'
"Eph" he would say you're gol-dinged djit t be
wastn' your talons settin round her. If you'd
up in Blue Knob OF Little Rock. Hot Springs,
you'd be famous in no time Famous that's what you'd
be. hog cholery like you wouldn't have
trouble tendin mortals"
smoot so sure that sloapey's skin beyond all
question ceased sing his rivals praises
except when Eph present Then he ranted. scoded
till the old horse doctor would in
this wise:
Dry up, you old poutcr pigeon If I'm a-wastin of
my time, what're you dom? Don't everybody allow
you're the best architect in Arkansaw? 2 you wasn't
so COMPOUNDED onery lazy you mought abe buidin in
tho o,nd aryin
gingerbread doofunnies and aspoun tobacco juice al
stoop light isn't under a bushel. mabbe-
Oh no! Your light is under hogshead that's where your
light is"
For years every time soapey smoot aiming for
the store he'd go there, Smoot might be perched
on the apex of his cottage fixing impossible wooden
eagle OF the dozen fagpoles that from the
but if he the venterinary ambng along in the
shade a chat with the widow, down he'd climb
eager for wrange full of the effect
that Eph "goldinged fool for wasting his genius
lonely obscurity of Houskens These daily rhetor
became the of the long, duh days in
settlement and for years the conversation of the
neighborhood kept alive with quotations of what
Doc Sloapey said Sir and what Smoot 'he up and
SAYS to Eph" But the squandered genius of old
soapey directed to the establishment of the black
shop Eph actually trapped ST into building
it before he admitted his purpose there came an end
in Mrs. Houskens store.
Him a blacksmith said 81. when he saw the new
sign the door. and accessory before the fact
It's outrage"
81 refused to receive any pay his work and from
together for dozen years Sloapey held sway in the
all and during the afternoons Smoot
occupied soap box the widows stove In the
division of their days Eph spent many lonely hours
fishing in by old dam. and 81 designed and
perperated extraordinary collection of birds beasts
and eptes with which he decorated every possible
and of his home
Meanwhile neither of the tagonists would
forget chvalrous equity to stand in
others with Mrs Housken. and the long court
ship stretched through without the envening
incidents of made the first decade
of it's prosecution thrilling. Children who had stood
openmouthed before the eloquent nvecves of the two
old orators grew up. married and moted The old
timers died widow stouter and grayer and ST
saw grifns. gargoyles and wooden
weather cocks drop by into his weedgrown
den. without effort to place them Eph quit fishing
in the bend sometimes when the weather bad.
instead hobbng down the road TO the store sat by
his shop window and drowsed over his Matera
Medica-
At last there came a time when for days. he
call the store and the widow sure that some
thing wrong can of mustard and some qun'ne
in her basket and visit him.
81 said srnoot when the old carpenter came
IN that day for his customary chat pore Eph is ailn
Better stop let bygones be bygones What SIP?
''What'd nc say?" Quoth Smoot-
He says Hows ST.? an I know he's Jest suferin' 70
make ST."
III drop your account. Marthy" and the old car
penter up his and sneaked off to the shop,
where his rival shaking with ehlls Nobody knows
just what the old said to each other but the next
day emerge from his ornate little rookery
and when dropped in she found him in fever.
hectic bright-eyed. bat planning at the bench
'Yore sick. too ST." said the widow. taking his hot
hand in hers.
7 amt no sicker Eph. argued the defiant soot
but day when she called he was IN bed pale
shivering and feeble.
''Eph sent you W some medicine. said Mrs Housken
'Humph" said 81. sitting up. interested 80 he's
aconin' what I allus told him. He's agoin TO
doctor stead Of fddlin with ppp hog
cholery? Well I'm glad know he amt quite bull
headed I loved" And 81 took the medicine. grin
ming a sckly grin 'vowng he felt better already
He got up when Martha and went back 70
bench saving planning and hammering far into the
night For days the widow Housken neglected
her store so might divide her time between
the old 81 continued swallow Ephs med
cine sending back such TEL him when N
up again all dom goin 70 hin 10 Blue
Knob an him up for doctor o human mortais II
gotta club
'Eph says ysu stay in bed an quit fddIin' with
tools" Martha would
Tell him one more them pis III be down
there o lick him. would bit his voice
whisper and The smile was very and
What y maxim. So" she asked him
Never you mind what I'm making. Marthy- HoE's
EphY"
He amt none too peart today Fact IS 81 I'm scared
Martha didn't come day, because Eph
falling rapidly. until n the Afternoon Il vas
o'clock at night she reached Shoots door n the
-fusfara