The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-06
They All Listened

Frank Owens tells what he considers a
good story on Harvey Horner but il
viii require some figuring 70 tell whe-
Their the joke was on Harvey or the
jokers.
Mr. owen says away back in the early
eighties Harvey Horners drug store in
Caldwell was a sort Of meeting place for
many OF the better class of citizens of
that then frontier town. He said the
blood curdling adventures that had been
related in that drug store would make
volume of interesting reading in these
modern times of piping peace.
Harvey Horner made trip 10 Wichita
in those days about once in every three
months. Owen said every time Harvey
came TO Wichita he would have some
story of his experience in the city up at
the junction of the two Arkansas rivers
that would cause the hairs on the heads
OF his listeners TO raise their hats. So
one day the boys learned that Harvey
HoTner had come 10 Wichita and they
put up a game on him. 1t was proposed
by Frank owen.
In due time Mr.. Horner returned from
the Windy Wonder and that night the
according TO Encouragement. 1t only
required a few hints 10 start Mr. Horner
on an astounding story. Frank Owen
gave a little whistle and started for the
door and others followed until before
Mr.. Horner had half finished his story he
was alone in his store and nobody TO
listen to him.
Now even in those days Harvey Hor-
FER was no spring chicken in experience
and he at once caught onto the fact
that the boys had put up game on him
and he resolved to beat that crowd il it
took him all summer.
Mr.. Horner was a great man to ex-
pertinent with snakes and some OF the
people of Caldwell today believe that he
can handle the worst venomous rattlers
on the prairies with no harm to himself.
Harvey had a dangerous green looking
reptile that had been sent from Texas to
him and he had the snake tanned.
Frank owen was deathly afraid of
snakes and he would always dream about
them when he ate too much supper.
About two weeks after the incident re-
lated above that same crowd that had
refused to listen to Mr.. Horners Wich- !
tia experience collected in the store and /
finally some one asked him if he had /,
ever finished that story, and another |
one asked him if it was a continued !
story.
Mr.. Horner went into a back room |
and when he returned he took chair |
in front of Frank Owen and said: Now. /
Frank you played it on me and / am /
now going 10 tell you that story and il /
you move an inch in that chair l will /
wrap this thing around your neck and he I
drew the Texas reptile from his pocket |
and held it up before Owens face.
SLr. Owen froze fast to his chair and /
an earthquake would not have moved
him. Horner told the rest OF the crowd
that if one of them tried to get out OF
the house he would catch them and wind
the vicious looking thing their necks.
Mr. Owen said you bet we listened and
when he was through Harvey said now
very one Of you laugh and don't you
forget that we laughed and told him that
xas the best story we had ever heard
him tell"
When I got out OF the house, said
Mr.. owen. Il split for home and even
low the cold chilIs run down my back
when I think OF that horrible Texas
snake / know / should have dropped
lead IN my tracks is Harvey Homer had
brown that pesky serpent around my
leck."