The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-02

Bend. thriving little city of northern In- diana, it's main population on the one side of the St. Joseph river, but quite respectable fraction thereof taking its in- dustrial way to the opposite shore. and l there gaining an audience and a hearing i in the rather imposing growth and hufiy- burly of It's big mannfactories. and the consequent rapid appearance of multi tudinous neat cottages, tenement houses and business blocks. A stranger, enter ing South Bend proper on any ordinary day, will be at some loss to account for it's prosperous appearance-its Jagged and powdered streets-its handsome mercan- tile blocks, banks and business houses generally. Reasoning from cause to effect, and seeing but a meager sprfnkling of people on the streets throughout the day, and these seeming, for the most part, merely idlers and in no wise accessory to the evident thrift and opulence of their surroundings, the observant strang- CT will be puzzled at the situation. But when evening comes. and the outlying foundries sewing machine, wagon, blow, and other works together with the paper mills and all the nameless indus tries-when the operations of all these are suspended for the day, and the work men and workwomen loosed from labor then, as this vast army suddenly invades and overfiows bridge, roadway, street and lane, the startled stranger will fully com prehend the why and wherefore of the city's high prosperity. And once &C., quainted with the people there, the for tunate soiourner will find no ordinary culture and intelligence. and, as cer- | tainly, he will meet with a social spirit | ind a r1aCla hot ffff11 make the place a lasting memory. The town too, is the home of many world known notables, and a host of local ee1e- brities, the chief of which latter class I found, during my stay there. in the person of Tommy Stafford, or "The Wild lrishman," as everybody called him. Talk of odd fellows and eccentric char | acters," said Major Blowney, my ern- ployer, one afternoon, ''yoi must see our Wild Irishman here before you say you've yet found the queerest, brightest, cleverest chap In all your travels. What dye say Stockford?" And the major paused in his work of charging cartridges for his new breech-loading shotgun and turned to await his partners response.
 Stockford, thus addressed, paused above the shield sign he was lettering, slowly smiling as he dipped and trciled hls pencil through the ivory black upon a bit of broken glass and said, in his deliberate, ka,f-absent-minded way: "Is 1t Tommy you're telling him about?" and then, with a gradual broadening of the smile, he went on, Well, I shrould Say so Tommyl Whats come of the fellow, anyway? I haven't seen him since his last bout with the mayor, on his trial for shakin' up that fast-horse man."
 ''The fast-horse man got just exactly what he needed, too," said the genial major laughing and mopping his per- spring brow "The fellow was barkin' up the wrong stump when he tackled Tommyl Got beat in the trade at his own game, you know, and wound up by | an insult that no Irshman would take and Tommy just naturally wore out the hall carpet of the old hotel with himl'
 And then collared and led him to the mayors office himself, they sayl"
 'Oh, he didl' said the major, with a
 dash of pride in the confirmation; that s
 Tommy all overl''
 Funny trial, wasn't it?' continued the
 ruminating Stockford
 Wasn't it. though?' laughed the ma jor.
 The porter's testimony. You see, he was for Tommy, of course and on ex- animation testified that the horse-man struck Tommy first. And there Tommy | broke in with: He's a-meanin' well, yer l honor, but he's lyin' ter ye-hes lyin' to ye. No Twin, man iver struck me first nor last, nayther, for the matter O thatI And I thought-the-court- -die!" concluded the major, in a like im- minent state of merriment
 Yes, and he said if he struck him first" supplemented stockford "he'd like to know why the horseman was 'wearin' l all the black eyes and the blood and tho | boomps on the head of um! And it's that talk of his that got him off with so light a fine!
 "As it always does, said the major, | coming to himself abruptly and looking at his watch. Stock. you say you're not going with our duck-shooting party this time? The old Kankakee is just lousy with 'em this season!
 Cant go, possibly" said Stoclford, mot on account of the work at all but the folks at home aint just as well as I'd like to see them, and .. stay here till they're better. Next time I'll try and be ready for you. Going to take Tom my, of course7'
 "Of course Got to have the Wild Irish "Of course! Got to have The Wild Irishman with us! I'm going around to find him now Then turning to me the major continued Suppose you get on your coat and hat and come along? It's the best chance you'll ever have to meet Tommy, It's late anyhow, and Stock ford'll get along without you. Come on" certainly" said Stockford; Ego ahead | And you can take him ducking, too, if he | wants to go.'
 "But he doesn't want to go-and won't go," replied the major with commiser- | ative glance at me. Says he doesn't know | a duck from a poll-parrot-nor how 10 l load a shotgun-and couldn't hit a house | if he were inside of it and the door shut.
 
 | once, on the other side of a tree, with a squirrel runnin' down it. Don't want him alongn'
 Reaching the street with the genial ma | jor he gave me his advice: NOW, when you meet Tommy, you mustn't take all he says for dead earnest and you mustn t | believe because he talks loud, and in | italics every other word, that he wants | to do all the talking and won't be inter- fered with. That's the way he's apt to | strike folks at first-but it's their mis- | take, not his. Talk back to hm-contro- vert him wenever he's aggressive in the utterance of his opinions, and if you're 1 only honest in the announcement of your own ideas and beliefs, he'll like you | all the better for standing by them. He's quick-tempered and perhaps a trife sen sitive so share your greater patience with | him. and he'll pay you back by fighting l for you at the drop of the hat In short he's as nearly typical of his gallant country's brave, impetuous fun-loving individuality as such likeness can l exist"
 But is he quarrelsome?' I asked.
 Mot at all There's the trouble If he'd only quarrel thered be no harm done. | Quarreling's cheap, and Tommy's extrav- agant A big blacksmith here, the other day, kicked some boy out of his shop, ana Tommy, on his cart happened to be