The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-06-19
THE ROUSTABOUR.

| Roustabout has new evidence thai
Oskaloosa is not so bad as some OF oul
| jealous neighbors are wont to paint 1t
For instance he left borrowed whee
standing under an outside stairway or
the sidewalk the other night, and
found it there next morning with moth
ing gone but the wind. The same day
after accusing all his co-workers and
relations of stealing his umbrella he
found 1t behind door where he had
hid it three weeks ago.
AS the fellow halls from Ottumwa,
Roustabout did not care to learn his
name, for all the people from that
section "look alike to me-" But he
Is really all right, despite his early
surroundings. He is at work on the
new Lacey hotel and can lay brick
like veteran. He is terribly stopped
for a man of his age, but the hump on
his back is hardly equal to the one he
gets on his work. The other fellows
were joking him about his shape the
other day and the repartee was ex-
ceeding keen. Finally the fellow re-
marked in a tone as sober as the
proverbial Judge, Boys can you guess
what has made me so stooped?" One
of them ventured it was praying too
much. Another that it was carrying
water to the elephant. A third that it
was lodging the bill collector, and so
on down along the line. "All wrong"
said the man from Ottumwa, 'it was
my fathers fault When l was young,
he could not restrain his enthusiasm
and was eternally humping me on the
back with the exclamation, Willie,
what a good boy you are!'" If the
water boy had not come along just
then and quenched their thirst there
might have been a strike for about
four minutes.
Two fellows came over from Abba
last week to see the town, and they
brought their trunk along. One of
them found the town too fast for him.
but the other concluded to tie up here
and remain. Number one started home
the other day and took the trunk with
him. Number two accompanied him
to the depot, and the two,-like many
others who are fortunate enough not
to live in Albia,-stood around until
the train came in before they bought
ticket. Then they did not think of
the trunk until the train started. For
accommodation solely and at his own
risk Baggageman Worth put the trunk
on the moving train. After the train
had gone out of sight down through
the yards, number two turned to Mr.
Worth and in all seriousness asked:
Aren't you going to check that
trunk?" The baggageman politely re-
piled that he could not just then as
his air ship was out of fix.
But the worst that ever happened
is reported from down in Lee county.
There is a station there called Sawyer,
and near it is tunnel. Recently a
nice looking couple from Eddyville
were on the train, and they did not
seem to realize anyone else was in
the car. Oblivious to their surround
ings they were like two souls with but
a single thought. While the train was
passing through the tunnel those near
the couple heard a suggestion of sus.
picious smacks something like kiss
with a dozen echoes. After the train
had passed through the tunnel the
brakeman came through the car and
called out Sawyer" and the timid
young man looked up and said, 81
don't give durn if you did. We're
married" RoUsTABoUT.