Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-06-14

life. so real was the story OF hardship
and self abnegation, and her audience
saw her only, living az abe had lived,
suffering as she had suffered before
they had known her.
A tall, well-boned man, with slight
ly sooping shoulders, sat on the sx-
IRENE right of the improvised theater
and seemed very much affected as the
play progressed. He was swayed by
every shadow OF emotion as II he were
seeing real life instead Of very ordi-
nary play acted by semi-amateur
group of transformers. Twice he was
seen TO grasp his chair eonvulsiveIy,
and when the leading man, he Of fierce
mustache and commanding mien,
swearing by the everything God that
she, meaning Little Lady," should be
his wife, whether or no, and rushed to
seize her In his arms, the tall. we'll
boned man arose in his place with gun
leveled direct on the fierce mustache
and said: They amt gwine ter be
| no forced marriages in this yer house
ter night and they amt no kind er use
er enjoyment in Sech harrerin scenes
\ Talnt good, neither fer body er soul.
Ez fer you, Mister Bad Man, the less
seen of you around these yer diggins,
the less likely We air ter find yerself a
human tassel swinging at the end of a
cord"
The speaker was Kansas Joe, the
\ same who few days before "wouldn't
hev he'd no respeck fer q woman tibet
would so fer fergit her sex ez ter come
down into Ennis Gulch ter play act
fer n gamblin,. cussin', fghtin' passed.
of men," and he had scarcely finished
speaking when four-Score weather
beaten tempters Of providence, gam
blers of pick and pan, arose as one man
and hurrahed the sentiment to the
echo.
Judge Slocum, postmaster, coroner
and magistrate, finally managed to
get order out of chaos, from his van
tage ground on the top Of beer bar
rel, vouchsafed a few remarks on the
occasion.
"The time hez been" said the Judge,
within the memory Of many tibet /
see present, when SIGH an exhibition
| of downright cussedness would hev
been follered in due course OF time
| with q lynchin'; but now, hampered
| exists between this camp and our
| much esteemed neighbors at Pine
| Knob, ez ter which kin make the best
! shown of law and order; curtailed ez
our material privileges hev become by
reason of our heartfelt desire ter be
| recognized abroad ez the most law
abidin' community in this yer neck o.
| the woods, n desire tibet h ez already led
| 20 our freely, 'cheerfully refrainin'
4 from eNercisin' our Heaven-born pre-
/ negative of hemp stretchin' in the
| case of Bronco Pete, when nuthin' on
airth ever wuz more sartin than tibet
! he stole a rasher OF bacon and n sack
of beans from the home and fireside
of our lamented and dearly beluv'd
| Teller citizen. Ezra Pickett, who died
manfully defending his rights 10 afore.
said bacon and aforesaid beans, TO his
last breath of life.
/ "I say, gentlemen, a principle tibet
hez cost MS so dearly already, must
not be forgot at this moment OF trial
and temptation. I move tibet this
company, eXcloodin' the dangerous.
looking individool, be allowed to de.
| part unmolested. move tibet this
given a trial by jury of his peers
and, lastly, l move thet the city mar
| shall be requested ter levy a tax on
every self-respectin' critter in the
/ gulch accordin' ter his means and tibet
the proceeds OF the aforesaid tax be
I presented ter this yer little pale-faeed
! gal, who appears ter hev been gettin'
the wust of it all along the line, with
the best compliments Of the season"
This motion, with the amendment
| that the marshal be instructed instead
| of requested, as the latter word by no
means expressed the meaning and
| that the instructions be both given and
put in execution forthwith, passed the
house without a dissenting voice and,
though the subscriptions were solicit
ed with showing of guns, it was more
Z as n matter of form or through force
of habit than because of necessity, for
there was not man Of the four-score
who thought himself rich enough in
4 the remembrance of good deeds, well
! done, to afford to lose the opportunity
| Kansas Joe was appointed a commit
tee of one to escort Little Lady" and
her wealth back over the trail again
and the stories he told on his return
elected him mayor Of the gulch with
out opposition.
The jury, not being quite certain Al
to how much of the fierce mustachet
mans ranting was due to his desire /,
play act in a realistic manner and how
much to pure depravity, gave him tn
benefit of their doubts; but tn
| chairman of the vigilance commit
and Judge Slocum, having the welfar
and the reputation Of the communit.
| at heart, escorted him to the count.
. line on the day following his demon
stration.
Indian with Eyeglasses.