The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-09-17
PRINCETON UNIoN Thursday SEPTEMBER - 1908

right" he said coldly. .sN1e nur YOU
nur nobody hain't got no right to hint
at what we don't know nothin' abotl.
Mr.. Craig may "a lost ever cent ,.a
had"
"In pigs valise!' sneered the red
headed man. I'D bet my hat he's st
money-an' plenty Of it, huhv'
"Well, don't know nothin' about
IT, said Pole, still coldly. AN what's
more, Dunn, I amt a-goin' about
smirchin' any helpless mans character
nuther. Eff knowed he had made by
the bust, I'd talk different, but don't
know it,
ooh, 1 see which side you are on,
Baker," laughed the clerk. "Folks are
about equally divided. Half is fer i'm,
an half agin. But mark my words,
Craig will slide out o. this town some
day an be heerd of after awhile a-git-
tim started agin some'rs else. That
racket has been worked to death all
over the country"
| Pole carried the discussion no fur
Their. Half an hour passed. Customers
were coming in from the wagon yard
and examining the wares on the coun-
tiers and making slow purchases. The
proprietor came in and let the clerk go
| to breakfast. Pole stood in the door
way looking up the street in the direc-
| ton of Craig's residence Presently he
saw the eX-banker coming from the
postottice reading his mail. Pole STEP
ped back into the store and let him go
by; then he went to the door again
and saw Craig go into Finchers ware
house at the end of the next block of
struggling, wooden buildings. Pole
sauntered down the sidewalk in that
direction, passing the front door of the
warehouse without looking in. The
door at the side of the house had a
long platform before it, and on it
Fincher, the proprietor, was weighing
| bales of hay which were being unload
ed from several wagons by the coun-
| trymen who were disposing of it,
| Hello, Mr.. Fincher!" Pole greeted
him Familiarity. "Want any help un-
loadin'?'
Hello, Baker!' said Fincher, look
| Ing up from the blankbook in which he
was recording the weights. NO. reck-
| on they can handle it all right" Finch
| er was short, fat man, very bald and
with a round, laughing face. He had
known Pole long time and consid-
cred him a most amusing character.
"How do you come on, Pole?
"Oh, about as common. 1 jest thought
them fellers looked sorter lightweight"
The men on the wagon laughed as
they thumped bale Of hay on to the
platform. you'd better dry up," one
Of them said. well git the mayor to
put you to work agin.'
| "Well, he'll have to be quicker about
it than he was the last time," said Pole
dryly.
| Some one laughed Justify from be-
hind a tall stack Of wheat in bags in
the warehouse. 1t was Lawyer Ira
bue. He came round and picked up
Fincher's daily paper, as he did every
morning, and sat down and began to
read it.
"Now you are talkin',' he said
"Thar was more rest in that job, Pole,
than any you ever undertook. They
tell me you didn't crack a rock.''
Fincher laughed as he closed his
book and struck Baker with it play
fully. "Pole was too tired to do that
job he said. "He was born that way"
"Say, Mr.. Trabue," retaliated Pole,
"did you ever heer how got the best
o Mr.. Fincher in chicken trader"
| 81 don't think I ever did, Pole"
laughed the lawyer, expectantly. How
was it?'
"Oh, come off, don't go over that
again." said Fincher, flushing.
1T was this away" said Pole, with
a broad, wholesome grin. my cousin,
Bart Wilks, was runnin' the restaurant
under the car shed about two yeer ago.
| He was new hand at the business,
an one day he had a awful rush. He
got telegram that train load O. pas
sengers had missed connection at Chat
tanooga an would have to eat with
him. He was powerful ratified, run
min round like dog after its tail. He
knowed he'd have to have a lot O. fry
In chickens, an he couldn't leave the
restaurant, so he axed me eff I'd take
the money an go out in town an buy
'em fer i'm. consented, an struck
Mr.. Fincher, who was sellin' sech truck
then. He lowed, you know, that
jest wanted one, or two at the outside,
fer my own use, so when l seed a fine
coop out in front an axed the price Of
| 'em he kinder drawed on his beerd till
his mouth fell open an studied how
he could make the most out O. me.
After awhile he said, Well, Pole, I'll
make 'em 10 cents apiece eff pick 'em,
an 10 eff you pick 'em.' I sorter skeerd
the chickens around an seed thar was
two or three tiny ones hidin' under the
big ones, an seed what he was up to,
but I was ready fer i'm. All right
SEES I, you pick EN- Thar was two
or three loafers standin' round an
they all laughed at me when Mr..
Fincher got down over the coop an
finally ketched one about the size Of
l n a NJ ho, Id