The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-10-31

longer A mark who can cure leprosy
like you can is dangerous. That kiHs
was bird
SO they blindfolded Dugan and tied
his hands and put him on his knees
and the man with the axe got ready.
Then Dugan stopped them; and he
said to the king, Hold on a minute;
got something to tell you;" and he
told the king that he had book tina,
vas a wonder, ard asked him II he
couldn't go home and make his will
and leave it to him.
What's the book good for?" the
king wanted to know; and Dugan told
him it was good for a whole lot OF
things, but that there was one thing
that ought to hit the king where he
lived. He said that if, after they'd
chopped his head off. the king would
turn to page steen and read line seven
the head would answer any question
he could ask.
Great smoke! Well, I'm for that
book, them the king said; and he
sent Dugan home to make his will, and
fetched him back with the book the
next day.
Well, the push had got on that some
thing good was coming. and all the
enirs and grand viziers and vice
grands and floor walkers were there
when Dugan arrived.
Dugan walked up with the book, and
said: After my heads off, put it in a
basin and open the book. The blood'l
stop, and then you can fire away with
your questions. But before you give
the order to carve me | want to say
for the last time that | never intended
to Go a thing to you. On the level,
that's straight; and think you ough,
to drop this thing
"Oh, you're too late with that chin
now" the king said. I'D have to take
your head OF now. just to hear it talk,
if there wasn't any other reason. You
don't suppose Id miss this thing, do
you?"
Then his joblots gave the order, and
they soaked Dugan with the axe, and
his head fell into the basin. They set
the head up. and the king picked up
the book. The bleeding stopped, and
the head opened one eye and gave the
king a wink. 1t opened the other eye
and said:
We'll what'll you have! Beefsteak
and onions, veal outlets Dreaded, liver
and bacon"
Hold on! Hold on" the king said.
wait till l get the page"
The pages were stuck together, and
the king moistened his fingers with his
tongue, and began turning them over
one by one; and there's where he took
the trolley for the bad lands.
That book was fried in strychnine,
or rough on rats or something, and
every time his royal knocks put his
finger to his mouth he got little.
See?
The head watched him with one of
these oh-you'll-b e-sorry grins. and
when he got over to page 'steen there
wasn't anything there.
Move on little; l must have
missed the page" the head said.
So the king went ON till he came to
page %, and then he went into con-
vulsions and pitched out Of the throne
on his nut. At that Dugan's head
said:
'Hahah. haha! Now will you be
good? See what happens to these
flubdubs Of kings who think they can
bump everybody OF the road whenever
they feel like it? You put the boss
leprosy doctor out of business, all
right, old man, but that's your last
play, guess. This will do for you, l
think"
Well, the king had Is spasms; tried
to make the 10th; missed his reach,
and croaked. Then Dugan's head gave
the push a glare and went out of busi-
ness. That was great, eh, Charlie?-
From Jack Hardin's Arabian Nights"
by ]. w. Scott. Copyright, 1903. by
Herbert B. Turner & Co., Publishers.
Boston.