The Saint Paul globe., 1903-06-29
ONLY SLIGHT MlscALcuLATloN.
RUNNER" Started Little Fire, but
Placed 1t Wronu.

FI6SCO N VfTOnSs
"See that feller?" inquired Benjamin
Franklin Peckham, as he and the City
Feller sat on the postoffice steps Of
Cross Mills waiting for Josh White to
finish luncheon in the horse shed just
across the street and bring the mail
pouch to the office.
The City Feller observed a negro six
feet two inches tall and as straight as
an arrow, sitting on the rail that pre-
vents the careless from falling into
Cold brook where it runs under the post
road
wall, sir" continued Benjamin
Franklin Peckham, VINO is seventy
eight and remembers everything that
has happened in Cross Mills for nearly
three-quarters Of a century, "thet fell
Ter useter be a turrible RUNNER
used to be?" said the City Feller
with a rising infection, for he knew
the ways of Benjamin Franklin Peck
ham.
yes, sir; useter be-" repeated the
village sage. But he Quit-teW year
ago this spring twas. He got a warn
in. He'd been daown ter taown meet
! in, Sam hed-thets his name-Sam
Freeman-an' thet year twas eonsid-
erable damp at taown meetin'. Folks
do say thet there was plenty t drink
| an nothin' ter pay, pervidin' feller d
vote right. Mebbe so n mebbe not
BUT, anyways, there was plenty O.
whistles got a leetle moist. The
Charlestaewn Woman's Christian
Temperance union sot up a tent to fill
the boys up with coffee, lem'nade, m
Sarsp'rilla, but / guess the fellers saved
a leetle room f'r somethin else Any
ways, Sam did. He stayed raoun' the
TaoWn haouses jest as long s anybody
d stay with him, an when he mosied
long hum he wuz toPable happy.
"Ye know thet road thet jumps off
to the lef' from the Taown house as
you so to Shamrock up over the SAN
plains wall. Sam useter live all by
himself up thet there pike. When he
get home thet night I spose he's jest
| a, Ieeetle bit fiustered up. Anyways,
he jes' thinkes he'll build up a leetle
fire in the fireplace-the nights was
still wee bit chillsome. He don't
bother 'baout lightin' no lamp. He
Jest gifts few kin'lin's from the wood
shed and starts 'em up.
Then, bein' some tagged out with
the haversack his stummick's been car
ryin', he goes t bed. hangf his pants
over the foot O. the bedstid
.~Naow t happened they was some
$25 In them pants. 1 don't go fer t.
say thet Sans bein' t. taown lection
thet day he'd anythin' t. dew with it
I'm only saying thet there t was.
Wal. t seems thet Sam, bein'. as
! say, jest weeny bit flustered up,
he'd made a leetle miscalkerlation
ne built thet there fire. Stead O. build
In her in the fireplace, he'd fixed her
up in the corner under the rockin'
chair. Draft was all right. though.
burned fust rate N pretty quick Sam
began t dream he's in hi. Naow. I
| don't sot much store on dreams as a
gln'rl thing. but shouldn't be
| spriSed f thet dream O. Sann's come
nigh comm trew. IT any rate. Sam
woke UP jest in time t grab his pants
| n git out into the Yard. LeastWays.
| ne thought they was his pants, but
come t find out, t want nothin' but
ms shirt. after all. So the pants
they cos Sam a dollar an quarter
! up t Sharnock,s store an the S25
| was all burned up in the shack m Sam
| ned hard days votin' fer nothfn'.
sam he's a reasonable felIer. He
| see t was all the corn juice as done it,
50 he quit. m | amt never seen him
| drink nothin' but hard cider ever
! sence. Nowadays. when taown meet
| IN comes raoun' Sam he don't go hum
n burn up all his sarry. Says he
| don't like the smell O. the smoke.
| Nothin' like good fire t. make a fel-
Ter teetotal. Seems ter me we ain't
ned many fires in this here taown late
| ly. though.
"Anythin fur our folks t'day Mis-
| Eaton? Thank ye Much Obliged. y
| New York World.