The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-05
-ARAQRED CRINGER
HARXLAND Z"
TOMMY PLAYS SIR KNIGHT.

Gee, but I'm tired" said Tommy.
I'm goin' to have the leg ache, too. to-
night. Did you ever have the leg ache,
Uncle Jimmy? Amt it fierce? My, but
1t hurts an mother has to get up an
rub them. There amt nothin worsen
The leg ache"
Why do you kill yourself playing all
day Saturday, them" asked the unsym-
pathetic Uncle Jimmy
4 guess you never played did you?
snorted Tommy. There amt but one
Saturday in every week The other ones
Sunday, and that amt no good
What's the matter with your hand?"
asked the uncle, pointing to Tommys
left wrist, which was bandaged.
That's wound" replied Tommy
with dignity.
"A which2"
"A wound I got in battle. We played
Roland and Oliver this afternoon. Did
you ever play that, Uncle Jimmy? got
this up
who are Roland and Oliver?Y asked
the uncle.
Didn't you ever read. about King
Charleymane and his knights? 1 thought
you went to college"
20, those fellows
Yes continued Tommy. I'VE made
shields outn table boards. You saw a
board in two and nail the pieces side by
side. Then you paint them with your
skutchen. An you make swords out'n
lathes an you take clothes props for
lances. My but them table boards is
hard to saw through an you just can't
get nails to go straight. They bend dOu-
Bile. An we had helmets made outn tin.
Then we went down where there's a
gulch in Milliken's pasture an had the
fight"
Sort of Roncesvalles AFFAIR.""
That's it, only we can't pronounce
that word, but that's where Roland gets
killed, amt it2 l was Roland, an was
fightin' four Saracens, 1 guess that's
the way you say that. and my foot slip
ped. I fell on that old shield an there
was a nail head stickin' out an it
Just tore a piece about two inches long
outn my hand. Didn't bleed much.
Just got all blue An then"
Then what?"
Then I had to die of course. blew
a tin horn like Roland does, but my
knights didn't hear it, they did in
Roland, only the traitor pretended it
wasn't his horn, an then I died. But
say, that wasn't the fun. You ought t
seen the tournament that We hads'
Tommy hit his wounded hand on the
step just then and the tournament had
to wait while he Rugged it. Presently
he regained speech and continued.
After 7 got my hand tied up we went
to the field back of Williams barn.
Skinny Williams had a red mitten an
he threw it in Hefty Jones' face. Hefty
picked it up an says, 1 defy you to
mortil combat" Skinny wheeled his
steed back to one end of the field. OF
course. Uncle Jimmy. that was all pre-
tend but he gaIloped back there.
Then we had a fellow pointed her
aid. He had q tin horn He took his
lance an measured off Skinny's lance
and Hefty's lance, SOS there was the
same length stickin' out You see, one
lance was longer'n the other but 1t
wasn't fair to bunch up after he'd meas
ured. They had to hold them just
where he measured.
Then he put them a good ways
apart an went an stood in the middle.
They lowered their shields in front an
their Iances lowered. Then I said.
Sound the trumpet, herald an he blew
the horn Then they went for each
other. but Skinny hunched his lance up
about two feet an it was two feet
longer'n Hefty's. He reached Hefty
two feet sooner. Hefty didn't reach
skinny hit him just in the middle of
the shield. He just grunted an went
right off his feet. He was all doubled
was knocked down, too. Then the her
aid he says that Skinny was a catif
knight an had to have his skutchen
painted out Skinny had a rooster
painted on his shield. His sister done
it. We got some black paint an paint
ed it over.
"Then I painted white streak cross
it. and the fellows said What did
do that for an I said it was a bar sin
lister. an they said what is that. an ]
said I didn't know. but it was some
thin a knight didn't want. an Skinny
ought to have it. Then Hefty licked
SlSinn~y.''
Tommy was silent a moment. while
Uncle Jimmy chuckled over the battle
of Roncesvalles. and then he asked:
say. Uncle Jimmy, where's mother
over to see Mrs. Howard" said the
uncle.
II knew it, exclaimed Tommy. in de-
spair: lust my luck. Now I'll have t
stay in the yard week. Have to come