Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-03-12

Good evening"" the physician grunt-
loves interrogatory:
Then he went on In answer to Mar
ed in reply.
eyes, Ralph, there Is something
want you to do. want you to go out
upon the street, hunt up my daughters,
and look after them. | am feeling
some twinges Of rheumatism; and do
not care to be out in the damp air. But
| am concerned about the girls; the
town is full of reckless, drunken row.
dies tonight, will stay here. Will you
go?"
Certainly doctor"
VERY we'll. Please go at once"
And with a grimace, indicative of the
pain he was suffering, DR.. Barwood
dropped into a chair near the stove.
Marlowe donned overcoat and hat,
and accompanied by his friend left the
store. When they were outside and the
door had closed behind them, Clark
laughed:
Surely you do not stand in with the
old doc. To hear him calling you
'Ralph'-as If you were his beloved SON.
in-law, already-and telling you to go
out and hunt up and protect the ap-
Piles of his eye, almost knocked me on
my pins. Then, he even condescended
to speak to me-a thing he hasn't done
since we had little difference of opin-
ion over freight bill, some months
ago. The old fellows improving under
your-Great Snakes! MarlOwe, look at
that pair coming up the sidewalk, there.
It's Crawford and his crony-Brady, the
bridge-tender; and they're drunken than
old Bacchus ever was. Listen at 'em
singingl Ha. ha, hal"
The two young men stepped aside to
give the Keeling bacchanals room to
pass. Brady was swinging his hat and
vociferously hurrahlng at frequent in
tervals. Crawford was singing and hic-
coughing. The two walked with arms
locked and shoulders braced, swaying
from side to side and leaving a devious
and tortuous trail of tracks and rum
laden atmosphere behind them.
AS the inebriates passed, Marlowe and
Clark caught the words Of the song
Crawford was singing. 1t ran:
"Once | was pussy Oh landlords pet,
An | had money to spend;
But | spent it in drink,
An did fairly think
IL never would come to and end
But now l have nothin' but rags to
my back,
An my boots won't hide my toes;
While the rim O. my hat
Goes flippity-hap,
To keep the flies off O. my nose"
The two young men looked at one
another in silent disgust for several
seconds. Then Clark muttered:
well, now, aren't they a pair of
peaches! They're enough to make a
man ashamed of his kind"
Marlowe made no answer; but taking
his companions arm moved on down
the street.
AS they neared the post-office they
caught sight of the speakers stand
lighted with lanterns and torches, and
the black mass of humanity in front OF
1t. The orators clear, ringing utter
anCes and the approving cheers Of his
audience fell upon their ears. Down
cross street, a squad of boys had started
a bonfire and were shooting firecrack-
ers.
On reaching the outskirts of the
crowd, Ralph remarked:
at will be a difficult task to find the
young women in this multitude. | want
your assistance, Clark You go to the
right; | will go to the left. If you run
across them, tell them | am looking
for them, and conduct them to the strip
Of pavement in front of the hardware
store"
"All right" Clark answered.
And the two parted.
Marlowe followed the left semicircu-
lar border of the dense pack Of people,
edging in and out as opportunity Of
fered and peering into the face of ev-
cry female figure, he encountered, But
he did not find thoe he sought At last
he completed the detour and reached 4
point near the foot of the stand, where
the band was stationed. There he
stopped and leaned against one of the
supports of the platform, undecided
what to do next.
The Honorable J. B. Tenacre had
closed his argument, and was treating
his audience to a peroration consisting
of flights of fancy oratory, of which he
alone was capable. The members Of
the band were working the keys of their
wind instruments, and sorting out their
parts, from a stack Of sheet music that
lay upon the head of the bass drum
all the while softly whispering among
themselves.
OF a sudden the squad Of boys down
the cross street set OF giant cracker
The startling report was followed by
the snorts of frightened horses and the
rattle OF chains. Then came a crash and
the rumble of heavy vehicle. A farm
er's team tied at the blacksmith's shop
had pulled down the rack, and was
galloping pell-mell toward the crowded
thoroughfare.
Here comes a runaway team Out Of
the way! Look Quit" were the warning
cries that rent the damp air.
Men turned pale and gasped for
breath; women and children screamed
frantically. Panic seized upon the hud-
died multitude. The instinct of self.
preservation gained ascendancy over
every chivalrous sentiment or desire.
The concourse Of peaceful citizens be-
came q frenzled mob-a mob that surg
| ed this way and that and emitted hoarse