The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-19

put it through his head just as well,
but I had a point to gain.
THE news of the duel had scarcely
beer buzzed about before dozen
CURED after the health of my swamp
owls. They preferred sWaTnp-owfs to
duels. just as I had reasoned they
would. l had got good start-Tnade
a good beginning, sub, but L had not
gone far enough One newspaper in
particular had ridiculed me beyond
the limit. even to publishing car
toon in which was represented as q
swamp-cwl rooSting on limb among
my kind. Next day. after my little
affair with the honorable, r made a
call on the editor Of the paper. He
said he was very busy and could only
give me a moment.
'Suh. said as I stood before him,
do l understand that yo' are a pro-
fessional rn'thologist?'
'Yo' do not he replied.
Have yo' made a special study of
the swamp-owl?'
No. sub. 1 don't think 1 ever saw
half dozen of them in my life
Then let me tell yo' something
yo' to hear that under certain circum-
stances he can see on the brightest
day. If he has a duelling pistol in his
claw he can see a target ten PAGES
-.
Can this be Colonel Bunker?' he
asked, after drawing a long breath.
1t not only can be, sub. but it is,
and shall be only too happy to go out
with yo' and point out the fact that
tne sWamp-owl is not as blind as yo'
have been led to believe
! when he realized what I was there
| for he came down gracefully-graceful-
~ ana without any beating around the
bush to see if swamp-owls were blind in
the daytime. The next issue of his pa
per contained a double-leaded editorial
coTnmendatory of my bill, and he did
his very best to push it to success. My
work was not over yet, however. There
was Senator from the swamp district
who took issue with me. He had a
chronic ear-ache, and the hooting of the
| sWaInp-oWls was one of the unpleasant
things he had to endure. He was agin
| EN-, such-he was agin 'em first and last
and all the time He combatted my
statistics at once and with great fervor.
When l asserted that every swamp-owl
in our state devoured 100000 pestifer-
rats, mice, moles and snakes, he boldly
claimed that the bird merely sat around
and hooted and fluttered his tail, and
was too lazy to provide his own grub.
Il had somehow got the idea, sub
got the idea. firmly fixed in my mind
that the swamp-owl was a second edi-
ton of the American eagle on a re-
duced scale, and I argued in favor OF
argument was good suh-couldn't have
been better, but the swamp district
member brought forward facts to show
my bird was only a cross between a
crow and a buzzard, and that he didn't
know the American flag from a dish
cloth. On the first reading of my bill
argued that his notes were as melodious
as the nightingale, and more so thar
the whippoorwill. 1 drew a word picture
of Peace in the Land, and finished il
off with a swamD-owl sitting on ar
olive branch and uttering his melodious
thrills. 1t was a beautiful thing sub
n Ia
peare himself-but 1t wouldn't do. The
swamp district member cited case after
case where the boot of the bird had
driven peace from a neighborhood and
caused people of sound minds to com
nit suicide.
There was only one thing left for me
to do, sub, and 1 did it. My bill hung
in the balance. I must either suppress
the swamp district member or see all
my work go for nothing. I therefore
walked in on him one mawning and
I saids:s ~
sub, I feel it a duty I owe to the
swamp-owls of this state to suppress
How do you propose to do it?' he
asked.
BY calling yo' out. subj
Lead the way, Colonel Bunker, and
I will follow a.s
He had expected the thing and was
ready for it. and it did me good to see
the way he toed the mark. We had
| seconds and few spectators, and While
his bullet pinked me in the arm, my
bullet perforated his right lung, as
meant it to do. A man with only one
lung has no chance in a swamp-owl de-
bate, and I may inform you that my
bill, relieved from his opposition, passed
and became a law, and If had lost my
prestige, which may have been the case
it was gloriously restored again-glor-
iously restored in full measure. -
Copyright, 1903. by c. B. Lewis.)
IN REHALF OF BIRDS.