Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-09-24

(Ssssfssy ruITt sleeves, his battered SIN
hat on the back part of his head. He
was tanning himself with a palm leaf
fan and freely using his handkerchief
on his brow. He bowed cordially to
Alan and came toward him.
IL want to ask you" he began, has
Pole Baker any way Of raisin' money!
Not that I know of" laughed Alan.
81 don't know whether he's got clear
title to the shirt on his back. He owes
everybody out our way. My father is
supplying him on time now"
That was my impression" said Ira
bue. HE wanted me to defend him
the other day, but he couldn't satisfy
me about the fee, an let him go. He
first said he could give me n lien on a
mule, but he finally admitted that it
wasn't his"
Hes not in trouble, Is hep ex-
claimed Alan, suddenly recalling Mrs
Bakers uneasiness.
Trabue looked at Miller, who stood
leaning In the doorway, and laughed.
well. reckon he might call it that
That chap owned the town two days
ago He got blind, stavin' drunk an
wanted to whip us from one end O. the
place to the other. The marshals are
afraid Of i'm. for they know he'll shoot
at the drop Of hat an the butt of it
was stckin out O. his hip pocket in
plain sight Was you thar, Rayburn?
Well. it was better n circus Day
before yesterday thar was a sort O.
street temperance lecturer in front O.
the Johnston House, speakin' on dry
goods box. He had lot O. gaudy pic
lures illustratin' the appearance of
drinkin' mans stomach an liver COM
pared to one in healthy condition.
He was sort Of a snide faker out fer
what he could git dropped in hat, an
Pole was sober enough to git on to his
game. Pole stood thar with the rest,
jest about able to stan, an that was
all. Finally, when the Teller got
warmed up an got to screechin'. Pole
begun TO deny what he was sayn'. AS
fast as he'd make statement Pole
would fatty give it the lie. The Teller
on the box didn't know what tough
customer he had to handle or he'd "a
gone slow. AS il was. he p'inted fin
ger o scorn ut Pole an hclt i'm up fer
example.
'Pole wasn't sober by a long shot. but
you'd a thought he was, fer he was
as steady as a post. He kept GRIMM,
as cool as cucumber. an sayin: Now
you know yo're allyn. stranger-jest
allyn to get a few dimes drapped in
yore hat. You know nobody's stomach
don't look like that durn chrome. You
never seed inside of a drinkin' man, an
yo'ra the biggest liar that ever walked
the earth This made the crowd laugh
Mt the little, dried up Teller, an he got
as mad as old Nick. He begun to tell
Pole his liver was swcllcd from too
much whisky an that he'd bet he was
jest the sort to beat his wife. Most of
us thought that d make Pole jump on
i'm, but he seemed to enjoy naggin'
the Teller too much to Spite it by
fight. A niger boy had been carryin'
round a hell an a sign advertisin'
Webb's auction sale, an stopped to see
the fun. Pole hecrd the tinkle of the
bell an tuck it an begun to ring it in
the lecturers face. The harder the fell
Ter spoke the harder Pole rang. 1t was
the biggest racket ever heerd on n pub
good. church folis- began to say il was
disgra co to the town to allow a stran-
ger to be treated that away, sence thar
was no law agin public speakin in the
streets. They was in fer calm a halt,
but all the rest-the drnkin' men IAN
/ frankly state | was ONE secretly
hoped Pole would ring i'm down. When
the pore devil finally won. | felt like
ycllin' hn,ray fer | glory in the pluck
even of daredevil. If he's north
Georgian an white. The lecturer had
TO stop without his collection, an went
off to the council chamber swearin'
agn the town fer allowin' him to be
treated that away. TlEaa wasn't any
thing fer the mayor to do but order
Poles arrest, but it took four mcn-two
regulars an two deputies-to accom-
plish it.
The trial was the richest thing I
ever attended. Pole had sobered up
Jest enough to be witty, an he had no
more respect fer Bill Barrett's court
than he had fer the lecturers platform.
Him an Barrett used to fish an hunt
together when they was boys, an Pole
kept calm him Bill. 1t was Bill this
an Bill that. an as Barrett had only
been in office a month he hardly
knowed how to rise to his proper dig
nifty, especially when he saw the crowd
was laughin' at his prcdicament When
] declined to defend i'm. Pole attempt
cd to read the law on the case to Bar.
fett an show whar he was right. Bar
rett let i'm talk because he didn't
know how TO stop i'm, an Pole made
the best defense | ever heerd from a
unlettered man. 1t kept the crowd in a
roar. For awhile ! swear it looked
like Pole was goin to clecr hisse'f, but
Barrett had to do his duty, an so he
fined Pole thirty dollars, or in default
thereof to break rock on the streets fer
ten days. You ort to IA hcerd Pole
snort. Looky heer, Bill he said, you
know as well as yore a-settn' cooked
up thar, maxim folks say "yore honor
ever breath they draw, that | amt
agoin to break no rock in that br'ilin'
sun fer ten days case | beat that
skunk at his own game
"'foull have to do it If you don't
pay out Barrett told i'm.
We'll, ! Jest won't pay out, an
won't break rock nntb.r,' Pole said
You've heerd about the Teller that
tnnh III. a.