The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-20

i II L
ring up one Of those nice shiny black
wagons to take him off to the foolish
house,
Cant you talk to him, and tell him
better?'
II could. / know it all by heart-all
ward path. Heaven knows I've heard
them often enough, but I'd feel ashamed
to talk that way to Uncle Peter, II he
were my son, now, I'd cut off his allow
ance and send him back to make some
thing of himself, like Sile Higbee with lit
tie Hennery; but I'm afraid all can do Is
to watch him and see that he doesn't
marry one Of those pink-silk chorus girls,
or lick a policeman. or anything.
You're carryin' on the same way your
self" ventured his mother.
That's different, replied her per-
spicacious son.
Uncle Peter had refused to live at the
Hightower after three days In that splen-
did and populous carayansary
ut suits me we'll enough" he explained
to Percival, but I have to look after Billy
Brue, and this amt any place Tor Bllly.
You see Billy amt city broke yet. Look at
him now over there, the way he goes
around butting into strangers, He does
that way because he's all the time look
ing down at his new patent-leath er shoes
first pair he ever had. He'll be plumb
stoop- shouldered il he don't hurry up and
?
to get him nice warm box-stall In some
place that amt so much on the band
wagon as this one The ceilings here are
too high fur Billy. And found MN
shootin' craps with the bell-boy this
|mornin'. The boy thinks Billy, bein from
the west is a stage robber, or somethin
like he reads about in the Cap Collier
libr'ies. and follows him around every
chance he gets And Billy laps up too
many of them little striped drinks; and
them French cooked dishes amt so good
fur him, either He caught on to the Dill |
of-fare right away. Now he won't order
anything but them allas-them dishes that
has "a la something or other after EN-,
he explained, when Percival looked puz-
zled HE knows they'll always pc some
thing all fused up with red, Wha.e anu |
blue gravy, and little paper bouquet
stuck into 'em. never knew Blily WAS
such fancy eater before
i So Uncle Peter and his charge had es-
Itablished themselves in an old-fash1oned
but very comfortable hotel down on one
of the squares, dingy monument TO the
time when life had been less hurrlen.
Uncle Peter had stayed there thirty years
before, and he found the place unchanged
The carpets and hangings were a bit FADED
hut the rooms were generously proao' the
(chairs, as the old man remarked, were
"made to sit in,'' and the cuisine was held,
by few knowing old epicures VINO sun
to that Of the more pretentious Hightower.
The service, it is true, was apt to be SLOW
Strangers who CHANGED In to order q meal
not ir1frequently became enraged, ana ie1t
before their food came, trailing
. plain short words of extreme dis
"a tisfaction behind them as they Went
But the elect know that these delays beto-
kened the presence of an artlstlc con
, science in the kitchen, and that the 1000
was worth tarrytng for. They KNOW now
no 171,r,c rv-Hy
= more the next day." said Uncle Peter
, Bines.
From this headquarters the old man
went forth to join in the diversions Of his
= grandson. And here he kept a watchtul
: eye upon the uncertain Billy Brue; az
!, least approximately. Between them, MS
!, DAYS and nights were occupied to crowd
q ing. But Uncle Peter had already put
Il in some hard winters, and was not want
;. ing in fortitude
> Billy Brue was a sore trouble to the old
;; man. IT jest can't keep him off the streets
: nights was his chief complaint. BY day
: Billy Brue walked the streets In decent.
J. J. orderly trance Of bewilderment He was
= properly puzzled and amazed by many
Il strange matters. He never could lind OUT
- what was ''going on to bring so many
10 folks into town. They all hurried some
- where constantly, but he was never able
- to reach the center of excitement. Nor
= did he ever learn how any one could
=. reach those high clothes lines, strung forty
= feet above ground between the backs OF
~ houses; nor how there could be so many
- shows in town, all on one night; nor why
= YOU should get so many good things tc
l., eat by merely buying a ''slug of whisky
~ nor why q thousand people weren't rur
e over in Broadway each twenty-four hours
- At night. Billy Brue ceased to be the
!. astounded alien, and, as sPercival said Or
"a Won Herzlich would say, began to mi,,
is gle and cooperate with his environment
1T In the course Of this process he fell int
III adventures. some Of them, perhaps. un
~ edifying. But it may be told that his sill
~ liver watch with the braided leather fol
-, was stolen from him the second night out
ne also that the following week, in a Twenty
al ninth street saloon, he accepted the hos
IL pitality Of an affable stranger, who hal
to often been in Montana City. His explana
III ton Of subsequent events was entirel
satisfactory, at least, from the time tina
at he returned to consciousness of them.
er II only had about $50 in my clothes
ar he told Percival, "but what made me S
n darned hot, he took my breastpin, toe
ed made out of the first nugget ever found i
as the Fairly Bird mine over Silver. Bow way
Gee, when 1woke up couldn't tell wher
lid was This cop that found me in q hall
he way, he says must have been give
nd dose of Peter. I says, All right-I'm her
nd to go against all the games, says, bu
n,t pass me when the Peter comes aroun
,ts again. says L. And he says Peter wa
id knockout drops. Say, honestly, I didn
ii. know my own aame till I had a chanst t
to look me over. The clothes and my hand
rot looked like I'd seen 'em before, someho'
he and then come to myself.
in After this adventure, Uncle Peter woul
he caution him Of an evening:
Nov, Billy, don't stay out late.
10 you amt been gone thru by
ed just hand what you got on you ovt
vim to the first man you meet - nor
Did OF EMIL ask any questions--and the
asst pike fur home. The later at night
,as gets in New York the harder it is fl
nat strangers to stay alive. You're all rigI
he in wardner or Hellandgone Billy, bt
be- In this here camp you're jest tender III
tai tie bed of pansies by the wayside, an
these New Workers are terrible careles
led where they step after dark
go Notwithstanding which, Mr.. Brue cor
/ I tinued to behave uniformly in name
up to make all judcious persons grieve.. 81
yes place of supreme delight was the Higl
ge. tower. It's marble splendors, its myria
II lights, it's throngs of men and women
: evening dress, made FOR him a scene
unfaiing fascination. The evenings whe
he was invited to sit in the cafe wit