Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1904-09-17
Hank somers, Eiahty Dollars.

Hank Somers' Eighty Dollars.
Ezra Norton was the model clerk
at Bington's grocery and usher in the
Mt. Hope Saviour church.
Hank" Somers was the not always
genteel cow-puncher out at Big Mans
Elbow, and he chewed plug!
Ezra did not chew plug, but circum-
stances forced him to sell it-and that
is why, on this particular raw fall
day in Platts Corners, Ezra and
Hank" faced each other over the
Ihocolate-coIored counter and ex-
changed pastoral courtesies.
Gold enough for you, Hank?'' que
ried the clerk, showing the packages
toward his customer graciously.
Purity burned chisely, e." FUN
bling beneath the bunglesome overall
for a roll of bills in his hip pocket.
"How much?"
Tobacco $1.10, sugar twenty-five
cents, coffee forty cents and candy
f1ve-$1.SO all told! How's things out
on the Elbow"
Things is = bad. Eff we don't git
warm spell of Injun summer, fust
thing we know they won't be bushel
O. good corn in this hull county.
Frost'n git 'er surei Well, so long,
Ell" and Henry slouched off to the
hitching rail alongside the town park,
to get his team and lumber away over
the country roads toward his shack
in the Moquin valley to the north.
IN the village store, Ezra Norton,
shivering at the sudden inclemency of
Boreas, opened the door of the cavern
Gus sheet-iron stove and peered within
it's sooty NAV. The accumulated
debris from the sweepings half filed
the heater, and would make a whole
some blaze with the scattered whit
things left by the dilatory loafers of the
village during the morning, as they
whitfield and sailed the ship of state.
Every little helps!" unused the
clerk in ancient axiom, reaching for
the broom.
Coin to freshen 'er up bit, be
ye?" queried Alf Squiggs, forging into
the store and rubbing his blue hands
vigorously.
Hey. there! Wait a minute! Look
a-here!" and ALI, bobbfng quickly to
the floor, picked from amidst the shay
ings plump roll of bills!
Don't We care nuthin' fer this sort
O. truck, Ez, or are We gittin' so dod-
gasted rich We kin afford to burn 'er
like corncobs?"
Ezra Norton gasped!
That's risky place for Hetty
Brown to be losing her money, A1f!"
excitedly, after a moments hesitation.
"She's just left, too! Here" hurried
lxy a inf
ct, ''you watch the store minute and
III just run and catch her! She leaves
for Denver tonight"
''Sure. Ez. sure! Skip! 1 won't
suck no eggs while yer gone! Git!"
Norton slammed the door behind
him, and ALT, raising the lid to the
cheese-box with alacrity in his heart
and water in his mouth, cut off a lib
eral chunk" of cheese. Cramming this
into his cheeks, he speared a half
dozen olives, took a splinter of cod
fish and an apple, and grinned!
"Keepin' stores right" between
munches, ''ef -hungry-an' (swal-
low most (swallow) allus ami"
(gulp).
Norton's face was aglow when he
returned.
"Hetty was mighty glad to get her
money back!" he painted. said she
couldn't have gone west without it.
Lucky, wasn't it?"
"How-how (choking) how much
was-they?" gasped ALI, striving to
clear his strangling and outraged
throat from it's last almost super
human gulp, and looking bit sheep
ism.
ooh, there wasn't much, but she was
mighty glad to get it just the same!"
Looked to me like it 'ud most choke
cow" grinned ALI, gazing longingly
at the cheese-box. zone dollar bills,
s'pose, MOSTLY"
Il suppose so. acquiesced Ezra.
Have a cigar, Alf?"
No, thank ye,' reaching eagerly
for it, 81 don't smoke se-gars any more,
'ceptin' when I kin git EN-! Haw!
haw!" and Alfred laughed immoderate-
~ at his waggishness as he scratched
match where it would do the most
good. and ''Iit up"
Silence and smoke!
Then. 'sWhen's tn boss comm home,
EXP"
Tomorrow"
''So?"
yes"
well. I'm goia'.s GoOd-day. Ez."
''God-day, A1s''
Grocer Bingarn and Clerk Norton
were talking + over earnestly, as be-
came the subj@r4 in hand.
ezra, we've belonged to the same