Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-05-26
RElLLYs AWFUL TEMPER.
Il Was the Kind That Had to Fine
Vent Whether Cause or
No Cause.

A man has rights In these free United
States of America-oceans of rights, II
he but knows them-and he is poor
fellow who does not have most Of them
trampled upon these days, writes Ellis
Parker Butler, in THE Day on the Roof"
in Century. Whatever does an Irish
man come all the way across the
water for, then, and swear to up
hold the constitution and bylaws Of
the United States for, II, by all the
saints, he is going to let everyone walk
all over him and his rights? No wonder
a man gets mad now and again. Look
ing at 1t fairly, Dan Reilly seemed TO
have more rights and more people step
ping on them than any other man in the
city. And grand temper the little man
produced out of the wrangle.
Hard on him was It to have the neigh
bors he had, too. 1t would throw any
man in a temper to have neighbors who
would never get temper, and that
was the trouble with Van Dusen, to the
left of Reilly, and Umholt, to his right.
What are neighbors for II they can't
get in sociable quarrel now and again?
There was Umholt, the tailor, now.
He sat cross-legged on his long table at
the window of his cottage, pulling his
thread before his weak eyes all day, with
never a smell of excitement, and yet in
the tail of the day, when he came into
his garden, never quarrel would he
have, or a hot word, or q fierce look.
1t was unneighborly.
"Oi do be thinkin' thin Dutch hev no
blood in thin at ALL" said Dan to his
wife, one morning after his pig had spent
a voracious night in the Umholt garden.
'Niver a worrud did ould Umholt say
whin he druv the pig home, an half his
cabbage GAVIN. VI his pig ate up my
cabbages Old Fave him hev bit av
me moind. now. OF w'u'd. Phwat roight
has man to be l'avin his pigs 60 roamin'
around devourin' up peoples green truck.
Old loike t. know? Bliss his sowl, Oil
show him! The idee! Is ut t fat his
pig OF be workin' me arms aft all the
spring? Oil hev the law on him, OF
will"
He brought his fist down on the table
with a crash that made the dishes rat
tie. Mrs. Reilly settled her two hundred
and odd pounds comfortably back in her
chair and folded her arms. She had
grown fat and cheerful on 40 years Of Dan
Reilly's temper
talk sinse. Dan Reilly" she said.
"No pig aloive c'ud git out av Umholt's
sly. an We know ut. TITS yersilf moieht
better be pitchin' up yer own sty to- ape |
the pig insoide. than to be blissin' ould
Umholt. the poor droied-up felly. ITS |
a good man he is. uf he do be Dutch. an
ut's him moight betther be blissin we |
an yer pig. Wan w'u'd think 'Awas his
pig got Until yer cabbages. to hear ys
go on"
Dan shook his fist.
"Oi'd loike to see his pig In me lot,
Oi w'u'd!" he cried. AN Old loike to
see him hev worruds w!d me because me
pig made free to break out av the sly!
Sue me. w'u'd he? Jist let him thry ut,
the ould, droied-up tailorman. Oil
now him an Irishman has as good
roight to kape pig as Dutchman
las!"
He shook his fist savagely. He was
10 angry he could not hold his hand
teady enough to light his pipe.
"Him!" he cried. Him! Oil show
lin yit. OF will, the tame ould burrud
hat he is! OF hev me roights!"
He crushed his soft hat upon his
lead and went out on the porch, where
lie sat on step and glared at the inof-
ensive tailor. who was sewing away in
lis open window.