The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-06

throws you down. Don't ask me why It's
j so, but it, Is SO.
Philosophy of Col. Wheaton.
| The colonel knew from. experience,
recent and bitter, that there is truth in
the above bit of his philosophy. For he
deduced from the old-time infallible
Weather-sign, the which is not re-
| vealed to any save the elect that the
present winter was to be an ropen one
and he did not keep his deduction
to himself. Hence the colonel is very
shy among gatherings Of the elders,
not regarding the rubbing it I'M
process in the light of a joke when he
plays. the part Of rubbee.
Besides, recent episode in which he
advertent "mixing-in" of the Kid, and
Billy, and as the colonel had taken the
great oath to keep it secret, and both
boys had been bribed to the same end,
he resents being "poshed' about it.
OF course the kid would not have re-
vealed It to any one else, but as he
says: you're a newspaper man, an
that's different" And got the story,
which has an element Of the tragic, as
well as of the comic in it, when you
come to think, it over. But thus the
kid.
l"You remember that tony fellow
who was up here last week? You
| L
a blind man could have missed him
while it was daylight. He had the
gailiest rig ever I seen, that's what
my grandfather calls things that's way
up in G.. Outer sight, you know, an
grandfather he's seen everything. Why
he seen Mr.. Lincoln, an heard him
talk, an shook hands with him just
like he was a real common man.
This man 1 mean come in on the
l 1r,s4I I, - <f hi 11>of
| on. Nav! I don't mean mackinaws
! know what mackinaws is wells you
/ do. This was blankets, real new, fine
ones; just like them John Beckfelt
has in his store window marked ten
dollars apiece. An they was cut UP
| into coat, pants, an vest just like
real clothes. An he had a 'chuke
on his head, an it was three differ
ent colors, an he had moccasins all
over beads like real boss big Injun
an red stockin's longer'n my mothers
an my father seen him git off the
! train, an he says, my father does
| Well, if that Teller amt got his legs
stuffed he's got the slickest pair ever
!, I seen. outside a leg show
] Say! What is a leg show, anyhow
I asked my father, an he chased me
know? I thought you newspaper
men knew everything. Well, I don't
neither, but fever one comes here Tn
"a goin, just to find out.
I This guy he had a dandy pair Of
skis, all painted up, an slicker'n g
! little red wagon, under his arm, an
all the 1umberjacks, an boys in town
| followed him to the hotel, an big
Jack hollered out: Tell me what il
| is am you can have it, but nobody
| AZ! L: T11J nv
day, that was the day you paper
fe1lers was gettin' your paper printed
I guess. so that's why you didn't see
him. s's'
but that afternoon, soon's schoo
was out, men Billy hiked over tc
the hotel to see if we couldn't see
him again, an after we'd hung round
awhile, old Wheaton come along with
his drivin team, an loaded the
blanket man, an a, whole lot of truck
besides into the sled, an lit out fol
his house cross the river. We
sneaked on over after them, an wher
we got to the old fair grounds we
seen the team goin' down the wooc
road that runs thru the old ground
where the gun club used to shoot
an we followed after.
.tOld Wheaton didn't see us, or he'6
a chased us off, but when. we got tc
the old shootin' field, where there's
lots of deep snow, an nobody to see
we seen old Wheaton a tryin' to Learn
the blanket man to walk on the skis
Could he use 'em? Use nothin'!
He stood on his head. He rooted
into the snow like a mouse with q
owl after him. He tied his legs
round his neck. He done every
thing man could do with skis Peep
walk on 'em, for more'n a hour, an
all the time old Wheaton was a puff.
in, an a BLOWN, an a cussin' him.
self black in the face, an the sweat
was4a runnin' down his face like il
was August, an he was workin' ir
the harvest field.
can me N Billy, we like to died tc
keep from laughin,' but we knew
mighty we'll it wouldn't be healthy
for us to bust out SOS old Wheaton
could hear us. He can outrun a deer
when he gifts agoin', and he's got
longer Wind'n moose, an besides he
don't care a snap whose boy you are
when he gifts good an mad. I know
fer I've been up against him then
an he amt a mite behind my fathe1
that way.
s.But after while, old Wheaton
gifts this blanket man learned a lit.
tie, anyways he could walk some with.
out fallin' over himself, so we heard
Ihim tell him he'd take him down thru
a little patch Of woods t'other side OF
Jack might scare up a rabbit. You
know Jack? That little white dog Of
Wheatcn's. Looks like he couldn'1
run much, but he can go like Oar
.IPatch when he's a mind to- Well
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