The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-01
By o. HENRY

LOOKED in at the engine room of
III Nthe Bloomfield Cater Manufacturing
iii Company (Ltd.) for the engineer was
u Kirksy, and there was a golden half
hour between the time he shut down
steam and washed up that I coveted.
/ found Ki1ksy resting, with his pipe
lit, smut-faced and blue overalled.
lis fair afternoon / said but
bids to be colder
Did I ever tell you.'' began Kirksy
honorably, "about the time Henry Horse
collar and me took photograph to South
American" and felt ashamed of my sub
terfuge, and dropped into the wooden
chair he kicked toward me.
Henry was a quarterbreed. quarter
back Cherokee, educated East in the
idioms of football and West in contra
band whisky, and a gentleman, same as
you or me. He was easy and romping
in his ways: man about six-foot, with
a kind OF rubber tire movement.
Henry and me met at Texarkana and
figured out this phonograph scheme. He
had $3.50 which came to him out of a land
allotment in the reservation. had run
down from Little Rock on account OF a
distressful scene I had witnessed on the
street there. A man stood on box and
passed around some gold watches. screw
case, stem winders, Elgin movement.
very elegant. Twenty bucks they cost you
over the counter. AT So the crowd fought
for the tickers The man happened to find
valise full OF them handy. and he passed
them out like putting hot biscuits on
plate. The backs we're hard to unscrew.
but the crowd put its to the case and
they ticked modifying and agreeable.
Three OF those watches were genuine
tickers; but the rest, they were only
kicllers
Hey? Why. empty cases with one OF
them horny black bugs that fly around
electric lights in EN-. Them bugs kick Off
minutes and seconds industrious and beau
tiful. The man was speaking of cleaned
up $2SS. and went away. because he knew
that when 1t came to wind watches in
Little Rock an entomoiogist would be
needed and he wasn't one
SO, as / say. Henry had $3.50 and had
$2SS The phonograph idez was Henry g
but / took to 1t freely being fond OF ma
chinery of all kinds
I'VE bought a fine phonograph in Tex
arkana-one OF the best make-and half
a trunlSful of records. We packed up and
took the T. & p. Tor New Orleans. From
that celebrated center of melasses and dis
franchised coon songs we took q steamer
for-yes, l think it was South America
or Mexico am full of Inability to divulge
the location OF tits on The rural deliv-
cry route it's colored yellow on the map.
and branded with literature of cigar boxes.
I'VE landed on a smiling coast at a
town they denounced by the name. as
near as can recoIlect of Sore-toe- kan
earoo. Twas pala table enough place to
look at. The houses were clean and
white. sticking about among the scenery
like hard boiled eggs served with lettuce.
There was a block of sfyscraper noun
tains IN the suburbs, and they kept pretty
quiet, 1iket they were laying one finger on
their liisSFand watching the town. And
the sea was remarlsing 'Sh-sh-sh!' on the
IS beach; and now and then a ripe cocoanut
would fall kerblip in the sand, and that
was all there was doing.
The captain went ashore with US and
offered to conduct what he seemed to like
10 call the ohsequies. He introduced
Henry and me to the United States con-
sul and a roam man. the head OF the de-
partment of n1ercenary and licentious dis
position. the way it read upon the sign.
Il touch here again week from to-
day says the captain.
BY that time we told him. well be
amassing wealth in the interior towns
with our galvanized priTna donna and car
rect limitations of Sousas band excavat-
ing a march from tin mine
Yen not says the captain. Yell
be hypnotiZed. Any gentleman in the au-
= dience who kindly steps upon the stage
and looks this country in the eye viii be
converted to the hypothesis that he's but
a fly in the Elgin creamers YEN be
standing knee deep In the surf waiting fol