St. Tammany farmer., 1905-12-30

| Well, it struck me that there was
bully chance to do little work, an,
/ told Handy to keep the sheriff I'll
5 play awhile while went to work.
) had two hours to work in, and go
/. Flint into his street clothes In hurry
3 AS we went along the street opene,
' the scheme to him and he declare,
himself in. We busted of to the news
paper Office and I got the weaklin,
, that does dramatic criticism and police
, news to lend us hand. He took u.
, up to the composing room and we go
, the foreman to set up bill that reat
just like our own trunk stickers:
AGNES HOWARD-MoNTAGU COM
EDY COMPANY.
Playing Repertoire.
!, THEATER.
He ran about Is of these of for Vi
on proof press, and then we switched
the word ''theater" and had him put il
"hotel." Flint and | went to work
with our con and got away paste POI
from the weakling, and then we went
back to Handy Dobson Aggie was
J crying in her dressing-room still and
talking about the hard luck that has
followed her and seemed to be all in
took Handy one side and explained to
him. said:
"You get together your best line o1
con and coax the sheriff to let you load
the stuff on the trucks and have 1t
taken down to the depot. Hardy and
myself will be down there, and all
you've got to do is what we tell you,
and we'll get away with it. Go after
the boy with the tin right now Tell
him you've sent out for a bunch of
change and it'll meet us down at the
depot and make him go along. See
that he does il and that'l be about all
for you.''
Handy passes over the rave to the
sheriff and he stands for it. We see
the trunks-there isn't any scenery,
you know-loaded on the trucks and
we start off. I'd got a twenty from
Handy to use quick where I needed it,
and we lit out for the depot.
Down there got hold of the bag.
gage man and talked to him quick and
hard. He's decent sort of jay, and
when told him all he had to do was
to turn his back for a few minutes to
earn a ten, he jumped at the chance.
He turned and Flint and went to
work with the new stickers and the
paste pot. We labeled every piece OF
private baggage there was in that
room and then went out and stopped
the trucks just as they were driving
up. got the men to run the stuff off in
the railroad yard, and then got hold
of the station master and handed him
a line of talk until got tired. When
I quit Hardy took it up and we had
him in ten minutes. All he was to do
was to have the engineer run the bag.
gage car further up the track after it
stopped to where the baggage trucks
were and he'd get ten, too. He fell
for it like a good lad and we were
fixed.
Dobson and the sheriff were sitting
in the baggage room waiting for the
money to come down-$273.70 was the
bill, and there never was real chance
to get it. took Handy off and told
him to keep the tin badge man busy
inside until gave him the nod. Then
he was to tell him it was all off and
that he couldn't get the money, and
that he could go ahead and levy the at
tachment on the baggage if he wanted
to. The train pulled In and the sta |
ton master earned his ten. The en-
gineer pulled up piece to the dark |
part of the yard and Hardy talked him
into good humor while got a hustle |
on the baggage crowd. We had those |
trunks slowed in less time than can |
tell you, and the engineer backed the |
train down again. All the troupe was |
aboard except Aggie,3 who was crying |
on the platform. got her aboard and |
then stepped into the baggage-room.
I winked at Handy and he rose up,
looked at his watch and says:
"Well, Mr.. Sheriff, guess it's all OF.
My man hasn't shown up and you'll
have to go ahead and slap on your
papers. It's sure a shame, though,
that little bit of money has to tie up
a good troupe"
"Good troupe blazes,'' says the sher-
iff. II seen that trick tonight, and
I'm doing humanity a favor by putting
you out o. your misery, and guess I'll
get vote O. thanks fer it.
And he goes ahead and slaps his at
tachment on all that drummers' and I
private baggage that we'd marked SO
carefully. The conductor waves his
lamp and we scuttle aboard. I'll bet
there will be about 700 suits for dam
ages brought against that sheriff and
The county before it all winds up I
lon't care, because we're going into
Illinois on this jump anyway, and it
ain't my fault If that fool sheriff at
aches the wrong stuff.
Aggie offered to kiss me when Handy
old her about it, and / had to have a
spell of heartburn to get away from
he job. Yours,
A. H. F.
p S.-If you get time drop postal
ard to mother, telling her I'm doing
yell. Address Mrs. p Flaherty, Sau.
,erties, N. T..
Birthplace Of Homer.
Colophon was city of ancient Ionfa,
line miles north of Ephesus, and near
he sea. 1t was said to be the birthplace
II Homer, and near it was famous