The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-13
STUMPY WAS NO SPORT

~ "~r~-~-~"@"s---~~-@~~~~V
T HE Mississippi river packet City of
Natchez had been tied up at the
Ievee in Arkansas City for pos
sibly half an hour. The passengers
who wanted TO go ashore had gone,
all but one, and the roustabouts were
struggling with the freight under the
inspiring influence of the mates ener-
getic comments.
Possibly because of their terrified
condition, resulting from the mates
flow of language, nut more probably
because OF their total indifference to
/ consequences, they paid no attention
whatever TO a small redheaded gentle
man who might perhaps have been
born in Ireland. and who came stroll
ing from the direction Of the boats
barroom toward the single gangplanIz,
now in use by the freight department.
ENen as they paid no attention to
him ne paid none TO them. but ap-
preached the gangpiank somewhat un-
steadily with the evident intention OF
gong ashore. The mates attention for
the moment was fixed on some point
at the other side of the deck or it is
moral certainty that he would have
lnterpOSed language of sufficient
strength to arrest the belated passen-
gers progress.
AS it happened. however. there was
none to warn him of his danger, and
he stepped in debonair fashion on the
4
of the fact that four huge darkies were
coming behind him, bearing a case of
goods on their shoulders that must
have weighed something like 1000
pounds.
1t is an open question whether they
saw that he was in their way but il
/ is absolutely certain that they recog-
nized no obligation on their part TO
I shout a warning. On they came, jog
! trotting along till they were only Il
single pace behind him, when he either
uripped or slipped. and. staggering,
seemed about TO fall. Had he fallen
and so tripped the rousters the mat
ter would have been serious indeed. =
Just as he lost his. balance a Sinewy
hand was stretched forth from some
where in the darkness, for ii was late
at night, and. catching the totteTing
| gentleman by the lapel of his coat
gave him such a mighty and oYermas-
tering yauk that he darted forward on
the doGbLe-quiek Cor thirty or forty
feet and fell all in heap on the levee.
AS he lay there he was hopelessly I'M
dignified in appearance, but he was out
of the path of the roustabouts.
Quite as if nothing whatever had
happened, he looked up at his unknown
| preserVer, who could now be seen in
distinctly, and said in a converse tional
tone:
Sure OF do be think Chico thinl6in
the citizens o. this (hic) this town is
domned hard Oop fer popu (hic) popu-
ton Does yez git livery (hic) livery
body ashore. loike (hic) Everybody ohio
does yez-'
Here his voice trailed off to a muir
muir, and il seemed probable to the
tail, powerful man who stood over
him that he was likely to go to sleep
where he lay if something were not
done promptly. PromptBess, however,
was prominent characteristic of Mr.
Joseph Bassett. the sheriff of the coun-
| ~. and the stranger speedily arose.
wetter and soberer man-likewise an
angrier.
With these various considerations
Joe Bassett was no whit concerned eX-
cepting that the fact of the stranger
having been aroused made his own du-
ty somewhat easier of performance. As
the small man began sputting in
peculiarly redheaded fashion Joe calm
ly interrupted him.
It's ag'in the law. stranger. fr any
galOot I'm off'n a boat fer to go an git
hisself killed on the IeVee in Arkansas
City by packin case or any other
murderous weepin' III the hands o
roustabouts or anybody else. Pears
10 me you must be a stranger in these
parts. Ever been into town of any
size afore2"
The small man continued to sputter
as if nothing had been said. so Joe
looked at him with mild curiosity for a
moment, and then said:
'Hyer now. Thatll be about enough.
I'd ought for TO arrest you for dis
turbiu' the peace o. them rousta bouts,
but if you've got money enough to
S'ttIe a hotel bill ] reckon 1 might
b tier take you there. Have YEP
"Oi have" said the little man.
What's your name?" asked the sher-
if, presuming on his official position
to disregard a point or strict etiquette
IN the community. o.
MOSTLY they do be calm me
Stumpy. whin Ol'm at home in
Brownsville said the little man,
whose wrath seemed to have cooled as
the water dripped off his face. 'Av
thot's good enough name for Browns
vile. sure it'u do here
Come along then. Stumpy." said
the sheriff, good naturally, as he
linked his arm in the little mans and
steadied his steps toward the hotel
across the street
The landlord had no scrupIes against
dispensing red liquor TO any man who
was i'm the company of the sheriff. and
IL came about that the three had sun
dry drinks which Stunpy paid for with
great cheerfulness before going to bed.
Soon after he had doi.s this Mr.. Bas-
sett dropped in at old man Greenhut's
saloon, and after some irrelevant re-
marks reported the presence of a stran-
ger in town.
Whats he 1ike?" demanded Green
hut.
well. he's red-headed, an / reckon
he's Irish. but pears like he had some
money. He didn't flash no wad. but
he amt no ways mean with his loose
change"
You can't arays tel. said old man
/ Greehhut The Good Book says him
that hath. keeps, an FIN him that hath
not the loose change ofttimes leaks
Still it's worth lookin' into. Some o
you boys had better be up to the hotel
when he gets round. Maybe he might
have a Iikin' f'r draw poker
Accordingly it happened that when
! Stumpy came down to the hotel bar
| room next morning IN search of an ap-
| petites@Te discovered a couple OF stran-
/ gers there who were by no means un-
socially disposed. Further, he discov-
] cred that they were Jack Winterbot-
! tom and Sam PeaTsall by name. citf-
/ zens of Arkansas City. who esteemed 1t
! a privilege to make strangers ac-
/ cuainted with the resources OF the
| place in the way of sports and pas
! times.
Several of these We're mentioned, but
| X appeared that horse racing was out
/ of season, and there had been no cock
/ fights arranged for the day In fact,
| the only ayaila BILE aJ0uSpfoeDf "a