Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-08-25

Sell-TtoptCJlll6. Anu uUn dufllre
FOOLS" He lit his cigar and puffsd a
minute, taking out his watch to look
at it, as cold-bloodedly as though we
were waiting, he and I, to go to sup
per together. Oh. how hated him
Honesty isn't the best policy he
went on; 'it's the only one. The vain
fool that gets it into his hesd-or shall
l say her head? No? Well no Of
tense, | assure youths head, then.
that he's smarter than a world full
of experience, ought to be put in Jail
for his own protection; he's too
big jay to be left out of doors. Fer
5000 years, more or less, the world
has been putting people like him be-
hind bars. where they can't make asses
of themselves. Yet each year, and
every day and every hour. a new ninny
is born who fancies he's cleverer than
all his predecessors put together
Talk about suckers! Why. they're
giants of intellect compared to the
mentally lopsided that 5000 years Of
experience can't. teach. When the
criminal-c turn comes. he hops,
skips and jumps into the ring with
the old. old gag He thinks it's new
because he himself is so fresh and
green. Here ] am again he yells,
the fellow that'll do you up Others
have tried it, They're dead. in jail
or under jail-yards But me-just
watch mel We do. and after a little
we put him with his mates and a
keeper in a barred kindergarten where
fools that can't learn. little moral Grip
pies of both sexes. my dear. belong.
BAH" He pulled out the smoke.
throwing his head back. in a cloud
toward the ceiling.
| sprang from my seat and faced
him was tingling all through.
didltt care rap what became of me
for just that minute. forgot about
Tom. prayed that the COP wouldn't
come for minute yet-but only that
/ might answer him.
You're mighty smart. amt you
You can sit back here and sneer at
me, can't you? And feel so big and
smart and triumphant! Whatve you
done but catch girl at her first
bungling job! It makes You feel aw-
fully cOcky, don't it? What a big
man am T. BAH" blew the smoke
IN toward the ceiling from my moth
with just that satisfied gall that he
had had; or rather pretended to-
He let down the front legs of his chair
and began to stare at me.
And you don't know it all. Mr.
Manager, not you. Your. clown
criminal don't jump into the ring be
cause he's so full of fun he can't stay
out. He goes In for the same reaso,
the real clown does-becayse he gel
hungry and thirsty and sleepy an.
tired like other men, and he's. got :
III his stomach and cover his hack az
get a place to sleep And it's because
your kind gets too much, that my kind
gets so little it has to piece it out with
this sort of thing. No, you don't know
it quite all.
There's girl named Nancy Olden
that could tell you lot. smart as you
are. She could show you the inside
OF the Cruelty where she was put SC
young she never knew that children
had mothers and fathers, till red
! haired girl named Mag Monahan toiC
her; and then she w.s mighty GLAD
she hadn't any She thought that al
4, little girls were blOOdless and dirty
4 and all little boys were filthy and MAJ
black purple marks where their ia
theirs had tried to gOuge out theil
eyes, She thought all women wer,
like the matron who came with
visitor up to the bare room, where w
played without toys-the new. dirty
newly-bruised ones of us. and the old
clean, healing ones of us-anG said
Here, chicks, is a lady who's com
to see you Tell her how happy yOl
are here. Then Mays. frecllIed littl
face, her finger in her mouth. locke
up like this. She was always afraid i
might be her mother come for hel
And the crippled boy jerked himsel
this gay-l used to mimic him, an
he'd laugh with the rest OF them-ovs
the bare floor He always hoped TO
a penny. Sometimes he even got it.
And the boy. with the gOuged ey
he would hold his pants up'like thi'
He hadojust come in. and there wa
nothing to- fit him. And he'd put hi
other hand over his bad eye and bin
up at her like this. And the Titles
boycott ha! ha! ha!-you ought
have seen that littlest boy. He'was
skirts, an old edress they'd given N
to wear the first day | came; ther
were no pants small enough for hin
He'd back up into the corner and hid
his face-like this-and peep over hi
shoulder; he had a squint that wa.
that made his face so funny. See,
makes you laugh yourself But hi
body11my Godl-it was blue wit
weltS! And Me-Id put the bah
down thatd been left on the dool
steps OF the Cruelty, and I'd waltz u
+ to the lady, the nice, patronizing, ric
lady, with her handkerchief to be
nose and her lorgnette to her eyes
see, like this. knew just what gra