The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1905-11-17

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LICKED.
in my pocket-my grassbopper in a bot
tie and ready to lick any other inseck
in Oklahoma-a new stock of the allie
vlator-tlntypes 10 be taken at 10 cents
a take, with a clear profit Of 8 cents
apiece on every one-wlth all this
wealth surroundin' me and a clear con-
science Struggled up behind my vest,
was 1t any wonder that had no room
to envy a st. Louis alderman and his
boOdle7
was hummln' the air of a tune and
feelln' that 1t was good to be alive,
when met an oldlsh man on the high
way. He had the gray locks and the
long beard of dignity, and suspected
him Of bein' a Teller pilgrim long be-
fore pulled Ia my boss and gave him
proper salutatlon. When he had pass
cd the time of day he Informed me
that his mission on this alrth was to go
around buildin' asylums for such chill
dren as had lost their lovin' parents
by snake bites or other causes and that
now and then he paused in his travels
Ito speak a few words of consolashun
Ito the downtrodden and discouraged.
In return | told him that my special
line was selling the greatest pain allie
viator. ever discovered by mortal man
and indltln' my Teller man to new aims
and ambishuns, and we each took a
moderate swig from a flask carry for
use on such occasions only. When we
have patted each other on the back for
few minlts, as its proper on such
an occashun, the old man wipes off his
mouth with the back Of his hand and
sweetly says:
"Mebbe we might do a bit O. business
together for the benefit Of the orphans
who are roamin' around with tears in
their eyes and calm for their fathers
and mothers In vainT'
"If we can 1t is a solemn duty we
owe TO ourselves" says in reply.
II, too, have an inseck in a bottle"
he goes ON as he produces great big
tumblebug imprisoned in pint bottle
which had once held that which cheers
and inebrlates. 81 amt braggln' about
this inseck, because he had lost a leg
when found him and has passed
through many trials and trlbulashuns,
but for the sake OF the roamin' orphans
l might bet you $40 even up that he
can make your grasshopper weary OF
this mad life in about FIVE mlnIts."
The bug was twice the size Of my
hopper, and 1t seemed like urgin' my
inseck ON to certain defeat, but l could
not go back on my record. II this bug
won II would be $40 toward a new or
phan asylum; IL my hopper won II
would be the same amount to hand e
some strugglln' wilder woman and
tell her to continue to struggle on. 0ui
Teller men were TO benefit, no matter
which way the scrap turned out, anC
was not long In maxim up my mind
| descended from my wagon ant
spread a blanket on the grass, and TIT
respective and respectable lnsecks wal
poured out of their bottles before eacl
others noses. The fight was on n
once. Although his bug was the big
gest, my hopper was the spriest, anC
for Ave minits 1t was anybody's fight
Then virtue began to triumph that Is
my hopper secured a leg hold ant
Topped the bug over on his back, AM
that was the beglnnin' OF the end.
few terrific but vain struggles, and III
bog was a licked inseck. He was no
MORALLY injured, bUt he would hgiI
no more for weeks to come.
Il believe l take the stakes says
as restores my hooper 70 the bottle.
"Not muchw She uts the old man a
be jumps up. you punched my bug !
the eye with your dnse ~hen waan'
loolinr
i had to gently and persuasively ca
him liar. and IN another mint "
was sfrngelln' h lctory. The caus
OF virtue aud int .ai was mine, an'
assisted BY a right hand swing on %
"a