The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-26

the straw with the sacred COW. She
beloved all night cause the sacred
bull, her husband, had been
attached for debt at Vicksburg, but
when pa got in the car in his shirt
sleeves and bumped his shoulders up
on account Of the cold the COW,
thought she had been unnecessarily
alarmed. and may be pa was her hus-
band.
So ahe cult believing, and tsaid
down and cheWed her cud till day
light. Then when she saw that pa
was another person she got mad and
chased him up into the rafters of the
car, and he had to ride there until the
train got to Memphis. The hands res
cued pa, but he got away from the
creditors all right.
We made a new lot of creditors al
Memphis, and they proposed to go
along with us, but we shook them off.
Gee. but we made a Killing in Mem
phis, and don't you forget IT.. We had
handblls on all the wagons in the pa
rade, telling the people that the pro-
ceeds of the afternoon and evening
performance would be given to de-
serving persons, in charity, and the
intention was to use the money to
pay off the hands. My, but how the
people turned out The tents were all
full. and we had more money than we
have had in month before, and after
the performance at night the mayor
and some prominent citizens waited
on the management and asked when
and where we were gong to distribute
the money to the deserving persons.
The managers appointed pa to stand
off the committee. Pa ga d he had no.
ticed, in walking about the city "A
beautiful park in the center of tie
town, and he told the committee that
! his idea was to have the deserving
people gather at the park the next
| morning, which was Sunday, and wait
there until the managers of the show
| could count the money and prepare
| to distribute il, honestly and Impair
| TALLY, with the advice of the local
| committee. That seemed all right, and
| the committee notified the citizens TO
| meet in the park at nine o'clock the
next morning, and receive the money
the citizens had so kindly contributed
| TO such Il noble cause. and they went
away.
Our show has got out of good
many tight places, but we never got
! out of a town so quietly and unosten-
! tat ously as we got out of Memphis
during that early Sunday morning.
| There was not noise enough made get
/ ting our stuff to the train to wake up
| policeman, and before daylight the
| different sections oe the train had
crossed the big bridge into Arkansas,
and were on the way to the Indian
Territory. Pa and the other man
ayers were on the platform of the last
car Of the last section, as it pulled
: out across the river. at daylight, and
even that early it seemed as though
the whole colored population Of Mem
phis was on the way to the park, to
secure good positions, so they could
receive their share of the money. AS
the train got to the middle of the riv-
or. and safe into Arkansas the whole
management breathed a sigh of re-
lief. The boss canvassman said: 1T
is like getting money from home, and
pa said: 1T it like taking moncJ
from the tin cup of blind orgiih
grinder" and Tho treasurer of the
show said. as he put the days re-
ceipts in the safe in the business car:
at looks good TO me-" Then they all
turned in to sleep the happy hours
away, that beautiful Sunday on the
way to Indian Territory and Okla
hOma.