Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-07

II i pointed committee whose
la5s5SNy duty it Is to see the train
kSs2sSU come in. The committeeman
receive no salary for their services.
The sole compensation is the pleasure
derived from the sense of duty done,
Mr.. Squealer Wixon, lifelong
member of this committee, was the
first to sight Captain Fri as the latter
strolled across the tracks into the cir
Gle Of light from the. station lamps.
The captain had moored Daniel to q
picket IL the fence over by the freight
bouse. He had heard the clock in the
i belfry of the Methodist church strike
8 as he drove by that edifce. but he
heard no whistle from the direction OF
the West Orham woods, SO he knew
that the down train would arrive at
its usual time-that is, from fifteen to
twenty minutes behind Its schedule.
.Heyv' shouted Mr.. Wixon. with en-
thusiasm. Here's Cap'n Fri! Well,
cap, how's she headin'T'
Bout no'theast by no'th," was the
calm reply. "Runnin' fair, but with
lookout for wind ahead"
"Hain't got spare chaw nowheres
about you, have you, cap'n7" anx-
iously inquired Bluey Batcheldor. Mr..
Batcheldor is called "Bluey" for the
same reason that Mr.. Wixon is called
"Squealer," and that reason has been
forgotten for years.
Captain Err obligingly produced a
black plug of smoking tobacco, and Mr..
Batcheldor bit of two-thirds and re-
turned the balance. After adjusting
the morsel SO that it might interfere i'll
the least degree with his vocal ma
chinery he drawled:
II cal'late you amt heard the news,
Fri. Web Saunders has got his orig
inal package license. It come on the
noon NALL
The captain turned sharply toward
the speaker. SIS that fact?" he
asked who told you?"
"See it myself So did Squealer and
whole lot more. Web was showin' 1t
round" 3
1--WE was wonderful said Jahez
smalley, a member OF the committee
whose standing was somewhat impair.
ed, inasmuch as he went fishing occa-
! sionally and was therefore obliged to
miss some of the meetings, what kind
Of At John Baxter would have now.
He's been pretty nigh distracted ever
sence Web started his billiard room,
CALM it 'ha'nt Of sin and whole
lot more names. There amt been a
Come Cutters meetin'' sence don't
know when that he amt pitched into
that saloon. Now, when he hears that
Webs goin' to sell rum he'll bust q
b'iler sure"
The committee received this proph-
! ecy with hilarious shout Of approx.
al, and each member began to talk.
Captain Fri took advantage Of this ST.
multaneous expression Of opinion to
walk away.
"Well, I s'pose you wouldn't, nat'ral-
~" continued the captain. Anyhow,
| Perez's niece's husband died, and the
boy sort of run loose, as you might say.
Went to school when he had to and
! raised Nel when he didn't, near's can
find out. 'Lizabeth, that's his ma, died
last spring, and she made Perez prom
ise-he being the only relation the
youngster had-to fetch the boy down
here and sort Of bring him up. Perez
knows as much about bringln' up a
boy as hen does about the Ten Com
mandments, and Elizabeth made him
promise not to lick the youngster and
a whole lot more foolishness School
don't commence here till October, so
we got him job with Lem Mullett at
the liv'ry stable. He's boardin' with
Lem till school opens. He amt reel
bad boy, but he knows too much bout
some things and not hat enough bout
| others. You've seen fellers like that,
maybe?"
Hazeltine nodded. There are good
many Of that kind in New York, I'm
afraid" he said.
! Captain Fri smiled. II shouldn't
wonder" he observed. "The boys down
here think Josiah's the whole crew, and
the girls amt fur behind There's beer
more deviltry in this village sence be
landed than there ever was afore. He
needs somethin', and needs it bad, but
I amt decided jest what it is yit. Are
you married MANI"
mo"
Same here. Never had the disease
Perez, he's had symptoms every once
in awhile, but nothin' lastin'. Jerry's
the only one Of us three that's beer
through the mill. His wife die6
twenty year ago. don't know as
told you, but Jerry and Perez and me-
are keepin' house down by the shore
that is, we call it keepin' house, but
Here the captain broke off ant
seemed to mediate.
Ralph Hazeltine forbore to interrupt
and occupied himself by scrutinizine
the building that they were passing
They We're nearing the center Of the
town now, and the houses were closer
together than they had been on the
depot road" but never SO close as tt
be. in the least crowded. There was al