The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-05-22
Erred WEATHERBYS
DOUBLE.


mar 70 the other had yJu sprI
them together. But that va
What made il all the more annoy
ing for Fred Wetherby-oul
.WetheF0F-
Whenever be picked Ep morn
iLg paper be expected 10 ind his
name figuring there a. the hero q
some yillainous brawl, As the
leader Of some desperate gang o.
kob0s or a. the most wanted man
at police headquarters--and
then. be would say, when talking
about il, ~these papers seem 10
take a positive delight in rubbing
il in, by coming out the next day
with a repetition Of the story, and
adding that the Fred Wetherby
referred TO Is not the distin-
guished journalist Of that name 7"
II really believe I've seen and
heard the last Of that fellow,
Wetherby said TO me one evening,
over an after-dinner cigar. Il ran
across him this morning. and he
had the impudence 70 strike me
for a dime-the price Of drink.
~a'd be glad to give you 10000
dimes, confound youe said, IL
you'd Be good ehorgh to 20 away
and hang yourself. Three days in
the week | see my name in print
through some Of your blackguard-
ism, and the other three days the
papers make it worse By their apo
Iogies.'
Say, mister, says Wetherby.
lis dat a goF
1Is what a gor / asked.
"A t'ousand dollars 10 hang
myselfy
Eyes it L. said.
Gimme a hundred. boss. and
s'elp me, / shiny up De pike, and
de cops Of dis burg II never clap
der blinkers on me agin.,
People ike you ! answered,
never stay away. They always
come back
~ tex ny dyin' afTy-davey niv-
eF to fash me mug in DE- town
agin, longest day lives, an v
give me a hunderd. boss. Amt
got no special use fer this partie
uIar layout Of bricks and mortar.
Say. guy, I'm a bad lot; but meb-
Be If yOuse h'd had my draggin' up
you wouldn't ha' bin a helluvasite
better. I didn't pinch yer name.
Dey tagged me wild it. fore / WIZ
old enough 10 squeal. But if it's
wort a hundred 10 see de last o
me, I'm yer man; and yer kin slit
me windpipe any time yer catches
me here agin, after two hours
an no kick comm fun nOb'dy.'
~Well, / suppose I was fool.
but gave the bIackguard the hun
dred dollars; and he actually
cried. Said he was going to make
a fresh start, and he'd remember
me to his dying day.
1Good-by.' said. I've no hard |
feelings. I wish you luck Maybe If |
my folks had been ike yours
should have been a bigger black
guard than you.'
You couldn't be dat, guv'nor,'
ne said-probably with a touch Of
that pride that apes humility"
Wetherby's disreputable name
sake kept his word, and for the
next few years Fred enjoyed him
self in the undisturbed pursuit Of 1
his work and the possession Of his
good name-nO longer blazoned /
forth in the local press as the per
petratOr Of atrOclOus Outrage-
against the peace and good NOR
ais of the community.
Then came the Spanish war,
and, although he had only been
married about year, Wetherby /
enlisted in the ranks. for the pur-
pose Of obtaining material for his
Literary labOrs.
For some time we heard moth
ing about him, and then came the
shocking news that he had been
killed by a stray bullet received
while engaged in scouting duty.
The war had been over five years
and to me, as to many others who
had known him ever more inti-
mately than !, Fred Wetherby 1
had become but a name, a pleas
ant memory, growing gradually