Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08
Sir Peter of the Pail
Conhraed from page s

had enough of that game to last me until I'm
as old as you are, which won't be for two or
three seasons on. If you re dead anxious for
more, you wait until Mr.. Gordon comes back,
and challenge him. He's sport
But Sir Peter seemed to be clear off the
follow you at all. VIII you please tell me
where | am?"
Now say, how was l to know where he
thought he was? What was the name of that
place-Briskett Arms? l didn't want to
chance it.
This is the same old stand, says l, right
where you started an hour ago"
But" says he" but Lord Winchester"
He's due on the next trolley" says l. " Had
to stop off at the gun-factory, you know"
Ever try to tear off lot of extemporaneous
hes, twenty to the minute? It's no pipe.
Worse than being on the stand at an insurance
third degree | couldn't even refuse to answer
on advice of counsel, and in no time at all he
had me twisted up into a bow-Inot.
Young man" says he, g think you're
prevaTicating.
I'm dom me best" says 1 but let's cut
that out. P'raps you'd feel better if you wore
the bucket awhile"
Bucket" says he And I'll be put on the
buzzer if he didn't throw the bluff that he'd
never had the thing on his head.
ooh, well" says l. you've got a right to
lie some if you want to. It's your turn, any
way But let me swab you off little"
He didn't kick on that, and l was gettin'
busy with warm water and towels when the
door opens and in drifts Mr.. Gordon with
three well-fed gents behind him.
Great catsn' says he THROWN up both
hands. Shorty what in blazes has happened"
"Nothin' much" says l. We've been
playin' little shiny"
Shiny" says he, just as though it was
something I'd invented.
Sure, says l. And Sir Peter won out.
As a shiny PLAYER he's a bird ="
Then the three other ducks swarrns in, and
the way they powwows around there for few
minutes was enough to make curtain scene
for Third-ave. melodrama.
Mr.. Gordon Gained EN- down though, after
bit, and then got chance. | was a little
riled by that time, | guess. | offered to tie
pillows on both hands and take EN- all three
at once, kickin' allowed
oh come, Shorty" says Mr. Gordon.
"These gentlemen have been a little hasty.
They don't understand, and they're great
friends of Sir Peter. This is the British Am
bassador, Lord Winchester, and these are his
two secretaries. Now, what about this shinny?"
1t was sten-winder," says |. Sir Peter
was off side most of the time; but | don't carry
no crouch for that
Then l told EN- how I'd done it to keep him
off the tracks, and how he got so warmed up
he couldn't stop until he ran out of steam.
They were polite enough after that. We shook
hands all round, and went in and resurrected
Danvers, and they got Sir Peter fixed up so that
he was fit to go in a cab, and the whole bunch
clears out.
In about an hour Mr.. Gordon comes back.
He wears one of the won -come-off kind, and
steps like he was feelin' good all over. Pro-
fess5r," says he, you needn't be surprised
at getting a medal of honor from the British
Government. You seem to have cured Sir
Peter of the bucket habit"
We're quits, then" says l. Hes cured
me of wanting to play Skinny. Say, did you
find out who the old snoozer was, anyway"
The old snoozer," says he, is the crack
financial expert of England, and a big gun
generally. He'd been over here looking into
our railroads, and when he gets back he's to
make a report that will be accepted as law
and gospel in every capital of Europe. 1t was
while he was working on that job that his brain
took vacation; and it was your Skinny game
the doctors say, that saved him from the insane
asylum. You seem to have brought him back
to his senses"
He's welcome says l but | wish the
British Government would ante up a bottle
of spavin-cure. Look at that shin
Wen make 'ern pay for that shin" says he,
with kind of it s-coming-to-us grin. 80 And
by the way, Shorty; those few after-dinner re-
marks that Sir Peter made about his report
you could forget about hearing EN-, couldn't
your"
81 can forget everything but the bucket, +"
saws 7