The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-12-20

whiriing round ana round like pillars
whip across their faces singing like Al
lash. clogging the food and blindlnr
their eyes. One OF them suffers from
ophthalmia and another has 10 pour
out his water for him. The wanderer
secs u all again. The heat. the sand
and the orient. that glamorous oricn,
he sees II all and signs m the memory
or u gives way TO another picture.
IL Is In n police station I'm Omaha
where he. with two other Newspaper.
men. are gathered around the disseci.
Ing table I'm the surgeons room. %
which IL placed large bowl OF some.
thing they call punch. Like all Christ.
mas nights. the night has been dun
from the standpoint OF news. A few
DRINKS have been picked UP. and
around them the boys have writes
their stories. The wnnderer smiles "a
he thinks OF the scene. The desk Ger.
Hcant, In the room across the washed
passage. making his entries. the drOh.
ing voice of the police captain. who n
accents OF Tipperary IL telling oil
Christmas In ireland. the decb
breath OF line OF tramps sleeping
IN the station hallway. and every now
and again the yells. catcalis. shrIeks
and profanity from the prisoners "a
the cells. by and by II dies down. The
police captain stops talking. somebody
has kicked the tramp who was noisily
sleeping and the voices OF the prisoner
are hushcd except for the drunkea
song OF q bcdraggled woman who VI.
inuslcally sings popular ras.
time song. His face lighu|
with pleasure an his Thoughts
bark 10 the men with him In the suf.
geon's room around the surgeons slab
The Jokes. the laughter. the stories. all
Come back To him.
From the room across the hallway
comes the sharp tinklc OF the tclephon.
bell. The men In the surgeons room|
stop talking To listen and then they
hear I'm the corridor the electric bel
whirring out hurry call" The news
paper men are on their feet In IN IN.
slant. struggling into overcoats: N.
door at the enc OF the corridor swings
omen. The police captain runs out oil
his Office thrusting n revolver into hh
belt. From corners there spring MI
policemen and detectives. oil rushing
To the patrol wagon. Then there Is N.
hurried dash through the night. The
patrol wagon swaying over the cobble.
stones. the rotary bell clang-clanginr|
loud through the cold night. There 81
n knitting ut a dance hall In the lower
part OF town. The wagon dashes up 70
the door OF the hall, but before Il has
stopped It's occupants have jumped OF,
and are cleaving their way through TIE
crowd corgrcgated ut the door. Bohe
mians they are from the packing houses
In South Omaha. Most or them an.
drunk and all OF them are armed. H..
side the hall the air In heavy with 70.
bacco smoke. so much so that II.
flaming gas jets around the walls buraI
with n sickly yeliowish flame.
In one corner OF the hall lies the ma,
who has been knitted. and as the police
surgeon bends over him he whispers ,o|
the newspaper men that the wound q
bad one. The man Is soaked I'm blood
his hair lies damp on his flushed fore
head and his breath comes and goes Il
whistles. The story In the old one. Two
men fighting over n woman. And N.
woman herself leaning against bar al
one corner OF the hall. smiles Mt The
newspaper men who are promising 70
put her name I'm the paper.
So another night goes and the wan.
derer smokes on and on. conjuring up
old stories. old times and old dinner
smiling and signing TIL his pipe goes
out. He tries To light IL again. but th.
tobacco is finished and IL leaves BIT.
ter taste I'm his mouth. As he KNOCKS
out the ashes OF his pipe he thinks that
next year he will think OF the Christ.
mas he has spent this year. AID. smI.
ing at his momentary weakness. RISES
from his seat.