The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-30

mine in a fair race, and to devote my
winnings to the cause of the heather.
To encourage my fighting dog to do
his best, and thereby win money to
found orphan asylums.
In carrying out the above mission I
do not always meet up with the ap-
probation I have come to regard as
nv due. no sooner get settled down
to the belief that humanity is bub-
bling over with gratitude and wishing
me well, than some incident occurs
to prove that am far, far from know
ing my feller-being.
was showing my show and selling
my Alleviator in the town of Red Hot
when deputation of eminent citizens
arrived from the town of Busted
| Hopes and besought me to come over
| there and see what could do to-
| wards saving the place. People were
ready to give away their homes and
move away, and a blight was upon the
| land. In my kindness of heart, 1
pulled up stakes at Red Hot and made
| a journey of thirty miles to obleege
those who had everything to lose
On reaching the town was re-
| ceived with cheers and Toasted on the
| fat of the land, and I cannot say that
was insensfble to the honor Real
| estate had jumped SIS a foot before 1
had been in town an hour. While 1
was putting up my tent to show nv
moving pictures I saw more than
twenty games of poker in progress at
ing cried out on every hand that
Busted Hopes would bust no more
Men came to me to shake hands, and
women to shed tears of gratitude.
Pilgrim Joe and a boom always go
together. circus or a cyclone helps
a town 10 per cent, but the arrival of
Pilgrim Joe and his outfit Jumps
things SO feet high over night 1 was
never feeling prouder and gladder than
when I opened my show that night
The admission was free, and the au-
dience was large and cultivated one.
saw people there who had heard of
Columbus and Napoleon and Hanni-
bal, and all around me they were
swearing at the Beef Trust in five or
six languages.
AS usual. 1 made a few preparatory
remarks and then showed my first
picture, which was Washington at
ter, when he had nothing but sassa-
fras tea to drink and nothing but
toasted corn-cObs to eat. The picture
had been on the canvass about TWEEN
ty seconds when there was groan
The groan was follered by a yell. Then
there was shouting and confusion ali
over the house, and when it had died
away little an individual rose up
and addressed me with:
"Sir, kin I take it that you are
patriot?"
"You kim" says I.
And that you love the name of
Washington"
az simply banker for it,
"And yet, sir, you left him there
to starve amidst his ragged and dis
couraged soldiery, and I for one am
ready to say that you are a gaul-
burned mean man."
1 tried to explain that 1 wasn't
born at that date, and that If 1 had
been Washington would have fed on
chicken and pumpkin pie, but the au-
dience would have none of it. They
whooped and yelled and cat-called
and finally moved on the enemy
was the enemy. In five minutes
my show was wrecked and was be-
ing tossed in a blanket and enjoying
such feelings of loneliness as had new
er come to me before. When they
had toyed with me for half an hour /
was allowed to pack up the fragments
of my great and wonderful exhibition
and drive away into the darkness,
and shouts of anger and 9derision fol-
Tered me for mile. You can bust