The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-12

,Copyright, 1907, by Ellis Parker Butler.) ryHE midday sun was broiling the
 dust and raising blisters on the
 4 painted houses when Eliph' Hew- lit stepped out of the Kilo Hotel after his noon dinner. The little book agent stood a minute in the thin streak of shade at the doorway and combed his side whiskers with his fingers, and then walked briskly into the sunlight. There was but one man in sight, and Elph' Hewitt made straight for him.
 At the intersection of Main and Cross streets the city pump stood in the middle of tho street, and the Marshal of hllo was mending the pump. He was hot, and getting hotter every moment For the first time in the memory of kilo he had taken off his blue coat with the brass buttons in broad daylight, and his hands and sleeves were covered with moist rust. A streak of 1t was daubed across his forehead and was trlclxling down his face, and he grunted as he tried, with mon key wrench, to loosen a rust cemented nut.
 ..Working?" asked Eliph' Hewitt, pleas antly.
 hand scraped across a bolt just below 1t, | taking the skin off a row of his knuekles. f He slammed the wrench into the soft mud that surrounded the pump and damned his knuckles into his mouth. Then he wrapped the other hand around them and shook them violently up and down, while he hopped on one foot
 Hurt yourself?" asked Eliph Hewitt, gently.
 The marshal stopped hopping and glar- ed at the book agent
 ] 'sNo. double bless yel' he shouted. seDye think I'd hop this way because { hurt myself? Dye think I'd yelp and jump round just because l knocked a ward and half of skin off my knuckles { Dye think I care that much for gittin' E myself all marred up and crippled for life? Oh, mol I'm carryin' on this way because I'm afraid I hurt the pump! I'm yelpin' because I'm frightened may have | knocked the head off that valuable bolt Darn this here municipal ownership any wayl"
 The marshal wrapped a piece of rag that he had brought to pack the pump around his fingers, picked up the wrench and hit the pump good rap with It.
 .'Is this part of your official duty?'' asked Eliph Hewitt
 sIs it?" said the marshal sarcastically E..You ask me Is it? Well, yes, it is. Dc tI look like a man that would come out here in the middle of the hottest sun spot on earth right when the juice in the
 
 \ Thermometer is squirtin' up so vigorous that it would squirt clean out if it wasn't plugged in, and tinker at this old municipal water works just for fun? If do look that way tell me, and I'll get my looks changed for they ain't telling the truth II No, mister, I ain't doin' this manicure { fob to this pump because I'm an old fool and let the good-for-nothin City Council of this here town tag the care and com fort of this municipal owned pump onto me. I wanted office and got it. z This book said Eliph Hewitt '1s Invaluable to the man in public office The ten thouslnd and one subjects treat ed of in Jarbys Encyclopedia of Knowl- edge and Compendium of Literature Science and Art
 '.All right" said the marshal. waving the wrench. You can stop right there nIf it's a book, I don't want 1t; and fl ltss a book to fit a public officehoder x ! won't have no use for it very long, for