The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-18

n FILINGS rode in from the Junction about dusk and ate his supper in A-> silence. He'd been east for sixty days, and although there lurked about him the hint of unwonted ventures, eti- quette forbade It's mention. You see, in our country, that which a man gives voluntarily is oft-times later dissected in smoky bunk houses, or roughly handled round fckering camp fires, but the pri- vacies he guards are inviolate. Curiosity isn't exactly a lost art, but its practice isn't popular nor hygienic.
 Later l found him medtatively whit ting out on the porch. and, as the mo- ment seemed propritious, I inquired adroitly:
 Did you have a good time in Chicago, Bitter Root'?"
 Bully" said he, relapsing into weighty absorption.
 "What'd you do?'' I inquired with all most the certainty of appearing insistent
 Don't you never read the papers?' he inquired with such evident compass on that. "Kink" Martin and the other boys snickered. This from Bitter Root" who scorns literature outside of the "Arkan- sas printing as he terms the illustra- tions
 Guess I'll have to show you my press notices" and from hip pocket he pro-
 
 Der band. These he displayed jealously ana I stared agape, for they were front pages of great metropolitan dailies, marr- ed with red and black scare heads in which I glimpsed the words, Billings of Montana" |" Bitter Root on Arbltra- tion," A Lochinvar Out of the West" and other things as puzzling.
 Press notices!" echoed "<ink" scorn- fully. "Wouldnt that rope ye? He talks like Big Ike that went with the Wild West Show. When puncher gets so lazy he can't earn Twin by the sweat of his pony, he grows his hair, goes on the stage bustin' glass balls with shot cartridges and talks about press mo- ticesr Let's see 'em. Billings You pinch 'em as close to your stummick as though you held cards in a strange poker game"
 Well, I have set in a strange game, amongst aliens" said Billings, disregard ings the request "and I've held the high cards. also I've drawed out with honors I've sailed the medium high seas with mutiny in the stokehold; I've changed the laws of labor politics and municipal economies. I went out of Gods country right into the heart of the decayin east and by the application of runnin' moose in a hemp rope I strangled oppression and put 5000 men to work" He paused ponderously. I'm an Arbitrator!
 The deuce you are" indignantly cried "Reddy" the cook. "Who says sop
 ''Reddy' isn't up in syntax, and his unreasoning loyalty to Billings is an es- tablished fact of such standing that his remarks afford no conjecture.
 "Yes, I've cut into the Nations Peril and the 'Cryin' Evil good an strong walkin out from the stinks of the Union Stock Yards of Chicago into the lime light of publicity via the drunk and disorderly' route.
 You see, I got those ten carloads of steers into the city all right, but l was so blame busy splatterin' through the tracked-up wastes of COW pens, an in- halin the sewer gas of the west side that I never got to see newspaper If I'd "a red one, here's what I'd a found namely: The greatest, stubbornest, riotin- est strike ever known, which means T heap for Chicago. she being the wet nurse of labor trouble.
 'The whole river front was tied up. Nary a steamr had whisteld inside the six-mile crib for two weeks. and 5000 men was out. There was holdups and blood -sheddin' and picketin', which last is an alias for assault with intents. and altogether 1t was a prime place for a cowman on a quiet vacation-just home like and natural.
 'It was at this point that I enters, bustin' out of the smoke of the Stock Yards. all sweet and beautiful, like the gentle heeroline in the play as she walks through the curtains at the back of the stage.
 NOW. you know there's heap of diff ference between the Stock Yards and Chicago-its just like coming from Ar kansas over into the United States.
 Well, soon as I sold the stock I hit for the lake front and began to ground sluce the coal dust off my palate