The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-31
ROYCROFTDOM RENT.
Ali Bahia Draws the Line at Playing
Jehu TO = Harnessed Bull.


croftdom is rent in twain over the sew
ering of diplomatic relations between
Fra Elbertus Hubbard. chief seer of
the Roycrofters, and Ali Bahia. car of
the COW barn. whom. as Fra Elbertus
believes, he made famous. Decorated
with the livery of fine language, Ali
Bahia has bathed in reflected glory, but
decorated with the material livery of
"a Fifth avenue cOachman and dele
gated to hold the re!ns over an edu-
Gated bull was more than the. human
satellite could stand. Hence the rup-
ture.
Ali Bahia has always had bullish
tendency. His father before him was
famed for his trotting bulls. which oft
on a Sunday morn he drove to church
with the good wife at his side. So
Baba was brought up in bullish at
mosphere The love of bulls was
passed along to him from his parents.
but the veneration for things spiritual
missed connection and Bahia became
the town infidel.
Many a time did the Baptist preach
er and the deacons drop in to wrestle
with the unruly spirit of the man. Be
gin where they might, their argu-
ments led to one and the same point.
Dodging each thrust with the skill OF a
fencing master he would corner his
antagonist with that still unanswered
query, "Who was Gains wife"
Baptist after Baptist crawled out
from under the ruins of his pleading
and skunk away to bemoan the rate
of Ali Baba. "Who was Gains wife p
was hurled after them as they vanish--
ed, and the Baba, with pitchfork
aloft. would strike a Joan of Arc at
titude and defy even the devil to lure
him from the rock of doubt.
Then Came the Bull.
Then came the bull. 1t was one
morning early and the Baba was as
fond a guardian as ever fetched up a
i I,F-
he felt a true paternal interest in "Ole
Bull which was the appropriate
name conferred upon the infant bo-
vine. He raised it by hand on butter
milk, on the Fairbanks plan, and as
the months grew apace he trained it
to trot.
The Baba's girth increased and his
head was held a notch higher. The
Fra saw and fell to thinking. The Fra
was ever an ingenious fellow, with
fine eye to the profitable as we'll as
the artistic. and it occurred to him
that here was the chance of a lifetime.
Dolly and Bess. the two little mares
which had drawn the station coach
for six years, were slightly passe.
They must be replaced with more at
tractive horsepower in the near
future. Why not make 1t bull-power?
Why not have a special station wagon,
a sort of cross between a dray and a
chariot, and why not have Ali Baba,
abloom in a uniform, meet all trains
with the chario-dray?
A month later the vehicle and uni
form arrived. The bulI' was duly
hitched. Baba was duly draped in the
uniform, 'leetle tight and a leetle too
long in the pant legs" but otherwise
fault1ess and crimson that it was
necessary to put binders on the bull
On Tuesday the bull was hitched 20
the chario-dray and a trip was made
to the station to meet the 5:24 going
north. Baba, fearing lest the engine
might disturb his steed, held to the
reins and the box. The SPA came along
on the dot and the bull took the shock
as we'll as could be expected The train
was just about to puff away when an
impudent youth struck his head out of
the car window and hurled at the Baba
a remark that curdled his blood
When the bull and the Baba reached
the cowbarn. Baba sought his ward and
announced his intention of never again
trotting the bull to meet the train.
There were a few words and it was all
over.
Next morning the treasures of the
Baba household were loaded on Hank
Stucky's moving wagon and the long
stewardship of the Bahia was at an end.
Into his place stepped Uncle Billy Bush
nell, of whom the Baba had been jealous
all his life. Uncle Billy being a cut-and-
dried Baptist, with absolute and I'M
questionable faith as to the identity of
Gains wife.