The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-11


back or off, that particular garmint
will ever repose in his memory as TAX
ing the cake.
when Ferocious Jim entered the
washee house. he slammed the shirt
down on the counter with some obser-
walton BETTING the occasion. The
sound of that shirt striking the able
was like the sound of a lump of putty
dropped from a third-story window to
the stone sidewalk.
What wantee?' asked the heather
in that molasses way of his.
| Washed yells Jim.
No CLAN washee-'
/ "'WaShee, and washee like blazes
or you won't live five minutes
| "FelIer-crftters, you know Ching
Lung. You know his humility. You
know that his ways are ways of peace.
ON one occasion, when this yere court
! damned his eyes for washing most
| of the tail off a shirt. he fell on his
knees and shed tears.
when threatened by Ferocious Jim
he picked up the bundle and tossed it
out of the window. 1t was hard to
credit this, but several good men and
true. went up there and found the
shirt in a snowbank.
Then Jim whooped.
He jumped up and down and
cracked his heels together.
His eyes glared like those of a tiger
wounded unto death.
He chanked his teeth and foamed
at the mouth ana screamed out.
1T was an awful sight to witness
but Ching-Lung stood there on the
burning deck and never gave the fact
away that he held four aces. 1t was
only when Ferocious Jim started to
pull his guns that the heather moved
and then he moved like a cyclone fif-
teen minutes late in keeping an APP
pointment with j. P. Morgan. He took
Jim's guns away. He emptied out the
cartridges. He tossed the guns and
he win
shirt. He didn't get the red-eye, and
he didn't froth and whoOp. He just
turned Jim around and gave him the
boot, and then this enterprising town
of Sandy Bend was treated to a spec
tacle that our grandchildren will blusn
over That spectacle dropped the price
of real estate fifty per cent in five
minutes, and such was the general
tap fresh barrel of whisky and d.
lutte it with a leetle more than the
usual quantity of water.
What did we, the populace and the
patriots and the mainstay of the town
behold? We saw and rubbed our
eyes and saw again. We asked each
other if we were dreaming. We asked
ourselves if we had passed in our chips
and were looking at moving pictures
in that other land. If we were to live
a thousand years we could never for
get it. 1t fas the spectacle of Ferocious
Jim flying for his life and the China
man at his heels. Think of it, Dwell
on it, Keep the vision before your
eyes. Fe-ro-cious Jim fleeing before
Ching-Lung and his hair standing up
in alright,
IF it had been only that we might
have recovered in time and corner
lots regained their usual price, but
Sunth1n' else was to foller. When Jim
had out-run the heather he comes to
me and demands justice. He wants a
warrant for assault and battery. Think
of IT. A white man, and a Holy Ter
ror at that, wanting a warrant for as
sault and battery agin heather
weighing a hundred pounds / talked.
/ argued. I appealed. Tt was no good
the Chinyman into court, but when
the facts in the case came out, what
did this court do? He discharged the
prisoner with words of praise and aft
er making speech to Ferocious Jim
the miserable kyote was sentenced to
state prison for five years.
ut wasn't law, but this court was
looking more at the square deal. The
higher court has reversed on me and
have got to crawfish. I do crawfish
Jim sits over thar looking as mean
as he knows how. and 1 have got to
set him at liberty. I do so. He can
60 This yere court as a court has
nuthin' further to do with him. Con-
' stable, throw open that door. Now,
feller critters. stem out and form a.
double line, and if any one of your
misses giving Jim a kick to help him
on his way out of town it will be in
vain for you to drop into the Red Dog
in future and take drink and ask me
to chalk it down" Copyright, 1907,
by P. c. Eastment.)