Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-12-12

I Then they took off the trace chain
and jerked their thumbs in the direc-
ton of the Rocky mountains; and
struck a Lewis and Clark lope for the
swollen rivers and impenetrable for
ests
When ! regained conscientiousness
|. found myself walking into an I'M
identified town on the A., r. & S. F.
railroad. The Peavners hadn't left
anything in my pockets except a plug
Of chewing-they wasn't after my life
and that saved it. l bit off a chunk
anG sits down on pile of ties by the
track to recogitate my sensations of
thought and perspicacity.
And then along comes a fast
freight which slows up little at the
town; and off of it drops a black bun
die that rolls for 20 yards in a cloud
of dust and then gets up and begins
to spit soft coal and interjections.
see Il is a young man, broad across
the face dressed more for Pullmans
than freights, and with a cheerful
kind of smile in spite of it all that
made Phoebe Shows job look like
chilnney-sweep's.
Fall Off says l.
'Nunk,' says he. Got off. Arrived
at my destination. What town is
this?
Haven't looked it uy on the map
vet says l. I got in about five min
utes before you did. How does it
strike YOU
HARD says he, twisting one of
his arms around. I believe that
sboulder-no, it's all right
lie stoCps over to brush the dust
off his clothes, when out of his pocket
drops fine nine-inch burglars steel
jimmy He picks it up and looks at
me sharp, and then grins and holds
out his hand.
Brother says he, greetings.
Didn't | sec you in southern Missouri
last summer selling colored sand at
| half-adollar a teaspoonful to put into
lamps to keep the oil from exploding"
Oil, says |, never explodes. It's
the gas that forms that explodes.' But
| shakes hands with him, anyway.
My names Bill Bassett,' says he
to me, and if you'll call it professional
bride instead of conceit, I'll inform
you that you have the pleasure of
meeting the best burglar That ever set
a gum-shoe on ground drained by the
Mississippi river
"Well me and this Bill Bassett sits
on the ties and exchanges brags as
artists in kindred lines will do. 1t
seems he didn't have a cent, either,
and we went into close caucus. He
explained why an able burglar some
times hau to travel on freights by
telling me that servant girl had
played him false in Little Rock, and
he was making a quick getaway.
" It's part of my business, says
Bill Bassett, to play up to the ruff
fes when | want to make a rifle as
Rafiles. 'Tis loves that makes the bit
go round. Show me a house with the
sWag in it and a pretty parlor-maid,
and you might as well call the silver
melted down and sold, and me spell
ing trutties and that Chateau trick on
the napkin under my chin, while the
bNi4SS S4S Ne'iAliAso IL Oil IIlSlut JOD JuSJ
because the old lady's nephew teaches
bible class. | first make an imrres-
sion on the girl says Bill, and when
she lets me inside | make an impress
sion on the locks. But this one in
Little Rock done me- says he. She
saw me taking trolley ride with an
other girl, and when came round on
the night she was to leave the door
open for me it was fast. And had
keys made for the doors upstairs. But.
no sir. She had sure cut off my locks.
She was Delilah,' says Bill Bassett.
IT seems that Bill tried to break
in anyhow with his Jimmy, but the
girl emitted succession of brayura
noises like the top-riders of a tally-ho.
and Bill had to take all the hurdles
between there and the depot AS he
had no baggage they tried hard to
check his departure, but he made
train that was just pulling out.
Well says Bill Bassett, when we
had exchanged memoirs of our dead
lives, L could eat. This town don't
look like it was kept under a Yale
lock. Suppose we commit some mild
atrocity that will bring in temporary
expense money. l don't suppose