The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-08

Gent number one, noticin' me standin'
there with my mouth open, remarks
Perhaps you will lead the way, Mr.
McCabe ?'
Sure" saws I. and nuts myself AT
the head of the procession.
1t want until they'd 'phoned for
Wreckin' machine and Frenchy has
been sent off with his instructions, that
gets good look at number two: for
he waits until everything is settled be-
fore he begins unwindin' the head
wrappin's. Then sees I'm entertainin'
cuf1o- Not that he was one of the
toothleSs, SnoW-capped kind. His hair
is only nicely frosted up, and his face
Is as smooth as a baby's; but he has
complexion like an apple dumping, and
them eyes OF his was the foXiest, shift
lest set of lamps / ever see In a man.
Course, / could account for the crop
OF SOFT, wavy hair, and the white, even
teeth. They come from the store, and
PETER job was never turned out. But
the eyes has me guessin' from the start.
Ia have bet my pile there want an
other pair like 'em in the country, and
yet they was sort of familiar look 1
couldn't get away from. I was dead
sure L hadn't run across the rest of
this old gent; but I couldn't shake the
thought that somewhere must have
seen them eyes before. Say. it was
that's where l starts hintin' for par
ticulars.
Excuse me- says I, "but I didn't
catch your Names"
The two gents flashes look back and
forth, and then the one that's been do
in the talkin' speaks up
'"Thayer is mine" says he, land this
is-er-Mr. Dayton"
Say, he was a smooth boy, all right.
h.
he was used to sayin it, and if il hadn't
been for the diamond w on his gold
watch fob I shouldn't have suspicioned
il at all There was only the least lit
tie bit of a hitch about the Dayton,
too; just enough to give me a quiet
bunch that I was bein' treated TO an
incog.
Dayton. eh?" says I. From Ohio?'
At that they swaps another quick
look, and then both turns on me. But
when they sees me GRIMM they knew
it was only josh.
''Ah. Dayton. Ohio" says Mr.. Thay-
er. Very good, very good"
That's nothin' to what I can do on
a bright day" says l. But make
yourself to home. gents, while 1 dig up
box of smoke sticks
When 1 comes back with the cigars,
Mr.. Dayton has shed his long rain coat
get down on his knees in front of
Morris chair. Thayer has just spotted
his motions, and his straight-cut mouth
begins to curl up at the corners.
"Oh ] say Henry" says he, lis that
-eF-eXactly necessary
= Samuel" says Mr.. Dayton. speakin
kind of solemn and wavery. I'VE have
just had a providentiaI escape from
fatal accident. It is fitting that 1 should
return thanks for
Yes, yes" says Thayer; "but can't
you hold it over until and here he
squints at me.
'Oh, let him blaze away" says I. Il
amt one TO bar prayin'. Fire ahead"
And he does. II was as fine prayin'
as | ever heard. too and before he gets
through he's squared himself with
every one from here TO the Pearly
Gates, not fOTgettin' me- and the kind
hearted elm tree that didn't turn out
20 be a ten-fOot ditch. Myl but he
sure was a good man. Made me feel
mighty low down and mean, just lis
TENN to him.
The effect on Mr. Thayer was diff
ferent. He stands there rollin' his eyes
up to the ceilin' and lo0lin' weary. just
as if he didn't have any religion at all.
He has a hard face, that man Thayer.
though; one of the kind that reminds
you of panics in Wall street. and Gus
toms inspectors, and police court
| judges.
1t was easy to see his mind didn't
/ set easy; for after the services were
through and me and Mr. Dayton was
haVin' talk, the old gent as calm and
satisfied as though he was at home.
Mr.. Thayer was pacin' I'D and down
the room, now and then stOppin to
take a nervous squint cut of the win
dOwS at the road. He couldn't have
been more uneasy if he'd been tryin'
to dodge bill collector.
Mr.. Dayton was as much interested
in me as if I'd been his new son-in-law.
He wants to know all about the phys
ical culture business and what rent
pay for the studio and what my
average income is and how much I'm
saltin' away in the bank. He seems
kind of pleased to hear l don't follow
the races. or monkey with the market,
and he hands out a lot of good advice
about investin' my surplus in first
mortgage bonds and real estate. Fa-
therly, 1t was almost as good as bein'
adopted by a minister.
Right in the middle of our talk Mrs.
Whaley comes rushin' in from the
kitchen and says as how Dennis has
ma bbed suspicious actin character
that he's caught tryin' to sneak into
the stable, and is town him our way
"Geev says I, " this is my day at
home for sure. Well tell Dennis to
lug him in on the carpet"
What, In here? 4" says old Mr.. Day
ton. jumpin' up and loollin' scared.
Aren't you afraid?''
All say now. don't get uneasy" says
I. Most likely it's only some seedy
hobo tryin' TO get in out of the wet.
Let's have look at him"
But you know" says Dayton, y
had rather NOT
1t was too late for him to do more
than jump for a dark corner of the
room. though; for in comes Dennis,
7 hOldin' the guy by the collar. One look
was enough to see he want any reg'l lar
/ freight car tourist; but beyond that /
couldn't place him He's a long geared
| thin shanked. SaIlow faced young chap
about twenty-fOur or five. I should
! Judge. He's wearin' eyeglasses, and a
/ blue serge suit that needs pressin' and
/ hrushin' the worst way: but If he'd
I been fixed up some. ana connected with
4 the shave and the hair cut that was
/ due him. he'd been almost fit for the
/ parlor. He don't take kindly to bein