The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1908-02-20
ROLAND'S
REVENGE!
What Happened to Hobbs
How the Captain Metered Out
an Awful Retribution
Copyrighted in Hendersonville and saluda
No rights Reserved

1 ~ 40 49, NsNSSOA fSN
| A hoarse mUfmer of voices. A soun,
of splintering wood, the rattle of shat
tered glass, and crowd of men, face
flushed, bottles, clubs and clinchet
fists in the air, force their way into th'
Office OF the Asheville and Electric
Railroad Co., in the Bailey block.
"There he is-let me at him-no, no
me frst-throW him out the window
kill him"
Standing erect in the-far corner Of the
room. the rays of the setting sun illumi-
mating his beautiful pale face, with def
ance shining in widely y-distended eyes,
stands Charles A. Hobbs.
In the mob facing him are DR.. Kirk,
Capt. Rowland, j. r. Hatch, L. w.
Walker and others.
They are oh, 30 angry!
Almost as if they'd just paid for their
water meters.
The Captain, foaming at the mouth,
gnashing his teeth as if they were his
own, electric sparks glittering in his
eyes, tries to climb over the barricade
of desks and chairs which Hobbs has
hastily thrown in front of him.
"Hold, men! 1 am not guilty! 1
swear it by Bob Oates meters! The
guilty wretch shall yet be found if it
take half me wealth and the whole city
police department to ferret out this foul
mystery. Men. listen! am too young
to die now! Give me one more chance
and swear I'll live better life and as
sociate with Capt. Rowland no moreI 1
swear to leave HendersonVille forever
and ever as soon as John Grant is elect
ed to Congress. But one more chance,
men, just one! As you hope for good
crop of boarders this summer, grant me
this boonT Have mercy, have mercy I
didn't mean to do it and 1 wont do it
again! IT,"
The fast sinking sun throws a golden
beam into the room. Capt. Rowland,
noticing its color, reaches hastily for
it and puts it in the safe. The Western
sky is blaze Of purple and of scarlet
and the blue haze over the mountains is
changing to purple as night draws near.
The wind is whispering sad requiem
thro' the tall and solemn pines opposite
the building, and DIR. Ewbsnk, crossing
the street, stops and listens to the plead
ing voice in the room above.
sobered by the earnestness of the
young mans appeal, the crowd of des-
perate men hesitate, look one at another
and talk earnestly in subdued tones.
At last DIR. Kirk pronounces the YER
dict of the coroner's jury.
The silence is intense and the tick tick
of Mr.. Hatch's dollar Ingersoll watch
is heard by all.
"Charles A. Hobbs, you are found
guilty of writing certain scandalous and
wicked valentines to those gentlemen
standing before you. We find you
guilty and sentence you to Immediately
install water meter in your residence"
Hearing the awful words of doom, the
figure in the corner, no longer defiant,
seems to shink, grows less in stature.
It stretches out its hands in mute sup
plication. A hoarse rattle-inarticu
late sounds issue from its throat-beads
of Precipitation cover its brow-and it
falls with dull and sickening thud upon
the uncarpeted, unwashed floor, where
it lays crumpled and motionless.
Frightened at their work. the mob
files slowly from the room, their veng-
ange satisfied.
The sun has set in the Western sky.
If often does set in the Western sky.
The moon is flooding the world with its
pale light, and pouring its silVsry beams
thro' the windows of the AsheviHe and
Hendersonville Electric Company's
window, marks an inert something on
the floor. Silence as of the tomb.
Darkness save where the shuddering
moon beams reveal widening pool on
the floor. That dreadful pool! Can it
be-oh, horrible, horrible-it cries aloud
for vengance. for it is city water being
wasted, and the quivering quiet of the
room is broken only by the click-click
of the $9.18 water meter.
Lives of business men remind us,
They can make their business climb.
Advertise and leave behind us.
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