Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-11-14

didn't care whole continental wheth~
er they ever got anywheres or not
One of 'em, the smallest one-hs
want more'n six foot one and hat
looked sort of sick to me- He had
white face, and that kind of tired,
don't-care look in his eye; and the
bigger one sort of tended to things for
him..
Good morning." says the big one
the Van Brunt one, judged-cheer-
full enough. T'other chap said, Good
morning" too
Morning says L.
Can you take us out sailing?"
'Why-erI guess So" 1 says. II
don't know why I can't, If you feel
like going. Course"
1 hadn't finished what 1 was going
to say afore they were in the boat
Now, generally speaking, there's some
bargaining to be done afore you take
folks out for three-dollar sail. You
naturally expect it, you know-not so
much from boarders as from towners,
but still, some. But not for these two
no, sir! 1t was this powerful sud-
denness of theirs that hit me betwixt
wind and water, same as it had Nate.
Made me feel sort of like I'd missed
the train. Stirred up my suspicious
again, too
Twas nice day; one of them clear
blue and green days that you get early
in June. The water want rugged, but
just choppy enough to be pretty, and
the breeze was about northeast, givin'
us fair run down the bay.
This is grandi" says the big fell
low, as the Dora Bassett began to feel
her oats and lay down to her work.
'Caesari Van,' said the other one;
why do you bring me down to earth
| like that? Grand Blocker next!"
He hollered out this last part in
kind of screechy sing-song. Then they
both laughed.
l looked at 'em. There want moth
ing to laugh at, SO far as 1 could see,
and the ''Bleecker'' business didn't ap-
pear to have no sense in it, either.
They made two or three other
speeches that sounded just as foolish.
Thinks I: q wonder if Scudder's
right?" They didn't look like luna
tics, but you can't always tell. Old
| man Ebenezer Doane went to church
of Sunday morning just as sensible
acting as Second Adventer could be:
but when he got home he fired the
bean-pot at his wife, chased his chill
dren out door with clam hoe, and
they found him settin' a-straddle of
the henhouse singing "Beulah Land"
to the chickens. These fellers might
be harmless looms that had been
farmed out, as you might say, by the
asylum folks. There was that man"
that Nate said was coming. He might
be their keeper.
Il understand you've got a friend
coming says 1, by way of ground
bait
''Friend?" says the big one.
Friend? 1 don't understand"
'Scudder said you had another man
| coming to his house." says 1.
He smiled. "Oh, 1 see.'' Then he
smiled again, queer lazy kind of
| smile, like as if he was amused at him.
| self or his thoughts.
Il don't know that should call him
| a friend Mr.. -er-''
Pratt says I. Solomon Pratt"
Thanks. No, wouldn't go so far
as to call him a friend; and yet he's
not an enemy-not openly" He
| smiled again, and the other chap
whose name found out was Hartley
Martin Hartley-smiled too.
Hes the man Van here belongs to-
explained the Hartley one. They both
smiled again.
1 kind of jumped, 1 guess, when he
| said that. 1t began to look as if the
| asylum idea was the right one, and
| this Teller that was coming was the
keeper.
| Hum says l. and nodded my head
| just as if the whole business was as
| plain as A B C. do you belong to
anybody" 1 says to Hartley.
| I did," says he, but he's doing
| time
| Doing timer says 1.
YES" says he, explaining, kind Of
impatient like. up the river, you
| know
| I chewed over this for a minute, and
| all could think of was that the Teller
must be in clock factory or a watch
makers or something.
| .Watches?" 1 asks.
| Hartley seemed to be too tired of
life to want to answer, but his chum
did it for him.
| NO." says he. Il believe it was
| pearl studs on the showdown"
Well this was crazy talk enough for
| anybody. 1 didn't want to stir 'em
up none-rve always heard that you
| had to be gentle with lunatics-so
| went on, encouraging 'em like.
| Studs, hey?" says /.
| Yes" says he. He was a British
beast, and Martin was all balled up in
| the street at the time-away from his
| apartments a good deal-and the B. B.
Il