Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1909-07-30

at once.
Hello" she repeated as she looked
round the room, 1T Is game? Oh
l see. spy!" Then she padded over
to the end of the bar, pointed one fat
little finger at Pap johnson behind
the ice-box, shouted gleefully; Il
spy!" and ran to Bill Jernigan. She
slapped old Bill on his chap.covered
legs and said:
"One, two, free for you! Now you
are It! All the res is home Free"
Then she threw both arms around
Bills left leg and waited for the boys
to come home" You ought to have
seen Bill. He looked at me sort Of
dazed like. then looked down at tho
baby, then looked away far on some
where. and said in faint whisper:
We'll, I'm tiarned Z" And II he said 1.
once he said it 20 times. Just stood
there like human hitching-post and
monograph combined and said!
We'll, I'm darned!"
The boys all gathered round from
their safety corners, looking as sheep,
ish as II the teacher had caught them
chewing gum, but was too much In.
terested In Angel to pay any atten'
ton to them then. l always was fond
Of dogs and children and things like
that. knelt down, so as to get some.
where near on a level with that little
white bonnet. and asked:
Whose little girl are you, honey?"
Mammals" was the prompt reply.
I'D bet a stack Of blue on that"
said I. But what's your name?"
Anna Louise, thank you"
You're welcome. All right. III
believe that, even. Anna Louise goes
with me, but Anna Louise what?"
Muffin. Jes' Anna Louise"
And where is mammal"
'Oh, she's right over there" and
she waved her hand vaguely around
ito embrace most three-quarters OF tho
compass. Then she proposed breath
lessly: Les play 'Lunnon Bridge
It's the mos'est fun"
We told her we would like to but
that we had forgotten how.
Bill then swung her up on the bar
and gravely asked her what she would
have to drink She wanted soda-wa,
ter and we all took the same, although
some of the boys objected.
When the drinks were all in hand
got on chair and made an eloquent,
ornate and highly popular speech, In
which said that never before had
/ seen the wisdom of naming our
thriving municipality Paradise" and
that at times 1t had seemed to ma
the party or parties naming it must
have gotten mixed on their Scripture
or else have waxed sarcastic; but tina.
now a great light, the bright white
light Of truth, had busted in on my
alleged intellect, and illuminated tho
Utmost recesses Of an ever sluggish
mind ("Hear, heart" from the boys).
An Angel had come to Paradise, said,
a sweet little angel straight from
heaven, or st. Louis, or somewhere.
Her given name might be Anna Louise.
as she told us, but If SO 1t was q mis-.
take. Angel she was, and Angel she
must be. And inasmuch as she had
no other name, according to her own
statement, statement I presumed no
gentleman present would doubt cloud
cries of "No, mol" from the boys), !
took the liberty of giving her the
name of the fair city she had honored
with her presence, and proposed a
toast to angel Paradise
Well, you never saw toast excite
such Enthusiastically not one
drunk in saltwater.
AS we finished the drink, the door
opened with some violence, and chap
rushed in, clad in spats, a white waist.
coat, stiff collar, derby hat, and
some other useless outer habiliments.
His glance fell on Angel, and he
yelped: me child, me child!'
Angel stood there on the bar, wav.
ing chubby hand, and said: Hello,
pop!"
After he had Gained down, he In.
troduced himself as Mr.. Hawthorne Of
Boston, who was touring Arizona for
his. wife's health. He explained they
had stopped at the Cowboys Retreat
for few hours rest, and Angel had
wandered away. M
A So Bill turned to Angel and said:
Come, sister, get on my shoulder, and
it's us for mamma" Then he swung
Angel up and strobe out of the saloon.
Papa introduced US to mamma and
explained we were friends OF his that
had found9Angel and looked after her.
They were just starting for Tucson in
the hotel surry, and we were soon
forced to say good-by to our little
Angel Paradise. The blessed little
baby patted old Bill on the cheek and
said: Il love co." and then. seeing
looked disappointed, which was, she
graciously said: An 100, too An all
of co." as she took us all in with
wave Of the hand. And the last we
saw Of her she was flirting mammals
from the back of the
surrey as It disappeared in the dust
around the bend.
On our way back to Pete's, Bill
put his arm around my shoulders and
said:
Lonesome, I'm some fond of red
pepper on hash myself"
| grinned little and he went on:
And Lonesome, come to think II
over, that fellow was rotten bad
actor, anyhow"
We, had reached Pete's and we're
just going in when he squeezed me Q
little:
Furthermore, Lonesome, when II
was talkin' about ropin' steers exlI
cepted you in my mind all the time