Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1909-01-28


want more'n six foot one and a hat
looked sort OF sick to me. He had q
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 !.
Can you take us out sailing?"
''Why--er-I guess So" says. Il
don't know why l can't. II you feel
like going. Course"
l hadn't finished what was COINS
TO say afore they we're in the boat.
Now, generally speaking. there's some
bargaining to be done atore you take
folks out for q three-dollar sail. You
naturally expect II, you know--not so
much from boarders as from towners.
but still, some. But not for these two
no, siri II was this powerful sud.
denness Of theirs that hit me betwixt
wind and water, same as II had Nate.
Made me feel sort OF like I'd missed
the train. Stirred up my suspicious
again, too.
Twas a 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 a fair run down the bay.
This is grand!" says tho big Eel.
low, as the Dora Bassett began TO feel
her oats and lay down TO her work.
Caesar! 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 q
kind of screechy singsong. Then they
both laughed
looked at EN-. There want moth.
ing to laugh at, so far as could see,
and the "Bleecker" business didn't Rp.
| pear to have no sense In II, either.
| They made two or three other
speeches that sounded Just as foolish.
Thinks 1: II wonder II Scudder's
| right?" They didn't look like luna,
tics, but you can't always tell. Old
man Ebenezer Doane went to church
OF a Sunday morning Just as sensible
acting as a Second Adventer could be;
: cut when he got home he fred the
bean.pot at his wife, chased his chill.
! dren out door with q 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 q friend
coming" says l. by way OF ground
bait.
"FrIend?" says the big one.
Friend? l don't understand"
"scudder said you had another man
coming TO his house." says |.
He smiled. "Oh, l see" Then he
smiled again. n queer lazy kind OF .
smile. like as II he was amused at him.
self or his thoughts.
Il don't know that should call him
a friend, Mr. -er-"
Pratt" says /. Solomon Pratt"
Thanks. No, wouldn't 60 80 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
He's the man Van here belongs to-"
explained the Hartley one. They both
smiled again.
kind of Jumped, l guess. when he
said that. II began to look as II the
asylum idea was the right one. and
this Teller that was coming was tho
keeper.
Hum" says !. and nodded my head
just as II the whole business was as
plain as A b G. DO you belong to
anybody" says to Hartley.
Il did" says he, but he's doing
time"
Doing timer" says I.
YES" says he, explaining, kind OF
impatient like. up the river you
know"
chewed over this for a minute, and
all could think Of was that the Teller
must be in a clock factory or a watch.
|
"Watches?" l asks.
Hartley seemed 70 be too tired Of
life to want TO answer, but his chum
did Il for him.
NO." says he. Il believe It waS
pearl studs on the showdown"
Well, this was crazy talk enough for
anybody. didn't want to stir 'em
up nons-Tve always heard that YOU
had to be gentle with lunatics--sO
went on, encouraging 'em like.
studs. hey?" says I.
Yes" says he. He was q British
beast, and Martin was all balled up IN
the street at the time-away from his
apartments q good deal--and the b. b
annexed everything in sight"
go long!" says I, for the sake d
saying something.
BEG pardon" says he.
Nothing" says 1; and We stopDet