Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-03-25

| ldTIuCI
Herbert, do you hear? We've bungled
things and it's your fault" turning to
his friend with much show if impa-
tience. go"
my fault?" echoed Monty, feebly,
fioundering in the dark wondering
what Joe expected him to say.
Hang it, man you would walk, con-
found you!" cried the comedian, his
manner naturalness itself with its
suggestion of rising irritabiity; you've
got the walking craze and humored
you-some silly notion about seeing
the country, as though we couldn't
have seen all the country we wanted,
and a dashed sight NOR ecomfortably.
too, from the motor Charlie Gabbitas
wanted to lend us!"
This Mr.. Charles Gabbitas, whose
name Joe was borrowing somewhat
unwarrantably in his anxiety to in
spire the landlord with confidence, was
one of the most prominent men in
Slaton. He was a great sportsman,
and his name had cropped up in con-
versation at an hotel bar in Slaton in
Joe's hearing. But the owner of the
name Joe had ,certainlyaneyer seen in
his life
The comedian continued as if heat
eddy to his bewildered friend:
"You won't deny that Charlie want
ed us to have his car, and that you
persuaded me to walk, like an ass, and
now you land us here! Not at the
Wheatsheaf at Needing worth, where
lovely dinners spelling, but at an
other pub of the same name four miles
away! It's enough to make wax
saint swear!"
1t was an admirably played bit of
realism in it's way, but the bucolic
landlord seemed curiously unim-
pressed. And Joe, ravenous and des-
perate, felt that their chance Of OBJ
tanning a dinner depended on his con-
vincing the man that, in spite of ap-
pearances, they were persons Of i'm
portance; otherwise, Boniface would
certainly refuse to furnish a repast
until he was assured of their ability
to pay; that wa sfairly evident by
! his supercilious manner. His cold,
| fishy eye seemed to rest with peculiar
malignancy on Monty's fur coat, as
though counting the bald patches
on it.
And it detracted from the PLAUSIBLE
| ity of Joe's imaginative story that, to
the landlords certain knowledge, there
was not an inn called the Wheatsheaf
| at Needingworth. Like Mrs. Griggs,
! the lodging house keeper, he suffered
! from chronic lack of trust in human
nature. Possibly, like her. he lad
| cause.
eyes, entirely my fault; and I'm
! awfully sorry" said the heavy man,
feebly, doing his best to play up TO
| Joe.
He could not help noticing what
| heavy, hob-nailed boots the landlord
wore. Hungry as he was, Mr. Her
| bert Montague wished with all his
heart that they were out on the high
road again-that they had never en-
barked on this rash adventure. The
| landlord looked to him a man with O
|
they had eaten the dinner that evil
| IDENTIFY Joe was determined the man
| should provide, they explained that
the sum total of their capital vas
three-pence-half-penny-a SILVER ran
through Monty as h contemplated ii.
/ Joe was conducting the campaign
| briskly.
''I'm not going to stir an inch. Her.
! bert, we may as we'll dine here. DO
| you know, shouldn't wonder if, after
| all, the mistakes mine. l expect that
it was this inn all the time that Char
| lie Gabbitas meant, and in some in
comprehensive way | mixed up the
names of the villages-not unnatural,
perhaps, since I'm a stranger; but I
| do think the telegraph people might
| have known better and brought the
wire here!" He turned round in his
chair. Landlord, what can you give
us for dinner?"
Bread and cheese" said the man,
shortly.
He clearly did not warm to his Wis
itors. In spite of Joe's explanations
he seemed to entertain more than
| lingering doubts of them, which I'M
doubtedly the down-at-heel appear
ance of his two would-be guests went
far to justify.
| Bread and cheese!" Joe echoed the
words as though he doubted if he had
| heard Alright. II said we wanted din
ner, in his lOrdliest manner. "Joint-
poultry-game-so at least fit
! to set before gentlemen
Eyes, | can give you proper
enough dinner" he said, stolidly, eff
you like to show me the color Of your
money first!"
With this ultimatum Joe felt that
his eloquence had been wasted his
hopes touched zero. But he made a
last effort born of despair. He rose,
and with the air of an insulted grand
seigneur cried:
Come, Herbert. We have had
enough of this mans insolence, of
which I can assure him he has not
heard the last. l shall not fail to ac-
quaint Mr.. Gabbitas of our reception
here after his recommendation
since, no doubt this was the place he
meant; and we may be sure he will
never send any more of his motorist
here" He turned to the landlord. 81
don't know whether you know Mr.
| CaEhitac porcOpa11 hut oo, to1l