davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

took the steps in front of the jail. and
L heard the bowls of the mob cease
The jailer. a man they respected, ad-
dressed them. / couldn't hear what
he said. but he convinced them that
he had the wrong youngster penned
up. After he'd explained this to them
he summoned the laundryman to the
steps alongside of him. and the laun-
dryman had his say. The laundry
mans statement clinched it, The mob
dispersed. The jailer waited till they'd
all gone and then he turned me loose
by the back way of the Jail.
Il made about four jumps of il to
the railroad station and grabbed the
first train out for the next town where
our show was booked. There were no
performances of the circus on that
Fourth Of July. The stashed acrobat
got out of town in the tarpaulin-cov-
cred wagon and jumped for the east as
soon as he was pulled from beneath his
coverings. They never got him. But
the Lemon Brothers slipped a consider
able hunk of square-it money to the dea d
mans widow.
That's why my skypiece comes off
to the laundries whenever and wherever
/ happen to pass one. II it hadn't been
for my laundry habit on that occasion I
wouldn't be here looking at the jonquils
now CLARENCE L. CULLEN.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

".Yep. loads OF robins, in the parks
and everywhere. this spring said he.
and then he went ahead and staked me
to the most interesting bunch of bird
talk I'd ever listened to. He had the
dope all pat that bi stuff. told how the
sparrows had Hrst driven the robins out
OF the New York parks. but how the
robins had come back. within the past
couple OF years, and fought II out with the
sparrows and all that. 1t struck me az O
curious thing that n fellow who'd had
such an interest in bird life could do any
thing to get himself Jagged.
We'll, it'll be a long time before i
see any mo robins. he wound up. sort
Of pensively and I felt sorry for the
give a whole lot OF 'em another chance
and turn 'em loose, but I'm not the doc
tor.
yes and I've taken UP plenty OF inno-
cent men; fellows whose innocence was
absolutely proven later on. And the queer
thing about Ii is that these same fellows
that were absolutely innocent never said
a word to me about their troubles on
their way UP, never told me that they
we innocent or barked even little bit
about their cases, whereas plenty of fell
lows that | knew dead we'll were sure
enough guilty-the oldtime lags mostly
swore on the way up that they weren't
guilty of the job for which they were
about to do their bit.
WELL the old grist OF boys coming and
going will be working for long centuries
after I'm planted OF course. But I'd like
to hope that it'd gradually diminish. and
come to a full stop. some time another.
Bad work. that pen thing, through and
through, and l never conveyed a man up
there Yet that | didn't sort o. wish t.
myself that he'd given himself a better
chance, that he'd got off on the right foot
and given himself a fair run I'm the race
of life; and l never came out Of the big
pen Yet after hearing the big clang
one of my men that l didn't feel sort
Dwell just v. that's all.
CLARENCE l.. CULLEN.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

unit if dey're nod ids DER own fauld. You
go on. We can't lose
what was the use? 1 knew that it
would take me more than 5000 years
to convince that squarehead that book
makers never have a chance to stand
a dent. But I decided to take chance
at Pimlico with his rendered wad. I
went on with his bread-and-bun velvet at
Pimlico. The very first race that chalk
ed on had seven horses in it, and I saw
what I was up against. My baker angel
sat behind me on his high stool and
groaned in my ear over every greasy dol
lar that l took in on any one of the
seven. He was afraid of the hull seven
1t fell our way. two of them that We
had practically clean sheets on swing
ing home one-two. and We won 800 to
the jog. The squarehead was up among
the fish clouds at that.
IT subbose / vas mistaig, heinz he
said to me. gloatfully. We now quid for
de day, nod?'
That pulled a laugh out of me, of
course. Quit for the day. after gathering
on the first race. with five other things
yet to go, full of contenders, and get the
boot from the rest of the gang? I had to
argue him out OF it,-though. for the $500
looked as big as a battleship In dry dock
TO him. On the next race we lost $500.
and my baker angel sweated like a dope
nag that's run six miles the wrong way Of
the track. He was in such a foam over
the loss following the win that / had to
listen TO his entreaties to quit for the day
with the S1O win, and | got the funny
yelp from the rest OF the bloekers when
l climbed down and fofdgd up for the
day My pie-making angel was in a lath-
er OF before-takin6 victory when l found
him at the track the next afternoon.
herded him into q corner and asked him
what for. Well. he'd been tipped off
that Lochiel in the first race was lob
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

sort, you lying whelp' he said to me-
Who was this business man.?
Il remembered the name of the laun-
dryman, and 1 gave it to the jailer.
I was talking with him at his laun-
dry about circuSes when this thing hap
pened at the circus lot 1 said to the
iailer. grabbing one o. his hands to de-
tain him. You're going to give me n
chnce to prove that. aren't you? You'll
send for the laundryman to look al me
and clear me, won't you?
My dead earnes- got the jailer
winging. He looked long and hard at
my face. and then he went out without a
word. / didn't know whether he meant
to send for the laundryman or not. But
he was fair man. He did send for him.
The laundryman was in my cell fifteen
minutes later
IS Why. this boy was sitting on the
counter i'll my laundry chewing the rag
with me till a few minutes after . o'clock.
and he'd been waiting there for me for
more than half an hour the laundryman
said to the jailer the instant he caught
sight of me huddled up on the bunk i'm
my cell. The man was killed between
half-paSt and 8 O'clock. and the circus
lot is more than two miles from my store.
and of course this lad couldn't have
been the one
THE iailer listened attentively. and
then passed out without a word. He
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

why, you go smiling and weeping around.
and you never understand how il hap
pened that you did lose out.
by the way. what's happened to you?
You haven't opened your mouth with re-
gard to food now for almost four minutes.
Well, that being the case, L spose you re
SO famished that you're not in a fit state
to talk.
Well go in here. What dye want to
eat' Oh, anything, eh? That's definite.
Well. We'll have a double sirloin and
some hashed and Drowned potatoes and
some French peas and some asparagus
and some chicken livers and some tomato
and lettuce salad with mayonnaise dress
ing and
Huh? You don't want all that? Who
said You did? 1 s'pose you'll permit me
to have a little mouthfui to eat myself,
won't You, after hiking you all over the
globe for the better part of an after
noon? | guess you'll allow ME to have "A
little nibble anyhow, won't you? I'm not
bit hungry, OF course, but as long as
you're going. to spend all OF your time
eating, why, I might as well string along
and fortify myself with a little nourish-
ment against the miseries still awaiting
me. That's the way / dope it out, any
how
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

Maryland. Representative Johnson of
Kentucky, Representative Rothermel of
Pennsylvania. Representative Wiley of
New Jersey, Representative Campbell of
Kansas. and maybe one or two more
whose names do not rush to the memory
at this particular moment, the other
members of the committee do not con-
tribute services of marked value.
Representative Coudrey of Missouri,
the only automatic bill introducer in the
House, who sheds embryo public meas
ures an oak drops leaves in the au-
tumn, seems to lose interest in his legis-
lati--e children as soon as they have been
baptized i'm print. He thunders violently
in the index. but is usually missing dur
ing the closing chapters.
Representative Nye of Minnesota drops
around every now and then. when there
is Il meeting on, and occasionally intro
duces d bill having some bearing on To-
cal interests.
Representative Guernsey of Maine is
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

loaded him into passing vegetable cart
to be carried to his shack near the mine.
1.-The circus hands were holding off the
mob of miners when l nudged along on
my way back from the laundry. only to
get myself grabbed by the pair OF Zeke
constables who got to the lot after the
miner had been killed. / was the one,
you see. My way OF dressing was pretty
much Ii re that Of the acrobat boy, I'm adj
dltion to my physical resemblance to him,
and their mistake was natural enough,
considering. too. how het up with Fourth
OF July rum they were.
Now, as I say, I didn't know a note
Of what I'd been pinched for Until nearly
an hour after I'd been deposited In the
calaboose. During that hour a great
mob Of miners had formed outside the
clink. all of them bowling for my blood.
They were out for the lynching thing,
there was no mistaking that.
But l wasn't worried about it, not
for a minute imagining that the roars
meant me, till the jailer came along. look
ing worried. He was a decent chap with
a kindly countenance, but he sure did
look bothered.
They want you bad enough kid,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

aren't they? Ye-eh. They're foolish just
like Mr.. Reynard. that's what they are.
When Bill Hardy-I saw him in the
crowd q while ago-gets the hunch to
take an afternoon off for himself, why
he makes the trip by himself because
Bill was one Of those that had the sense
10 dodge the bell book and candle bust
ness. Bill positively grinned at me when
he caught sight Of me q while ago. He
was giving me the internal boot. OF
course And l don't blame a bachelor
for chuckling inside OF him when he
sees lis sapheads of tied and hobbled
ones being tagged after by our wives
every minute Of the time and every place
We go. Great old time I'm having of it
today, for instance-such larks!
"How's that? Just a sandwich'n do
you? Not much. I'll take you to some
place where you can begin with the
clans and then catapult right through
the menu, down to Roquefort cheese, II
I didn't do this, why, the very next
time you got naggy you'd toss it up to
me that l never gave you enough to eat
when 1 took you out. and you'd pass
the word along among all OF your fe-
male friends that I was a tightwad that
absolutely refused to satisfy your hunger
pangsI guess 1 know!
where you going? That's it, get your
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

in. and he picked up his whistling where
he'd bitten it off.
'In q certain sort of q way, too. when
a lag's getting back to pen where he's
put in time before, the place has its
manner of speaking. He knows all of its
hooks and crannies, and he's filled with
a kind of curiosity TO look the old plant
over again and see how it has been max
ing out since he saw it the last time.
II hope l make tier f.. says one of
em to me on the way UP. L guess they ii
slam me back in the tailor ShOp-they
know I'm there when 1t comes to maxim
one o them machines talk. I'd like to
dodge that quarry gang, but l guess
that's where I'll get the shove. says
another, doping out his job when he gets
there.
ION the way up. too. Old-timers begin
to- figure on their fingers as to the terms
OF the long-timers they left behind them
in the pen on their last visit, trying to
get at who they'll find left of the old
bunch
Jimmy Thus and So.' says one of
'em on the ride up. has got two years
and butt to do yet, even with his good
time. I'll be glad to slip a cluck or two
hospital yet, and that makes 1T pretty
soft for his pals
IL heard Tommy This and That lost
eight months of his good time while L
was loose this last time, and that'll make
him there vet for five months. says an
other, running over the list Of his former
pen pals.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

such stranger at the District committee
headquarters that the other day he had
to identify himself at the door in order
to- get into an executive meeting.
representative Shackleford Of Missouri.
who is called Gloomy Gus by his col
leagues. used to be a rather regular at
tendant at the District committee meet
ings. 1t is true he always objected to
everything that was going on at all times
but still he used to drop in and stay
awhile. 1t has been many moons since
he shed the light of his countenance on
his colleagues at a District committee
meeting
Representative Gilmore Of Louisiana is
another stranger. He wrote a letter or
a sheet Of the District committees paper
once upon a time. but that is his closest
connection with the body, SO far as is
known.
Representatives Cox OF Ohio. Borland OF
Missouri Fish of New York and Cary
of Wisconsin get around every now and
then, but do not tear their hair to show
their interest in the measures up for
consideration. Mr.. Cary only attends
meetings when one of his own bills is
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

ahead of the story little bit and I'M
ravel the meaning of the thing.
II had only been away from the circus
lot on my way to the laundry for few
minutes when a mob of coal miners pie
eyed already with Independence day
booze cantered UP to the grounds and
announced that there wa'ant goin' t be
no circus that day. That kind of talk.
in ordinary circumstances, would have
been the signal for the raising OF the
Hey, Rubei' cry and the big battle. Bat
the proprietors didn't want to have the
certain chance of big gate receipts on the
national holiday messed up, and SO they
prevailed upon the hands to be patient.
Presently, though. the ugliest Of the
jagged coal miners crept up to the rear
of baggage wagon, pulled down valise
from the top Of the heap. and began &c
kick it all over the place, foot ball style
The valise belonged to a young acrobat
attached to the show. a boy. OF about
nv own size and looks. This acrobat
boy, a quick triggered Mulligan as to the
temper thing, came up just then.
".Hey, stop that stuff. you.' said the
youngster to the coal miner. Flag It.
That grip belongs to me-
1.-THE miner glanced contemptuously al
the kid acrobat and made for him.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

The next time ] go on the block at Pim-
leo or anywhere else it's going TO be
with personally conducted wad. or not
at all. The last angel had was a Ger
man baker from down on the island.
That squarehead was the craziest glug
to get rich in the course of one fast
flying spring afternoon that ever 1 saw.
His dope had II that the book couldn't
lose; that everything came in and moth
ing went out. I'd already had three
angels at Plmlico, and / was harness.
sore from their kind of driving This
Germans confidence was so intense that
] pinioned him up against a pillar and
spent two hours telling him about the
different kinds of things that could and
might happen to any kind OF a bank
roll being used to back a book IL things
didn't take the right drift. He whitfield
me.
Dots all rigid, vot you say he hand
"a me, but ids de only way to maig
money-poogmaigin
Yes, II YOU get break l put in
But are you there to stand for a wipe-out
II the sharps happen to nail us asleep
at the SWITCH?
All poosmaigers is rich he told me,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

hungry when I'm not. Your face is like
full moon now from overeating. and it's
just a waste of good coin for you to have
these fake masseuses drub and pound
away at your countenance to reduce It's
'jowliness. as long you insist upon
eating ten or fifteen times day. You
ought to see a doctor about that hallucin-
atory appetite of yours.
please don't ask me. the next fat wOm-
an we meet, if / think you're as fat as
she is. You're as fat all of EN-, If
not fatter and it's all because of this
mania for food that you've got. You
haven't got any more waist line than a
coal barge, and all because you permit
your imagination to run riot all the time
you're awake on the question of food.
ooh, well, / s'pose I'll have to take you
somewhere now and feed you Or l won
have a minutes peace of my life. Where
dye want to go? Oh, it doesn't make a
particle of difference to me. Just steer
for any old food plant that you want to
and I'll sit down and watch you eat
yourself to state of stupefaction. OF
course, you'll pick out some hot. stuffy
place, full of stale, steamy odors of food,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

on a bootblack stand at the corner of
10Th street and Pennsylvania avenue. eh?
And have your shoes polished there in
sight of all the world and its nations, eh?
'All the other women / see around here
have nice feet because their shoes have
got some polish on them. Some of EN-,
1 dare say, are not above polishing their
own shoes if they're fincal about shoe
polishing stands.
You've always got some sort of an
excuse, anyhow. You're the original Mrs.
Rebate, all right enough, and it's won
der you don't get next to that fact.
well. I'd like to know why I permitted
YOU to drag me here today, anyhow
How's that? 1 suggested our coming?
Well. 1 wonder which of the drowsy
sirups of the hop you're hitting up now?
l suggested it? Why. 1 was corked off
on the couch trying to take a little nap
for myself when you came along and all
but dragged me here by the hair of the
head. and you know it,
But never mind. This thing can't go
on always. You women everyday the
game, that's all. And when you lose out,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

"'Oh. it belongs to you, hey, you
weasel?' he growied. and he raised his
shovel calloused mitt as If to lay the
palm Of it across the youngsters cheek.
1.-THE acrobat boy leaped back. picked
up one of the long and heavy blue tent
pins, gave it a couple Of whirls IN the
air, and brought it down upon the skull
of the miner with all OF his strength,
which was considerable. considering his
calling The one blow stretched the coal
miner dead upon the ground. -,
1.-The boy dropped the stake and gazeo
for a few seconds at the dying man.
Then he turned to bunch of the bag
gage hands.
":Stash met was all he said to them
slash is circus patter for cover.
1.-The hands grabbed the boy and tossed
him into an empty canvas wagon stand
ing behind big bunch OF other wagons
and out of view of the miners. They
covered the kid over with tarpaulins. and
in that hot nook the stashed youngster
spent his Four O. July. He never LETT
the tarpaulin-covered wagon, In fact'
until after the show had got out OF the
town.
1.-THE other miners around the baggage
wagon ran away at this and spread the
hubbub among their companions. The
whole bunch Of miners scrambled for the
spot where the dead man was lying and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

up for consideration and when a little
populistic campaign material may posi-
bly, be made.
Representative Aiken Of South Carolina
recently broke all his previous records of
service on the District committee by at
tending three weekly meetings in sue
cession. His friends feared the worst.
but then he had a relapse and the Dis
trict committee hasn't seen him since.
Representatives Olcott OF New York
and Kahn of California get around as
often as their other duties will permit
They are both conscientious men. but
mighty busy. and do the best they can
under the circumstances.
AS matter of fact. however. the real
work of the District committee falls upon
the chairman and Representatives Pearre.
Johnson. Wiley. Campbell. Moore and a
couple of others. who work in season
and out. without the possibility of re-
ward, political or otherwise. save the
realization of duty well done. to frame
sane laws for the District and keep off
the statute books some OF the idiotc
propositions advocated by their col
leagues.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

with an old lag for the ride to the PEN
he said. than with the new ones bound
over the road for their first bit The an
swer is, of course, that the old-fimers
don't take the thing to heart so you
could notice it.
They're not crazy over this thlnS Oh
being hobbled of course: but they've been
through 1t ali often before: they know
what to expect they are ealloused to the
gag, and they're fully alive to the fact
that worrying isn't going to get them
anything.
"'WeIl, it's on'y a t'ree-specker fr me
this time one of them, pretty gloaty over
il, said to me after I'd got him on the
vanished smoker, bound for Sing sing.
a while back. He was there with pref
~ good jig step two in the aisle of
the car before sitting down. and he was
a-plenty cheerful-looking second story
man. Tree years, hey, and me good
time Off o that? Why. say, DO. l can
stand on me head fr tree years!
And he puckered his lips for as merry
a bunch of bird whistling as you ever
listened to. An me eXpectin, he broke
off the whistling to put in after bit,
that they was gOin' L slip me a ten
spacer-oh, 1 guess l amt lucky or moth
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

trudge to the town laundry with little
package Of soiled linen under my arm.
1.-The boss Of the laundry and I had
quite a chat. When he found out that 1
was with the circus he wanted to know
about a lot of things, and it was past .
o'clock before hit the pike for the two
mile trudge to the circus lot.
'As soon as I reached the outskirts
saw that something had come off. The
big top hadn't yet been tossed up. and the
tentmen and hard-eyed scramblers for
the show were walking around with tent
pins in their hands. ready to give the
Hey. RUDE! yowl if they should be at
tackled by the ugly crowd of coal miners
who had formed ring about the plant.
Il traipSed through the crowd Of coal
miners on my way to the dressing tent,
when the sudden howl went up. There's
the murderer now" and 1 didn't know
that the howl meant me till a couple
of yap constables with the chin lilacs
jumped out of the crowd and grabbed
me. They hustled me into buggy and
drove ne Into the town, where l was
stuffed into the calaboose.
$50 there was l, on a bench in a
hanky- panky cooler, kid under twenty.
without the slightest idea what it was
all about. That's why I've got to get
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-07

THE District committee of the House,
Of which Representative Samuel w.
Smith of Michigan Is chairman, and which
O. dinarily grinds as slowly as the mills
Of the gods. broke q record recently. On
April IA. by resolution offered by Repre-
sentative Hamilton Fish Of New York,
the committee directed Representative
Nye of Minnesota to draft, introduce and
favorably report to the House bill pro-
viding for the taxation Of intangible as
we'll as tangible prope ty in the District
Of Columbia. On April 16 the bill was in
troduced; APP II IS 1t was sent to the Com
missioners for report, and last Wednes-
day, before the Commissioners had been
given opportunity to reply, expressing
their views. the committee formally re-
ported the bill out.
For a committee which ordinarily spends
most of its time chasing it's own tail and
indulging in Other harmless but hardly
edifying amusements. this ability to do
the wrong thing with wondrous dispatch
is something of a revelation.