Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-09-27
Ben Hicks Mirth
b. F. A. Mitchell
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
B, F. A. Mitchell

Been away some time, haven't YER
"a matter o. four days"
"who die y leave in charge o yer
store?"
wilkins boy"
"Y' find II kind o. lonesome cavortin'
around here without any O. yer fam
bly,. don't ""
"You bet. I been tryin' to make
enough to bring my wife n boy out,
but bad debts beat me-"
Hard lines
I'm goin' to start out on new
principle. I'm not goin' to trust any
one.
The other cast melancholy look at
Jim Murphy, but didn't say anything
Ben Hicks was short, thickset man
or, rather, boy. No one was quite sure
whether he was man or boy. He wore
a vest and a pair OF trousers much too
large for him and no coat. No one
had ever seen him smile.
Eyer too late, JIM" he said at last.
"what dye mean?" asked Jim eager
ly.
Eyer stores been entered"
Entered"
eyes, the day after you left there
was two of 'em come down on wilkins
boy, turned him out n TUX possession"
Jim was heartbroken. He cursed
the day he had come west TO a coun-
try where there was neither law nor
order; he lamented having separated
from his wife and child. for fate
| seemed to decree that he should re-
main separated from them. Now, since
robbers had come down on his stock
of goods he could not get back to
them nor bring them to him.
Have they carted the stun awayT
he asked.
Dunno; reckon not"
Suppose they list Quilted It, carryin'
OF what they wanted and ruined the
rest. That's the way these jayhawk-
ers do"
Ben Hicks made no reply to this.
| He looked as IL he was going to cry.
Indeed, he seemed so melancholy that
| Jim didn't like to show any more de-
| spondency at the loss of his stock, IT
seemed to have so lugubrious an effect
on his sympathetic friend.
"Oh, WELL" said Jim, 'sich things
can't be helped. What we have to do
| In this world when we get knocked
down is to get up ag'in and go ahead
IS IL nuthin' had happened. Cheer up,
Rem. III bring it all around right In
time"
What v goin' to do with emp
with the robbers!"
Eyes"
"You don't mean they're there yitT'
YES, / do. They're maxim their
selves at home"
In my house. with my thingsr
Eyes"
And not neighbor has raised I'm
ger to turn 'em out?"
Mary finger"
do you suppose you and I together
| could tackle 'em?'
Reckon I could fix the smaller Of
] the two"
| 3 And the otherT
"You kin manage t'other, reckon"
what was they doin' when you
leftw
Reckon they war hgbtin'."
Don't y known
well, I'd got quite e ways from EN-
when / heered a yell. I looked back
and the little man was a kickin' and
n holierin' n t'other one was q hittin'
Of him"
what thenr'
II come away then"
Jim Speers carried or this dialogue
4 with his friend while he walked along
homeward. the other walking beside
+, him. When they came in sight OF the
house Jim's eye lighted little
AT any rate" he remarked. they've
not burned 1t. wbar y goin' 2
Reckon you kin tackle 'em alone"
! "'Fraidy'
But Ben made no reply to this i'm
putation on his courage. Jim went on
I A three-yesr-oId boy playing on the
premises was all that appeared. A
woman came out Of the house and was
about to take the boy in when she
espied Jim. Shading her eyes with
her hand. she gazed on him for mo-
meat. then ran TO meet him
why. Mol. how did you git herer'
made the money SEWN"
And the kidy'
There be IS"
She pointed to the boy before the
house. Jim sprang away from her
and. running to the boy. took him NJ
J in his arms and covered him with
kisses. When the wife came Up Jim
turned to Der. took both her and the
bog in one embrace and said.
by thunder I never hsd such q