Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-04-22


anxious for me to take The job.
"Bar...ia." says Peter. i ictl@e that
q sc,cctmau is sort II dwarf alder
man Now. I've had friends who'ye
leen aldermen. and they say its II sure
thing. Ike shaking wiki your own
Dice. II !ou're straight there's the
homer AID the advertisement; il you're
crooked there's the graft. Either way
tic house wins Go IN. and glory be
N'.4 yea"
- | finally agreed to serve. and the
very first meeting | Went to the ques-
ton Of Asaph ElueW0rthy and the
I,oorhouse comes up. Zoeth Tiddit Qhe
was town clerk he puts 1t this way:
Gentlemen" he says, "we have here
the usual application from Asaph
Blucworthy for aid from the town.
] don't knows there's much use for me
to read tits tolerable familiar. 'Suf-
fcrlng from lumbago and rheumatic
UNI, yes. Out of wOrk-um, just so.
Respectfully begs that the board Will
--etcetery and SO forth. Well, gentle
men, what's your pleasure!
Darius Colt. he speaks first, and
dry and drawing rs ever. "Out Of
work. hey?' says Darius. "Mr. Chair
man, / should like to ask If anybody
here remembers the time when Ase
was i'll worG!"
Nobody did, and Cap'n Benijah
roundberry Che was chairman at that
time) he fetches the table welt with
his starboard fist and comes out EN-
phatic.
"Feller members" says he, Il don't
know how the rest of you feel. but
It's my opinion that this board has
done too much for that lazy loafer
already"
HE amt sick, except sick of work.
Now, it's my idea that, long 8 he's
bound to lie a pauper, he might S
we'll be treated as pauper. Let's
send him to the poorhouse."
'But." says I, 'he owns his place
down there by the shore, don't he?"
All hands laughed-that is, oil but
Cap'n Benijah. "Own nothing!" says
the cap'n. 1.-The whole rat trap. from
the Keel to main truck, amt worth
more II $500, and l loaned his sister
Thankful $500 on it years ago, and
the mortgage fell due last September.
Not cent Of principal, interest nor
rent have I got since. Whether he
goes 10 the poorhouse or not, he goes
out Of that house Of mine tomOrrer.
A man can smite me on one cheek
ard maybe I'll turn t'other, but when.
after have turned it, he finds fault
cause my face hurts his hand, then
I rise up and quit. You hear meT
Nobody could help hearing him un-
less they was deefer than the Teller
that fell out Of the balloon and couldn't
hear himself strike, SO all hands
agreed that sending Asaph Blueworthy
to the poorhouse would be good
thing. 'TwOuld be lesson to Ase
and would give the poorhouse one
more excuse for being on earth. Well
mouth s fairly prosperous town, and
the paupers had died, one after the
other. and no new ones had come. un.
til all there was left In the poorhouse
was old Betsy Mullen. who was down
with creeping palsy, and Deborah
Badger. who'd been keeper ever since
her husband died.
The poorhOuse property was yalua'
BILE, too. specially for a summer cot
tage, being out OIL the end Of Robbins
point, away from the town. and hav'
ing fine view right across the bay
Zoeth Tiddit was committee of one
with power from the town to sell the
place. but he hadn't found customer
yet. And. If he did sell it. what to dc
with Debby' was more or less Of O
question. Shed kept poorhouse fol
years and had no other home nor nc
relations to so to.
Well. we voted to send Asaph to the
poorhouse. and then i was appointed
delegate to see him and tell him he'd
got to go. | wasn't enthusiastic oveI
the job, but everybody said was ex
actly the Teller for the place.
ITO tell you the TRUTH" drawls Da
RUS. "you. being stranger, are the
only one that Ase couldn't talk over"
So. as there want no way out Of It
l drove down to Asaph's that after
noon. He lived of on a side road by
the shore, in little rundown sha1
ty that was as no account as he was
When 1 moored my horse to the "heav
emily wood" tree by what was left Of
the fence, would have bet my SOU
wester that l caught a glimpse Of
Brother Blueworthy peeking round the
corner Of the house. But when turn
ed that corner there was nobody ir
sight
knocked on the door, but nobody
answered. After knocking three OF
four times I tried kicking, and the
second kick raised from somewheres
inside groan that was as lonesome q
sound as ever heard. No human
noise in my experience come within q
mile Of it for dead, downright misery
unless, maybe, it's Cap'n Jonadat
trying to sing in meeting Sundays.
who's that?" walls Ase from t'othel
side Of the door. Did anybody
knock?"
"Knockw says I. II all but kicked
your everlasting derelict out Of water
IT'S me, Wingate-ore Of the select
men. Tumble up. there! want to
talk TO you"
Noteworthy didn't exactly tumble.
SOS to speak. but the door opened. and
be comes shutting and grooming into
sight. His face was twisted up. and
he had one hand spread fingered on
the small Of his back.
Dear. dear" says be. I'm dread
full sorry to have kept you waiting.
Mr.. Wingate. I've been wrastling with
this turrible lumbago, and I'm 'fraid
It's affecting my hearing. I'll tell
you
Yes? Well, you needn't mind"
says "'Cording to common tell, you
was born with that same kind of lum-
bago, and it's been getting no better
fast ever since. Jest drag your suf-
ferings out on to this bench and come
to anchor. I've got considerable TO
l.