Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-07-14
The Golden Junk-PIe
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles,)
BY MEER

the personal dignity of Snaggles, be-
cause he was used to it. From Mime
apolis to Jacksonville. from Boston to
San Francisco, and at all the railroad
points between, he had been the uh-
complaining subject OF similar atteh-
tons, which were phtlosophlcaAy &C
cepted by him as part of the unpleas-
ant aspect of his profession.
To be flung from a comfortable
barrel house on a nippy autumn eve
ming, for no fault of your own, IL IL
be not your failure to have collected
your customary tax from the stray
members of the body polite whose
duty and pleasure 1t Is to proVloe
for the needs Of h unsegregated IN
digent, may not be especially depress-
ing to the finer sensibilities OF a man.
but it is nevertheless a temporary IN
convenience. 1t implies the grim
necessity of certain muscular move
ments, and a certain quantity OF men
tai work by no mean joyful when the
collection Of direct taxes is the pr1n-
cipal purpose of the labor. Ana
when Snaggles, standing on the ultl-
mate edge Of the sidewalk, shifting
himself from one foot to the other. and
xlancing along the vista Of the street
from right to left and from left to
right, computed his chances for rails
ing the wind, his mind was q tr1ne
perturbed.
Earlier in the day Snaggles had ar
rived in the freight yards at Chicago
after a highly unsatisfactory trip
from Saint Paul, during the course OF
which he had been m"anhandled oy
various over-active and Jealous guar
dams of the property Of railroads;
and his collections, since his advent
In the town, had been annoy1ngly II
not Interestingly light. The people 10
whose sympathies he had appealed
with that pungent story OF just nav
ing been released from the hospital,
had been apparently deaf and blind.
The keepers of outlying taverns had
automatically waved him away the
moment he came in their sight. Blue
CARRIED watch-dogs of the peace had
eyed him with unusual interest and
imminence; and even h natural
dogs he had met with, vagabond anc
OuLCaSL Iltu1SSlSSo, Aoo
him as he passed them.
Now when the barrel house,-your
last available retreat in an uptodate
and wide-awake condition Of una
society filings you into the street as
an object altogether too heavy and
cumbersome for the traffic, your so
cial problems become personal and
pressing. And that was the reason
why Snaggles, though looking with
expectant eye in either direction
along the parallel lines of warm and
brilliant dens from which his appear
ance and his poverty excluded him,
was disposed to grumble a little at the
f1abby condition of the universe In
general and the manifold shams OF
man. Money, as a visible and tang1-
BILE entity, appeared to have been
wholly eliminated from The transac-
lions Of the human kind.
Miles away from the spot in the
slums where Snaggles was standing
the light from an ashlar palace
streamed through glistening windows
on the trees and %shrubbery of a
boulevard; and at the carriage door
Of the palace a huge auto a was
breathing impatiently as if 1t were
eager for the touches Of the man that
was lolling at the wheel. The car
had been waiting long, and the wheel
man, although theoretically a part of
the machine, and generally assumed
to be devoid of all human failings
whatever, had begun to complain and
to curse under his breath at the per-
verse and diabolicdl malice, Or the
criminal neglect and apathy of his
employers.
said, whatever it is they're talking
about! wonder If they think a man
amt got a thing to do but wait
around for 'em in the cold till they're
good and ready to go? I broke a date
at the theater-but here they come
now"
Warm light and the sound of voices
raised to an excited pitch poured
through the open doorway. There was
a confused shutting Of feet and an in
teval Of dead silence. The silence was
broken by commingled notes of dis
gust, disapproval, contradiction and
61VluS cSlucuCS VI
presence of several men and women
all talking at once or all silent at
once. And then the clear voice of a
man a n out, almost in anger.
Jennie. I forbid you"
Forbid fudge!" ENORMOUSLY an
swered the voice Of a lady. Forbid
~fddlesticks, Randolph! Do you i'm
agine that I am going to be a fool
Just because you are one yourself?
Great Heavens, husband, we have
only three hours left! Don't you touch
me, Randolph, or I'll scream! Do you
comprehend? I'll scream I'm per-
fectly calm, but I'll scream. I'll
scream on the spot"
The cracked demoniac laugh Of a
man foated out of the doorway, and
was followed by the lady of the voice
herself. She paused a moment and
spoke to e within.
Come on, Mr.. Huntley! You know
I have a right to do this, no matter
what he says"
The lady was respectfully obeyed
by a clean-cut elderly gentleman with
a beamy peaceful face and a restfuI
eye, and then by a younger and more
fashionable fellow, who peremptorily
ordered the chauffeur to be gone, and
took the place at the wheel himself.
Ac tho 1adv was about tn enter tbe