The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-06-26

lOOkeu uDDul Tie Sdlue W llle. w uiint
was sizing them up he asts me again
was they any corn salve ones in there.
What color label is it, Doctor Kir-
by" I asts him, fur they was blue
labels and white labels and pink labels.
He looks at me right queer. Cant
you read the labels?' he says right
sharp,
"WeIl," | says, II never been much
Of reader when it comes to different
kind Of medicines"
Corn salve is spelled only one way"
says he.
That's right" says, land you'd
think orter be able to pick out a
common. ordinary thing like corn salve
right off, wouldn't your"
Danny" he says. you don't mean
to tell me you can't read anything at
al!?"
81 never told you nothing of the
kind.~
He picks out label
"If you can read so fast, what's
that?" he asts.
She is a pink one. thinks to my
self: She either is corn salve or else
she amt corn salve. And it amt nat
cheral he will pick corn salve, fur he
would think | would say that first off.
SO I'm betting it amt takes a
chancet on it.
That" says l. lis mighty easy read
ing That is Siwash Injun Sagraw."
l lost.
Its corn salve." he says. And
Great Scott! They call this the TWEEN
tieth century,
Il never called it that" says I. sort
O mad like. fur | was feeling bad DR.
Kirby had found out I was such ig-
noramus.
"Where ignorance is bliss" says be,
''it is folly to be wise. But all the
same. I'm going to take your education
in hand and make you drink of life's
Peruvian springs Or some spring
like that it was.
And the doctor, he done it. Looey
said it wouldn't be no use learning to
read. He'd done a lot Of reading, he
said. and it never helped him none.
All he ever read showed him this fell
Ter Hamlet was right, he said, when
he wrote Shakespeare works, and
they wasn't much use in anything,
without you had lot o money. And
thev wasn't no chancet to get that witt
all these here trusts around gobbling
up everything and stomping the pool
man into the dirt, and they was lots Of
times he wisht he was a 1njun sure
enough and not jest medical one. fuE
then he'd be a free man and the boss,
es and the trusts and the railroads and
the robber tariff couldn't touch him
And then he shut up and didn't say
nothing fur hull hour, except oncet
he laughed.
Fur Dr. Kirby. he says. winking at
me, "I.ooey, here is a nihilist
us he:" says l. whats that:
And the doctor tells me about how
they blow up dukes and czars and
them foreign high-mucky -mucks with
lvnamite. Which is when Looey
iaughed
Well. we logged along at pretty
good gait fur several hours. and we
stayed that night at a Swede's place.
which the doctor paid him fur every
thing in medicine, only it took a long
time to make the bargain, fur them
Swedes is always careful not to g.
cheated and hasn't many diseases.
And the next night we showed in a
little town and done right we'll and
took in considerable money. We stay
ed there three days and bought tent
and a sheet iron stove and some skill
let's and things and some provisions
and a suit Of buds for me.
Well, we went on, and we kept go
ing on. and they was bully times.
We'd ease up careful toward town
and pick us out a place on the edge,
where the bosses could Craze along
the side of the road, and most gineral.
" by a piece of woods not fur from
that town and nigh .crick if we
could. Then we'd set up our tent.
After we had everything fixed Id put
on my Injun clothes and Looey his'n.
and we'd drive through the main store
street of the town at purity good
lick, me aholt Of the reins and the
doctor all logged out in his best
clothes and Looey doing Iniun dance
in the midst Of the wagon. Ia pull
up the bosses sudden in front of the
postoffice or the depot platform or the
hotel, and the people would come
crowding around. and the doctor he'd
make a little talk from the wagon and
tell everybody they would be a free
show that night on that corner and
fur everybody to come to it. And then
we'd drive back to camp lickity split.
Purity soon every boy in town would
be out there. kind O hanging around
to see what a Injun camp was like
And the farmers that went into and
out Of town always stopped and
passed the time Of day. and the lnjun
camp got the hull town all worked UP
as usual thing. and the doctor, he
done we'll. fur when night come every
one would be on hand. Looey and me.
overv time we went into town. had on