The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-03-21
! Colonel
TODHUNTER
of Missouri
By RIPLEY D. SAUNDERS
Copyright. 1911. by the Bobbs.NIerrIIl
COMPANY
CContinued.)

OOMpdny
(Continued.)
Colonel Bill Strickland, passing
through the main room at one moment,
saw the two with their heads togeth-
err Something like q CLEAN of laugh
ter 1eaped into his eyes, and he nod
ded, almost impercept1bly, an APPROX
ing signal to Colonel Todhunter's com
panAon. Then, for an hour or more,
the two were left 1ndisturbed.
They ohatted plea sanity on many top
1cs. The colonel himself was led to
talk discurSively on the political stu
atIoua4in Missouri, the distinctive types
OF party leaders in the country dis
uhc*s. his own personal Views and am
pie "reminiscences of past campaigns In
the state, his quaint valuation of De
mocr@cyS great historic figures. He
was I'm reality being trapped into self
revelation. Behind his talk, antmating
1t and shining though its unsuspecting
frankuess and utter natura lness, ap-
peared the childlike and simple soul
Of the speaker, presented with abso-
lutte ,TsnreserVw. The coloners compan-
Ion,w@ the most apprectative of listen
ers, and as he listened light of within
edcaI regard deepened IN his eyes.
tine, .suztF' exclGimed the colonel final
~. "I.Eeckon you city newspaper men
have TO tFnt AROUND after news till
your Boneffes a-hangtn' out of your
mouth a yard e1ong. You mustn't let
me keep you from other things, sub"
Mot at an, Colonel 'Todhunter,"
came the 5auiak response. TITS been
WeH worth while, a1r. I Intend using
some of your .0a4ks II you have no OBJ
F. lection. soEyouFte really helping me out,
I0HknowD
The colonel: locked at his companion
paty4ngT. 49od,re wastin' your pow
der, young dap can talk by the
hour. but VphssTI aeY AMT got ne more
business beip' printed In a great city
newspaper nj a,1ThtH O. w3End a-rustlin'
the dry leaves In the woods, sub. You
better be mighty careful try1n' to
make sdTueeai1n' worth while out o.
them there observations of mine
Your folks at the paper II: think you're
worseAn a old huntin' dog that goes
skyhootin' OF Hcketysplit after a rab-
bit when it's pa'tridges they was
a-counhn' OBJ him to pint, sub"
The newspaper man leaned back and
laughed zestfuIly Colonel I'm will
ing to take the chances on that If you
are. And I'll leave 1t to you tomorrow
afternoon if don't know what's worth
while when 1 see it, sir. You've given
me a crackerjack talk on Missouri poll
tics, and I'm very much obliged to you,
colonel
You're mighty welcome" replied
Colonel Todhunter, genial but doubt
full. III be shot full o. holes if 1 see
how you're a-goin' to write a piece
from what I've 81 vim
Then suddenly he nodded to his
front. What in blue blazes and Sam
Hill is that man a-doin' there?'' he
asked. ''The one with that placard in
his hand, squintin' at me every two
seconds and then jabbin' down some
thin with his pencil? That's the con-
foundedest most singular proceedin' 1
ever laid my two eyes on, suhY'
The young newspaper man shook
with laughter. Colonel" he said, his
humorous lips twitching, don't worry
about that man. He's perfectly harm
less [ know him. He's got bug on
political celebrities, sir. It's a case of
bats il his belfry on that one subject
He goes around recording his impress
sions ut close range during every cam
pa!gn just the way you see him now.
Most remarkable character, colonel.
= INV IL I'LL LOT d long
We'll, suh,' replied Colonel Todhunt-
err IN be eternaIly condemned If he
mustn't ha' wrote whole book about
me. then He's been jabbin' that there
pencil o his'n up and down for the
last twenty minutes or so worse'n a lit
tie girl playin' tit-tat-too behind her
5ogaphy durin' schooltime suhY'
The newspaper man wiped tears of
laughter from his eyes. ~'I'I take him
away now, colonel" he said at last,
rising. I've got to go back to the
Office, and It always tickIes him to talk
to somebody about his impressions. I
expect he'll have a lot to say about
you. SIR
We'll, you keep it dark, sub. if he
does, replied Colonel Todhunter. 81
got enough to stand up under here in
St Louis without no comments from
such an almighty curious specimen O.
humanity as that, suhr'
And at this the newsDaner man faIr
1y exploded. He was still shaking
with laughter when he Joined the nvs7
ferrous stranger. The latter promptly
pocketed his pencil, stuck his bit of
cardboard under his arm, and then to-
gether the two departed.
Its this here craZy-like city life that
makes such wrecks as that poor simple
Simon" unused the colonel 'I-gad. it
beats me why any human bein' is
willin' to live it, let alone pay such a
price as that for it! But it takes all
sorts O. people to make a world I'll
Just be jim swizzled If it don't suhr'
The next afternoon when Colonel
Todhunter's eyes fell on the front page
Of the leading independent Democratic
paper of st. Louis he fairly gasped
with horror Then followed an almost
tragic pause as he absorbed the full
meaning of what had so suddenly
stricken him with dismay. The next
moment he handed the newspaper to
Colonel Strickland
What did tell you, Bill?' he groan-
ed. Pm a-goin' back to Nineveh Just
as fast as the good Lord'n let me,