The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-12-12
THE NINETY-NINn
MRS JESSE SMITH
HOTEL, STORE, LIVERY

red was. Sword versus dragon" he
told us, "ls heroic; sword versus
cockroach is heroics. Don't draw your
sword on a cockroach."
This much | tried to explain to
young O'Flynn, whose Irish blood has
a fine sense of humor. But the smile
he gave me was one Of pity, turning
my heart to Ice. jesse" he said,
made that mistake. That's why I've
come six thousand miles to warn you.
Howly Mother. If I'd only the eddica-
ton to talk SO I'd be understood!
I'm going to try another course.
See here, mum. You've heard tell OF
Cachalot whales. They runs say
eighty tons for full Wholesome hun
dred fifty horsepower, dunno how
many knots, full Of fight 20 the last
drop of blood That stands for
Jesse.
And them sperm whales is SO con
temptuous of the giant squid they uses
her for food. She's small along Of
sperm whale, but she's mean as eight
python snakes with devil in the
middle. That1l do for Polly.
We'll, last voyage | seen one of
them she-nightmares strangle a bull
Cachalot, and the sight turned me
sick as a dog. Now, dye understand
what Polly's doing? l told you hated
Jesse. ! told you straight to your face
why hated him. And now, mum, I'm
only sorry for poor jesse"
1t was then, think, that ! began
really to be terrified. Never in thu
old days at the ranch had Billy been
off his guard even with me. Now he
let me know his very heart. ! could
not help but trust him, and it was no
small uneasiness which had brought
the lad to England.
Them devil-sQuids," he was saying,
has habit of throwing out ink to fog
the water, so you won't see what
they're up to until they lash out to
grapple That's where they're so like
this Polly She's a fat, hearty, good
natured body, and it's the surest fact
she's kind to men in trouble. Any
body can have drink, meal and
bed, no matter how broke he is; and
Spite House is free hospital for the
district. She'll sit up night nursing a
sick man, and, till | went an lived
there, I'd have sworn she was good
as they make 'em. That's the ink.
Then you begins to find out, and
what / didn't see, mother would tell
me- She'd been three years there.
Besides, seen most of what we calls
sailor towns, and I'd thought I'd
known the toughest there was in the
way of boardin' houses; but rough
house in Frisco itself is holiness COM
pared with what goes on there under
the sign of Mrs. Jesse Smith. That
name amt exactly clean"
That's enough, think, If you don't
mind. I'd rather have news about our
old friends-Captain Taylor, for in
stance, and Iron Dale, and how is dear
Doctor McGee?"
Dear Doctor MCGEE, is it? Well.
you see he lived within mile of Polly.
She got him drinkin', skinned him at
cards, then told him he'd best shoot
himself The snow drifts through his
house.
"And Iron Dale? oh, of course, he
was Jesse's friend, too. I'd forgot
She got him drunk and went through
him. That money was for paying his
hands at the Sky-line-wasn't his to
lose, so he skipped the country. The
mines closed down and there wasn't
no more packing contracts for Jesse"
began to understand what Billy
meant, and it was with sick fear |
asked concerning my dear mans
stanchest friend, his banker. Captain
Boulton Taylor.
You'd better know, num-" There
was pain in the lads face, reluctance
in his voice. Being the nearest mag
istrate, he tried to down Polly for
keeping a disorderly house. But then,
as old man Taylor owned, he didn't
know enough law to plug a rat hole.
There amt no municipality, so Spite
House is outside the law. But Polly's
friends proved all the good she done
to men who was hurt, or sick, or
broke. Then she showed up how her
store and hotel was cutting into the
trade of Hundred Mile House. She
brung complaints before the govern
ment, so Taylor amt magistrate now.
The stage stables got moved from
Hundred Mile to Spite House The
post-office had to follow. Now he's
alone with only a Chinaman. He's
blind as a bat, too, and there's no two
ways about it-Bolt Taylor's dying"
"Is there no justice left?"
Dunno about that She uses a lot
of law"
- ac1y To dff