The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-31
(Continuedl

and watched It run DY. Ia1O AWFUL still, thinking I wisht I was away from that town. Nurty soon squirrel comes down and sets on a log and watches me. I throwed an acorn at him. and he scooted up a tree ouicker'n scatt And then I wisht l hadn't scared him away, fur it looked like he knowed I was in trouble. Pur- ty soon I takes a swim and comes out and lays there some more, splitting into the water and thinking what shall I do now and watching birds and things moving around and ants work ing harder'n ever I would agin unless q got better pay fur it and these here tumble bugs kicking their loads along hind end to.
 After awhile it is getting along to- ward noon. and I'm feeling hungry. But don't want to have no more trou- gble with Hank, and I jest lays there. I hearn two men coming through the underbrush I rig up on my elbow to dook, and one of them was pr. Kirby and the other was Looey, only Looey wasn't an Injun this morning.
 They sets down on the roots of a big hree a little ways off, with their backs toward me, and they afn't seen me. So nachera1ly I listened to what they was . ijawing about They was both kind O mad at the hull world, and at our town in pertic1er, and some at each other. too. The doctor, he says:
 ssI haven't had such rotten luck since T played the bloodhound in a Tom ehow-were you ever an Uncle Tom's ; Cabin' artist, Looey T-and a justice of the peace over in Iowa fined me $5 for being on the street without mug gle. Said it was a city ordinance. Lr-- I@.1s~ easy mark! If these country towns Adon't get the wandering minstrel's money one way they will another!'-
 ''It's your own fauIt,'' says Looey. kind O sour.
 .T can't see it, says pr. Kirby. ise7ov did I know that all these apple knockers had been filed up with Sykes Magic Remedy only two weeks agoT T may have been a spiritualistic me dium in my time now and then,' he says, land a mind reader, too. but I'm no prophet
 ssT ain.t talking about the business, doc. and you know it." says Looey. ssWe'd be all right and have our horses and wagon now if you'd only stuck to business and not got us into that poker game Talk about suckers! Doc, for a man that has skinned as many of 'em as you have you're the worst sucker yourself I ever saw
 The doctor. he cusses the poker game and country towns and medicine shows and the hull creation and says he is so ldisgusted with life he guess he'll go and be a preacher or a bearded lady in "a side show. But Looey, he don't cheer up none. He says:
 sAll right, doc. but it's no use talk %o1 1I- al fcr1{ a know that. The question is how are we going to get our horses and wagon away from these Rubes ?'
 listens some more. and seen them fellers was really into bad trouble. Dr Kirby he had got into a poker game at Smiths Palace hotel the night before right after the show. He had won from Jake Smith, which run it. and from the others. But. shucks. it never made no difference what you won in that crowdi They had done pr. Kir- by apd Looey like they always done a drummer or a stranger that come along to that town and was fool enough to play poker with them. They wasn't a chancet fur an outsider. If the drum mer lost they would take his money and that would be all they was to it. But if the drummer got to winning good some one would slip out'n the ho- tel and tell Si Emery. which was the city marshal. And Si would get Ralph Scott, that worked fur Jake Smith in his livery stable, and pin a star on to Ralph too. And they would be arrest ed fur gambling. only them that lived 1n our town would get away. Which Si and Ralph was always scared every time they done it. Then the drummer or whoever it was, would be took to the ralaboose and spend all night there. In the morning they would be took before Squire Matthews, that was jus Eice of the peace. They would be fined a big fine, and he would get all the drummer had won and all he had brune No town with him besides Squire Mat khews and Jake Smith and Windy Goodell and Mart Watson. which the Ewo last was lawyers, was always play Ing that there game on drummers that Vvas fool enough to play poker. Hank he says he bet they divided it up after ward, though it was supposed then lines went to the town. Well, they played a purity closte game of poker 1T Dur little town. It was jest like the doctor says to LOoey:
 By George he says, cit is a wei nigh perfect thing! If you lose yol 50se. and if you win you iose.''
 Well, the doctor, he had started ou winning the night before. And Si Elm Rry and Ralph Scott had arrested them And that morning, while I had beer laying by the crick and the rest of tn Down was seeing the fun, they haC been took afore Squire Matthews ant lined S125 apiece. The doctor, he tell Squire Matthews it is aneoutrage, ant 1t ain't legal if tried in q bigger court and they ain't that much money in tn world so fur as he knows,s and he won pay it. But the squire, he says tn time has come to teach them travelin; <akirs as is always running around tn HonRtxx with shows and electric belt