Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-03
Colonel
TODHUNTER
of Missouri
BY RIPLEY D. SAUNDERS
Copyright. 1911. BY the SObbs-NsrI
CoIpsHy
CHAPTER VI.
The ssrickIand-Tuoker Fsud.

l'lO uGNCF Chos
Y 7 ALT an hour later as Colonel
- Todhunter emerged from the
y law Office Of Judge Boiling he
heard a sudden hurrying Of
footsteps, aud Sim Birdsong Joined
hin, breathless and much perturbed.
What's on your mind now. Sim?"
asked the colonel 'Tain't often you
60 gnIiopin' aroun' with your tongue
hangin' out o. your mouth like a young
dogs in his first rabbit chase. What's
the troubleT"
II was Jes' startin' out to look you
up, colonel" replied Sim. There's
trouble enough. sub. Tom Strickland's
got to drinkin' and picked a quarrel
with STAN Tucker in the hotel bar
room, and you better come quick. sub.
and prevent its bein' a mighty serious
difficulty"
II amt got no patience with you
young fellows here In Nineveh, Sim
Birdsong." commented the colonel.
when Tom Strickland gets two or
three drinks under his belt and wants
TO pick a fuss why don't some Of you
turn In and lick the stufiin' out'n him?
That's one of the best cures for the
whisky quarrelin' habit that ever was
invented. sub
The colonel chucliled as he spoke.
''The most qunrrelsome man in his
cups | ever knew, Sim. was old Bob
Prewttt, in my regiment durin' the
late unpleasantness, and he was cured
just that way. sub. Sam FOssbrooke
made n point OF campin' on Bob's trail
ever time Bob got TO naggin' any o.
the other fellows. and Sum'd thrash
Bob till his own mother wouldn't ha'
known him. sub. And. sub. before the
war was over III lie double hamstrung
II Bob Prewitt wasn't a teetotaler, sub,
and lie never got fghtin drunk after
the war neither till he'd put two whole
counties between him and Sam FOss-
brooke. Some OF you boys ought to try
that plan on Tom Strickland. Sim
Colonel" answered Sim solemnly.
ats sort o. curse on the Stricklands.
that fierce temper o. their'n when they
get under the influence OF ticker. sub.
You mustn't forget that Toms own IN
Gle killed his best friend, Lawrence
TolIver, durin' a spree and then drank
himself TO death afterwards tryin' to
forget IT, sub. It's a curse. sub, that's
what # isP'
1T amt no curse that can't be lifted
easy as raisin' your little finger, Sim
Birdsong," said the colonel. "All in
the world Tom Stricklauds got to do
is to leave whisky ulNne-he amt a
hard drnker now, snd maybe he never
will be. but he's got 70 leave It alone
altogether. II don't agree with him.
The Todhunters has got that same kind
OF a curse In their family. only it's Gu
cumbers stead OF whisky. TIL amt
none OF us Todhunters can eat cucum-
bers without bein' doubled up with
crsmp collie. Well, sub, l lifted that
curse by cuttin' cucumbers out o. my
list of vittles same as If such a thing
never Growed. and Tom Strickland or
any other man can do the same thing
with whisky, sub
Then the colonel tapped Sim on the
shoulder. "And let me tell you one
thing. my boy" he continued. "An
this here talk about the turribe hard
fight necessary TO break of from a bad
habit makes the tired. sub. man
don't never have to fight but one days
fight at a time. and there's always a
nights rest comm In between II he
don't lay awake pityin himself. sub.
] know what I'm a-talkin' about 1t
amt but twelve hours fight no time.
and a man. who can't fight that long IS
a mighty measly specimen Of a man.
subj
That's all very well. colonel" spoke
Sim uneasily. but Tom has ecged
STAN Tucker on till STAINS hurried out