The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-06-11
By O. HENRY
Copyright by Doubleday. Page a Go.
4 z

cious. untouched. they stood. But
shades of Jefferson Brick-the tile
floor, the beautiful tile floor!
Here l first saw Major (by misplaced
courtesy Wentworth Caswell. knew
him for a type the moment my eyes
suffered from the sight of him. A rat
has no geographical habitat. My old
friend A. Tennyson said. as be so well
said almost everything:
Prophet, curse me the blabbing lip
And curse me the British ver1nn, the rat
Let US regard the word British" as
interchangeable ad lib. A rat is rat.
This man was hunting about the
hotel lobby like starved dog that haC
forgotten where he had buried bone.
He had face of great acreage, red,
pulpy and with kind OF sleepy mas
siveness like that of Buddha. He pos
sessed one single virtue-he was very
smoothly shaven. The mark of the
beast is not indelible upon man until
be goes about with q stubble. ! think
that il he had not used his razor that
day would have repulsed his ad-
vances, and the criminal calendar Of
the world would have been spared the
addition Of one murder.
happened to be standing within tive
feet of cuspidor when Major Caswell
opened fire upon it. had been observ-
ant enough to perceive that the attack
ing force was using Cuttings instead OF
squirrel rifles, so sidestepped so
promptly that the major seized the OPP
portunity to apologize to noncom-
blatant He had the blabbing lip. In
four minutes be had become my friend
and had dragged me to the bar.
desire to interpolate here that am
n southerner. But am not one by pro
fession or trade. eschew the string
tie, the SLOUGH hat. the Prince Albert.
the number of bales Of cotton destroy
ed by Sherman and plug chewing.
When the orchestra plays Dixie do
not cheer.
Major Caswcll banged the bar with
his fist and the first gun at Fort Sum-
ter re-echoed. When he fired the last
one at Appomattox began to hope.
But then be began on family trees and
demonstrated that Adam was only
third cousin of a collateral branch of
the Caswell family Genealogy dis
posed of he took up to my distaste his
private family matters. Ele spoke OF
his wife, traced her descent back to
Eve and profanely denied any possible
rumor that she may have had relations
in the land Of Nod.
By this time l began to suspect that
he was trying to obscure by noise the
fact that he had ordered the drinks on
the chance that would be bewildered
into paying for them. But when they
were down he crashed a silver dollar
upon the bar. Then, of course, an
other serving was obligatory. And
when l had paid for that l took leave
of him brusquely, for l wanted no
more of him. But before ! had OBJ
tanned my release he had prated loud
" of an income that bis wife received
and showed a handful Of silver money.
When l got my key at the desk the
clerk said to me courteously: IF that
man Caswell has annoyed you and If
you would like to make a complaint we
will have him elected. He is nuis-
ance, ]oafer and without any known
means of support, although be seems
to have money most of the time. But
we don't seem to be able to hit upon
any means Of throwing him out legal
ly."
why, no." said l. after some ref]ec-
ton, II don't see my way clear to
making a complaint. But would like
to place myself on record as asserting
that do not care for his company.
Your town" / continued. 'seems to be
quiet one. What manner of enter
tainment, adventure, or excitement
have you to offer to the stranger with
in your gates?"
well. sir" said the clerk. there
will be a show here next Thursday.
II is-I'n look it up and have the an
nouncemenf sent up to your room with
the ice water. Good night"
After l went up to my room l looked
out Of the window. 1t was only about
10 o'clock, but looked upon silent
town. The drizzle continued, spangled
with dim lights, as far apart as cur
rants in cake sold at the Ladies' ex-
change.
Nashville occupies foremost place
among the manufacturing centers Of the
country. 1t is the fifth boot and shoe
market in the United States the largest
candy and cracker manufacturing city In
the south and does an enormous whole
sale dry goods, grocery and drug business.
a must tell You how ] came TO be In
Nashville, and ! assure You the disres-
sion brings % much tedium III me % i
80 u yos 49, travell1 60
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