The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-18
By the Wa y
BY HARVEY PAR0ONo

Late Saturday afternoon, Hondo
Murphy. blew into the office and de-
manded attention. He wanted to con-
verse on the subject of Friendship.
+. Il thought said Hondo. that I
had achieved the ultimate of friend
ship. Twenty years ago, I was q
peevish, irresponsible youth. 1 picked
Quarrels. and didn't hunt friends. I
was child with a mans size..' and I
thought was a man, and tried to act
the part. One of the several results
was that touchy gun-fighter de-
might as well have published it in
three newspapers-that he would kill
yours truly at the first opportunity.
which promised to be an early date.
as my duties as star-route mail car
rier led me through his poisonous do
main in the Florida .flatwoods'' every
day. The threat was offered to high
heaven and those present late one
afternoon. The next morning I went
forth to saddle my hawse, and found
two specimens of the Florida native
sitting feminist my barn. They mere
ly sat and expectOrated tobacco juice
all over my clean barn lot. One bore
in his lap an old IA Winchester. and
the other carried a muzzle-loading
squirrel gun that chambered about so
to the pound.
''Mawnin'," says l.. What you-alls
a-huntin'?"
'Nuthin' much.' says one Of the
crackers, ''nuthin' much; we hearn
tell as how a certain varmint fingered
to git you, an we-uns makes a date
to be among them-ar present at the
gittin'."
In vain I cussed the crackers and
told them to go back to cutting cord
wood: with tears in my voice ex-
planned that I could take care of my
self. All l said was wasted. As
loaded my saddle mail sack at the
country flag station, two native
rough-necks sat on two sad looking
native ponies near by, and looked at
the sky. On the trip, one rode hun
dred yards ahead, and the other just
behind me. They did that every day
of the glitter" and he sold his rifle
before public gathering. explaining
that game was scarce and he had no
''furse'' with anyone, and ray-ly didn't
need a gun.
Upon mature consideration, that
incident gave me q mental boost. ii
said to myself; L am a manor soon
will be man-with Two Friends My
pride was justifiable. A man with two
friends should not be pittied. A man
with more than two friends should be
congratulated. Dodd CASTOR says
MAZE Cain has 100 friends. I can give
bond for one per cent of that estimate,
and my guess on the rest of it is that
Maze Cain is entitled to congratula-
tiOns."
A rubber plant at Detroit blew up.
Ours merely froze.
The administration should be salts
fled. after receiving the bill from Gen.
eral Funston for the expenses Of hold
ing Vera Cruz, that the dogs of war
can't be fed on piffle. They require
dough-
Eminent physicians insist that no
one should kiss the babies. Their
prescription is hard to follow when
the girl babies reach the age of six
teen.
As we understand it. the weather
man plays Fairandwarmer to win and
Rainandcooler for place.
There was one advantage connected
with literary pursuits in the age when
they wrote on slabs of lime stone with
q cold chisel. Ones copy didn't blow
all over the joint as soon as someone
opened = window.
Sold $4,000 Of City Bond Issue.
OF the 100000 worth OF city special Inn
provement bonds advertised for sale in
the State Journal last Thursday, $1,000
worth has already been SUBSCRIBED. Only