The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-06-11


sonality except the handwriting had
sent in some essays Oost art9 and
poems that had made the editors swear
approvingly over their I o'clock lunch
con. So they had commissioned me to
round up said Adair and corner by
contract his or her output at 2 cents
word before some other publisher Of
fered her 10 or 20.
At 8 o'clock the next morning. after
my chicken livers en- brOchette TRY
them if you can find that hotel), l
strayed out into the driZZle, which was
still on for an unlimited run. At the
first corner came upon Uncle Caesar.
He was a stalwart negro, older than
the pyramids, with gray wool and
face that reminded me Of Brutus and
a second afterward of the late King
Cetewayo He wore the most remark
able coat that ever had seen or ex-
pect to see 1t reached to his ankles
and had once been a Confederate gray
in colors. But rain and sun and age
had so varcgated it that Joseph's coat
monochrome.
Once it must have been the military
coat of an officer. The cape Of it had
vanished, but all adown it's front it had
been frogged and tasseled magnificent
ly. But now the frogs and taSsels
were gone In their stead had been
patiently stitched q surmised by some
surviving "black mammy') new frogs
made Of cunningly twisted common
hempen Irvine. This Irvine was frayed
and disheveled. 1t must have been
added to the coat as a substitute for
vanished splendors, with tasteless but
painstaking devotion, for it followed
faithfully the curves of the long miss
ing frogs And to complete the comedy
and pathos Of the garment all its but
tons were gone save one. The second
button from the top alone remained.
The coat was fastened by other Irvine
strings tied through the buttonhOles
and other holes rudely pierced in the
opposite side. There was never such
weird garment so Enthusiastically bedeck-
ed and of so many mottled hues. The
lone button was the size Of half dol
lar, made of yellow horn and sewed on
with coarse Irvine.
This negro stood by carriage SO old
that Ham himself might have started
a hack line with it after he left the ark
with the two animals hitched to it.
AS l approached he threw open the
door, drew out feather buster. waved
it without using it and said in deep,
rumbling tones:
"Step right in. sub; amt speck OF
dust in titus got back from fu-
neral, suh."
II want to 60 to SCI Jessamine
street." l said and was about to step
into the hack. But for an instant the
thick, long. gorilla-like arm of the old
negro barred me. On his massive and
saturnine face look of sudden sus-
picion and ennity flashed for a mo-
ment. Then, with quickly returning
conviction, he asked blandishingly.
What are you gwine there for, boss?'
what is that to you?" asked, lit
tie sharply.
"Nothin, sub. JUS nothin'. Only it's
a lonesome kind Of part Of town. and
few folks ever has business out there.
Step right in. The seats is clean-jes'
got back from q funeral, suh.'
A mile and half it must have been
to our journeys end. ! could hear
nothing but the fearful rattle of the
ancient hack over the uneven brick
paving; could smell nothing but the
drizzle, now further favored with coal
smoke and something like mixture
Of tar and oleander blossoms. All |
could see through the streaming Win
dows were two rows of dim houses.
The city has an area Of ten square
miles, 1871 miles of streets. Of which l31
miles are paved: system Of waterworks
that cost $2.OOO.0O0 with seventy-seven
miles Of mains.
Eight-sixty- Jessamine street was
a decayed mansion. Thirty yards back
from the street it stood. outmerged in
a splendid grove Of trees and untrim-
med shrubbery. A row of box bushes
overfowed and almost hid the paling
fence from sight; the gate was kept
closed by q rope moose that encrcled
the gate post and the first paling of
the gate. But when you got inside you
saw that 861 was shell. q shadow,
ghost of former grandeur and excel
lence. But in the story have not yet
got inside.
When the hack had ceased from rat
Ting and the weary quadrupeds came
to rest l handed my jehu his SO cents
with an additional quarter, feeling
glow Of conscious generosity as l did
so. He refused it.
ITS 81, subj" he said.
"How's that?" asked. Il plainly
heard you call out at the hotel, Fifty
cents to any part Of the town"
Its 81, subj" he repeated obstinate
". tits long ways from the hotel"
1T is within the city limits and well
within them.' ! argued. Don't think
that you have picked up a greenhorn
Yankee. Do you see those hills over
there?" l went on. pointing toward the