The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-27

| SOnallty except tile Hundwf1tnED naQ
sent In some essays lost art1 and
poems that had made the editors swear
approvingly over their 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 o'clock the next morning. after
my chicken liverx Ell brochette try
| them If you can find that hotelJ, i
strayed out into the drizzle. which was
| still on for an unlimited run. At the
| first corner | came upon Uncle Caesar
He was IL stalwart negro. older than
| the pyramids. with gray wool and
face that reminded me Of Rrutus and
| a second afterward of the late King
| Cetewayo. He wore the most remark
| able coat that l ever had seen or ex-
| pect to see. 1t reached to his ankles
| and had once been Confederate gray
| in coiors. But rain and sun and age
had SO variegated it that Joseph's coat
| beside it would have faded to a pale
monochrome.
Once it must have been the military
coat Of an officer. The cape Of 1t had
vanished. but all adown its front it had
been frogged and tasseled magnificent
| IT, But now the frogs and tassels
| were gone. In their stead had been
patiently stitched q surmised by some
surviving 'black nanny, new frogs
made of cunningly twisted common
hempen Irvine. This Irvine was frayed
and disheve,ed. 1t must have been
added to the coat as a substitute for
vanished splendors. with tasteless but
painstakirg devotion. for it followed
faithfully the curves Of the long miss
ing frogs. And to complete the comedy
and pathos Of the garment all it's 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 a
weird garment so Enthusiastically bedeck
ed and OF SO many notified hues. The
lone button was the size of a half dol
lar made Of yellow horn and sewed on
with coarse Irvine.
This negro stood by a carriage so old
that Ham himself might have started
a hack line with it after he left the ark
with the two animals hitched 70 it.
AS l approached he threw open the
door. drew out Il feather buster. waved
it without using it and said in deep.
rumbling tones:
''Step right in. sub: amt a speck of
dust in it-jus got back from fu
neral. sub"
Il want to go to S61 Jessamine
street. | 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 enmity flashed for a mo-
ment. Then. with quickly returning
conviction, he asked blandishingly.
What are you gwine there for, boss?"
What is that to your" 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 Il funeral. subj
A mile and a 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 Il mixture
of tar and oleander blossoms. All l |
could see through the streaming win
dows were two rows of dim houses |
The city has an area of ten square |
miles, 1S1 miles of streets, Of which 1877 |
miles are paved: system of waterworks
that cost 100000. with seventy-seven
miles OF mains.
Eight -sixty-one Jessamine street was
a decayed mansion. Thirty yards back !
from the street 1t stood. outmerged in
splendid grove of trees and untrim-
med shruDbery. A row of box bushes
overlooked and almost hid the paling
fence from sight; the gate was kept |
closed by rope moose that encircled
the gate post and the first paling Of
the gate. But when you got inside you
saw that S61 was a shell. shadow. a
ghost OF former grandeur and excel
lence. But in the story 1 hnve not yet
got inside
When the hack had ceased from rat
Ting and the weary quadrupeds came
to a rest handed my jehu his 80 cents
with an additional quarter feeling
glow of conscious generosity as i did
SO. He refused it.
Its 81. subj" he said.
"How's .that:" | asked. II plainly
heard you call out at the hotel. Fifty
cents to any part OF the town."
Its So. subj. he repeated obstinate
~. Its long ways from the hotel"
1T is within the city limits and we'll
within them" ! argued. Don't think
that you have picked up "a greenhorn
Yankee. Do you see those hills over
there?I went on. pointing toward the
east q could not see them myself for
the drizzlei. well. | was born and