Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1916-11-24

Come on"
Certainly" said Stockford; Ego
ahead. And you can take him ducking,
too, If he wants to CO."
"But he doesn't want to go-and
won't CO." replied the Major with a
commiserative glance at me: "Says
he doesn't know a duck from poll
parrot-nor how to load shotgun
and couldn't hit house if he were in
side of it and the door shut. Admits
that he nearly killed his uncle once,
on the other side of a tree, with a
squirrel runnin' down it. Don't want
him alongw
| When reached the street with the
genial Major, he gave me this advice:
| Now, when you meet Tommy, you
mustn't take all he says for dead ear
nest, and you mustn't believe, because
| he talks loud, and in italics every 9TH
er word, that he wants to do all the
| talking and won't be interfered with.
That's the way he's apt to strike folks
at first-but it's their mistake, not his.
Talk back to him-controvert him
whenever he's aggressive in the utter
ance of his opinions, and If you're only
honest in the announcement of your
own ideas and beliefs, he'll like you
all the better for standing by them.
He's quick-tempered, and perhaps
trifle sensitive, so share your greater
patience with him, and he'll pay you
back by fighting for you at the drop
of the hat. In short, he's as nearly
typical of his gallant country's brave,
impetuous, fun-loving race as one man
can be-"
''But is he quarrelsome" 1 asked.
''Not at all. There's the trouble. If
he'd only quarrel there'd be no harm.
Quarreling's cheap, and Tommy's ex-
travagant. A big blacksmith here, the
other day, kicked some boy out of his
shop, and Tommy, on his cart, hap
pened to be passing at the time; and
he just jumped off without word and
went in and worked on that fellow for
about three minutes, with such 'dlsas-
trous results that they couldn't tell his
shop from a slaughter house; paid an
assault and battery fine, and gave the
boy a dollar besides, and the whole
thing was a positive luxury to him.
BubI guess we'd better drop the SUBJ
ject, for here's his cart, and here's
Tommy. Hi! there, you 'Fardown'
Irish Mick ~ called the Major, in af-
fected antipathy, sheen out raiding the
honest farmers hen roosts again, have
your?
We had halted at a corner grocery
and produce store, as took it, and the
smooth-faced, shaven-headed man in
wooden shirt, short vest, and suspen-
derless trousers so boisterously adj
dressed by the Major, was just lifting
from the back of his cart a coop of
cackling chickens.
"Arrah We blasted Kerryonian!" re-
piled the handsome fellow, depositing
the coop on the curb and Strengthening
his tall, slender figure; 81 were jist
thinkin' of yez and the ducks, and here
We come quackin' into the presence of
ryalty, wild yer canvas-back suit upon
We and the schwim-skins bechuxt yer
toes How air yez, anyhow-and air
we startin' for the Kankakee by the
mkt post?".
Were to start just as soon as we
get the boys together" said the Major,
shaking hands. "The crowds to be at
Andrews by four, and it's fully that
now; so come on at once. Wen go
round by Munson's and have Hi send
boy to look after your horse. Come
| want to introduce my friend here to
you, and Wen all want to smoke and
jabber a little in appropriate seclu-
sion. Come on" And the impatient
Major had linked arms with his hest
tating ally and myself, and was turn
ing the corner of the street.
ITS an hours work l have yet wild
the squawkers," mildly protested Tom
my, still hanging back and stepping
trifle high; ''but, as one Irishman would
say till another, 'Ye're wrong, but I'm
wild yep"s
And five minutes later the three of
us had Joined very jolly party in a
snug back room, with
The chamber walls depicted all around
With portraitures of huntsman, hawk,
and hound
And the hurt deer;
and where, as wen, drifted over the
olfactory intelligence a certain subtle,
warm-breathed aroma, that genially
combatted the chill and darkness of
the day without, and, resurrecting
long-dead Christmases, brimmed the
grateful memory with all comfortable
cheer.
A dozen hearty voices greeted the
appearance of Tommy and the Major,
the latter adroltly pushing the jovial
lrishman to the front with a mock
heroic introduction to the general COM
pany, at the conclusion of which Tom
my, with his hat tucked under his left
elbow, stood bowling with a grace of