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

South Bend, thriving little city of
northern Indiana. Its population is
mainly on the one side OF the st. Jo-
Seph river, but quite a respectable
fraction thereof takes it's industrial
way TO the opposite shore, and there
gains an audience and hearing in the
rather imposing growth and hurly-bur-
~ of its big manufactures, and the
consequent rapid appearance of multi
tudinous neat cottages, tenement
houses and business blocks. A stranger
entering South Bend proper on any
ordinary day, will be at some loss to
account for its prosperous appearance
Its tagged and powdered streets
its handsome mercantile blocks, banks,
and business houses generally. Rea-
sOning from cause to effect, and seeing
but a meager sprinkling of people on
the streets throughout the day, and
these seeming, for the most part, mere
the evident thrift and opulence of their
surroundings, the observant stranger
will be puzzled at the situation. But
when evening comes, and the outlying
foundries, sewing-machine, wagon,
pillow, and other works" together with
the paper mills and all the nameless
industries-when the operations of all
these are suspended for the day, and
the workmen and workwOmen loosed
from labOr-then, as this vast army
suddenly invades and overflows bridge,
roadway, street and lane, the startled
stranger will fully comprehend the why
and wherefore of the city's high pros
perity. And, once acquainted with the
people there, the fortunate sojourner
will find no ordinary culture and intel
ligence, and, as certainly he will meet
with a social spirit and whole-Souied
heartiness that will make the place a
lasting memory. The town, too, is the
home of any-world-known people, and
host of local celebrities, the chief of
which latter class l found, during my
stay there, in the person of Tommy
Stafford. or 1.-THE Wild Irishman," as
everybody called him.
Talk of odd fellows and eccentric
characters" said Major Blowney, my
employer, one afternoon, "you must see
our wild Irishman' here before you
say you've vet found the queerest,
brightest, cleverest chap in all your
travels. What dye say, Stockford?"
And the Major paused in his work of
charging cartridges for his new breech-
loading shotgun and turned to await
his partners response.
Stockford thus addressed, paused
above the shield-sign he was lettering,
slowly smiling as he dipped and trailed
his pencil through the ivory black upon
a bit of broken glass and said, in his
deliberate, half absent-minded way:
SIS it Tommy you're telling him
Rbout?" and then, with a gradual
broadening of the smile, he went on,
swell, l should say so. Tommy
What's come of the fellow, anyway? 1
haven't seen him since his last bout
with the mayor, on his trial for shakin'
up that fast-horse man."
THE fast-horse man got just ex-
actly what he needed, too" said the ge-
NAL Major, laughing, and hopping his
perspiring brow. 1.-The fellow was
barkin' up the wrong stump when he
tackled Tommy! Got beat in the trade,
at his own game, you know, and wound
up by an Insult that no Irishman would
take; and Tommy just naturally wore
out the hall carpet of the old hotel
with himi'
"And then collared and led him to
the mayors Office himself, they say !"
"Oh, he did," said the Major, with
dash of pride in the confirmation
that's Tommy all overl"
Funny trial, wasn't it?" continued
the Eliminating Stockford.
Wasn't it thought" laughed the Ma
1Or. "The porter's testimony: You see,
he was for Tommy, of course, and on
examination testified that the horse
man struck Tommy first. And here
Tommy broke in with He's a-meanin'
well, yer honor, but he's lynn to ye-
he's lynn to We. No livin' man liver
struck me first-nor last, nayther, for
the matter o that! And / thought
the - court - would--die!" continued
the Major, in like imminent state of
merriment.
Eyes, and he said If he struck him
first" supplemented StockfOrd, "he'd
like to know why the horseman was
'wearin' all the black eyes, and the
blood, and the boomps on that head of
um' And it's that talk that got him
off with so light a fine!"
''As it always does" said the Major
coming to himself abruptly and look
ing at his watch. "Stock, you say
you're not going along with our duck
shooting party this time? The old
Kankakee is just lousy with 'em this
season."
Cant go possibly" said Stockford,
mot on account of the work at all, but
the folks amt just as well as I'd like