The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-25

LII WlSDOM WAS d
rough. hardhanded man. and in
~ his early days his reputation had
been bad enough. Even then he had
owned the farm miles beyond the town,
and he drove into town oftenter than
necessary, getting madly drunk and
driving home at a wildly reckless pace.
his wagon swaying from side to side of
the road. his voice raised in song or
curses, and his hand beating his horses
unmercifulIy Several times he mad
been thrown from the wagon, but luck
was with him and he had not been
killed. Wisdom had found girl will
ing to marry him. 1t was said he beat
her: certainly she aged early and be-
came a gray. frightened creature. and
his one child-Jimmy ,Wisdom-grew
I'D in fear of him They said. in Mus
catine that it was old Barneys regular
habit on reaching home from town to
stagger up to Jimmy and plant a fist
between the lads eyes. knocking him
down, this being old Barney's idea of
quenching rebellion before 1t even be-
gan to glow as spark. The old man
liquor had aged him as mistreatment
had aged his wife-was a giant IN
strength, as such men sometimes are
and when he entered the houseboat of
Shagbark Jones. shored up on timbers
on the Muscatine levee. the blows ne
struck the table as he told Of the theft
of his money. almost shattered che
strong boards Of which the tabletop
was made.
He took it, my son Jimmy did" he
swore with an oath. You can't fool
me-the old woman wouldn't dare
touch it I Jailed him for it. you can
bet on that; but the Judge let him out
on bail. You think you're a mystery
man, as hear it. Le' me see IL you
are, or if you are just a smooth
skinned old fakfr. You look at the
stars and tell me If Jimmy done it, and
where the money is"
Winter, indicated by the black gray
cloud that come hastily over the sly
and spilled a drizzling rain that turned
to sleet toward night had come upon
the houseboat Euripides early ana I'M
expectedly the day Shagbark Jones.
the mystery man and medicine faker,
reached Muscatine that year. The
shaggy-h haired. tangled beared old ras-
cal heard the sleet spatter against the
window over his head as he lay on the
caved in sofa in his cabin.
'Dod wink it ALI" he erowled al
he, do you hear that? Winter"
TT Is winter, Dad" his daughter an
swered from the small room partitioned
of for her in the corner OF the cabin
Its winter. sure enough"
1t annoyed Shagbark. He had meant
to reach the lower river, those reaches
of the Mississippi where winter never
came, before this, but business had
been SO good that he had fingered twice
as long as usual at each stopping
place Each year his reputation as g
solver of mysteries had grown. and
with It the audiences that in the after
noon and evening attended his Grand
Musical Entertainment and Anatomical
Lecture had increased. with consequent
increases in the sales Of Shagbark OF
and Shagbark Imminent, and he could
never tear himself away from q pori
until the sales dwindled to almost
nothing. Even the small hau1lets had
yielded good returns this year. 80 large
had his reputation become; and now
winter had caught him Unexpectedly.
II was not the first time he had spent
q winter In the North. In many ways
he liked It. Tho --LATEST old rascal in
ten States, he did not mind some
months of enforced iaziness as a rule
but OF late-since money had beer
coming in 50 freely-he had come &c
love money more. Originally he had
only cared to sell enough of the vile
decoction he called Shagbark on tc
Keep going" but now he was accun-
ulating cash. and he had begun to love
the money for its own sake He did moi
love II sufficiently. perhaps. ever tc
wish to do even the slightest bit q
real work, but he loved It
This season the money had poured
IN 20 generously that even Orlando and
Black Pete. the little drfed-up mon-
gro crew" talking together on tht
rear deck whom shagbark was drows.
ing In the cabin. had often drawled "u
estimates Of its magnitude.
HE must have a millium dollars
Tando," Black Pete said. Jus keep!
a-rollin' in and a-ro1lin' in. that none.
does. You don't hardly git time TO cool
| food no more. you got to be boilin' ~
| Oil 30 steady"
"A million dollarsr You talk like (
Jim u-er ]. Jackass, Pete! You don
know how much a million dollars is:
aint took in more than a hundred thou
sand. That's what It is-a hundret
thousand dollars. I reckon"
well. that's most a mi1lium, ain
| it?'' demanded Black Pete. "A hundret
thousand and a millium Is right clos
neighbors. A hundred Thousand Is
lot Of money. Lando."
AN you and me git four dollars
week apiece" said Orlando bitterly
Him a-gittin' a hundred thousand dol
lars, and you and me a-gittin' fou
| dollars q week! 'Taint right! NJ
! a-cool1in' food an boilin' up Oil an
Liniment an playin' the guitar for III
Grand Musical and you steerin' III
boat and doin' a song an banjo tur
twice q day. and gittin' four dollars
week! He's a regular old Dang-u-e
J. Stingy; that's what he is I got
mind to strike. If was just a littl
more dad-blarned sure he was makir
| a hundred thousand dollars a week q
SO. I'd strike for a raise. hog take m