The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-09-07
The Ransom
Of Mack

COPYRIGHT. 1890. BY Doubleday. Page
& Co.; pseiished bv special ar
rancem meat sessh the Wheeler Syn
dtcafc. Inc
NE and old Mack Lonseury. We
AvA got out OF that Little Hideand.
Seek gold mine affair with aeou,
$40. 900 apiece. I say ~oid" Mack:
but he wasn't old Forty-onc.
should say: but he always seemed
old.
ANDY he says TO me. I'm tired
Of hustling. You and me have been
working hard together for three
years. Say we knock off for a
awhile. and spend some of this idle
money we've coaxed our way
The proposition hits me just
right says /. Let's be nahobs
while and see how IL feels. whatii
We do--take in the Niagara Falls. or
buck At faro"
Tor a good many years" says
Mack. 1--WE thought tha. " ever
had extravagant money ia rent
two-room cabin somewhere. hire a
Chinaman TO cook. and sit In my
stocking feet and read Buckles His
3 tory Of Civilization
That sounds seif-induigcnt and
gratifying without vulgar cstenta-
tton." says I: and I don't see how
money could be better invested Give
me . cuckoo clock and q Sep Win
ner's Seif.Instrucsor for the Banjo.
and III Join you"
A week afterward me and Mack
1 hit this small town OF Pima. about
!. thirty miles out from Denver. and
finds an elegant two-room housc that
Just suits ua We deposited halfa-
peck OF money In the Pima bank and
shook hands with every one Of the
$40 citizens in the town. We brought
along the Chinaman and the cuckoo
clock and Buckle and the Instructor
with us from Denver. and they made
the cabin seem like homo at once.
Never believe II when they tell you
: riches don't bring happiness II you
could have seem old Mack sitting In
his rocking chair with his biueyarn
sock feet up in the window and alb
sorbing In that Buckle stuff thru his
specs. you'd have seen picture Of
content that would have made Rocke-
Teller Jealous. And was learning to
pick out ~oid ZIP Coon" on the banjo.
and the cuckoo was on time with his
remarks, and All Sing was messing
up tho atmosphere with tho hand
somest smell OF ham and eggs that
ever laid the honeysuckie IN the
shade. When IL got too dark to
make out Buckles nonsense and the
notes in the Instructor. me and
Mack Nouid light our pipes and talk
about science and pearl diving and
scaatica and Egypt and spelling and
fish and trade winds and leather and
gratitude and eagles. and lot OF
subjects that we'd never had time to
explain our sentiments about before.
One evening Mack spoke up and
asked me IL I was much apprised
IN the habits and policies Of women
folks
why. yes says I. In n tone OF
voice: Il know EN- from Alfred to
Omaha. The feminine nature and
similitude." says I. lis as plain TO my
sight as the Rocky mountains is TO
a blue-eyed burro. I'm onto all their
little side-steps and punctual dis
crepancies."
II tell you. Andy" says Mack.
with a kind OF sigh. II never had
the least amount OF intersection with
their predispo~ltions Maybe | might
have had a proneness in respect to
their vicinity, but I never took the
time / made my own living since
was fourteen: and I never seemed
to get my rauocinations equipped
with the sentiments usually depicted
toward the sect. I sometimes wish
/ had" says old Mack.
They're an adverse study" says I.
"and adapted TO points Of view. Al
tho they vary in rationale. | have
found 'em quite often obviously diff.
ferent from each other in divergen-
ces Of contrast"
1T seems to me-" goes on Mack.
that a man had better take 'em In
and secure his inspirations Of the
sect when he's young and so preor.
daincd. let my chance go by; and
I guess I'm too old now to go hop
ping into the curriculum"
"oh. I don't know" l tells him.
MAY be you better credit yourself
with a barrel Of money and lot of
emancipation from quantity Of un-
content Still, I don't regret my
knowledge Of EN-" I says. 1T takes
man who understands the syrnp-
toms and byplays Of women-folks to
take care OF himself In this world"
We stayed on In Pima because we
liked the place. Some folks might
enjoy their money with noise and
rapture and locomoton: but me and
Mack we had had plenty OF turmoils
and hotel towels. The people were
friendly: An Sing got the swing Of
the grub we liked; Mack and Buckle
! were as thick as two body-snatchers,
land I was hitting out a cordial re
"A Xsembiance to Buffalo Gals. Cant
You Come Out Tonight" on the
banjo.
nna fau 4 VOf teferrarp froop