The Adair County news., 1921-12-27

'+ei'm; Tlcketed to Angels" He Nut
tered Half to Himself.
and then consulted notebook drawn
from his pocket.
HIN; tlcketed to Angels" he NUT
tered half to himself. And then to me
"Was you expectin' to have friends
meet you at Angels?"
This was too much, and, anxious as
l was to find out something more about
Atropia, 1 felt it an imperative duty
fool-like-to do my small part toward
enliyening a rather sad world. So
said, solemnly:
II shall be met by parade Of the
Angels fire department, in uniform,
and with the apparatus, headed by q
brass band. But this is irrelevant to
the present burning question. What 1
am thirsting to know Is why there
should be a dog with q face half
white and half black standing on the
Atropia station platform, and a pie
bald pony hitched to the HORSEBACK
on the AtrOpia public square,"
That finished him.
Say, young feller, you've got 'em
bad" he commented. "But thatn be
all right. Just you waitstill we get to
Angels, and then you can find out all
these funny things you're so dead anx-
ious to know"
Hold on a minute" interposed as
he was trying to escape. "Atropia
hasn't always been as dead as it is
now, has it2 What was its name when
! it was alive and able to sit up and take
nourishment?'
"Huh?" he queried; and then: "Oh,
1 get you, now; it used to be called
Placerville."
THANK you; that helps. Now how
much farther is it to Angels?"
"'Bout twenty miles"
"All right. And when will there be
train coming back to this AtrOpia
placer"
''Way-freight - tomOrruh mornin'-
eight-thirty out O. Angels"
Good. Now if those fire people and
the brass band don't miss me-"
couldn't resist the temptation to give
him a final shot, and it hit the bulls
eye. AS he edged away could see by
| his expression that he still thought me
crazy.
When l got back to my Pullman
after luncheon perceived at once that
| the train conductor had promptly
| passed the word about the episode In
the dining car. The Pullman conduc
tor evidently had his weather eye on
me, and the negro porter SHE'D every
time he passed my section. This was
rich, but if l could have known the
tenth part of what was going to poI
out of this Pandora box that 1 had
foOlishly dug up in the dining car, the
amusement feature would speedily
have been forgotten in a pretty
strenuous effCrt to straighten things
out while tltIe was yet time.
i descended from the train at my
ticket-named destination of Angels
and found a typical mining camp of 6
single street and a tawdry, dust!
dIeariness scarcely exceeded by tha
of the dead-alive Atropia. The frs
thing 1 saw on the station platform
was my train conductor talking earn
estly to a large, desperadoish-lOOkint
man whose greatest need was for
clean shave. By the manner of the tive
/ saw that their talk was aiming itsel
at me the railroad man was only too
plainly warning the Angelic person
that Angels the Blest had probabl,
harmless, but possibly dangerous
maniac in its midst.
Still 1 saw only the humorous sid
of it and refused to be disturbed. Firet
by the ambition to find some way o
returning at once to AtrOpia, befor
the magic horse and dog should disap
pear, tramped off in search of plac
where could leave my two grips. Th
place that offered, and the only one
was the Celestial IIeiel," and l won
dered what sly wag had suggested tn
name, which was a double pun upOl
the name Of the town and the fact tina
the tavern, half restaurant and hal
lodging-house, was kept by a China
man.
But l secured accommodation, an
as 1 was turning to leave the restau
rant-tavern trouble loomed up in tn
shape of the heavy-shouldered des
peradoish-looking person whom 1 ha
seen, at the station talking with tn
train conductor.
I'm onto you with both feet" he re
marked, boring me with an eye that
could easily fancy might strike terro
into the heart of the most reckles
criminal. "Tm givin' you warnin' rigf
now that no funny business don't go i
this mans town; seep
I'm quite harmless" l assured hin
"GiXe me q little information, and L