Show II III 11 II I Ill 11 1111 1 fill 1 11 1 1 1 1 II 1 A I II I I I bv y JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY POOPS COMPANY I III IIII I 1 1 III II III III I E Not very many years ago th the write was for some months stationed tI one l a at South Bend a thriving In little city o of northern Indiana Its population i is mainly on the one side of the St. St Joseph Jo Jo- seph river but quite a respectable fraction thereof takes Its Industrial industria way to the opposite shore and and there ther gains an audience and a hearing henring in th the rather In imposing growth and hurl hurly bur bur burly ly 13 y of its big m manufactories and th the consequent rapid appearance of multitudinous multitudinoUs multitudinous multi multi- neat nent cottages tenement houses and business blocks A stranger strange entering entering South South Bend proper on on any ordinary day dar will be at some loss to account for its prosperous appearance its Its flagged and streets streets- its handsome mercantile blocks banks and aud business business' houses generally Rca Rca- from from cause to effect and seeing but a meager mcager sprinkling of people on the flie streets throughout the day and these seeming for the most part merely merey mere mere- ly y idlers and in nowise accessory to the evident e thrift and opulence of their surroundings surround lags the observant stranger will be puzzled at the situation But when evening comes and the outI outlying foundries sewing machine wagon plow and other works together with the paper mills and all the nameless industries when industries when the Uie operations of al all these are suspended for the day clay anc the workmen and omen worl loosed from labor then labor then as ns this vast army suddenly im invades and overflows overflow bridge roadway street and lane the startled stranger strang-er will full fully comprehend the why and wherefore of the city's high prosperity pros pros- And once acquainted with the people there the fortunate sojourner will wilf find no ordinary culture and Intelligence intelligence intel Intel- and as certainly he lie will meet with a social spirit and a whole heartiness t that at will wm make the place a lasting mem memory rj The too Is the home of world many knon people anda and ii a host of local celebrities s the chief of which latter class I 1 found during my there in the stay person of Tommy Stafford or The Wild Irishman as everybody called him Talk of odd fellows and eccentric characters rs said saul said Major Blowney my employer one afternoon you must see our Wild Irishman here before you say youve you've yet found the queerest brightest cleverest chap in all aU your tr travels els What dye ye say And the Major paused in his work of charging cartridges for l his his' ls' ls new breech- breech loading shotgun and turned to awaitI await Ills his I I partners partner's response I thus thins addressed paused the sign shield-sign he lie was lettering slowly smiling as he dipped and trailed Us his pencil through the Ivory black upon si 11 t bit of broken glass and said In his deliberate half minded absent-minded way I Is it Tomm Tommy youre you're telling him about and then with a n grad gradual al broadening of th the smile he went on Well I should say so 50 Tomm Tommy What's come of the feU fellow ow anyway I haven't ent seen him since his last bout with the mayor on his trial for up that horse fast-horse man The horse fast-horse man got just exactly exactly ex ex- ex- ex what he needed needed- too said the genial genial genial ge ge- ge- ge nial Major laughing and aud mopping his perspiring brow The fellow was barkin Larkin up the wrong stump when he tackled Tommy Got beat in the trade at his own game you know and aud wound up by an Insult that no Irishman would take and aud Tommy just naturally wore out the tile hall hail carpet of the old hotel with him Ana nAnd then collared and led him to the mayors mayor's office himself they say I Oh he did I said the Major with a dash of pride in the confirmation Tommy all nil over 1 I Funn Funny trial wasn't It ItT continued the ruminating it though laughed the Major Ma Ma- jor The porters porter's testimony You see he was for Tommy of course and on examination testified that the h hOrseman horseman horse hOrse- man struck Tommy first And here Tommy broke in with Hes a I well yer honor but hes he's 1 ln to ye ye- ye hes he's to ye e No livin lIIn man Iver struck me first nor first nor last nn ther for the matter o 0 that And I thought thought- the court would would die die continued the Major in a like Imminent state of merriment Yes and he said If he struck him first supplemented hed like Ilke to know why the horseman was all nIl the black e eyes es and the blood and the on that head of urn um I And Its It's that talk that got him off with so light a fine I As It always does said the Major coming to himself abruptly and looking looking look look- ing at his watch Stock you say youre you're not going along with our duck- duck shooting party ty this time The TIie old Kankakee is just lousy with em cm this I season I Cant go possibly said not not on account of the work at all but the folks aint just as well as Id I'd like to see them and amid Ill I'll stay here till they're better Next time I Ill I'll l try and be ready for fOI you ou Going to take Tommy Tom Toni my of couse Of course Got to have The Wild Irishman with us usIm I Im I'm going around to find him now Then Therm turning to me inc the Major continued Suppose you Ou get gel on your our coat and hat lint and come along Its It's the best chance you'll oun ever have t to 0 meet t Tommy Its It's late nn anyhow how and get along without you jou Come Comae on Certainly said go ugo ahead And you ou can take him ducking too if he wants to go But he doesn't want to go go and and wont won't go replied i the Major with n a commiserative glance at me Says he lie doesn't know a duck from a poll- poll parrot parrot nor nor how to load a shotgun shotgun- I and couldn't hit lilt a house If he were inside inside inside in in- side of or It and the door shut Admits that he lie nearly killed d his uncle once on the other side sIle of a tree with a squirrel down It It Dont Don't want him along I When I reached the street with the time genial Major he lie gave me this advice Now when you meet Tomm Tommy you jOU mustn't take all nIl he says for d dead ad earnest earnest earnest ear ear- nest and arid you ou mustn't believe because he talks loud and In italics every other othor oth OUI- er or word word that he lie le wants to do all the talking and wont won't be Interfered with That's the wa way r hes he's apt to strike folks at nt first first but but its it's their mistake not his Talk back to him controvert him controvert him liim whenever hes he's aggressive in the utterance utterance utterance utter utter- ance of his opinions and if youre you're only honest in the announcement of your own ideas and beliefs hell he'll like you OU all the better for standing by them Hes He's tempered quick-tempered and perhaps a trifle sensitive so share your our greater patience with him and hell he'll pay you back by fighting for you ou at the time drop of the hat In short hes he's as ns nearly t typical of his gallant country's brave impetuous loving fun-loving race as one man can nb be But is he quarrelsome I asked Not at all nIl Theres There's the trouble If hed he'd only quarrel there'd be no harm cheap and Tommys Tommy's A big blacksmith here theother the time theother other day r kicked some boy out of his shop sloop and Tommy on his cart happened hap hap- to be passing at nt the time and he lie just jumped off without a word and went in and worked on that fellow for about three minutes with such disastrous disastrous trous results that they couldn't tell his shop from a slaughter house paid an nn assault and battery fine and gave the time boy a n dollar besides and the whole thing was a n positive luxury to him But I guess wed we'd better drop the subject subject subject sub sub- for heres here's his Ills cart and heres here's Tommy Hi I there you Fardown Irish Mick I called the Major 1 in af af- affected antipathy been out raiding the time honest farmers farmers' hen roosts again have you vou 1 I we ve nan nt at a n corner grocery and produce store as I took it and the smooth faced shaven headed mann man in woolen shirt short vest and trousers so boisterously addressed addressed ad nd- dressed by the Major was Just lifting from the back of his cart a coop of cackling chickens Arrah ye e blasted replied replied re- re plied the time handsome fellow depositing the he coop on the curb and straightening his Us tall slender figure I were of ez and the ducks and here ye e come into the of r alty wId yer canvas back suit upon ye e and the skins yer toes oes I How air all an anyhow and how and air we vc for the Kankakee by the time post Were Yere Tere to start just as soon as we we- get et the boys together together- said the Major shaking hands The Time crowds crowd's to be at Andrews' Andrews by four and lt Ita ItH fully that now ow so come on at once Well We'll J. J t 1 go U u uy uns un's j mm ana nave xii ill senu sena flU a boy to look after your horse Come I want to introduce my friend here to you rou and well we'll all want to smoke and jabber abber a little In appropriate sIon ion Come on And the time impatient Major had linked arms with his hesItating hesitating hesi- hesi tating ally and myself and was turnIng turn- turn lug Ing ug the corner of the time street Its uIt's an hours hour's work I have yet wl wid the he squawkers mildly protested Tomm Tommy Tommy Tom Tom- m my r still hanging back baco and stepping a trIfle rifle high but as one Irishman would say iy till another Yere wrong but Im I'm i wId id ld ye I And Aud five minutes later the three of ofus ofus us s had joined a very Jolly party in a n snug nug back room with The he chamber walls depicted depleted all around With portraitures of ot huntsman hawk and hound And the hurt deer and nd where as well drifted over the olfactory intelligence a certain subtle warm breathed aroma that genially the time chill chiU and darkness of the he day without and resurrecting dead long Christmases brimmed the gr grateful memol memory with all nil comfortable cheer heer A dozen hearty voices greeted the appearance of Tommy and the Major the he time latter adroitly pushing the jovial Irishman to the front with a mock- mock heroic Introduction to the general compan com com- pan pany any r at the time conclusion of which Tommy Tom Tom- my with his hat hut tucked under his left elbow stool stood bowing with a grace of pose and pr presence sence Lord Chesterfield might have applauded said Tommy settling back upon pon his heels and aud admiringly contemplating the group I lato ez wid a n pride that shoves the thumbs 0 o me into the holes urn of me mo At the of the bowld the gin tIeman's pardon pardon pardon-I I jam im I here wid no silver ton tongue ue of ot I Ito to para ze but I am nm as has been to jine wit wId ez In a stupendous waste of or gunpowder I and and high wines and ham sandwiches upon the time banks of the ragin Kankakee where the dipper dl tip tips J ye good-by good wid his tail and aud the wild loon shoots like like a sky rocket for his exiled home In the alien ullen dunes of the wild morass morass or or as Tommy Moore so describes the A Away ay to the time he Ills His path is IB rugged and sore Through tangled juniper beds of ot reeds And many a a. fen where the serpent feeds reeds And flyer flew fiew before before- And niver will fly any mor more if iver he Ime arrives back safe into civilization civili motion again and again and Ive I've been in the time poultry business long enough to know the time private opinion and personal Integrity Integrity Integrity In In- of or ivery fowl that files flies the nilor air nil airor airor or roosts m on poles But the time subject of m ray my few small sinai remarks here and yes Wil wId an nn o In heart but a n tongue I have the time honor to propose long life and health to Iver Ivery mothers mother's son o 0 ez and success to the hunters Duck of The Time hunters duck-hunters of the Kankakee Kankakee Kanka Kanka- kee bee I chorused the time elated party in s such ch musical uproar that for a full minute the voice of fhe the enthusiastic Major Major- Major 1 who was trying to say something something- could not be heard Then he said I want to propose that theme theme- The Time hunters Duck-hunters of the Kankakee for fOi one of Tommys Tommy's s improvisations I 1 move we have a n song now from Tommy Tommy Tommy Tom Tom- my on the Duck Hunters of the time Kan Kan- Hurrah Hurrah A song from Tommy cried the time crowd Make us up a song and put us all into it I A song from Tommy A song I A song I There was a queer light In the eye of the Irishman I observed him him narrowly nar nar- rowl expectantly Often I had read rend of this phenomenal art of improvised Impi singing ballad-singing but had alwa always s remained remained re re- re- re a n little skeptical In regard to the time possibility of such a feat fent Even inthe inthe in inthe the notable Instances of this gift as displayed by the time very clever cleyer Theodore Hook I had always s 's half suspected some prior preparation some preparation some adroit forecasting of the time sequence that u. u seemed the instant inspiration of his witty verses Here was evidently to tobe tobe tobe be a test example and I was all alert to mark its minutest detail The clamor had subsided and Tommy Tommy Tommy Tom Tom- my hind had drawn a chair near to and di directly directly directly di- di In front the Majors His right hand was extended closely grasping the right hand of his friend which he scarce perceptibly though lifted lilted and let fall throughout the length of all the curious performance The Time voice was not unmusical nor nOlO was the quaint old ballad air adopted by the singer unlovely in the least simply simply sim sUn ply a monotony was evident that accorded accorded accorded ac ac- ac- ac corded with the time levity and chance chance- finish of the improvisation ImprovIsation and and that his smiling auditors all drew nearer and leant with parted lips to catch every s syllable the words of the time strange melody trailed unhesitatingly Into the lines literally as here subjoined One gloomy day In the airly fall faU the sunshine had no chance at all all- No chance at all for to gleam and shine shino And lighten up this heart of ot mine In South Bend that famous town Whilst I were a a. round and round I met some friends and they says to me Its a hunt well we'll take on the Kankakee Hurrah for the Kankakee Give it to us Tommy I cried an enthusiastic voice between verses Now give it to the Major I And the song went on Theres There's Major Blowney leads the van A As crack a shot as an Irishman Irishman- For Its It's the tho duck Is a tin decoy That his shotgun destroy And a n half dozen Jubilant palms patted the time Majors Major's shoulders and his hits ruddy natured good face beamed with delight Now give It to the time rest of em cm Tommy h chuckled the Major And th the song Rong continued Hank flank Is Mick Maharr wid And along oong The Tho Shamrock And Barney Darney Place at Ther Pinch wid his heart so true too And time the Andrews Brothers they'll Ko go Hold on Tommy I chipped in one ona of or orthe the Andrews An An- the time Andrews you yon must give drews Brothers Brothers' a a. better advertisement than thon that I Turn us on a n full verse cant can't you rou do I said Make em pay for it if you And Tommy Toro Torn the Major in an undertone m my promptly amended O. O the Andrews Brothers they'll be bo there Wid good se and wine to They'll treat us here on fine champagne there they'll treat us And were we're again The Time applause here was vociferous and only discontinued when a box of Havanas stood open on the time table During |