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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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day." "Not a bit," said the youth. "Why, lord, man, you didn't see nothing of the fight. Why!" Then a sudden thought came to him. "Oh! Jim Conklin's dead." His friend started. "What? Is he? Jim Conklin?" The youth spoke slowly. "Yes. He's dead. Shot in th' side." "Yeh don't say so. Jim Conklin. . . . poor cuss!" All about them were other small fires sur- rounded by men with their little black utensils. From one of these near came sudden sharp voices in a row. It appeared that two light- footed soldiers had been teasing a huge, bearded man, causing him to spill coffee upon his blue knees. The man had gone into a rage and had sworn comprehensively. Stung by his language, his tormentors had immediately bristled at him with a great show of resenting unjust oaths. Possibly there was going to be a fight. The friend arose and went over to them, mak- ing pacific motions with his arms. "Oh, here, now, boys, what's th' use?" he said. "We'll be at th' rebs in less'n an hour. What's th' good fightin' 'mong ourselves?" One of the light-footed soldiers turned upon him red-faced and violent. "Yeh needn't come around here with yer preachin'. I s'pose yeh don't approve 'a fightin' since Charley Morgan licked yeh; but I don't see what business this here is 'a yours or anybody else." "Well, it ain't," said the friend mildly. "Still I hate t' see--" There was a tangled argument. |
