Part 7 (1/2)
Jack had to purchase ine, and while they were stocking her, he said one day to Timberlake:
”As you are the sheriff of Clay County, Missouri, I cannot understand what, right you had to desert your post of duty there, and go off on a chase after the James Boys all the way to New York”
”That mystery can easily be explained,” replied Ti a vacation, to which I am entitled, when I learned of their proposed trip to thea rest, I beca to capture them, and started in pursuit as a detective would have done”
”Oh, that accounts for it!”
”You see I always carry with , and therefore was prepared to take them had luck favoreda plug of tobacco to the sheriff he asked:
”Have a chew?”
”No, I never use plug”
”Yer werry welcome, said Tihed the sheriff
”I've been havin' a awful hard time o' it, Timberlake”
”You don't say, Tim! What has happened?”
”Oh, 'twuzn't nuthin' wot occurred lately”
”To what do you refer then?” asked the perplexed sheriff
”A leetle incident wot happened ter ate Wabash in ther navy”
”Indeed! Was you in the navy?”
”A goodblowed off?”
”You was just going tothat happened”
”Ay, ay So I wuz Yer see, it happened this way We wuz a coastin'
through ther Red Sea one brilln' arternoon, watchin' ther monkeys an'
crocodiles on ther Arabian shore when all at onct I noticed a queer yaller-redness in ther sky on ther Afriky shore It wuz caused by a simoom Great clouds o' sand, driv' by the wind, wuz a-rushi+n' acrost ther desert toward ther shi+p, an' as it came out toward us, we seed uz dooht box,” observed the sheriff, interestedly
”Keel haul reed Tim, with a nod ”Waal, sir, we knowed that ther minute them ere clouds o' red-hot sand came down on ther shi+p, it would bury us an' bake us ter death All my messmates wuz skeered ter death, an' droppin' down upon thar un ter pray like sons of guns Did I give away ter ther general panic? Not much
”Cause why? I'll tell yer A way ter save ther shi+p an' crew occured ter me Wot wuz it? Yer'll see Yer know as crocodiles is reckoned ther fastest swimmers in ther water Waal, sir, as soon as I seed that ere storm abarin' down on us I knowed as our only chance to save ourselves laid in runnin' away froh for ther sails ter do it, so wot does I do but gits a rope; then I juht in ther midst o' them crocodiles Afore yer could count ten I made a slipnoose fast about ther necks o' forty o' theate an' tied ther other and o' ther line ter the capstan
Then I took a spear an' cllan ter jab 'ereased lightning---”
”Say, Tim---”