ALL IN THE FAMILY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 647, 28 February 1914, Page 7

ALL IN THE FAMILY.

"OWing to a railway smash-up I got left in a little Nebraska town one night a year ago," said the commercial traveller, "and the way I came in contact with a trust almost made my hair stand on end. "It was a wretched town and a still worse hotel. My room was small, and the bed was as hard as a board. I got up feeling mad, and, after a miserable breakfast, I was ready to boil over. The boiling came when the landlord presented me With a bill of four dollars. "Is this correct ?' 1 asked, as I looked at the iigure:'. " 'Entirely so," he replied. "' 'Then you are an old highway robber.' 'The landlord had three sons, and when they began to take a share in the altercation I turned on them and made a number of fiery remarks. When I stopped for breath the old man, who turned down to be a justice of the peace, sat down in a chair and calmly announced : '" 'Hear ye ! hear ye ! I now declare this court duly opened. James, have you any business ?' " 'I have,' replied his eldest son, who announced to me that he was a constable, and that I was under arrest. He then made a charge against me, one of the other brothers testified as to my langnajre, and Irs honour fined me ten dollars. As the third brother hadn't taken any part, I turned to him and sarcastically asked : " ''Where do you come in ?' " "Me?' he replied. 'Oh, I'm the local marshal : and, as you are evidently a desperate character, I shall lock you up for a couple of days, and then run you out of town.' . "It was a nice little family trust, you see," smiled the commercial'traveller, "'and I couldn't beat it. I was ' locked up for forty-eight hours, but I had to pay the hotel bill and the fine, and when I was at liberty and got my mouth open to say something else, the jailor laid a hand on my arm and whispered : "' Don't do it. I am the old man's son-in-law, and if you kick against my jail he'll make your next stop twenty days.' "