Sandburrs
CONTENTS
A SANDBURR is a foolish, small vegetable, irritating and grievously useless. Therefore this volume of sketches is named Sandburrs. Some folk there be who apologize for the birth of a book. There's scant propriety of it. A book is but a legless, dormant creature. The public has but to let it alone to be safe. And a book, withal! is its own punishment. Is it a bad book? the author loses. Is it very bad? the publisher loses. In any case the public is preserved. For all of which there will be no apology for SAND-BURRS. Nor will I tell what I think of it. No; this volume may make its own running, without the handicap of my apology, or the hamstringing of my criticism. There should be more than one to do the latter with the least of luck. The Bowery dialect—if it be a dialect—employed in sundry of these sketches is not an exalted literature. The stories told are true, however; so much may they have defence.
New York, Nov. 15, 1899.
Martin is the barkeeper of an East Side hotel—not a good hotel at all—and flourishes as a sporting person of much emphasis. Martin, in passing, is at the head of the dog-fighting brotherhood. I often talk with Martin and love him very much.
Last week I visited Martin's bar. There was “nothin' doin',” to quote from Martin. We talked of fighting men, a subject near to Martin, he having fought three prize-fights himself. Martin boasted himself as still being “an even break wit' any rough-and-tumble scrapper in d' bunch.”
“Come here,” said Martin, in course of converse; “come here; I'll show you a bute.”
Alfred Henry Lewis
SANDBURRS
Author of “Wolfville,” etc.
Illustrated by Horace Taylor and George B. Luks
New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company
1898
PREFACE
A. H. L.
SANDBURRS
SPOT AND PINCHER.
MULBERRY MARY
(Annals of The Bend)
SINGLETREE JENNINGS
JESS
THE HUMMING BIRD
(Annals of The Bend)
GASSY THOMPSON, VILLAIN
ONE MOUNTAIN LION
MOLLIE MATCHES
(Annals of the Bend)
THE ST. CYRS
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
McBRIDE'S DANDY
RED MIKE
(Annals of the Bend)
HAMILTON FINNERTY'S HEART
(By the Office Boy)
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
SHORT CREEK DAVE
(Wolfville)
CRIME THAT FAILED
(Annals of the Bend)
THE BETRAYAL
FOILED
(By the Office Boy)
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
POLITICS
(Annals of The Bend)
ESSLEIN GAMES
THE PAINFUL ERROR
THE RAT
(Annals of The Bend)
CHEYENNE BILL
(Wolfville)
BLIGHTED
(By the Office Boy)
THE SURETHING
(By the Office Boy)
GLADSTONE BURR
THE GARROTE
(Annals of The Bend)
O'TOOLE'S CHIVALRY
WAGON MOUND SAL
(Wolfville)
JOE DUBUQUE'S LUCK
(Annals of The Bend)
BINKS AND MRS. B.
ARABELLA WELD
(By the Office Boy)
I
II
III
IV
THE WEDDING
(Annals of The Bend)
POINSETTE'S CAPTIVITY
TIP FROM THE TOMB
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
T. Jefferson Bender had played Skylight.
TOO CHEAP
(By the Office Boy)
CHAPTER I.
|The scene was Washington.
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
HENRY SPENY'S BENEVOLENCE
JANE DOUGHERTY
(Annals of the Bend)
MISTRESS KILLIFER
(Wolfville)
BEARS
THE BIG TOUCH
(Annals of The Bend)
THE FATAL KEY
AN OCEAN ERROR
SKINNY MIKE'S UNWISDOM
(Annals of The Bend)
MOLLIE PRESCOTT
(Wolfville)
ANNA MARIE
THE PETERSENS
(Annals of The Bend)
BOWLDER'S BURGLAR
ANGELINA McLAURIN
(By the Office Boy)
DINKY PETE
(Annals of The Bend)
CRIB OR COFFIN?
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
OHIO DAYS
I—AT THE LEES
II—ED CHURCH AND LIDE
III—THE SPELLING SCHOOL
IV—THE FIGHT
V—JIM LEE INTERFERES
VI—THEY DECORATE
VII—AUNT ANN PLOTS
THE END
