The Honorable Jerry [pp. 23-27]

THE HONORABLE JERRY
OF MONTEREY COUNTY
CALIFORNIA
BY PETER STUDLEY
.... a_" OLITE? Polite's no name for
it; why, when the Honorable
Jerry Ryley's at the tele phone, and hears a lady's
voice at the other end, he
immediately takes off his hat
to answer."
_a This set us all in fine spirits
at once.
Now my lady had been in the doldrums all
the morning. It's a regular weapon, that way
of hers, of sitting quiet a few hours, with
a wistful look about the eyes, and a pathetic
droop at the corner of her mouth, and a
general air of, "I should like to cry if you
said the least thing to me." It's got up for
the occasion, - 0, I know positively it is,yet it never fails to make me feel like a
heathen or a criminal, or something of that
sort. Sometimes she lets it creep into a
gentleness that's more exasperating than
ever, since I but that has nothing to do
with it.
We were all right now, and her ladyship
was herself again, thanks to the remark
of our red-headed Jehu concerning our hostto-be. By long distance telephone the Honorable Jerry Ryley gave us to understand
that he could not come to Salinas on that
day, but if the party would care to come and
see him, (he had already sent the spring cart,
by which we could journey,) in the event of
our not being able to wait in Salinas for another day or so, he would be at liberty, etc.,
etc. We decided to take the trip, and here
we were, seated in the Honorable Jerry's
spring cart, recklessly driven by the Jehu
aforesaid. "Tss, whoa! don't get skeery,
as if you never saw a bit of white paper
afore in your life. That's the wust of Jerry
Ryley he's got the skittishest mules in
Monterey county."
My lady's fingers were itching for the ribbons. Up to the speech of the Jehu, for
the first six miles from Salinas city, she had
simply leaned back with an "Any-moment-Imay-be-killed" martyry air. Our young
driver was certainly showing off, to say the
least of it, turning the sharpest corners with
a flourish that just escaped taking a wheel
away.
"Yes, Jerry's a character as the saying
is." ( "Jerry" it had come to now, if you
please.) "Whoa now! Whoa! Can't you
see it's a bridge?'Ten dollars fine for going faster nor a walk.' Whoa! Now you
see that tablet up there?" jerking his head
upwards as he endeavored to get the mules
to a walk.
My lady looked, her uncle and I both
looked, as we passed under the painted notice, but saw no tablet.
"Whoa! now walk, - money's skeearce.
Whoa! That board's allus called the tablet
round here. You see, Jerry was one of the
supervisors when this yere bridge was built.
All the supervisors wanted their names
painted on the board, (it's done in lots of
places, you know,) and they quarreled about
whether the names should be painted on a
black board with white letters, or black letters on a white board. Jerry took it all in,
never letting on at all, till finally one of
them saw he was silent like and appealed to
him.
"'Gintlemen,' says he, standing up straight
as a man oughter who's bin a Senator.'Gintlemen all, to my mind there's nothing less
for the likes of yez than a tablet of brass."'
Jehu scored another point and immediately began to show off, worse than ever.
The spring cart sprung in a remarkable
manner, over rocks a foot high nearly.
"See, this is all his land from the bridge
to the school house, this way, and from
over there, as far as you see, to the hill
yonder. That's his place down there. He
sees you," said Jehu, looking at my lady
carelessly,-and then on second thoughts,
critically, adding thoughtfully, "You bet
Jerry's there, every time."
Could it be possible? That little low
shanty, the residence of the well known
Honorable Jerry Ryley? Why the barns
and stables were bigger than the shanty.
Her ladyship on the inspiration of the
moment waved her bit of a handkerchief.
The heartiest "Hello!" came across the