The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-09-10

ehiSoeOhOhg nHh hlo obOCh uIlN6u Ou VI
killed wantonly; and if these annoyances
and hints were not sufficient to drive him
away, they would publicly warn him to
leave the country in certain number of
days, under the penalty of being scourged
or shot. The common pretext for this
was the accusation of having committed
some crime, which they themselves had
perpetrated against him. Their hate was
entirely ruthless, and never stopped short
of accomplishing its purposes; and in
many bloody fray and cruel outrage had
the question of their supremacy been
mooted, until at last there were but few
left to dispute with them, and they tyr
annized at will
Among these few were Jack Long, as
he was called, who neither recognized nor
denied their power, and, indeed, never
troubled himself about them one way or
the other. He kept himself to himself,
hunting incessantly, and nobody knew
much about him. Jack had come of a
''wild turkey breed,p Gas the Western
term is for rowing family,) and though
still young man, had pushed on ahead
of the settlements of two Territories, and
had at last followed the game towards the
south, and finding it abundant in Shelby
county, had stopped there, just as he
would have stopped at the foot of the
Rocky Mountains, had it been necessary
to pursue it so far. He had never been
in the habit of asking leave of any power
where he should settle, and of course
scarcely thought of the necessity of doing
so now, but quietly set to work and built
him nice log cabin, as far off from every
body as he could get and the first thing
that was known of him he had his pretty
young wife and two little ones snugly
slowed away in it, and was Staying the
deer and bear right and left.
The honest brotherhood had made sew
eral attempts to feel Jacks pulse and as
certain his availability; but he had al
ways seemed SO impassively good natured
and put them off SO pleasantly that they
could find no ground for either disturbing
or quarreling with him. What is more
he was physically rather an ugly looking
customer" with six feet four inches Of
Drawn and bone; though the inclination
just discoverable in his figure to corpu-
lency, together with broad, full, good
humored face, gave an air of sluggishnese
to his energies, and an expression of easy
simplicity to his temper, which offered
neither invitation to gratuitous insult mol
provocation to dislike. He was the very
personation of inoffensive, loyal honesty
slumbering on its conscious strength and
these men, without exactly knowing why
felt some little disinclination to waking
him. He had never been aroused to q
knowledge of himself, and others felt just
as uncertain what that knowledge might
bring forth as he did, and were not spe.
cially jealous of the honor of having i
first tested upon their own persons; Sc
that Jack Long might have been left TO
many day in quiet, even in this formi
dable neighborhood, to cultivate his pas
sion for craftsmanship at the expense o
the dumb, wild things around him, bu
for an unfortunate display he was acciden
tally induced to make of it.
Happening to fall short of ammunition
he went one day to 'the store" for fresl
supply. This cabin, together with tn
blacksmith's shop and one or two othe
huts, constituted the "county town." ant
as powder and liquor were only to be ha'
there, it was the central resort of the reg
: ulators. Jack found them all collecte,
for shooting match, in preparation 70
which they were getting drunk as fast a
possible to steady their nerves. Hinch
the regulator captain, had always been tn
hero of such occasions; for, in additio
to being a frst-rate shot, it was know
that it would be dangerous exertion c
skill for any man to beat him, for he wa
! furious and vindictive bully, and woul
not fail to make personal affair of it wit
: ! any one who should mortify his vanit
! by carrying off the prize from him. l
addition, the band of scoundrels he CON
!. manded was entirely at his service in an
extreme, SO that they made fearful odd
: : for single man to contend with.
= Every body else in the country WI
: aware of this state Of things but JAG
a Long, and he either didn't know or didn
care. After they had fred several rount
: he went lounging listlessly into Il
4 crowd which had gathered around Il
4 target, exclaiming in admiration ov
a the last brilliant shot of Hinch, whiC
. was triumphantly the best. The bull
q was, as usual, clustering vehement
h taunting every one around him, and wht
II he saw Jack looking very coolly at Il
; famous shot, with no care of that deferel
tial admiration in his expression whit
II was demanded, he snatched up the boal
n and thrusting it insultingly close to
face, roared out
% "Here! You Jack Long-Shanks, loo
!. at that Take good look! Can "
). beat it ?''
Al Jack drew back with a quiet laugh al
,. said, good humoredly,
"Pohi You don't brag on such shoe
to in as that, do you ?"
"Brag on i'll I'd like to see such
" moon-eyed chap as you beat its'
"a 81 don't know as I'd be very proud
:. beat such bunglin' work as that"
ar "You don't, don't you ?" yelled t
"A fellow, now fairly in rage at Jacl
,e coolness. "You'll try it, won't you ?
it You shall try it, BY Well see WI
or sort of swell you are !''
.ic "0h, WE'LL" said Jack, interrupting b
no as he was proceeding to rave for quaint
in "just set up your board, is you want to |
IA me put ball through every hole you G
nv make"
he Perfectly astonished at the rash bea
M. ing Of the lion-for it was difficult to |
n whether contempt or simplicity dictai
m Jacks manner-the men set up the boI
70 while he walked back to the stand, Q
W. carelessly swinging his heavy gun fir
;ed his shoulder, fred seemingly as quick
Of thought.
~ "Irs a trick of mine," said he, NOV
ofI toward the mark as he lowered his gJ
.cb II caught it from shootin' varmints in
er eyes; always take 'em there. It's
m. ton I've got-its my fun
-. They all ran eagerly to the target,
rsd sure enough his ball, which was lar
# than Hinch's, had passed through
NJ same hole, widening ii.
re- "He's humbugl It's all accident
the He can't do that again !" shouted the