Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-03-08
INDEPENDENCE IOWA, FRIDAY, MARCH g. 1872.
your wife, Old Man? What does

your wife, Old Man? What does
she say to it?"
The Old Man hesitatcd. His con-
jugal experience had not been a
happy one, and the fact was known
to Simpsons Bar. His first wife, a
delicate, pretty, little woman, had
suffered keenly and secretly from
the jealous suspicious of her hus-
band, until one day he invited the
whole Bar to his house to expose
her infdelity. On arriving, the
party found the shy petite creature
quietly engaged in her household
duties, and retired abashcd and
discounted. But the sensitive
woman did not easily recover from
the shock of this extraordinary
outrage. 1t was with difficulty she
regained her equanimity sufficiently
to release her lover from the closet
in which he was concealed and
escape with him. She left boy Of
three years to comfort her bereaved
husband. The Old Mans present
wife had been his cook. She was
large, loyal and aggressive.
Before he could reply, Joe Dim
mick suggested with great direct
ness that it was the "Old Mans
house," and that, invoking the Di-
vine Power, if the case were his
own, he would invite who he
pleased, even if in so doing he i'm
periled his salvation. The powers
of evil, he further remarked, should
contend against him vainly. All
this delivered with tcrseness and
vigor lost in this necessary transla-
ton.
"In course. Certainly. Thet's
it," said the Old Man with sympa-
thetic frown. "Thar's no trouble
about-thet. It's my own house,
built every stick on it myself. Don't
you be afeard O. her, boys. She
may cut up trifie rough-ez VIM
min debut she'll come round"
Secretly the Old Man trusted to the
cxaltation of liquor and the power
of courageous example to sustain
him in such an emergency.
AS yet, Dick Bullen, the oracle
and leader of Simpsons Bar, had
not spoken. He now took his pipe
from his lips. "Old Man, how's
that yer Johnny gettin' on? Seems
to me he didn't look so pearl last
time l seed him on the bluff hcavin'
rocks at Cinnamon. Didn't seem
to take much interest in it. Thar
was a gang of 'em by var yesterday,
-drownded out up the rivcr,-and
l kinder thought O. Johnny, and
how he'd miss 'em! May be now,
we'd be in the way ef he was
sick?"
The father, evidently touched not
only by this pathetic picture Of
Johnny's deprivation, but by the
consideratc delicacy ofthe speaker,
FASTENED to assure him that Johnny
was better and that ''little fun
might 'liven him up" Whereupon
Dick arose, shook himself, and say
ing, "I'm ready. Lead the way,
Old Man: here goes" himself led
the way with leap, characteristic
howl, and darted out into the night.
AS he passed through the outer
room he caught up blazing brand
from the hearth. The action was
repeated by the rest of the party,
closely following and elbowing each
other, and before the astonishcd
proprietor of Thompson's grocery
was aware of the intention of his
guests, the room was deserted.
The night was pitchy dark. In
the first gust Of wind their temper.
ary torches were extinguished, and
only the red brands dancing and
flittcring in the gloom like drunken
will.o-the.wisps indicated their
whereabouts. Their way led up
!. Pine-Trec canon, at the head OF
which broad, low, bark-thatched
cabin burrowed in the mountain
side. 1t was the home Of the Old
Man, and the entrance to the tunnel
in which he worked when he work
ed at all. Here the crowd paused
for a moment, ont Of delicate defer
ence to their host, who came NJ
painting in the rear.
'P'r'aps ye'd better hold on q
second out yer, whilst l go in and
sec thet things is all right, said the
Old Man, with an Indifference he
was far from feeling. The sugges
ton was graciously accepted, the
door opened and closed on the host
and the crowd, leaning their backs
against the wall and covering under
the caves, waited and listened.
For few moments there was nc
sound but the dripping of water
from the caves, and the stir and
rustic of wrestling boughs above
them. Then the men became
uneasy, and whispered suggestion
and suspicion passed from the one
to the other. "Reckon she's caved
in his head the first lick!" ''Decoy
: ed him inter the tunnel and barred
him up, likely" "Got him dowr
and sittin' on him." "Prob'ly bilil
suthin to hcave OH us: stand clea,
the door, boys" For just then tho
latch clicked, the door slowly open
ed and voice said, "Comc in ou1
O. the wet"
The voice was neither that of tho
Old Man nor of his wife. 1t was
the voice of a small boy, its weak
treble broken by that preternatura
!, hoarseness which only vagabondagt
and the habit of premature self:
assertion can give. 1t was the face
of small boy that looked up a,
thcirs,-a face that might have
been pretty and even refined bu'
that it was darkcned by evil knowl
edge from within, and dirt and
hard experience from without. Ht
had n blanket around his shoulders
! and had evidently just risen from
his bed. "Come in," he rcpe tied
"and don't make no noise. The
Old Mans in there talking to mar
he continued, pointing to an ada
A- H..