The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-01-31

heeper sort OF fellow, with as pretty
daughter as ever stepped, and from that
moment it was all over between Hez
and me.
He'd gotta way with him, you see, as
L hadn't, and they always made him
Welklm at thar store, when it was only
How do you do?" and "Good morn
lng,' to me. I don't know what love
IS, strangers but if Jael Burn had told
me to 60 and cut one of my hands off to
please her, I'd ha' done it. I'd ha' gone
through fire and water for her, God
bless her! and if she's tied one of her
long, yaller hairs round my neck, she
might have led me about like bear,
rough as I am.
But it wouldn't do. I soon see which
way the wind blew. She was the only
woman in camp, and could have have
the pick, and she picked Hez.
was bout startin' mad first time
met them two together-she a hanging
On his arm, and looking up in his face,
worshiping him like some of them wom-
en- can worship great, big, strong he;
and as soon as they war got by swore
big oath as Hez should never have her,
and plugged my six-shooter, give nv
bowie whetting, and lay in wait for
him coming back.
1t was nice time that, as l sot there,
seeing in fancy him kissin' her sweet lit
tie face, and she hanging on him. If I
was most mad afore, was ten times
worse now; and when [ heered Hez
comm, stood there on a shelf of rock,
where the track came along, meaning to
put half a dozen plugs in him, and then
pitch him over into the Gulch. But I
was that mad that when he came up
CHEEKY and singing, l forgot all about
my shooting-iron and bowie, and went
at him like bar, hugging and wrastling
him, till we fell together close to the
edge OF the Gulch, and I had only to
give him shove and down he'd ha'
gone kelch on the hard rocks ninety feet
below.
Snow, Her," 1 says, "how about
your darling now? You'll cut in afore
better man again, will you?"
"Yes, if live!" he says, stout-like,
so as | couldn't help liking the grit he
showed. "That's right" he says;
"pitch me over, and then 60 and tell
little Jael what you've done. She'll be
fine and proud of yer then, Abinadab
Scales!'
He said that as I'd got him hanging
over the rocks, and he looked me full in
the face, full of grit, though he was as
helpless as baby; but didn't see his
face then, for what seen was the face
of Jael, wild and passionate like, ask
ing me what I'd done with her love, and
my heart swelled so that l gave sob
like woman, as | swung Hez round
into safety, and taking his place like,
=" Shove me over" says, and put me
out of my misery"
Poor old Hez! hated him like py-
son; but he wasn't that sort. STEAD of
| sending me over, now he had the chance,
he claps his hand ON my shoulder, and
he says, says he, Dab, old man," he
says, 6 give it name, and let's go and
have drink on this. We can't all find
the big nuggets, old hoss; and if Pm in
luck, don't be hard on yer mate"
Then he held out his fist, but couldn't
take it, but turning off, l ran hard down
among the rocks till dropped, bruised
and bleeding, and didn't go back to my
tent that night.
| got bit wilder arter that. Hez and
Jael were spliced up, and / allus kept
away. When wanted an ounce or two
of gold worked, and when I'd got it l
used to drink-drink, because wanted
to drown all recollections of the past.
Hez used to come to me, but warned
him off, Last time he came across me,
and tried to make friends, "Hez,"
says, "keep away. I'm desprit, and
won't say l shan't plug yer!"
Then Jael came, and she began to talk
to me about forgiving him; but only
made me more mad nor ever, and SO |
went and pitched at the lower end of the
Gulch, and they lived at 't'other.
Times and times I've felt as if I'd go
and plug Hez on the quiet, but | never
did, though I got to hate him more and
more, and never half so much as | did
two years arter, when came upon him
one day sudden, with his wife, Jael,
looking pootier than ever, with little
white haired squealer on her arm. An
it riled me above a bit to see him so
smiling and happy, and me turned into
a blood-shot, drinking, raving savage,
that half the Gulch was feared on, and
t'other half daren't face.
l had been drinking hard-iiery Bour-
bon, you beti-for about a week, when
early one morning as / lay in my ragged
bit of tent, woke up sudden-like to a
roaring noise like thunder; then there
came whirl and rush, and I was
swimming for life, half choked with the
water that had carried me off. Now it
was hitting my head, playful like, agen
the hardest corners of the rock it could
| find in the Gulch; then it was hitting
me in the back, or pounding me ia the
! front with trunks of trees sWant down