Louisiana capitolian., 1879-11-01

"DOn't smoke.
"Do yer shoot p" ]
"Not worth q contincntal.'
My years of assurance ACQUIRED as
correspondent, and my knoYcdgc OF as-
uressiye character, did not prevent me
from feeling some uncasness as oo-
served my interrogator's cxtrous fingers
slide to his belt and grasp the hilt of his
"whstlcr." An unpleasant .termlnatlon
of the conversation was avoided by the
strange appearance of a woman VINO
stcpped from the overland train, just
then arrived, and directed ltcr steps to-
ward the saloon, She was rather come
ly looking female Of thirty eight or more
and evidently i'll and sufierIlns from the
effects of an extended debauch. Joe
stared at her, as one looks at the arisen
dead, for moment, and t'on walked
o,ickly to the door, threw himself into
the saddle and rode away. AS he passed
the woman, she lifted her hands implor-
inply toward him aud fell to the eartfl
unconscious. She was borne to the hotel,
and the kind women of the village d'd
what they could for her. She spoke no
word when recovered from her swoo1l,
but lay quietly, unmindful OF her 'lle
fast ebbing away.
During the day | inquired OF broken
nosed Charley, who knew e*orybody ana
everything about the farm, regarding the
MIN Joe. Charley said that little was
known of him, except that he mined
some, gambled some, drank like mad
and altogether was bad lot He had
killed two or three men, and had been
shot and cut himself several times. lie
invariably preceded an invitation to I'M
bibc or the shooting of a 1nan, by the
expression: "It's fourteen inches between
my eyes, and ] smell like a wolf" From
this idiosyucracy and his ,blood-thlrsty
disposition he was known and dreaded
as ''The WOLF Prudent people, how
ever. addressed him as Joe.
The Wolf returned to town the next
day, and Oh entering the saloon from
which be had made his hurried exit,
quietly asked:
'IIas that ar woman gon y
He was told that she was sick aud
could live but very short time. Agreat
change came over his face; the hard fur
rows of dissipation and crime were trans,
formed to the pi,iable lines of sorrow.
Not noticing the dram protfercd by the
barkeeper, he fastened to the hotel and
made his way TO the bedside of the dy'
ing woman. Abruptly he questioned:
"Was yer Flooring him ?"
"No 10; was hunting YOU
"Surely"
$50 help me God"
The poor, white face, Scared anddeel
! scanned by exccsses and sin, grew radian
with gladness as Joe kneclcd, down an'
kissed her. With the seal of forgiveness
with the pressure of his lips but half re
turned, she sank back dead.
Through the service at the simple bn
rial the following day Joe stood with III
covered head, but his bronzea and i'll
movable features betrayed no emotion
!, nor vouchsafed any clue to the myster
that cnshrouded the cofiincd outcast an
himself.
The evening of the funeral the Wo
called on me at my rooms. Seating hin
y self, without preface, he said.
a Gas man of sense an no coward, "
s kin look at brave mans agony in Il
}, right way. The past I've hidden ft
y twenty years, fur l amt the kind
a carry my heart in my sleeve, ;nr DAVIS
$ peck at. But thar's a feeling as thong
I'd choke if didn't talk to 'some on
u The woman buried to-day war my wifi
4 Here's some letters the wimin folks -four
/, on her an give to me. Yer look the
- over while chin, fur I'm STOW on Il
", read. We war married in the Stat
o. when she war sixteen an Just come
r age. A bit after got the gold fever a
!, went to Californy. In a couple of yea
w ! made quite pile, an went home f
her. She war changed, an it war;
long before heard the stories, an fou1
VI the truth, that she had gone wrong.
III war finc-harcd chap who had COZ
y, into town while l war away. | war
~ likely young fcllor then, but the bic
ne turned me into devil. went for hi
''S but he heard it an slid out fur Califorr
~, ~ | follcrcd, an for twenty years Eve /
hunting him all over the coast. Avoi
~ of hell has urged me on, an Eve kill
: men that the taste of blood might Ike
ge fierce my hope of revenge. I've neN
IL found him. During these years I
Id heard about her once in while, an ht
bo she war drinking an going to the do!
IN I'd allus meant to see her when I'd s
n tied with him. His name war Bill Ar
he strong
he The letters taken from the dead won
m which had been looking over WI