Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-03

L was puzzled as to whether she
wa wailin' for somebody or had lost
something while on the way to her
fathers place, some four miles beyond
my house. | was Just about to walk
out that way whOt | seed her wheel
Kitty round from the brow O. the hill
and begin to ply her whip.
In halt a minute she was hyin' past
my place like a wild woman. stood
at my front gate By the roadside,
ready to holler out at her to know what
was up, bat bless you, she never
looked to'ards me. Her eyes seemed
sot 10 her head. her face was rals, and
At every jump she let into Kitty with
her whip. | svar, her ridin' skirt
fairly cracked as she bounded past me!
"Jist then | heard a tremeDjus clat-
ter behind me. Turnin' about, | seed
Ben acOmin over the pitch of the
hill on his big black boss, like a wild
Comanche: lie was ridin' with Loose
reins, leanin' away for'ard, and digSin'
his big spurs into his boss like he'd
zip his inRides out
He passed by with his hair and
coat tails sailin' back 10 tho wind. and
never turnin' his head to right nor left
l thought | seed murder in his eye |
tell you, ambition thoughts ran through
my brain 10 a second. All the stories
i ever heerd about jealous hushand
and insane husbands went through nv
head in alump, and do believe il I'd
had my gun in my hand, I'd have taken
q wing shot at him on suspicion
Il seed Nell look back once. and
then lay the whip to Kitty hott'u
ever. Ben was goin' like the wind
| knOwed Nell was headed for her
fathers, and | seed plain as day that
Ben would get her fore she was safe
landed.
AT last no was upon her. Il was
then neck aud neck for q time, with
Ben reaching out for Kitty's bride.
At last be got it and the two horses
gradually slowed up till they fnall,
stopped. mounted my gate post ali
OF a tremble, %expectin' to see some
thin dreadful happen.
They stopped in the road talkin'
nigh onto hall an hour; thea l seed
Ben lean over and Nell lean over til.
thar two heads came together.
What the mischief T. says /.
'kissin' instead Of KILN. Well thai
sort of iracas gifts mel
Alter the head burnbin', the pai
turned about and came slowly joegi
along back.
As they passed me, l called out "a
Ben TO know what ia the living Jung,
1t all meant. Ben began 70 stamme,
something, bout halfof which never
got out through bis big beard, when
Nell sings out to me,
Only a race for a kissi an givin'
Kitty a cut that made her oound ter
feet, she called out to Ben, Come
onl A race to the top O. The hill TO,
another! and away they both went.
That was five years ago. and
never knowed the true meanin' OF that
Wild, harum scarum ride till about
three months ago, when the story
bout the collie medicine leaked out
sineas BE Wimmen folks. For a good
while alter the ride, hoWsumeyer. /
remember ont 90 the neighbor men
wonderln' what had come over Ben
that be bad shut down on his gin ali
OF a sudden, and wouldn I $50 much as
take a glass Of Oregon cider.
To this day, no doubt, Ben tbipks
he had a desperate CHEESE after Nell.
and a Darrer escape OF her gettin' into
the home den lone with her big
brother. her father and his mother in
law; and I've never said a word TO
him bout how she fooled long under
the brow o The bill"