The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-02-17

the trail of the tarantula was Wis
ible. Piute Paul entered the cot
tOnwOOd villa of Keno Maude with
a look of apprehension. He was
right. She looked up at him like
q startled deer, and threw an an
tique neek-yoke over towards him
with great force.
He gracefully evaded it, and
coming over to where she sat,
took her by the ear and held her
lovingly for a moment while he
asked why this was thus.
II will try to be calm" she said
in reply. 81 will not lose control
of myself and I'll your palpitating
gizzard with lead as you deserve.
Hence from my sight. Go, or you
shall know my fury. Scat!n
"Maude!n said Piute Paul. as
his breath came thick and fast,
aud hOrrid apprehension seemed
to worm its way into his navy blue
soul: @Are you madin
"Mad!" said she, as she rose to
her full, queenly height, and kicked
a 81 tureen of the table. 81
should say l was mad"
"But Maudie, why do you keep
me in suspense Why do you not
toll me even though it break my
hearti Inever saw you thus be-
fore. You was not prone to mon.
key about in this manner in the
glorious past. Why do you shun
me and grow cold. Why do you
comb me with a long-handled sho-
vel aud rudely smash my nose with
a neck.yoke'' You was not al.
ways thus. Once you were kind
and loving, and leaned on my
breast, and all was well. Now you
look upon me with disdain, and
knock my teeth down inside me
with an agricultural instrument.
o, Maude! DO not wreck my
whole life and leave my features a
magnificent ruin, with my once
commanding nose piled up in one
corner of my face, and my eyes
gazing wistfully at each other
across tho bowling waste. Oh
come to me like stricken kan,
garoo, and lean on my fond bosom
and rest"
With these words he shaped
himself into an attitude to catch
Keno Maude, when, with a pas
sionate gesture, she should fling
herself at the pit of his stomach
"No,n said Maude, as she rose
to her full height and reached fol
the family shotgun, "you can be
to me naught but friend, and ra
ther q distant and reticent frienC
at that. | do not love you as
once did. l have grown cold.
have changed my mind since las
We met. When | heard that y0r
had two wives and nine children
in Southwestern Kansas, looked
upon it as an eccentricity of GO
MUS. When l found out that yor
had been run out Of Leadvllle by
a vigilance committee, | said thst
il would never do to make q brida
tour to Leadville; but when
tumbled to the racket last even
ing that you salted the Snoring
Bride and sold II to the red man
and that the Jim Crow pay stake
had pinched out before breakfas
this morning, l said that fortun,
had placed a little barrier in tn,
way of our union, which l, poo
weak woman, could not overcome
deeply though loved you. Nov
if you will climb over that sal
barrel and move toward the grea
untried West | will uncOck thil
weapon and save your ambitiouI
life j; otherwise | shall lot the ligh
of this calm autumn day shin,
; clear into your stomach"
AS the words softly died away
Piute Paul slowly slipped into tn,
coming night, stole an amblinl
steed from down the gulch, All,
; rode away. In the Wood Rive
country he rose socially until on,
night he could easily get Bird
eye view Of the New Jerusalem
When they took him down life wa
extinct.
Keno Maude still lives up nea
the shaft of tho Snoring Bride
and the days may come and th'
days may go, and she shall go ol
also, but as an old maid, with n,
one to love her or put the cat ou
at night. and wind the clock fo
, her. She will have to do tina
. herself as long as she shall last
, Nobody can.regret this more thai
we do; but it's SO. BILL ME.
4 True Bill.