The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-06-23
A MOUNTAIN GIRLS PROMISE
 ChApIER 1.

Is scarcely known al all. even though it Is q county seat and the home of the Heeky .StalpLoe&: which. although so small paper. and published in such a retired place, has never been guilty of sending marked paragraphs of attempted humor To exchanges. The great journal a, the time this wayward story unfolds its awkward leaves, had just been purchased The colonel was shy old fellow, and a cruel report, which in the village was considered an excellent joke. said that while he was walking down the lane one evening he met Sallie Parker with a pail of milk on her head. and climbed the tence and got over into briar patch to escape her. There were only seven houses in Dogwood, two of which were by courtesy called business establish ments, and of course the repor. had almost as much of circulation as though i, had found it's way into the columns of the Sttibio. <.
 ! Another robbery, colonel said Squire Pinkney. catching up with the editor on his way to the pos,-office.
 What. You don't say" exclaimed the journalist
 Yes. sir: las, nigh, Bob Sylvester was stopped in ;he middle of ;le bis road and robbed of iii,y dollars
 fit,y dollars
 Fifty dollars repeated the squire. That makes the tenth robbery shat has took place here inside ot two months liy this time the ;ao men h.d reached he pos,-o,i,ce where n eNci,cd crowd had gathered.
 I,ye i3sed hefes tog nigh ogter five year, said old Nip 'rue ker an nobody amt been able 10 keteh that feler yit. iic's robbed every body that's poked tip his head in the community an hes abou, leaned ou; the tribe le,ame tell you
 Il don, know wha; a bedys to do, said Mat Hisson. T prominen; member ot the bar. and who possessed the addi- tional accomplishment; of being the bes, hand in the county to clean out d well or angle for catfish. The law ain't able 10 keteh him. and you know somebody's 50, h be lo,ched afore thaf's any very pin,ed action took in the premises
 Here. stranger. whe the day before. had thrown the village into high state ot speculative excitement IS to who he might be. ," an wha; mout be his busi- ness in these parts asked concerning the history oi the robbeiies
 don't reckon there's much his,'ry. replied the 'sqpiIe. ;o whom Ill tangled questions were, bN a k.nd oi common law, referred. tor some t.tnc now there, been a chain ef robbctics committed in Ihis neighborhood, reae h;n over l period ot abou; slN yeaIs The eiiicers of the law have done everything they could, have laid ouI in ,he woods on the look out. but amt been able ;o do no,hin' yet 1 bleeye everybody in inc neighborhood has been robbed bu; our eo.;or here They never rob a newspaper man. you know"
 Individual robbers probably do not. replied the editor. with a facetiousness that often tended to darken the columns of his paper. but the great robber. the public. robs him. The state is great robber of the newspaper. Why, the les- islature went so far as 10 cut down the price for printing delinquent taN lists
 You're putty lot O men" exclaimed tall hard-fea;uted old woman. ad,ane- ing and shaking her tis: a, the crowd You'd stan aIoun here ar let the robbers tote the church away. You amt %, a bI; c snap or ,he face . iodalmi,y's yeth.
 Wha, can we do. Aun: G'oo,ly /" asked inc squire. addressing the old wo- man.
 "Wha, ken you do she repeated. contempiuously. That's patty qnes- lion ,o IN t ole woman. Why don't YOU ail git out from here. tn' h-n; tor Inc robbers An heres that paper man He les, sets arouu' here. wr,iu stuff what nobody reads an les the robbers do their devil;ries. The country am, no better now than Il WAS aiorc the paper come here. And the o.d woman. in lofty indignation. walked away.
 The old lady is high up this mornin'," said the squire.
 Who is she::" asked the stranger.
 She's aunt tioody Wells. one of the bes, old women in the world. don't know what the neighborhood would do withou, her. for she's a powerful good doctor an can preach mighty ,eilin sermon. femme tell you. I've seed let