Dodge City times., 1883-02-22
sSA.- Thar's one of his feet n the

knew Just as we'll why Mary wasn't at
| home as if Z seen that b ar chawin'
her up at the creek; and when 1 got
down thar and found the clothes gath
cred up in the tub, just as if she was
ready to come home, and her apron on
the ground covered with blood, the story
was told just as plain as if it had all been
writ down in book. My poor, dear
Mary was gone whar washin' and
cookin' and helpin' her husband to
make livin' was all over. knew that,
for her, the toll and struggle for life was
done with, and knew that / was left
ali alone out haar in these dreary hills
and woods with nothin' more in this
world to care for. What did, do, ma
ber? Why. 1 picked up that bit of her
apron, all covered with blood, and kissed
it, and then I Strengthened up and
said I: Thar amt no time to be wastin'
here. I'll git that internal bar it fol-
low him to the Pacific coast; and thar
he is nailed up to the fo:ked poles out
side, Thar warn't much trail, but I
could see whar he d been draggin' her
through the leaves and then the trail
was lost on the rocks, so l knew he'd
carried her body to some cave whar he
had left it, for l overhauled him about
sundown coming from different drec-
ton. No, it warn t much of fight; he
was suchatarnaltough old critterh he died
hard, and fought for it some, too; he tore
the sleeve of that coat and he calculated
he had got the hug on me, but fetched
him with the knife, besides the bullet
which would have drapped any COM
mon b ar"
This was the short but significant
story that Jim Baker told me, and then
he broke all down. as he took the torn
piece of bloody apron from his pocket
and kissed it, and cried as if his heart
would break. 1t was one of those sad
incidents of Western life that touch the
tender places in rough hearts; and l
DOM deny it, reader. 1 sat there silent
ly on the other side of the fireplace
and cried, too. / had known his wife
for years, and a nobler woman could
not have been found in that rough pio-
neer country. or one who shared her
husbands hardships with less murnlur-
ing. And to think she had died that
way! l looked around at the plain, poor
ornaments she had adorned the cabin
with, and thought of the dust that
would gather on them which her loving
hands could never again brush of for
Jim. Poor Jim, l was sorry for him
and told him T. stay all night to keep
him company, and we would hunt the
bears den the next day, and I'd help
him to cut up the bear if he wished;
but he exclaimed, with flash in his
eyes: Etss T. FHFEES syafE.a
".,Notsa. bit of that internal critter will
Lever eat after he has chawed up my
poor Mary!''
After supper poor Jim went to sleep
in his chair, and l laid awake on the
bed listening to him calling so plain
lively the name of his Mary in his
troubled dream. Suddenly, about ten
O'clock, I heard a knock, and, picking
up my revolver, I quietly opened the
door, F1i}N lie aN ss1. .a 81
h It was Mary!
Jim still slept, in his chair: I mo-
toned silence to her, and she quietly
went up to him and putting her arms
around him gave him a rousing kiss that
lifted him out of his chair. ~
He really believed that he had seen a
vision from Heaven, and for ten minutes
he was crazy with excitement. Then
we quieted him down, and when he real
ly found that Ills Mary was there alive
and we'll l thought it was about time to
leave.
They sent for me the next day to
come over to bear feast. and Jim ate
more of that animal than any one of us;
he had reconsidered his vow.
= The explanation of her strange dis
appearance was simply this: She had
been sent for to. come at once to neigh
Dor, a few miles away, where the illness
OF the mans VIE required woman's
Immediate presence, and Mary, noble
soul that she was, dropped everything,
and went at once, expectingto get home
before nightfges - /
z The mystery of the bloody apron was
that she had killed rabbit, and hung
it up in her apron, and the bear had