The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-10-17

over of an evening to hear me play, TO
3 l had my violin along and he had th
: good taste to like music. though h
! used to sit and stare at Thompy while
played.
} We spent good many evenings il
front of our sod house. with my wolf
, and Thompy doing nothing but lookin,
picturesque, while George Bradley la,
i on the dry grass at our feet and starei
, at her. didn't mind it for she wa
well worth looking at. with her sof
brown eyes and sweet obstinate mouth
And she was too old for any such nor
sense as flirting. else where would b.
our old maids hall? The Herder
would come over occasionally for :
short time. but the baby usually KEEP
them at home. They had . good many
cattle, which they hired boy to herd
and, what with their farm work and get
ting ready for the long, cold winter
they were busy all day and very tire {
when night came.
The long, monotonous days dragge,
by. l told Thompy that the eveiin
and tho morning were the first dag, AN,
all the others were just like it. S'.s
opened her eyes and looked shocked
She seemed to enjoy everything, an,
fitted about helping Mrs. Herdcr in q
neighborly way. playing with the ba
by, Analysing flowers, and Just sitting
still and watching the shadows drilt
over the grass. and grew SO brown and
rosy.
For myself, grew almost to hate the
long, still days, and. in spite of the new
er-ceasing winds, days so alike that you
could not tell one week from another
/ or Monday from Saturday. to long for
! November anu our return to the civil
! lied world September came, and l
thou ght of the changing woods and au-
| tumn so:nd of winds among the branch
cs. and IT seemed as though it would be
almost like Heaven to see tree. l said
s, to Thompy, and she responded by
singing:
Der all the wide, extended plain
Shines one eternal dayl FE
Ishall never forget one day about the
middle of the month. Mr.. Herder had
been at the sheds near the house stack
ing corn fer the winter use of the cat
tie. We could hear him singing about
the place all the drowsy afternoon, and
now and again his wife would call
to him in her high, sweet voice. George
Bradley was in town. and just about
six the boy came driving the cattle
before him. Mrs. Herder was at our
door with the baby in her arms inviting
us to come to tea. We all stood there
in the late sunshine watching the cattle
as they came slowly over the prairie,
stopping to nibble the grass here and
there until urged on by the boy, who
rode spiteful little pony. AS they
came up Mr.. Herder paused in his
work, and, seeing us, waved his hand.
let down the bars to the Enclosure, and
stepped back, holding in his hand the
hay-knife with which he had been work.
ing. az
The cattle passed in one after anoth-
or, and only the big Durham bull-Mr.
Herder's special pride-stopped to sam
Pile the straw. Mr.. Herder struck at him
with the fat side Of the knife, and the
next moment terrible thinsrvas hap
pening. The enraged anim turned
upon him, and, catching him on its
cruel horns. tossed him high i'm the air.
l saw the boy dashing away across the
prairie for the help which it would
have been madness for him to have
attic mpted 10 give. heard Mrs. Her.
der cry:
s "My God, the brute will kill him!"
as she sank on her knees with look of
agony on her face, the like of which l
pray may never see again. Thompy
stood as if turned to stone, till, at cry
from the defenseless man out there all
alone, she turned, and snatching the re-
volver from the wall where it had boon
avoided SO long she dashed by us to his
help.
"Arabella Thompson!" I cried,
clutching at her as she passed ME,
shave you lost your sensesP''
She was gone! sank down on INV
knees, and. burying my face in my |
hands. lost all consciousness save of a |
horrible sickening pain in the place |
where my heart used to beat. I be-
heve know something of the fortunes
of the lost in that space. / do not |
know whether it was long or short, it |
seemed forever. The first thing of |
which l became conscious was the |
noise of voices in excited question aud |
answer. I raised myself from the
ground and saw George Bradley and |
several Others about the PROSTATE body |
of Mr.. Herdcr. He still lived, though |
badly hurt, and they soon had him on
the bed waiting for the doctor to come
from the town.
They found Thompy unconscious not
far from where the bull had died, the
revolver was some distance beyond;
where she had thrown it after shooting.
George Bradley brought her in in his
arms, and we could none of us make
enough of her.
''How did you ever do it. you who
are so much afraid of firearms?" ask.
"There was nothing else to do" she
answered simply.
''How did you aim?" asks some ore.
81 didn't aim, l just shut my eyes
and prayed and then shot and threw it
as far as could"
believe she was more afraid of the
revolver than she was of that horrible
beast.
After that the two families got sort
Of mixed up. MIR. Herder, nursed by
US all. struggled slowly back to life.
Mrs. Herder could not do enough for
Thompy, and as for that George Brad
ley, he acted as though she belonged to
him.
began to realize about this time that
he prospect of our model old maid s
nall was growing beautifully less. 1t
lid not improve my temper when the
.old weather began to threaten and we