Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-06-13

sect your things on, win ye." he said
in voice that sounded dry and hareI
even to himself. "I'll be around with
Old Billy to the front door. Wrap uI
warm and take s0apet0ne. I'll nave
the buffaloes. It's mortal cold"
She was ready and waiting when he
brought Billy around. The house could
take care of itself. She locked it.
They had some sixty miles to noe
In the course of it his tongue became
somewhat loosened, and he told 10
broken and jerky sentences in her sym
pathetic ear what little of the chaotlc
grief and remorse he was able to put IN
to words.
"My brother after all. Used to play
together when we were little. Hum,
hum"
A man grows very Gender when he
goes back to the days when he was
"little."
"Bought me pair o'skates once when
I wanted some. Older than me-Samuel
was always a-maklng me kites and
whistles and all SIGH rattletraps. Never
could seem to get along. Big family ?
Yes. ought to have helped him. Amt
la man livin' could scratch anything but
moss off them rocks he calls q farm.
I'll help the boys-seefI don't"
| It was q long, cold ride, Mrs. Mackle-
fresh wrapped the buffaloes higher and
higher till at last she was quite extin-
guished in their folds and her husband
thought on drearily alone.
Almost there. The house is in sight.
A long, low, implanted affair. The Old
est inhabitant could not have remember
ed when it's owner had had money
enough to paint it. Here at last. "Who-
GA, Billey! You remember the old hitch
ing post, though it is SO long since you've
stopped at it. There has not been mnch
visiting lately. Remember how brother
used to rush out in his old blue coat,
Alice, and"
"Why, John! Why, John!!"
Mrs. Macklefresh rose up out of her
enveloping furs like a startled Esqui-
maux. She pinched her husbands arm
Historically, and he in his turn rubbed
his eyes half out at the sight of the ap-
partition that confronted him.
"Come in! come in!' it cried cordially.
"You must be half frozen, both of you"
"How do you come here?" said John
Macklefresh, fearfully, not stirring step
in answer to this invitation.
"How do you come, should say" re-
turned brother Samuel, for it was he,
blue coat, brass buttons and all. Come,
are you dead? You act go"
"No," broke in Mrs. John, who had
ound tongue, "but We thought you
were. It said so-the telegraph did.
We came up to the funeral!'
And so, between hysterical tears and
laughter and questions that nobody pre-
tended to answer, they unloaded and got
into the house. At least Mrs. John did.
The two brothers sidled off behind the
barn. There John got hold of his broth
er Samul's hand and shook it silently
and solemnly, while the strong tears
ran down their rugged faces. Neither
offered explanations. In that moment
their hearts spoke plainly enough.
"This my brother was dead and is alive
again."
In the house they went to work more
reasonably to unravel the mystery. Mrs.
John showed them the telegram.
Il see!" cried one of them, with sud-
den light, there's Samuel Mackle-
fresh down at the Four Corners, and 1
did hear he was very low last week.
He's got a brother John, too, but l didn't
know he lived in your town. Now he
won't getit. Amt that too bad?"
The brothers now came in wiping
away surreptitious tears with their coat
sleeves. They sat talking over the curl
GUS event, when the village post came
rafting by, tossing the mail at them as
they sat at the window. Some one
rushed out to get it, but seized with a
sudden impulse John Macklefresh
dashed past him and secured it himself.
Hastily glancing about him he stuffed
one thin epistle into his own pocket. 1t
was the cutting letter"
"That'll keep till the day O judgment"
he muttered, rejoiceingly. "I'll write
him a receipt in full for the two hun
dred-seein' I'm a deacon and Chris
tian."- Portland Transcript.