The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-01


ninety grains O. powoer behind Their ball at Their
| bottom O. tibet barrel, an it's headed my way,
but it wouldn't do yer no good He would hev
let sunlight inter me, but I'm only one, an
ventilatin' O. my insides wouxGF help ye any"
| 81 reckon yer right, Sandy said the other
| elowly. ssbut allow wouldn't go with no other
critter," and he rose to his feet let down the
hammer and leaned his rife against the wall
Then he went inside and put on his coat and hat,
and after locking the door, shouldered the long
| barreed weapon and swung into the saddle. At
| the fence the sheriff mounted his horse, and the
| two men trotted southwark.
/ Close to the old agency buildings, and facing
| the adobe church whose battered exterior sug
gested centuries instead OF years the period or
| its existence stood log structure with a neat
/ frame front. It differed from the surrounding
houses in that it was two stories in height while
| they were mostly confined to the flatroofed
! groung floor. Paper shades, too hung at each
window and there was an air of cleanliness
| about it due partly to its evident newn sss, and
partly to the busy hands of its occupants. 1t
| was an assertive house, with nineteenth
century atmosphere IN its painted boards, which
| distinguished it from its humble neighbors
whose slovenly walls were composed of the sun
dried bricks Of the ancient Egyptians Its
| shingles suggested patrician sheer at the mud
smeared roofs below, and its gables contemptu-
ously regarded the projecting poles from whose
| ends hung the fiery strings of Chilli Colorado so
| indispensable in all Mexican cookery. Despite
all this however. it looked out of place In its
surroundings and destroyed the picturesque
unity of the scene 1t was modern varnish on
ancient carving; New England wart on the
Aztec body
| The house was the residence of John Cad
walader, whose cattle roamed along the banks
of the Conejos river from the foothills to the
Rio Grande, and whose family consisted OF a.
| wife and daughter. The latter was standing
/ in the doorway now, with the setting sun bath
ing ner pretty freckled face, and dark, ruf1ed
hair, with its warm crimson. Kitty Cadwaader
was very good looking and very sef-willed
| young woman and her lovers came from as far
north as the Piedra de la Pintada; as far south
as Rio Colorado, and east as Fort Garland. 1t
was not long, however, before the sprightly
/ Kitty had made her choice, and the selection fell
on Sandy Bradshaw, the doughty sheriff OF the
county. At first Sandy had hardly been able to
realize his good fortune, and even weeks after
| the formal announcement he expressed the
opinion that shed sprout wings an flip yit."
| But while the contumaciously-incline Kitty
| did not ''sprout wings an flip" she continued
her career of flirting and heart breaking without
| change. performing her merciless cruelties in
perfectly impartial way, and utterly needless of
| the Indebtedness she caused. She took partc-
| ular delight in the power she welded over the
single minded sheriff and reveled in the slight
| est pretexts on which she could exercseit Her
simple, grave, honest lover amused her, while
his blind, dog-like devotion ministered to her
vanity She had no computations in making
him suffer, nor any hestancv in exacting from
him the most unreasonable services. 1t never
occurred to his loyal nature that she was tri1ing
| with him, and her slightest wish or widest " him
| were to him as the e6icts of divinity. On one
| thing alone he remained mistaken, and that was
| in his fidelity to what he considered his official
| duty. He spelled this with a capital D, aud even
| the otherwise ail-powerful Kitty could not make
/ him swerve a hairs breadth from his consci-
| sntious discharge of it. She had attempted it
once or twice in the vagaries of some
| of her mad freaks, and though she succeeded in
| rendering him miserable and wringing his heart
/ until the poor fellow had seemed like another
chr hod haoy m olycv,h
IN this particular. The sanctity of his word was
| the Alpha and Omega of his simple creed. She
| could reyile him-and Kitty was not above this
until the patient loving eyes would moisten
with despairing pain; she could deny herself to
| him for days at time, until his suffering and
| his hopeiessness fairly changed the lneaments of
his face and the lines Of his figure, but she never
| could win him from the full observance Of his
| pledged word, or his express agreement
/ And so she ruled him with rod of iron one
| day lifting him into the seventh heaven of bliss,
! the next plunging him into the deepesthell of I'M
utterable misery-blowing hot on Monday, and
| cold on Tuesday-and he bore his tortures meek
| ~ and uncomplainingly, feeling grateful for the
'glimpses of happiness she sometimes gave him.
| This man, whose utter fearlessness had become
proverb in the lore of the valley; whose incor
| ruptible fidelity we'll known and as widely
| admitted as the existence of the mountains, was
| the sport of a coquette--the plaything of a
| thoughtless girl. He came across the plaza now,
his face bright with his honest love-
|
| her.
| You're late tonight she answered careless
~. while he smiled with pleasure ''and wanted
| to see you. You've been in court all day. /
Mason!"
That's so,' he said; murder in the first de-
| gree, which allow purity strong fer Toms
shootin' O. that greaser. Them cattle troubles O.
| hez ben tolerable free with O Their greas-
ers' stock. / wish it WIZ most anybody else
than Tom, though-hangn es mean way ter
! wind up"
.'Hangingl" she repeated in horror .sYou
don't mean to say they'll hang hima"
| II reckon thet's what I'll be tole ter do with
| him."
"Oh," she said, with gasp of relief, lit will
| be left to YOU will it?n :
eyes" he answered, grmly; ''al SIGH jobs falls
| ter me-"
81 am glad of it." she said, as though dismiss
ing the subject, for then everything will be all
| right"
| II dunno" replied the sheriff doubtfuly; 'itll
| be the first hangin' l ever did, an amt so sure
| l kin do it up ter Their handle Eff it wuz
shootin' / cud drap Tom inter ther hereafter in
| good shape but this rope business ez new ter
me, an I'm little skeery O it,
Don't talk that way. even in joke" said
! Kitty, impatiently, scowl of displeasure draw
ing her brows together, II don't like it,"
The sheriff looked at her questioningly, with
trace of surprise in his eyes Finally he said:
| Fer Their sake o. old friendship. hope Their
| won't be no hitch in ther show. Eff I'd he'd some
practice it wud be all right but hate ter begin
/ larnin' on Tom They ought ter keep him till /
| swung up greaser two. tole Tom so jest
| now, but be allowed Their thing wud run smooth
| like-Toms real encouragin' man, an thet's one
| reason why don't want him dispinted in any O
| Their 'rangements."
! '.You told Tom you were going to hang him?"
| she demanded, half incredulously and half an
| grily.
II sed reckoned it would be so,' answered
the sheriff. astonished at her tone and manner,
and involuntariy preparing himself for storm
he felt was coming, but the cause of which he
| could not divine
| But you know you're not" she said decisive
| ". There was dash of doubt in her voice.
though 1t was dawning on her that perhaps