Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-05-14

dark to see the stitches or she became
interested in the stories the Two men
told, for she rarely did much work. One
morning, after breakfast, the young
man shouldsred his pack and bade
Crippled Bill and his daughter good.
bye. The old moonshiner would ac-
cept no pay for the young mans enter
tainment, and Morgan, turning sud-
denly, slipped ring from his little
finger and, catching Kate $ hand, placed
it on her brown forcfnger.
"You will wear this to remember
me-" he said, and she, looking into his
face with moist eyes, answered truth
fully;
"a shall never forget ye."
The summer passed away and Bill,
who was always solicitous for his Little
Kate's health, noticed that as the leaves
on the maple trees began to golden and
the oaks were crowned with quiyering
wells of crimson the roses in Kate s
cheeks grew fainter and her brown eyes
always had look Of eager expectancy
In them. He secretly determined to see
n doctor about her the next time he
went down to the settlement at Bangor,
but before he could put this plan into
execution poor Kate was past all doc
tors help. Beginning from week
after the artist left the girl had made a
journey every morning to little glen
which overlooked the road leading up
from the Narrows and would sit there
on the mossy rock for hours at time,
with her face turned toward YOcum
creek and her eyes on her knitting. On
this particular morning she went to the
same place and had hardly taken her
position on the rock when she heard
the heavy tramp Of body Of horscmen
coming up the creek and sprang for
ward, with an eager. wistful light in her
eyes, Suddenly, as the approaching
cortege swept around bend in the
NarrOws. she uttered a startled cry and
staggered back as though struck by
some sudden blow, for she recognized
the irtruders as squad Of revenue
officers. Riding at the head, with his
eyes fixed straight before HIM, was
Harry Morgan, the artist.
"Spyr' she Kissed between her set
teeth, and tearing the ring he had given
her from her finger she flung it from
her. Then, as the Government party
disappeared around bend In the Mar
rows, heading straight toward her
fathers still, she bounded up the glen
like frightened deer, with fierce and
passionate anger tugging at her heart,
to give the stillers warning. As she
reached the head of the glen she heard
wild shouts and the rattle of fire arms,
and when bullet clipped leaf close
beside her she sprang behind large
rock for shelter, trembling and fright
ened. Suddenly man dashed past
her, and peering out, she saw Dick AL
frey, with fierce fire in his eyes, speed.
ing up the glen, rifle in hand.
Behind him came another armed man,
the artist, whose ring she had cast from
her in scorn only few minutes before.
As he reached the rock behind which
she crouched Dick Alfrcy sprang to
shelter behind some bushes, and, wheel.
ing, raised his rifle. The movement
was a quick one, but the girl in hiding
was quicker. With warning cry sht
lcaped out into the path and. as the
hunted moonshincr's rifle cracked, the
bullet intended for his pursner's hear
pierced the tender bosom OF Little Kate
She fell to the rocky ground with ,
moaning cry and the liie-blood dyed he
white dress crimson. The man to saw,
whose life she had sacrificed her owl
dropped beside her and raised her head
There was a smile upon her lips and ho
brown eyes opened and looked into his
I'm dyin' Harry" she gasped, $50
you. love-kiss me!n and as their lip
met she died.
Crippled Bill had been captured ant
when the marshal's posse, followin!
their leader, brought the old man Vi
and his eyes fell upon the dead girl
who, living, was all in all to him, h
uttered a stricken cry and rushing for
ward fell beside her on the ston
ground. His bearded cheek was presse
close to hers and his long gray hal
dabbled in her life-blood, When he di
not move nor speak they raised him up
He was dead. His great rough hear
had burst asupder They buried ther
side by side in the little glen wher
Little Kate had waited so long for tn
lover who had won her heart only t
wiring from its confiding recesses tn
secret of Crippled Bill Elliott's moon
shine still.
Tall sycamores wave their speckle
branches high above the head
Of the dead and sloughing win
Is their only requiem. The grass grow
green all around the mounds and tn
water of the little branch purls at thel
feet. A thousand violets nod their head
on Kste's grave and shed their swee
perfume on every breeze. They wer
| his favorite flowers, Between the tw,
graves some kind neighborly hand ha
set up q rude stone on whose face
ruder hand has scratched these words:
| .............. 'as''.''..s
HERE LIES
CRIPPLED BILL ELLIOTT
AND HIS
LITTLE KATE.
.,.-....'.'..'''.'. ...'''''.' ''''''''"