Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-04

| IyiAk 81 ns teet: remember what his
/ whilom comrade told me of this mans
coolness and desperate coura ye as be knelt
all one long summer day loading and firing
across his brothers body-one Of the little
group besieged by Indians on the Staked
! Plains. But keep his counsel. Even
! the urgency Of two women-his mother
and she who owns his allegiance -has
wrung from me No account Of his life In
lands unquiet For q while his eyes
| cleaned strong distrust Of my discretion.
| but at last my reticence won his confidence
and faith We were driving one day
across the wide. bare plains in one Of our
| southern counties when. in answer to
some sstirical prediction of spinsterhood
in penance for my whims, l said:
Pray, dou't say that; you 'disencour
age me,
"A shadow drifted across his face; his
voice was several tones lower when he
said:
DO you mind telling ms where you
/ found that word. You use ii oftsu. but l
never heard it from another person save
l one.
Nor !. And | assure you l use II In
bravsdo largely. for with every uttersnce
OF the word feel the shadow of q dark
cloud of fear that has hung over me for
years
He turned t. look at me.
~ ou afraid. OF what? You handle
MICE and dead snakes. and a gun as read
| lily as | do What else, then, does .
! woman fearf"
No, but indeed meant it am mis-
erably-ab biectly-afraid Of one man.
And then told him. briefly and sketch.
lily, of our adventure al the salt. well. and
my subsequent ever-present terror of the
man Thompson When had finished
he looked absently at the distant noun
tains, with strained look In his blue
eyes and his face, for all the heat. was
| pallid
do you remember your drivers given
nsmeI"
Il think-yes. AL
Tall. you ssy-'slabsidsd. with .
crease down the point of his nose. Any
peculiaritv of gait?"
He leaned upon mis- left foot: and he
had fashion Of hitching up his trousers
sailorwise.
II hoped never to recall that scene. 10
words. said the man at my side: but
you are a loyal woman, and l would do
/ much 10 dispel that haunting fear l
know what horror it must be TO one like
you Well. you need fear no harm in
future from Al Thompson; he is dead
. cad can hardly believe it Did
you see him de-"
Il saw him die Do you remember
that passed through Los Angeles in "a
the time I called you ont Of school 70
go to the races with MOI Well. had
Just brought a big bunch Of cattle up
from Texas and Al Thompson was one
of my herders He was an ugly devil
naturally. and as you know.
I drink warmed up the murderous
instinct Several of the boys had
told me Thompson had struck
them to put me out of the way and run
off the herd; bu; they were sill good men
Twice on the trip a stray bullet had sung
past nv ears. Still, | had no proof. We
camped three miles out cf Seven Rivers
| Thompson went into the town He got
! drunk enough to want blood was sit,
ting in front of the tent when he rode up
and be an shooting. He got in three
shots from his revolver before could get
my hands free from the whip-lash I was
braiding. Then | caught up my Win
chester and fred with my left hand, Just
as his fourth shot knocked of my hat
He would have killed me if he had been
I less drunk. for he was the best shot I
ever saw. and not forty feet away My
bullet struck him here He threw back
his splendid head. and touched one finger
/ 10 his own white throat I'VE buried
him there. under the mosquitoes l am
| glad TO ease your mind