Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-23

VAI1YH3 G$sESS every cub that
W VA sets yer under his
and sees 'em together, knows. It's wot
you Id hev knowed eff he aud Roop Filgee
hadn t played we fer a softly all the time.
And while you We bin hangin round yer
for a flicker of Cressy's gOwnd as she
prances out o. school he s bin lying low
and latin at ye, and while he's turned
Roop over to keep you here, pretendin'
to give We lessons, he s been gallivantin'
round with her and huggin' and kissin'
her in barns and in the brush-and now
you want to quar- ii with me.
He stopped, painting for breath, and
stared Indignantly in the grey face of
his nearer. But Uncle Ben only lifted
his heavy hand mildly with an awkward
gesture of warming, stepped softly in his
old cautious hesitating manner TO the
open door, closed it, and returned gently
81 reckon ye got i'll through the winder,
didn t We Seth?' he said, with Ia
boured affectation of Unconditional ease,
Ca kind 0 one leg over, and one, two,
and then you 'er in, eh?''
"Never you mind how got in, Ben
Dabney - returned Seth, his hostility
and insolence increasing with his oppon-
ent s evident weakness, 'eZ long eZ |
got yer and got-by Cd! what l
KEN here for! For whites all this
was goin' on and whites the cid
fool man and old fool woman was swal-
lowin what they did see and blinkiH at
what they didu t, and huggin' them
selves that they q got heightened KEN
pany fer their darter, that high-tomed
kempany was playin' them too, by Cd!
VpS Girl that HIGH toned f.1ntin Srbnpl
teacher was kecpin married woman in
Frisco, all the while he was here honey
foglin with Greasy, and We got the pa
pcrs yer to prove it, He tapped his
breast pocket with coarse laugh and
thrust his face forward into the grey
shadow of his adversary
=" An you sorter spotted their b2in i'll
this yer desk and Eursted it? - said Uncle
Ben, gravely examining the broken lock
III the darkness - ii were the most i'm
portaut feature Of the incident.
Seth nodded. Yen bet your life saw
him through the wiudcr only this after
noon Ioollm' over 'em alone, and |
reckoned to lay my hands on 'em if had
10 bus. him or his desk. And did!'
he added with q triumphant chuckle.
And yOu did-sure pop.' said Uncle
Ben with slow deliberate admiration,
passing his heavy hand along the spin
tered lid. And you reckon, Seth, that
this yer shown OF him up will break off
enythin betwiXt him and this yer this
yer Miss-Miss Mckinstry?'' he continued
with laborcd Formally.
~ reckon ef the old fool McKmstry
don I shoot him in his tracks thar'I be
white men enough in Injm Springs to ride
this heightened, pizenOus hypocrit on
rail outer the settlement. -
"That's so!'' said Uncle Ben mus
ingly, after Il thoughtful pause, i'll which
he still seemed to be more occupied with
the broken desk than his companion 5 re-
mark. Then he went on cautiously,
And ez this thing ought to be worked
mighty fine, Seth, p r APPS, on the hull,
you Id better let me have them papers -
''What! You?'' snarled Seth, draw
ing back with glance of angry sus-
picion; mot if l know it!''
''Seth, - said Uncle Ben, resting his
elbows on the desk contidentially, and
speaking with painful and heavy deliber-
alton, ''when you first interdocsed this
yer subject you elluded to my hevin', so
to speak, rights % pre-emption and in
reference with this young lady, and that
in your opinion l WASH t purtectin' them
rights. 1t pears to me that, allowin'
that to be gospel truth, them Their
papers Orter be i'll my pos
sessiou-you hevin', so to speak,
no rights to purtect, bein' off the board
with this yer young lady, and bein
moved gin rally by free and independent
cussedness. And ez 1 Sed afore, this sort
% thing havin' to be worked mighty
fine, and them papers manniperlated
with judgment, l reckon, Seth, if you
don t objeck, III hev-hev-to trouble
you.
Seth started TO his feet with rapid
glance at the door, but Uncle Ben had
risen again with the same alarming eX-
preston of completely filling the darkened
schOOlroOm and of shaking the floor be-
meath him at the slightest movement
Already he fancied he saw Uncle Ben 5
powerful arm lowering above him ready
TO descend. 1t suddenly occurred TO him
that if he left the execution of his
scheme of exposure and vengeance
to Uncle Ben, the onus of
stealing the letters would fall
equally upon their pOssessor. This |
advantage seemed more probable than
the danger of Uncle Ben's weakly yield |
ing them up to the master. In the latter
case he, Seth, could still circulate the |
i
Uncle Ben had himself stolen i'll fit of |
jealousy hypothesis the more readily |
accepted from the Iatters familiar |
knowledge of the schoolhouse and his |
presumed ambitious jealousy of Greasy in |
his present attitude as n man of position |
With affected reluctance and hesitation |
he put his hand in his breastpocket.
"Of course he said ,f"if yOu IRE
kalkilatin' to take mp the guar II on your
rights, and ez Greasy ain it'anythin more
to me, you orter have ths proofs. Only |
don t trust them int1 that hound 5
hands. Once he get s sSieIa again he IL
secure 4 warrant agiu youf for stealin' ]
That be his game II d show 'em to
hes tirst-don I We see?-and l reckon eff
she's old Ma am SMcKinstry's darter,
Size III make il lively for him. -
He handed the letters TO the looming
figure before him. 1t seemed to become
again yielding mortal, and said in a
htSitating voice, ''P 'r'aps you d better
make tracks outer this, Seth, and leave 7
me yer to put things to rights and fix up
that door and the desk agin tomorrow
He'd better not know it to |