The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-11-11

McEnsees in West Kaintuck. But she don't
understand gals ez you and me do. Not that
I'm much, ez orter be more kan. And the
old woman jest sized the hull thing when she
said she hadn't any hand In Cressy's engage
mens No more she had And ez far ez that
goes, no more did me, nor Seth Davis. nor
Crsssy.' He paused. and lifting his heavy
hdded eyes TO the master for the second lime.
said refectivsly, eye mustn't mind my tein'
ye-ez betwixt man and man-that the one ez
is most responsible for the maxim and brsakin'
o. that engagement is you'll"
"Msl" said the n astsr in utter bewilderment
"You.' repeated McKinstry quietly, re-
installing the hand Ford had attempted to with
draw. ~ amt sayir' We either knowsd it or
kalkilsted on il. But it war SO. Ef ye'd bark
to me, and meandsr little, I'll tell We how
it war. / don't mind walkin' piece your way,
for il We 60 towards the ranch, ana the hounds
see me, they'll up racket and bring out the
old woman, and then goodbye to any eonfden-
tial talk betwixt you and me. And I'm, some
how, hammer out yer"
He moved slowly down the trail, still holding
Ford1s arm con6dshtially. although, owing to his
large protecting manner. he seemed to offer q
ridiculous suggestion of supporting him with his
wounded member
When you first kem to Injin' Spring." he
began, Seth and Greasy was goin' to school,
boy aud girl like, and nothin' more. They'd
known each other from babies, the Davises bsin'
neighbours in Kaintuck, and emIgraten'
with rs from ST. Joe. Seth mout hev cottoned
to Cress. and Cress TO him, in course O. time.
and there wasn't anythin' oetwixt the families
TO hev kept EN- from msrryin' when they wanted.
But there never war any words passed, and no
engagement
But" interrupted Ford hastily, my pre-
decessor, Mr. Martin. distinctly told me that
there was, and that it was with your permission. "
That's only because you noticed suthin' the
frat day you looked over the school with Martin.
Dad SEE Cress to me. that new teachers very
pesrt; and he's that keen about notlcin' me and
Seth that reckon you'd better give out that
we're engaged But are your SEE /. It'll come
to that in the end seZ Cress ana If that yer
teacher hez come here with Northern ideas o.
society, it's just ez well TO let him see Injiu
Spring Amt entirely in the woods about them
things either. So l agreed. and Martin told you
IL was all right; Cress aud Seth was engaged
couple, and you was TO take no notice. And then
You ups and objects TO the null thing. and al
lows that courtin in school, even among engaged
pupils, amt proper"
nsss TO the face Of Crsssy's father 1t was heavy
but impAssiYe.
II don't mInd tellin' you, now that it's over,
what happened. The trouble with me. Mr..
Ford, isl amt kan, and you air. and that's
what got me- For when l heard what you d
said, / got on that mustang and started for the
schoolhouss to clean you out and give you five
minutes TO leave In jun Spring. don't know ez
you remember that day. I'd kalkiiated my time
TO ketch ye comm out o school. but was
too airly. hung around out O sight, aud then
hitched my boss &c q buckeye and peeped inter
the wpder to have . good look at We. 1t was
very quiet and kan. There WAS squirrels over
the roof yellow Jackets and bees dronin' away,
and kinder slseping-like all around in the air,
and Jay birds twitterin' IL the shingles, and
they never minded me. You were movin' mp
and down among them little gals and boys.
liftin I'D their heads and talkn to EN- softly and
quiet like. ez if you was one of :hem yourself.
And they looked contsutsd and kan. Aud onct
Il don't know II you remember it-you KEN
close M to the winder with your hands behind
you and looked out 80 kan and quiet and far
of. ez If everybody else outside the school was
miles away from you. IL KEN to me then that
I'd given q heap to hev had the old woman seen
you.thar. Il KEN to me. Mr.. Ford. that there
wasn't any place for me thar; aud II KEN TO me,
too-ard little rough lixe-that mebbs there
wasn't any place there for my Cress either. So
i rode AWAY without disturbn' you nor the
birds nor the squirrels. Talkin' with Cress that
night, she said ez how it was fair sample OF
wha; happened every day, and that you'd al
ways treated her fair ike the others. So she
allowed that she'd go down to Sacramento,
ben' married next north, and she
reckoned she wouldn't trouble you nor the school
again. Hark till I've done. Mr.. Ford, he con-
tinued. IS the young msn made slight move
ment of depression. ''Wsll, agreed. But
AFTER she got TO Sacramento and bought some
fancy fixin's. she wrote to me and SEE ez how
she'd been thinkin' the hull thing over. and she
reckoned that she and Seth were too young to
marry, and the engagement had better be broke.
And broke 1t for her"
But howl" asked the bewildered master.
Centrally with this gun" returned Mekins
try, with slow gravity. indicating the rifle he
was carrying: ''for amt kam." let on ia
Ssth's father that IL ever found Seth and Cres-
sy together again. III shoot hun. 1t made q sort
o eeolnsss betWixt the families, and hsz given