Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-04-18
JONAS EASTER.

Spring was late upon the prairie. The
little group of herders that had gathered
all through the winter at the station still
met about the rusty stove for the usual
interchange of stories, gossip and remin-
iscence. Twenty-Five miles from the
nearest town was Rogers Station, and
the weekly visits of the stage was the
only connecting link with humanity.
Spring was late and now, though it was
well along in April, a blizzard more
fearful than than any that had yet been
experienced was raging over the plains
and making the rude cabin shake and
shiver with its force.
'Tell yer what, fellers, said Big Mike,
the roughest-lcOking one of the party
sitting around the stove, it'll be mir
Gle if the stage gifts through tonight" :"
"Git through was the response from
the red-headed store-keeper, ''she's got
to git through. Why, bless you man,
the driver and critters would freeze to
death tonight on the prairie"
"Whew! it's rough" put in the little
Southerner, who had just stepped in
from out of doors. Its snOwin' like
blazes, and you can't see your hand be-
fore your face"
"Wish We was down in Dixie, don't
yer?" said Mike, "where you could wear
yer linen breeches the year round"
"Well, don't know but it is a little
better down there" was the reply, spoken
in thoughtful tone. 81 tell you, gen.
tlemen, it makes a mans heart bleed to
see the hundreds of cattle suffer out
here on the plains as they do. Such
blizzard as this means terrible loss of
life" and he shook his head sadly.
"Pshaw! the critters are bound to die
anyhow, and you know they stand it
pretty well, considerin'," put in the
store-keeper, who was intensely loyal to
the West. Besides, they amt eat up
by flies as they are down South, where
they suffer more in month than they
do here in year."
ITO change the subject a little, gen.
tlemen, there's one piece of flesh that
won't suffer much tonight, an that's
Mosey's," uttered cool, clear voice on
the opposite side of the stove.
A loud guffaw broke from the compa-
ny. They evidently thought it good
joke.
"Waal, he had no business stealin'
bosses; that's all I've got to say" said
Mike.
"But he swOre he was innocent"
"Yes, an we swore he was guilty an
strung him up, and the jury brought in
a verdict of Death by lead poisoning,
an that settles it."
"Jonas had a grudge against him; do
you know why?" inquired the cool voice.
"You see it was this way; Jonas was
in love with a gal back in the States.
He come out here to get some money to
marry on an found it slow pickin.' He
dug along. though, herdin' cattle an
gettin' few head of his own started an
was quite clipper about it when this
MOSey came along. Mosey had lived In
the same place as Jonas or something
anyhow he knowed the gal an he told
Jonas she was married. 1t about druv
him crazy. Some folks think he is
cracked. Leastways he amt the same
as he Washes more sOlemnchOly some
way. Every Easter he's worse'n usual.
You see it was on Easter, some eight
years ago, that he left the East"
Eight years go tonight, then," said
the cool man, 'for to-day's Easter"
Mike looked up quickly. SIS that sO?"
he asked. Then meditatively he con-
tinued: at was bad day to hang Mo
he was guilty, so what's the
use of worrying"
There was stamping of feet on the
little porch outside. Everybody looked |
up, and one man suggested that perhaps
the stage had come. This was denied,
for no wagon or horses had been heard. |
The discussion was ended by the sud
den bursting into the room of tall,
gaunt settler, with rugged face and
eyes. He glared at the group, |
and then drawing near the fire, said,
with a sneer: "You did yonr work well
to string him up as you did. He de- |
served it-deServed it all"
L utN lOOhCl DIT hLlOIliSl
", as if to insinuate that the speaker
was out of his right mind. He did not |
notice them, but continued:
Course him, he ruined my life and my |
hopes. You know, you who have lived
here with me, how eight years ago to-
night | babe adieu to my betrothed and
came West to seek my fortune; how for
four years l slaved and toiled and was
succeeding well, when this villain of a
Mosey came along and told me that
Kate, who was to be my wife, had prom
ised herself to another. Curse him, |
believed him, and owing to the irregular
ity of the mail in those days could not
hear from the one whom he maligned. |
Now, see what was found on his per
son." and he held up a dirty piece of pa
per from which the store-keeper read:
To WHOM IT MAY CONCERNE: there
bi stat that the story l tOled Jonus
smart aboute Kate wozent So. She is
waten fer him. MOsEY.
at was in his clothes when the jury !
searched him." was all the explanation
offered by Jonas as he took the paper
again. AN now, boys, I'm a-goin' af-
ter her. The dead is dead, an | won't
use no harsh words. He loved her him