Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-06-06

the path. splitting the water from the
bucket at every STEP -
"Ugly?" the man groaned. Don't
I know just as we'll asany body in the
| world how ugly / am? But it's
that hound Sharpley that has changed
heri She used to seem to like to have
me around, and almost seemed to for
get my ugly face. And We'll, it's
all over now! I dreamed; that was all!
But if Sharpley--''N
He did not finish the sentence, but
strobe along the wood-path.
Before the girl had reached the
house a SIN all boy, mounted on a
wheezy horse. dashed up to the rickety
pole-fence and uttered "a shril whoop
that aroused old Jerry Pottle so sud-
denly that he nearly fell out of his tilted
chair. The old man hurried over to
the fence, the boy impaired his mes
sage, 'and the steed dashed wheezingly
away again, urged by the rain of kicks
that the bare heels of his rider be-
slowed upon his rusty sides. AS the
girl reached the house, old Jerry
emerged hurriedly. bearing a long
brown rifle. -
''Where are you goin', paw" the
girl asked. - -
Hammer" said the old man, sternly,
as he strobe away, ''shet yO're mouth,
an don't you darst to stir often the
place twell to-mOr'. ~
Some event of much moment must
be at hand. Hammer" was only used
at such rare intervals that the girls
proper name had been almost forgotten.
Her father, kind in his shiftless way,
usually considered ''Han" sufficiently
comprehensive, and few called her
any thing-~else. excerpts Jacks 1t
had been ''Haunie'' with him, and
then with Sharpley.- just now the
girl did not remember but two previ-
Gus occasions upon which he had dig
nified her as s'Hanner."l One was
when his wife, her mother, had died.
| The other was only last week, when
the Riggs ''boys" had been arrested.
and carried. away on journey that,
after some delays. ended at the peni-
| Tertiary, the said boys having been
captured by United States marshal
and his posse. while engaged in. man
| ufacturing '.moonshine' whisky at a
cleverly still-house
So, all things considered, the girl
| felt sure that the news that little Sol
Bender. had brought on, the wheezy
horse had been of much moment.
Han stood looking after her father,
| cur.
| Must be sometl,in' right import
ant" she said. We'll, it won't keep
nae, spite O. his sayin', Don't you stir
often this place till to-mor'' To-mor'
Tll-I'm goin' to see it at last-the
great. big. bright world beyond the
timber!''
Old Jerry Pottle did not see Jacks
Hamlin as he turned from the path and
plunged into the timber. Now. and
then, as the homely man trudged TO-
ward his lonely home. he muttered,
half aloud. in a dreary. despairing
way: 1T is all over. nowm he groaned.
.Hannie-little HAMMER
Night found Hamlin in his small
house, bowed over his homemade ia
BILE, seemingly savagely intent upon
devouring the contents of one of the
dry books. But the light of the splut-
tering candle could not dissipate the
shadow that seemed obscuring. the
printed page-a shadow that in spite
of his determination, kept resolving it
self into the face of girl-a brigh'
face framed in tangle of wavy hair
He stared fercely at the page before
him, and passed his hand across his
vision as If to brush away the shadow
that, in spite of his effort to. think of il
no more, his thoughts would keef
bringing up And when, in angry
despair. he turned away from the book
the face was before his vision still
..Hannie! Hannie!" he said. half aloud
| ssI-f'ss
There came n patter of footstep:
without in the darkness, and a little
figure with frightened face and pant
ing breath staggered in at the opel
door and sank into the first chair.
HAMMER cried the man, in aston.
| ishment.
"Oh. Jacksr' gasped the girl ''Sav'
him! Save him! They are goin' to Kill
him, an"
1t was evident that she was terribl.
frightened about something.
They'll kill him-kill hint" sht
walled. ''An'-an' he was goin' t.
take me away from here an show me-
all the great world. an make a lady
Nv mean I'd never have to wea
these old ragged cloze no more. An
an now they're goin' to kill him
They drove me away when / tried t.
. plead with them-my ole father shoves
me away an called him a spy. An
you'll save him. You Canyon can
You know so much, an
: Him? Who? Sharpley?''
Yes. He was soin' to take re on
into the big. bright world. an'-an
now they are goin' to kill him"
WAS he going to. make you hi
} wife," the man asked, sternly.
Deed an double he was, an
} Gomez was all the man said.
They left the house and hurrie,
away in the darkness. the man stridin.
along at a terrific pace, seemingly un
mindful of the -snags and brambles tina
!. clntcha6 him n0w nd fhon nf<op too -