The Delaware City news. (Delaware City, Del.) 188?-18??, 1889-04-11

began 10 talk about turning In Tor lne
night. Several OF them were shaking
up the blankets and skins on their rude
hunks when, without knock or sound,
the door opened suddenly and a man
came In. The men around the fire.
place turned their faces quickly to-
wards the visitor, and one OF them said:
'Well, Jack Downey, what in thunder
brings you clean from down in Camp
Fairvlew away up to old Prosperity on
such night as this2 Come to the fire
an thaw out, man, an give an account
o. yerself.'
The man, tall and sallow and griz-
zled, laughed grimly as he came for
ward.
Come to invite you to a little sparty
down to Fairview-Jed Judson's deadI'
'Nawi'
jed Judson2'
'Ye don't mean itP'
'What?'
'Jed--Judson-deadP'
The speakers all spoke at once, the
poker players dropped their cards, some
Of the men rose hastily to their feet.
Whatever aided Jed2'
what aided him2' repeated the man
from Camp Fairview; he was well an
hearty as you and be three hours ago,
when an ornery cuss from Poverty
Gulch that Jed caught cheatin' at
cards, and told him of it, put a bullet
in 'im-that's what aided jed
AM ye hung the feller that did it?'
asked 81 Sharpe
We amt ylt, but we cal'late on doin'
it fore mornin'. and that's the party 1
come up to give you bid to. Thought
ye'd feel sighted il none o. you got a
pull at the rope that'll swing the chap
that killed Jed--a whittier man IN Jed
never drawed the breath O. life.'
Yer right thar said 81 Sharpe,
heartily: AM it it'll do me good to git
a pull at that rope when you git the
Teller that shot Jed to the other end of
it. Who is he, anyhow2'
Don't know. They don't none o.
the boys know, an' he won't tell whar
he come from nor who he is, but we all
know whar he's goin' to, an that
mighty burned quick, too. He is a
youngish sort of chap, not more'n 80,
with three fingers off'n one hand an
scar over his left eye. We reckon his
names Hobbs-Henry Hobbs-anyhow
he's got ring on with that name on it,
an that's the name on some letters we
TUX from lin, an also on a big, old
fashioned silver watch he's got. How
many of you goin' down to the hangin'
with mes It'll come of at midnight
Nearly every man in the cabin rose
to his feet, and while all were pulling
on hats and coats. the door Of old Mrs.
DIPS room suddenly opened and Mrs.
Dill herself, ghastly and trembling,
with her thin gray hair falling to her
bony shoulders, walked swiftly across
the room, locked the door and stood
with her back to it, her bleared eyes
dim with tears and her shriveled lips
trembling.
Boys, she said, in her shrill, cracked
voice, 'ye aln't goin' down to Camp
Fairview to hang that feller-I tell ye,
ye ain'tl Ye shan'tl' She drew an old
pistol from beneath her apron as she
spoke and held it aloft with trembling
bony arm and wrinkled fingers. 'I'll
shoot the nrst fellar that tries TO go out
this door. I'll do 1t, I'll- Her head
dropped suddenly to her breast, her
arm fell to her side and the pistol to
the floor. She put both her bony hands
to her face and sobbed aloud. With
her head still bent low, she SAID:
Boys, lookee here. Some Of you hev
knowed me fer twenty year, am ye
knowed my man that's dead an gone.
There's men in this cabin that I've fed
an keered for when they was homeless
an sick. In all the twenty-nine year
that old Mis- Dill has lived in the mount
ings the latch string o. her cabIn's hung
out free to all. Nobody WANT ever
turned away, as some of ye mighty well
know. I've gi'n favors wherever Icould,
an amt never asked none back. I've had
my trials an tribbylations-God knows
l haYel-an' the wust of lin all has
come tonight; fer, boys, that man yer
goln' out ter hang is-is-my boy-the
only baby ever had, an it's ten long
year sence 1 seen himl
Dill WANT my fust husband. His
name was Hobbs an the boy was named
after 'lm-Henry Hobbs. Some o. you
may mind o. seeing i'm fifteen and |
twenty year ago at our cabin down in
Cinnamon Gulch-a purity, black eyed,
curly headed boy. lie got that scar
down in that gulch, am them three
fingers came off In bear trap Dill had
set and the boy fell into it. He allus
was a wenturesome boy an never
stopped at nothin'. Some of ye mind the
big excitement they was down in Gin
namon Gulch fifteen year ago, when |
they was saloon under ey'ry tree an
they WANT no such thing as law an
order. 1t WANT to be wondered at that |
a-many boy went astray then, an my |
Henry was among 'em. He hadn't |
never had a chance 10 be diff'rent. He