Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-06-22
GIDEON PEAKS COLT.
BY J. L HARBOUR,

Fails on one end. A musty odor came
from the trunk, and the blue and white
paper lining was widowed here and
there, showing that the trunk had long
been disused. 1t had not, indeed, been
opened before for ten years.
'.Not since I went out to Iowa to bury
poor brother Elihu and get Johanna,
and that'll be ten years this coming fall, T"
said Miss Electa, refectively, as she
folded gray woollen skirt up carefully
and neatly, and laid it in corner of the
trunk
Her pale blue eyes were tear-dimmed
and swollen as she bent over the trunk,
AID filed it with her meagre wardrobe
When she had slowly and carefully
smoothed out her black alpaca dress,
and placed it on the top of the other
things, she closed the lid, laid her head
upon it, and began crying softly.
The creaking of a gate outside, and o
football on the board walk, caused Miss
Electa to rise quickly, and dash the
tears away with the back of one toilworn
hand, while harsh, defiant expression
came into her thin and sallow face.
'1t's Brother Gideon" she said, s'and
I'm bound he shan't see me a-snifiin'."
The man who came into the tidy little
sitting -room looked so much like Miss
Electa that it was easy to see that they
were brother and sister. It did not sur
prise one to learn that they were twins.
'1ll be ready to go right after dinner,
Gideon, said Miss Electa coldly, as she
stood with her back to him, making a
pretence of searching for something in
the drawer of the old red bureau with
the glass knobs in a corner of the room.
She forgot that Gideon could see her
tear stained face in the glass on the bu-
reau if he looked that way. He did see
it, but his grim features did not soften
as he said brusquely:
Cali right, 'Lecty, I'll carry you and
the things down any time you're
ready"
He had come in for his pipe, and, hay
ing found it in its usual place, on the
shelf by the old clock, he walked out of
the room as a little girl of eleven years
came in at the open front-door with two
or three schOol-books and slate under
heI arm. Her blue and white sunbon-
net was lying back on her shoulders,
and her short brown curls tangled and
moist on her brow.
GIVE run all the way from school,
Aunt 'Lecty," she said, s'cause want
ed to help tear up things. Think it's
lots of fun to move"
'.Humph We do2" replied Miss Electa.
"Well don't, and things amt goin' to
be tore up but mighty little. Iain't goin'
to take so much with us. You run out
now an set the table while I 90 down
cellar, and divide the jelly and canned
fruit, for, of course, I'm goin' to leave
half OF it for him, though some women
wouldn't"
A division of all their earthly belong
ings was being made by this brother
and sister of fifty years.
They were born in the little brown
house in which they now lived, and
neither of them had ever known any
other home. Their lives had been peace
full and harmonious until two months
before the time this story opens.
Their aged father had died shortly
before that, and, to their own surprise
as well as that of their neighbors, they
disagreed over the division of the small
property left to them. The father had
left will in which he had himself di-
vided the land and the small sum he
had in the bank between them, and
each was satisfied with the division. But
live stock and other personal property
they were to divide by agreement, and
all the difficulty had arisen over the
question who was to have o certain roam
colt about two years old.
The colt was sleek, trim and hand
some animal, and it was, perhaps,
natural that both should desire ''the
critter," as they called him, but it
seemed small matter to occasion the
violent dispute which was now to result
in their separating after having lived in
peace together for so many years.
Miss Electa had risen one morning
with set, grim look in her thin face,
and, after the breakfast, had followed
her brother out to the barnyard, where
little Johanna could not hear, and had
said resolutely:
ssYou can Just keep that roam critter,
Gideon Peak, I'm tired of all this fuss
in an clashin' over it, an TIM goin' to
make an end of it. Things couldn't
never be the same tween you an me as
they once was, after what's passed, no
matter which one of us owned the colt,
an I think the best thing you and me
kin do is to live under diff'rent roofs.
I'm goin' to go an live in the little house
that's on my own sheer of the land down
in the medder lot, an what I have
round me II be my own"
Gideon was greatly astonished by
this declaration, but his face grew as
hard as his sisters, as he drew himself
up stifay, and said:
"An right, 'Lecty; all right, do as
We please. was talkin' to Squire Hodge
bout it last night, an he couldn't see
why the critter couldn't b'long to both
of us.
"'Cause it couldn't" re.orted Miss
Electa. cit wouldn't he neither yourn
or mine then, an we'd clash over it
sooner later. If I own thing wann
10 own it, and not be ,beholdin' to no
body, if I want to sell it. or give it away
or Kill it"