Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-10-26

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~ LID Hiram JORDAN, pTlm
"a tive sample of the rough,
N outspoken frontiersman,
,r~ was Justice of the Peace
MST on the Kaw River, in Kan
VISA sas, in the days prior to the
NA sanguinary struggle that
\iM marks such heart-touch-
e. I'M I ing epoch in the history OF
kSS| our country.
m6< This old Justice was fire.
>,E quently called upon to tie
the nuptial knot for some very peculiar
backwoods couples.
One afternoon Hiram was sitting in
the door of his dingy, time blistered
cabin, perched upon bluff overlook
ing the blue waters of the Kaw. The
old fellow was contentedly smoking
away at an old clay pipe, strongly enough
impregnated with @long green" to
scare off a hungry buzzard from tan
yard.
The old Justice was bare-footed, and
his well-worn. coarse, blue jeans
trousers was rolled pretty we'll up to
the knees, disclosing unlovely, sinewy
ankles. He was coatless and suspender-
less, for it was warm weather, and
Hiram wore neither in the summer
time. His shirt was of the thinner
quality of bed-ticking stuff, and
made after some nondescript style
unknown east of the Missouri
River. He was bare headed, and the
recreant breezes that blew up the Kaw
Valley ruffled the thin, long locks of
reddish hair on his fat, sleek pate and
PLAYED hide and seek among the sandy
bristles of his stumpy beard.
Old Hiram was bachelor, and save
the old hound stretched in profound
slumber at his feet, he had no COM
panion. But he was well used to his
Isolation from society, and if he ever
yeared for companion of the opposite
sex, he kept his wish jealousy locked
in his own heart. Perhaps the cere-
monies that he performed for his Kaw
Valley neighbors were sufficient for
him, and diverted his thoughts from
himself in state of connubialism. 1t
is proverbial Of carpenter that he
never attends to his own house, and it
NAV DE that man whose business it
is to marry others never deyotes his
thoughts to his own marriage. But be
that as it may, old Hiram was single
man on the shady side of fifty.
The Justice pulled away at his
short-stemmed pipe, and gazed with
evident complacence down the pic
turesaue valley through which the
Kaw wound its placid way. Suddenly
his contemplation of Natures superb
painting before him is disturbed.
An odd-looking young couple or
horseback have ridden up the bluff
and approached the cabin of the JUS
tice. The girl bestrode bob-tailed
white mule, with one ear having
triangular slit in it; for saddle, sh'
sat on q piece of faded rag carpet
strapped loosely round the ANIMAL
BODY, to allow the insertion of one foo
to support herself, while the other sh,
employed to goad the beast along b.
applying sundry spirited kicks witt
the heel of No. Z cowhide shoe. Sh'
was about nineteen years old, larg'
and long. She wore a green caEc'
dress, an apron of coarse, stripet
shifting, and pink sun-bonnet tina
might have belonged to baby sister
so small it was for her. The bonnie
only half concealed the big nose ant
coarse features, strewn with freckles o
every geometric pattern known t.
science, and many to be yet heart
of. Her faded bronze hair strag
gled from under the cape of he
bonnet, and dangled far down he
stopped shoulders, q prey to the rud
zephyrs that swept up the perfume
laden valley. About ward OF dark