The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-02-21
toward the visiscr, s.d one of them

man, an give an account OF yourself"
The man, tall aud sallow and grizzlcd,
laughed grimy as he came forward.
''Come to invite you to little party
down to Fairview-Jed Judson's dead
'Nawp
"Jed Judsonp
aye don't mean i'll"
"Whatm
sled ludson-deadW
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 him." repeated the man
from Camp Fairview; she 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 bullet into i'm
that's what aided Jed"
"An ye hung the teller that did It'll"
asked 81 Sharpe.
1--WE amt yit, but we cal'late on dom
it fore mornin', and that's the party l
come up to give you a bid to. Thought
ye'd feel sighted if none O. you got a
pull at the rope that'll swing the chap
that killed Jed-a whittier man N Jed
never drawed the breath o. life."
"Yer right thar" said 81 Sharpe,
heartily; ''an' 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, anyhowp
"ron'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's he's going to, an that
mighty quick, too. He is youngish
sort of chap, not more'n thirty, with
three fingers oll'n one hand an q scar
over his left eye. We reckon his name s
Hobbs Henry Hobbs nyhow he's got
ring on with that name on it, an that's
the name on some letters we TUX from
i'm an also on a big old fashioned silver
watch he's got. How many of you
goin' down to the hangin' with mea
/ It'll come oil 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. Dill's
room suddenly opened and Mrs. Dill her
self, CHASTITY aud 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 blcared eyes dim with
tears and her shriveled lips trembling.
"Boys," she said, in her shrill cracked
voice, aye amt goin' down to Camp
Fairview to hang that teller Il tell yo We
amt. Ye shan't" 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 first teller that tries to go out
this door. I'll do it, Ill" Her head
dropped suddenly to her brest, her arm
fell to her side and the pistol to the
floor. She put both Of her bony hands
to her face and sobbed aloud. With her
head still bent low she said:
"Boys, locke here Some of you hev
knowed me fer twenty year an We
knowed my man that's dead an gone.
/ There's men in this cabin that I've fed
an keered for when they were homeless
an sick. In all the twenty nine year
that old Mis- Dill has lived in the noun,
tings the latch string O. her cabins hung
out free to all. Nobody want ever
turned away, as some of We mighty we'll
know. I've gin favors wherever l could
an amt never asked none back. I've
had my trials an tribbylations. God
knows have, an the wust of IN all has
come tonight fer, boys, that man yel
goin' out ter hang is -is-my boy the
only baby l ever had, an it's ten long
year sence seen him. Dill want my
first husband. His name was Hobbs an
the boy was named after 'im-Henry
Hobbs. Some of you may mind O. see.
ing i'm fifteen an twenty year ago at oul
cabin down in Cinnamon Gulch-e
purity, black-eyed, curly haired boy. HI
got that scar down in that gulch, an
them three fingers came off in bear
trap Dill had set and the boy fell into it
He a,lus was wenturesome boy an
never stopped at nothin'. Some of "
mind the big excitement they was dowr
in Cinnamon Gulch fifteen year ago
when they was saloon under ev'ry tree
an they WANT no sech thing as law an
order. 1t Want to be wondered at that
a-many boy went astray then, and my
Henry was among 'em. He hadn't neve,
had chance to be different. He didn't
know how decent folks lived, an
-1-wa'n't fit to learn i'm, cause
didn't know how myself. He took te
gamblin' an to drink, with plenty tc
coax the boy on, an when the excitement
died away he ran off an l amt ever
heerd OF i'm but once sence; an he's the
man they want ye to 90 an help hang
Ye won't do it, boys, will ye"
Her voice had changed to one Of
earnest entreaty and her old apron was
held to her streaming eyes.
"Boys," she added, couldn't you gil
'em to give the boy another chance
Tell 'em he's my boy. Bring i'm here te
me an let me go away with lin. Cant
ye, boysa Can't We do it for the sake Of
old times2 Go an bring my boy to me-
Hang me if you must have a life for the
one my boy took. l won't say wore
ag'in' that; only let me see my boy
first"
Every man in the cabin fled silentl,
out of the room and disappeared in thu
darkness, going hurriedly down tn,
tail. 1t was almost daylight when they
came back, silent and stern, white
faced, slender, trembling man will
them, hiSarms still bound and the fea
and horror of death still in his face.
Old Mrs. Dill met them at the door
They led her son to her little room ant
left her alone with him.
'le'd better be ready to start by day
light" was all 81 sharpe said as h,
closed the door of the little room anG
went back to the fireplace where the
other man sat looking silently at tn,
glowing Goals.
The next day Rad hardly dawnet
when the gray-hared old woman ant
the tall, handsome young man came
from the Little room, and, with brie
goodbye to the men of Camp Paradise
went slowly down the trail to meet tn,
outgoing stage.
They'll be all right" said 81 Sharpe
"But there amt another person on Cod
earth they'd give that chap up to bu
old Mis- Dill, an I've an idee he'll hang
yit some day spite of her,"
But there lives to-day in one of tn
coast towns of the Pacific in Californi
man of wealth and influence, a goot
citizen and an honored man, who ha
| l,,A IL. I.