Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-04-02

badly burned whom they attempt ia
tako those chestnuts out of the fire..
Jones knows that. He knows, too, that
Slade Is an ugly dog to deal with, and
dangerous. Give it up. You are man
OF family, and you have no right to get
yourself into an ugly scrape to save an.
other man from running like risk.
S4ade is q slinky sort of cub, and
would as soon shoot you in the back as
not Give 1T up, dear fellow, and lot
Jones attend to his own business. A
go-between is seldom thanked, in the
end, by either party"
l laid my hand persuasively on his
shoulder as I spoke. He remained 81
lent, looking up into my face (for had
risen and was standing over him) with
those great brown eyes, SO like wom-
ans in their tenderness, fixed on mine.
Tive it up. old fellow" Ny voice
trembled little in spite of my six feet
OF manhood. Jack drew long sigh OF
intense relief, as if weight had boon
lifted from him.
| swell, think shall, Dick. To tell
you the TRUTH" and he arose and shook
himself as if he had just, come out of
deep waters, and his brow cleared Won
derfully-''to tell you the truth, this
thing has worried me no little. In fact,
l think Slade was in my mind when |
spoke OF dying in my boots just now.
He's an ugly dog to deal with, as YOU
say, and the dear little wife and chicks
at homo would miss me sadly if left
them to the tender mercies of this cruel
world. The truth is they are a family
OF comics, Dick, innocent and helpless,
1t wouldn't do for me to leave them un-
| protected"
YES, and you are the most perfect
cony OF any OF them," thought to my
self, as he picked up his boyish, soft
hat, and started with me down the
street twirling a slender little cane in
his hand. You should get pistol for
yourself, Jack, or heavier stick than
that. You live so far out of town that
it is scarcely safe for you to be without
something of the kind, is it?''
mo; you are right. I'll get pistol
now while think of it, he replied, and
we went together and selected good
seven-shooter, for burglars ostensibly-
but think we both felt the same
shadow OF an approaching need for it,
at the time, that was not connected
with professional robbers, at any rate.
That evening Jack told nae the his
tory OF his father and brothers.
Many years ago his father had shell
tered man in Texas who was suspected
OF horse-stealing; and touched by the
poor wretch's pitiful tale of woe, had
helped him to make his escape. That
night band Of masked men came at
midnight. 1t was the same old horrible
story. The demon called Judge Lynch
reigned in the land, and
His headstrong lot hath no curb
After night of horrors unspeakable
fair June morning dawned upon q
strong man riddled with bullets, with
ing in untold agony in the arms of
frenzied, half-crazed wife, and sur.
rounded by fair young sons, grown to
bitter manhood in single night. Even
after the lapse of so many years, Jack
could scarcely command his voice to tell
me Of it.
His eldest brother was killed at
Shiloh, and his youngest-the widowed
mothers ''baby- boy"-tortured to frenzy
by heartless woman whom he madly
loved, rose from his bed in poor Jacks
own home, dressed himself in what was
to have been his wedding suit, took
Jacks own razor, went out into the
dawning light Of spring morning, laid
his young head on bed of pansies that
she had planted, wrapped large soft
towel about his neck, and cut his throat
from ear to ear. When they found him
he was stiff, for he had been dead some
hours; but he had closed his own eyes
and laid himself out for burial. 1t was
only necessary to bring coffin, cleanse
the bcardless throat of its CHASTITY stain,
and lay him to rest on the spot he him
self had evidently chosen for his last
couch. The old mothers heart broke
then, and in few weeks they laid her
beside him in the bed of pansies.
The day following my interview with
Jack was busy in thy Office over case
of murder. felt confident that my
client was guilty, and yet was using
my utmost endeaVor to prove him inno-
cent. All my sympathies were with the
murdered, his poov, penniless young
widow and his helpless orphans-and
ye1-"For this are we lawyers" quoted
in disgust, as I rose and went out to
shake of the repugnance to my task
which was creeping over me by short
walk
A crowd had collected in the street
about block north of my Office. in
stinctively turned my steps in that direc-
ton.
''What is the row?" I inquired of
small boy who gaped up at me, wide
eyed with horror, as I approached him
on the outskirts Of the crowd.
Colonel Jack Fairbanks been shot,
sir.:'
''Who shot hlm?"
''Mr. Slade, SIR"
Was my blood freezing in my veins?
"Where is hep
I'm his Office upstairs; his wife's
with him."
Oh! how cold it had suddenly grown.
1 shivered and my teeth Chartered in
my head. For moment seemed un-