Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-02-15

Nov, Hi Peters warn't greatly liked
whar he wuz known, but, ez he wuz
Their riches man at Frog Crick, thar
wuZ plenty Nv men thar that would do
almostsanythin' that he axed 'em ter;
an so, almost before he wuz done
speakin', seven ur eight men had seized
Henry an wuz holdin' him.
"Wal, it did look ruther black fur
Henry, an 1 couldn't blame ther men
much fur doin' ez they did; but knew
he wuz inercent, AMI meant ter help
him out Nv ther scrare eff I could; an
eff couldn't, I meant ter die fightin' fer
him. I knew that I'd only git myself
inter trouble eff 1 said anythin' then,
while ther men WIZ so excited, fur
they mout think WIZ in league with
Henry. So 1 concluded ter wait
erwhile.
Il an Henry had been chums all our
lives, yer know, an knew he warn't
Their sort Nv er man ter steal er boss ur
cut up any other mean caper, an I
knew, too, that Peters wanted Alice
Campbell, Henry's cousin, ter marry
him, an ez she liked Henry, an didn't
care two straws fur him, he'd be glad
ter git Henry out Nv Their way.
Jest ez they wuz draggin' Henry
erway, Alice Campbell bounded out Nv
ther house an stood before Their men,
amin er revolver full in their faces.
Let him go, ur I'll shute yer she
said. He never stole that boss
Take that gal erwayP shouted
Peters. She's crazy. Don't let go Nv
ther prisoner, men,
"But Their men loosed their holt on
Henry, an before they could git over
their establishment, he had broke erwaY
from Their crowd an wuz half way ter
Their swamp, which wuz almost er quar-
ter Nv a mile erway. When we looked
fur Alice she wuz gone, too. g..
"'Shute him. yelled Peters. Don't
let him git awayP
"Sev'ral rife balls wuz sent after
him, but ther men wuz so excited that
they all went wide Nv ther mark.
"'Atter him' screeched Peters, black
with rage. Scatter, an scour Their
swamp I'll give err hundred dollars
ter whoever captures him, dead or
erlive.'
"Ther men, led by Peters, hurried
ter the swamp, ez eager to capture
Henry ez they wuz ter git ther reward; ;
fur yer know how everybody in this
country hates er hoss-thief.
"Ther swamp is thickly overgrown
with trees an bushes, an thar is er
hill in Their middle NV it, covered with
rocks an cliffs. Under one Nv Their
cliffs is er small cave, whar an Henry
once killed er bar. Err lot Nv vines
grows over ther entrance an hides it,
so that nobody else ever found it; an
we'd never told whar it wuz. I knew
that Henry would be more likely ter
go there than anywhar else ter hide; an
so, ez soon ez I found myself erlone, I
made fur Their cave.
"'Hullo, Henryp I said, when I got
thur; fur knew 1 mout git hurt eff he
wuz thar an I undertook ter go in with
out lettin' him know who I wuz. BE
you here? L want ter come in if you
be. don't believe yer stole that boss
"'Come in, ole man, heard Henry
say; an, putin erside Their vines, 1
went in.
"Thar WIZ two persons in thar, an ez
soon ez my eyes got used ter ther gloom,
l see that Their other person wuz Alice.
"Tm glad that you an Alice believe
me innocent, said Henry; but what be
we er-goin' ter do erbout it?'
"'Tll prove yore innercence in er few
days. said l. Their men that air
lookin' fur you air too excited ter listen
ter reason jest now"
"'RushP said Alice. 4 hear some
body COMM"
"Er heavy footstep approached ther
cave, Their vines wuz pushed erway from
ther entrance, an ther ugly face Nv Hi
Peters looked in. I happened ter
stand whar he couldn't see me, but he
could see Henry an Alice plain ernuff;
an ez he gazed at 'em, never see such
er evil, exultant look on anybody's face
before.
"'Alice Campbell, he said, my time
has come atlast I'll be revenged on yer
now fur refusin' ter marry me. I'll kill |
yer lover right before yore face an
eyes, an then I'll kill you. 1 ken say
l killed you accidentally, you know, |
while you wuz helpin' yore lover ter
escape
1Ou NOuIuu lldI6 IOT tdlh Iudb |
way, you cowardly sneak, eff I wuz
armed, like you be- said Henry, not
lookin' ther least bit scared
"Alice drew nearer ter Henry an
tuck his arm.
What er wretchp she said. I
didn't know that anybody could be
such er villain
"'Oh, didn't you?"' said Peters,
laughin' like 'er demon. Wal, you'll
find that am. Wy, I put that boss
in Henry Campbell's stable last night,
so folks would think he stole it an I
could git him hung. You didn't know
what er villain wuz, did you? Ha,
ha, hap
Il wuz so mad an disguised with Pc
tiers that 1 raised my rifle ter my
shoulder ter shute him; but before 1
could fire Their vines dropped back over
Their entrance, an thar wuz Their noise |
NV er struggle outside. looked out |
an see Peters in ther grasp Nv er
dozen men.
Come out. Henry shouted one Nv
'em. We've got ther night man this
time, an we'll string him up in short
order. We happened ter get here jest