Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-28

oneo tue porcu. lie plucheu tueu apase y %
though they had been two kittens, held the
stranger In his right hand, fairly shaking
the knife from his grasp, and pushed Marx
gently but firmly toward me, against me,
and through the open doop.
BOTH COULDN'T LIVE.
"Don't, Melt, DON'T" said the boy, zone
of us has got"
"Wait with him till I come back" said
| young Melton, and away he went, carrying
the other fellow, like a rat, by the back OF
the neck.
Mark turned on me look of agonized
desperation, a face drawn and blanched and
-blackened almost beyond recognition, all
the beauty and softness struck out of it; the
| great lustrous eyes blazing, the fine sensl-
| tive features quivering fercely.
I slipped my arm through his and we
walked quietly up and down the silent hall
way. I could hear his heavy, gasping
breath. I could feel his heart leap, and his
frame tremble, and was still striving to
! think of some word to say that might soften
the savage thrust it must have been that
tore him so, when Melton came up to us,
and with grasp of mis- hand and a kindly
| look from his blue eyes. drew Mark away.
"Hullol Where's Jake Shackleford. y
called some one just as the pair went through
the gate.
"Oh, sent Lum home with him; he'd
got too much and was noisy" heard Mel
ton rejoin in lower key.
After they had left the crowd behind I
saw Melton's great arm thrown aoross the
boys shoulders and was sure heard q
choking sob.
HUNT IN THE CANoNS.
An hour later saw them at supper, and
I do not think the others found anything
| amiss; but to me there was visable heeting
| but frequent shadow on the boys face and
pathetic solicitude and concern in his big
friends manner. The next day, which was
| Christmas, the men went bear hunting up a
very wild and rocky canon. while such of US
women folk as liked to ride and were fond
of sport set off to find a certain wild cat
that held forth in a low bluff some six OF
eight miles away across the plains. Mr..
Melton was our guide and protector, while
Mark was dragged away by the bear
hunters.
AS we rode home in the late afternoon,
full of scratches and glory, with a big cal
skin and tiny, snarling puff of kitten as
trophies, Mr.. Melton and I got far ahead Of
the others, and this is the story Of Mark
troubles, as he told it to me:
"His folks moved out to Esperanza, q
couple of miles above my sheep camp, about
four years ago. They were New England
people. Everybody hated the old man on
sight. he was a mean, close listed, cold
blooded. snakey sort OF fellow. His wife
was warm-hearted woman, but she hadn't
much sense. She ran the house, and him,
too, though, when it came to the pinch.
| A SAD REVELATION.
zone day the old man, who was abusing
Mark, was so outrageous and insulting, and
| la1 oh vii fho& IL har
went and got down a gun to shoot him. His
mother screamed, threw her arms around
him and held him. reckon she was wild
with terror, and she took Mark off and told
him how she was not his mother. His OWE
mother was poor, pretty young servant
girl she had had in the first years of hel
marriage, and whose ignorance and youth
her husband had wronged. The girl had
died and she had raised and loved Mark az
her own.
"Now, there was a nice thing for 16.
year-old boy to have to bear. He came
down to my camp the next morning and
told me about it. He sat about like some
poor dumb creature that's been one-halt
killed by a bad shot. It must be so, he
said, for this fellow Jake Shackelford that
came out with them and was afterward dis.
charged by his father, had told some other
people.
81 was awfully rushed with shearing, and
before knew it the boy had gone. lie
never was home again, but went up to
Esperanza and got place in lumber
| yard. He made some awful bad plays, and
no wonder. Ee got drunk and got to
running with gang of pretty tough men.
But the old lady always loved him; she
wrote to him, and finally went to Esper-
anza, bought him an outfit and sent him
| 70 To IN Ia a
two years.
THE BEAUTY'S CHOICE.
He hadn't been back a month, keeping
books in Esperanza, when he saw Louie
Flint, whom Jake Shackelford was crazy in
love with. Anybody would love the boy
of course Louie preferred him, SO Shackel-
ford, like the low dog he is, went about tell,
ing his tale, and the next 1 heard of Mark
he was all broke up and drinking again.
81 went up and got him to go down to my
ranch W ith me. He's been with me ever
since. I've got bunch Of cattle and he
has charge of them. He never drinks, nor
CANDLES, nor swears; he's got lots of grit and
courage and he's all life and 60; but there is
something like woman about him that
makes him more to me than any brother
could ever be.
"Can't he ride the prettiest you ever saw?
That saddle and sombrero of his are both
premiums he won at roping contests and
tournaments. He"
We were within half mile of the house
with one or two rises and dips between il
and ourselves. Suddenly shot rang out
on the still air, then another. MY com.
| panion started, beckoned me, stuck spurs
| into his horse and launched forward like an
avalanche. I followed as fast as I could,
but was fully five minutes behind him 81
I rode over the last rise.
NEITHER DID LIVE.
There, in the hollow, was a group Of men,
standing in the full glory of a prairie sun
set, the golden splendor all about and upon
them. In the midst knelt young Melton
! beside Marks motionless form. Marks
head was on his arm. I rode up and dis.
mounted. The big tears were running down
his face as he tried TO staunch the bleeding
of great wound in the boys breast.
| so, Marki o, MarkP' he said.
In moment later the fathomless ewes un.
closed and gazed long and calmly into the
West; then turned suddenly toward Melton
with look in their lambent depths, which
I can never forget.
MELT I'm glad" he saidi then after q
pause, "It's better"
The look of yearning love and trust slowly
faded from his eyes; then mist clouded
their splendor, he turned his cheek upor
Melt's arm and breathed no more.
-Four men rode up on streaming horses.
"Where is hep" said Melton, rising and
struggling with his sobs.
"He turned and fred on u.s. and We shot
him" said Mr.. Flint. "Bennet's bringing
his body in" ALICE MACGowAN.