Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-12-24

| reached the top OF an unusually steep
ascent.
Frank accepted the reproof grace
fully.
cts the most villainous road l ever
travelled in my life-but say, friend
| Dick, are these poor beasts to keep this
pace up much longer? It seems to me
] as though they'd drop in their tracks If
we don't ease 'em up a bit; why, we
must have put dozen miles between us
and the camp already"
Dick grinned.
Saddles gettin' kim o. hot?" he
queried. oval, We'll hev ter take a
spell o. rest daown i tn dip yonder, fur
thars sl1eary stretch O. kentry before
us which it won't do ter travel over
with winded bosses"
"You mean that there is danger Of
falling into the hands of the enemy"
"Yaas, the meanest, bloodiest, dog
gonedest kim o. an enemy, too. Hev
yer never heerd tell ov the gorillas2"
1.-THE guerrillas! What, have you
them in this part of the State
'Hev we? Why, they swarm over
the hull kentry. Wait till we tether
the bosses under the walnuts yonder
an I'll tell yer what they've done to me
an mine"
They rode slowly to the clump of
trees, where they dismounted.
"You stretch yer legs a bit, Frank,
while I tend to the CATTLE" the farmer
said, taking at the same time from his
pocket a handful of rolled tobacco
leo which it were indeed compli-
meI-- % call cigars, but which Frank
found on a further acquaintance were
more palatable than their appearance
seemed to justify.
Swayne evidently believed that a mer-
ciful man is merciful to his beasts. II
was an interesting sight to watch the
tender care he took of them, to see him
strip their saddles off, cut whisps of
long grass and rub them down till they
were as dry as when they left the stable
in the morning. Not till they were
quite cool did he lead them to the little
stream and let them drink their fill Of
the clear water; and then from his sad
| dle-bags he took few handfuls of oats
and gave them to them. But it was not
until they had eaten this and he had
hobbled their. forelegs and allowed
them to crop the scant grass that he
thought of his own and his companions
comfort.
"Now, mate, let's squat here an take
bite ourselves" Saying which, he
flung himself upon the turf AID brought
from one of his capacious pockets a roll
of greasy paper, which contained sew
eral Luge slices of bacon placed not
over-temptingly between thick chunks
of hard, dry hominy cakes. In vain
Frank tried TO tempt him with the con-
tents of his own saddle-bags, the young
Missourian declaring that hog and
hominy was the only food for man.
They had dispatched of their hasty
meal and lighted the long, ungainly
cheroots, when Frank reminded his
companion of his promise to tell him
about the guerrillas.
oval, mate, thar amt much ter tell
leastways amt got the gift o. the CAB
ter make a long story out ont; but
when the war broke out folks took this
side an tibet, jess es Their inclinations
led 'em. Father an was fur the
Union; and mos gin'rally our neighbors
was seceshes. We lived in a lone
farmhouse, tol'ble well-to-do, an, es
we was in the minority, went about
our own bizness without interferin'
WI folks. Mos of the young fellers
roun' US jined the gorillas, an they
set up a cry es those es was not fur 'em
was agin EN- an gev father notice ter
leave the kentry. But the ole man was
true grit. He jess tole 'em thar was a
leaden welcome fur every secesh es
crossed his threshold in anger. They'd
done some fearful things, them gorillas
hed-strung a neighbor o. our'n ter a
branch O. one O. his own apple trees an
logged his wife an darters. Yes, it
amt no dime novel trash I'm a-talkin'
to yer-hogged the wimmen till the
blood run down Their backs, so yer kin
see my ole dad was dom some tall
taIkin' when he gev them the defy. l
shall never forgit the night they come.
Thar was no one in the house but dad
an me an my little brother Bill, a
young 'un not more'n seven years old.
We did the best we could, but it warn't
no use. They dragged father from the
house an riddled him wi bullets afore
my eyes. l managed somehow or other
ter get away to the woods, but not
afore I'd made my mark on some o. Their
skins; an jess -es they was firing the
barns the Union soldiers come up, an
the hull band o. cut-throats scattered"
"An' little Bill?"
Dick Swayne's eyes literally blazed
With fire.
1--WE foun' little Bill lyin' in the
-ush, bleedin' ter death, with a gun
t wound in his side"
Good heavens, Dickl and is this pos
sible in land like ours? But surely
these fiends were not your neighbors,
man?"
''Neighbors? Aye-neighbors who
he'd gone to the same skule es we uns,
tended the same church, danced, drunk
an played wi us from the time we was
no bigger'n little Bill-but, by the Cord
thet made me, they shall pay with
life fur every drop of blood they shedT'
Well indeed did the young Missourian
keep his word.
Frank was too shocked by the story
he had heard to encourage further con-
versation, while Swayne, wrapt in
meditations of the past, seemed pleased
to lie back and smoke in moody silence.
For an hour or two they thus re-
manned, their bodies resting, though
their minds were active.
Suddenly the countryman started
with gesture of alarm
''Harkl'' he cried, all alert on the in