The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-07-05

having to fare morning, noon and might
on hard, tough biscuits and meat burnt
to a scrap.
Tom gave the newcomers much inter-
esting information about the country
aQd settlers where they expected to es-
tablish their home. He nearly forgot
his business to Fort Scott as he sat on
a log in the little woodland, answering
the fair Nancys questions. But when
the moon rose and began to shed her
silyery luster over the prairies, he mount
ed Popcorn and rode reluctantly away
from the little camp fire where some
witchery had seemed to enchain him.
Quiet brooded over the camp Of the
tired travellers, and they soon slept
soundly. But Tom Byers pursued his
lonely journey, the music of new,
sweet voice ringing in his heart, while
pair of wondrous hazel eyes smiled at
him from every moonbeam that darted
across his path.
Bright and early the next morning
Hamlet and his daughter resumed their
journey southwark.
The man seemed inclined to bestow
much praise on their acquaintance of the
preceding night, but Nancy was entirely
non-commital regarding the opinion
which she had formed Of the young
ranchman.
When they reached the Cherokee,
county line they left the military road
which led to Baxter Springs, and took
rough wagon trail that zigzagged across
the prairie in southwesterly direction
toward the Neosho river.
At four o'clock that evening they halt
ed before log cabin, where Joe Dugan,
a primitive Kansan, having settled there
in 1857, kept country postofice, to
which the mail was carried once week
from Baxter Springs, nearly twenty miles
distant.
Adam Hamlet presented his note Of in
PRODUCTION from TX Fender, and Joe
Dugan and his wife came out to the
wagon and talked in a most friendly
manner for more than an hour.
When the travellers were ready to start
on, they having declined the Dugans'
pressing invitation to stay overnight at
their cabin, the old borderman said:
"Well, seein' yer won't stay with us,
I'll put Ned on the pony an let him 'scort
yer ter ther claim. Deer creeks erbout
four miles furder on; but Ned knows
Pender's place like q book, fur many's
the day the boys spent with Fender in
his dugout when the huntin' was extry."
Under thevguidanee of Ned Dugan, a
strapping youth of seventeen, the Ham
let's reached their claim on Deer creek
just before the sun had dropped below
the tree tops along the Neosho river.
Deer creek was a prairie stream. with
thickets of wild plum and blackberry
vines along its banks, with now and
then cottonwood or a wild cherry tree
to break the moaotony. It took a south
westerly course, flowing into the Neo-
sho about six or seven miles from Ham
let's claim.
There were no cabins on the stream,
and rude rock chimney protruding
from high bank and showing above
the tall prairie grass proclaimed the stu
alton Of the dugout, which was be
their habitation for the present at least.
well, I'm plumb glad ter git hyer at
last, pap, eff it is only dugout," Nancy
remarked with sigh of relief as the
tired team halted before the habitation,
followed out of the side of steep bank.
There was smooth bank about eighteen
feet wide, hard as floor, right before
the dugout door. and sloping very grad
ually to the little creek bed below.
'srm afeared yer goin' ter find it
mighty rough Twin in a dugout, Nancy"
said Hamlet as he inspected the anything
but clearly interior.
"Oh, I'll slick it up a heap, pap" said
the girl, who had followed him inside,
still it'll look plumb different. It's
home, pap, an thet means a sight to
folks like US, who hain't he'd one O Their
own fur long spell"
eyer right, Nancy; an wel make
regular home Of it eff it is only ole dug
out"
Ned Dugan rode home, leaving the
new settlers alone.
They had just finished their evening
meal, and had started to remove some of
their goods from the wagon into the dug
out, when a man rode up and shouted in
loud, harsh voice:
"Hellor'
The bright light of their camp fire
showed Hamlet and Nancy a man Of
about thirty, with hard, cadaverous
countenance, pale gray eyes and red,
bristly hair and mustachc He was
roughly dressed, and wore broad belt,
from which protruded pair of large re-
yolvers and huge knife.
1t was plain that he was desperate
character, and as his small. evil eyes fell
on the girls fair face and pretty form
she shrank out of his sight into the
shadow of the covered wagon.
"What yer doin' hyer?" he demanded
of Hamlet, who faced him unfinchingly.
"I'm 'tendin' to my own business, thets
whatp
e.Look hyer, do yer know wot claim
jumpers gifts ont on these puraries?D
81 reckon they git the claim"
Don't try ter rub any O yer burned
smartness off on me. Answer me
straightf'
"All right. ask questions as eff yer
was addressin' gentleman an will"
How'd yer git hyerF"