Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-02-13

start out and wallop every man on the
place and ask no questions But greaserll
do anything for money-except work-and
1 suppose she gave him some money, or he
stole it; for when I came home from the
upper range one night heard yelling in
the house; he was drunk, and she, like a
woman, was making it worse by hanging
around him, begging and imploring him to
come and lie down.
AS run in he raised a chair to strike
her. She never moved to get out of his
way; just sort Of punched up and shivered.
II had my gun on him, and shot him."
He turned to me fiercely, as if I had
made suggestion or an accusation.
''I didn't aim for his arm to keep him
from hittin' her with chair; l aimed to
kill him, and did. l killed him, and 1
married her.
His chin sank, after this outburst, into
the great swell of his voluminous beard,
and his big voice, THAT seemed to be made
for hailing ships at sea or roaring signals
in storm, sank to husky murmur
Poor soul, poor soul! She had nowhere
else to go, and no one else to look to, and
she married me when begged her to; but
she never knew another happy day. She
pined for him. planted him in slightly
| spot, under big live oak, and she used to
go there and put flower things on him and
cry. She went days when she thought /
was away; but knew of it, and many's
the time I've wished it was me down there
to be sorrowed over.
81 expect about this time | wasn't a
nice man to be about; used to feel like
killing something, mostly; and if 1 ever
did anything to earn me the name of bad
John Adam, as / am known, it was then
l didn't care what did. We never saw
any pleasure together. knew she pined
fsr him, and kept his picture by her, but
we lived together twelve years; then she
took fever in the spring, and died.
''The day she died she talked to me a
good deal about how kind I'd been, and
how she wished she could have made me
happier. But in the evening she went to
sleep and woke up little fighty, and
thought We was all boys and girls at school
again.
"All at once she sat up in bed and
laughed, and her face looked like a little
girls, I'm going to him. she said"
He looked at me with curious, ghastly,
blankness. I'm going to him." he re-
peated; and again in a husky whisper,
''I'm a.going to him."
He threw out his hands in a gesture of
intolerable anguish: ''He robbed me living,
and he robbed me dead. She never spoke
again"
Presently he looked up. you've heard
about the girlf You might have thought
she'd be comfort to me. l did every
thing for her man could do. She had a
saddle horse that could outrun anything in
Texas, saddle / had made for her in San
Antonia-cost $150-a herd and brand of
her own. didn't want anyone to wait On
her nor look at her but me; and seeing the
time her mother'd had, didn't want her
to marry.
''Evrything went lovely for while, and
l saw the most peace and pleasure l ever
saw in my life-which amt saying much
when she came to me and told me she was
going to marry low down sneaking chump
that never thought enough otto keep out
of her way.
"She wasn't like her mother Icouldn't
do anything with her; when she said
thing she meant it; 1 tried drawing him off,
and when found him sneaking back to
steal her shot him.
'"They tried me for that; l never will
forget the men that had it done. I'll even
up the score with every one of them before
I die.
"She's gone back to Missouri to her
mothers kin folks. She thinks Pm too
wicked to live, and not fit to die, and she
writes to me trying to get me to repent
but l don't know whether I've got anything
to repent of. send her money.
"But you'll send me the picture, sure,
won't youf I'll take any amount of preach
ing if you'll promise that You see / al
ways think of Matte as little girl. /
leave out all the time out here, and think
of her as she was at your age and
younger"
The fine, fierce Bedouin- like face soften
ed, the keen eyes turned up upon me the
kindest, gentlest gaze. "Good bye" he
said, "God bless you" opened the gate,
closed it after me, and, with sweeping
wave of the hand, and with no further
unrd rao off dnxr-,, ha r,,od III, Y,ouo1
laundering gallop.
l sent the picture, obedient to my
promise.
Recently railroad was put through his
rancho, he swearing, threatening and pro-
| testing to the last that he wouldn't have
his pastures cut up and his cattle all killed
or scared to death. He was very loud and
| violent, and when train was wrecked by
distractions being placed on the track not
a mile from his house, none of his neigh
bors doubted his guilt. A great posse
went with the sheriff to arrest him They
stood outside the closed door and called
| upon him to surrender.
AS he himself would have described it,
ne Klckeu open tne uoor anu turned loose
| both six shooters.
He killed and wounded several men,
was himself mortally wounded and die ID
within an hour, having savagely informed
the men that he knew nothing about the
| wrecking of the train, but it 1idn't make
| any difference; he was just as willing to
accommodate them with little pistol
| practice as not.
And his spirit went out, savage and
defiant, to seek, maybe, place where the
| giving of dog bad name is not equiv
| alent to hanging him.
ALICE MACGowAy.
| A w. Strange ESQ. LYnchburP Va.