Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1891-10-01
THE ARKANSAS GIRL.

Not far from the pretty Spring
River in Northern Arkansas-just a
little way through brambles and over
ground of broken stone that is com.
mon in the Ozark foothills-the
Spencers lived. They live there yet,
for all / know; but it has been SC
long since I have heard anything OF
them that / assume, ostrich-like, that
they are not there now. It was be-
fore the railroad ran cat-a-corneI
across the northern part of Arkansas,
that I knew them, simple sort OF
people, very like all the Ozark ma.
tiyes, three boys and a girl, the old
folks and an ancient aunt or so. The
boys were common type, constantly in
fear Of revenue officers.
The Spencers made whisky OF
that they made no secret save con-
victing facts. The boys were watched
by officers half the time, but no evil
dence was ever secured against them
until ten years of successful evasion
Of the law had elapsed. The girl
Hennie Spencer was her name-had a
pretty face and willpwy form, and,
what is more and better, she did not
have the loathsome habit of chewing
snuff, or clipping" it, to use the gen.
uine Arkansas idiom. Several of the
native sons of lizard, Stone and Full
ton counties had cast sleeps eyes at
Hennie more than once, but never
did they receive any encouragement.
"They needn't come round me-"
she would say, doggedly. wouldn't
hev the best man alive"
Hennie was smarter than the aver
age Arkansas backwoods girl, not
alone in the expressed determination
not to get married, but in business
matters she eyinced a decided apti-
tude. Her brothers intrusted her
with the secrets of their business.
Hennie knew every still house within
all the border counties; she knew the
names of the men operating them;
she knew their records, their haunts
and their plans for eluding the reve-
nue. laws of the land. Hennie kept
the crude accounts of the Spencer
still, by which she was enabled in a
few moments to give detailed state
ment of the Indebtedness of any one
of the patrons of the law-violating
establishment.
1t was one Of those chilly days that
sometimes come in July, even as far
south as the Ozarks. A stiff breeze
blew along the Spring River valley,
while clouds mounted in the South
west and threatened rain. 1t seemed
too chilly for that, so the old natives
said, but the newcomer would only
look at the clouds and then look for a
heavy downfall. Hennie Spencer was
walking .along the country road
more like path than a road-when
she met the newcomer. He was rid
ing. There was sharp turn in the
narrow highway and the stranger
burst into view before the native girl
knew of the presence Of any one but
herself. He sat straight in his saddle.
His hat, wide brimmed SLOUGH,
shaded his eyes, but did not hide a
smoothly shaven face, a good, clear
mouth, strong chin and the every
trace of determination that marked
each line of the countenance. A
Winchester was strapped across his
back. Hennie stepped to one side,
not in fear, but with something of
curiosity. She at once-instinctively
perhaps-thought that the stranger
was a revenue officer.
s'Good morning." saluted the rider
ten seconds later. "In case of rain
where could get shelter?"
In spite of her surmise, the Spencer
girl gave a respectful and truthful
answer.
"Why, over at a house, / reckon, !"
she said. ''Tain't very far-right
over yander."
MAY | go over there with you
now?" queried the young man, alight-
ing.
"Why, in course; on'y-on'y-who
are you, anyway"
"Well, my name is Jimpson-Wood
Jimpson, of ST. Louis. / live up
there-buy some cotton sometimes,
you know, and / was down south of
L1DUIc ISOCk OU UuSlieSS. 1uOuRHU LII
ride back to Popular Bluff, over'n
Missouri, where I'll get train back
home"
'sO,' said Hennie; $50 you live up
in Missourah, eh?n Well, come on.
How big is your town." she went on,
anything like ais big as Little
Rock?"
s'Eyer so much larger" said Jimp-
son. Sits great big town. Why,
we have q brewery there most as big
as all of Little Rock, you know
60" said Hennie again. She was
interested in the newcomer. She
didn't know just how, but she felt
kindly toward him. He was the first
man that she ever saw and thought she
could marry. OF course she thought
OF all these things as they walked
through the woods, he leading his
horse and chatting as they proceeded.
Girls think lots OF things that they
don't put I'm words.
81 suppose you people down here