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

Know wot We pns air dom. We uas
slust hev Their claim, Finley declared
Hires, uttering an oath that nanst have
made the beautiful sensitive roses. grow-
ing luzuriantly at his feet, close their
tender. fernlike leaves in terror.
Maybe this hyer settlers already CON
tracted fur the claim said Finley.
No, he amt. I've been over ter
Baxter an seed ther records. Hamlet
hain't ther grit ter contrac tn NJ If. havvin,
been warned by Their league not to. Their
league hain't no use fur ole .Tov. mn
though Hamlet amt er Lacquer hisself
low he's plumb erfeard q Their a,cietv.
an amt Amin ter make ther members
mad at him.
But yer er member o Their league
yersc.f, Dick"
Ies, and Hines laughed coarsely.
"nut burned little I'm keerin' fur Il or
anythin' else 'ceptin' this claim on Deer
creek
They'd string yer up ter a blackjack.
reckon, eff yer went back on, sern.
They hain't goin' ter find it out fur
some little spell. Thar's more settlers
1han yer think fur stealth slylike inter
the land Office at Baxter and contractin,
fur their claims nnbeknowns ter Their
league tell yer, we uns II git er con
tract fur this piece o land, let ole humpv
i've IN ther dugout andisturbed till Their
leagners cool of er bit, then we kin
show our papers, and run ole Hamlet am
ther gal OH.
Purity slick, Dick; but wot eff Tom
Byers gets wind Of it, They say he's
struck bad on ther settlers gal: an
Toms mighty hard ter contend aginst.
let me tell yer.
81 reckon Tom would be er arly Gus
TONER to deal with. Durn his big Dicter.
Hes been watchin' me like or hawk this
summer, bat he's down in ther Injun ma
ton now, piclzin' mp some shippin' stock,
an | hyar it said the5 he's goin' ter sell
out his ranch an leave ther county. Eff
he does, we uns needn't fix fur any
racket with him, an eff we uns gifts
squatted down hyer on Their claim it'll
take more'n Tom Byers ter git us off.
Il reckon it would, with the gang fruua
Ligbtnin' to back us.
sThet's wotevergn
"But say, Dick. why don't yer con-
tract fur ther claim yerself, an not take
er pardners' the other suddenly asked.
81 would eff he'd ther money. know
yer hev plenty O. cash, after stoppin'
thet train over in Missoury,p and Hines
chuclEled gleefully, IAN kan pay down
Their fee required by Their land agent"
WAL, / am better heeled than afore
boarded thet train" replied Finley,
IAN I'm willin' ter go cohcots on Their
claim with yer, Dick. When do yer
want ter git Their contract9n
Il thought We could start in ther
mornin' afore daylight an ride ter Bax-
ter" returned Hines. Yer see, if we
uns gifts er airIy start nobody in ther
neighborhood will see US, an SO we uns
will not be suspicioned Of goin' ter ther
land Office. Yer know Their league has
spies out"
Then the plotters mounted their POI
MES, which had been permitted to crop
the grass along the margin of the stream,
ard rode off chuckling with much self
satisfaction over the cleyerness Of their
scheme to gain possession of Adam Ham
let's claim.
The girl, nearly retriied with fright
over the underhand plot to which she
had listened, and which, If carried ont
according to the villains plans, would
rob her and her father of home where
they had been faithfully toiling all sum-
mer, waited until the deepening shades
Of evening hid the horsemen from view,
then leaving the COW to find her own
way back, she sped up the creek toward
the dugout.
She found her father, pale, thin and
weak, sitting in the door, where the cool
breath Of evening famed his feverish
brow. He looked SO ghostlike, SO pow
erless to contend with human affairs, as
be half reclined there In the starlight,
that Nancy hesitated to tell him what
she had overheard down in the wild
plum thicket. But it was right that he
should be forewarned, and she must
break it to him as gently as she could.
'sWher' yer been, Nancyg he asked
feebly, as she threw herself on the bench
near him.
.'Jest down Their creek, she answered,
her voice trembling.
"Yer act scarf, Nancy, as ef yer'd been
a-runnin'. her father remarked, noticing
the girls strange agitation.
well, pap, did SEQ two big var
minis down on the corner o. Their claim
she returned, trying to langh.
Two big varmintsl Wolves2"
''Yes, or leastwise wolves tibet hes
two feet an wears trousers-human
wolves, wot's er heap moro dangerouser
than ther four footed kind.
"Wot do yer mean, Nancyr Hamlet
asked, mysti6ed.
II seed Diok Hines an one O. his gang
down thar"
..Dick Hinesl On my claim? Wot was
he doin' thar"
.'Plottin ter git er contract fur our
claim an then run us out" and with
that Introductory explanation she gave
her father a clear account of the vii
lain's scheme as she had overheard it.
"Wot kin we dor he appealed to the
girl in his helpless weakness. Il reckon
he'll beat us outen ther claim yit." and
tine sick man became overwrought with
detection.
.ea1r to ,,,o,,st mn, . and Na1acv set her j