Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-06

dams: for Waymire was then a distin-
guished young officer in the army
There was little commotion close by.
and the scaffold again creaked as a tall.
lank, sun burned and slender man, all rags
and hat and shoes, with an OK whip under
his arm, pushed the dog aside, and step
ping to the very edge of the scaffold said
hastily: " 'Scuse me, gentlemen, my steers
is strayed, and thought that some of Won
a-comin into the hangin might a-seen 'em:
ballface an brindle; emigrant steers
purity poor steers, but all me an nv folks
have got, and I've got to find 'em. Didn't
see 'em, nobody? Two steers, two emil
grant steers; ballface and a brindle.n
No one spoke. The man whose teeth
had been counting shut up shop for a sec
ond, and managed to get my eyes away
from him and off to the dusty old emigrapt
who was about backing down from the
scaffoid to the ground. Now the ySay that
he spoke told me that he was sort of
preacher, or exhorter at least. whispered
this to Hound.
Il say, chip in here All right, Shed
ehs" N'Ne''
All right, Tom; let 'em chip"
The ianl man let his hat fall down nv
the dog and his knees fell on the hat with
thump. Then Hound wanted to kneel
too, for he did not like his job, | can tell
you that, but his right hand was holding
on to the ynarly and twisted moose, and he
knew better than let go of it. So he looked
at Shed and he said:
You don't mind, Shed?"
II don't mind, Tom"
And so he put the moose around the
man neck and kindly looked and waited
second to see if it was all right.
Hurt ye. Sheds'
No, don't hurt; don't hurt now, Tom.
And then Tom went down on his knees.
and the boys bowed their heads and cried.
fou could hear them cry. Why, the very
old dog seemed to feel the atmosphere of
pity and the pathos of the scene.
But let us end this. The old emigrant
arose; his hat lay before him and Hound
stopped to pick it up.
Give US that hat" said a husky voice
below
Hound handed down the hat.
Bout done, Tom" whispered Shed.
Bout done, Shed, jist minute now"
answered Tom, as he raised up with the
hat, heavy from the collection. Shed saw
this and said:
Tom"
''Well, Shed?"
lend me dollar till, till''-
Why, Shed, herei III chip in for both,
seeP"
THANK yer, Tom. An now, Tom?"
well, Shed:"
Yell see me put away, eh?"
w by, there, See? That's the grave all
ready, Shed"
Thank yer, Tom, thank yer; an I'm all
ready"
Then such a crash and jerk The dog
sprang down to the ground and began to
howl, and the men fell back, fell back and
down, as il shot 10y grapeshot and canister
Around and around swung the huge and
heaving body, and then it suddenly stopped;
stopped right still, and with the face lifted
and the head a little sidewise, it looked
straight At Tom Hound and /; looked black
at US, you may say. but not unkindly, for
only two Or three seconds, yet it seemed
years, for no one had thought of the black
cap.
Then suddenly it began to twist and
whirl and wind the other way, and we two
tumbled back and down to the ground as
best we could, for fear that we might faint.
left found to finish his work alone,
and set out on n long, circuitous walk over
the hills to try and shake off the nightmare
OF this miserable day on my way home. /
sat down on u bowlder for half an hour
above the town, and on rising up and look
ing back, us one always will after a day
like this, only then / saw the huge and
old dog. / went home hastily,
but more than once the old dog bumped
his huge, bowed head against my heels.
The next morning l found him lying
close by my door, and be put out his nose
q little, licked his tongue out just the least
bit, as if be wanted TO say that his brave
old heart was broken, but he didn't whine
at all.
OF courss couldn't stand the dog at all,
and so | went to Hound. After some NUT
tering and sullen protests against my re-
quests thai he should take the dog to the
woman, he finally put tow string around
his huge neck and we together led him to
her cabin.
She came tearing out like a wild beast
a kettle OF hot water in one hand and
knife in the other, and oaths enough in her
mouth to sink ship.
You've hung an innocent man, she
as she hurled the boiling water
at Hound.
"Then who killed Berry," | shouted
back over my shoulder from safe dis
lance.
II killed him and I'll kill you, you
devilr' She was frenzied with rage, but
we were well out of her way.
Have to hang another one, Tom" said
finally after we had walked to his butcher
shop in silence.
He tied the dog back by his bunk and
patted his bowed old head for long time.
Then he came out and up to me and said
sharply, 'Not much"
"Well what will we do?"
what will we do? Keep our damn
mouths shut and do nothing That's what
we'll do. Didn't you know afore that
Shed was a-dyin for her? Well, | did, an
that's why / kinder took to Shed an tried
to make lis hangin easy like. He was
willin to lie for her, an he did die for her,
an that settles it,"
Hound had thrown these words off from
him rs from his shoulder with his big
sledge hammer right hand, and l simply
said, half 70 him and half to myself, as /
went back to my cabin, in a sort of echo.
THAT sett les it,"
And the next morning, before the break
of day, a big woman on big bell mule,