Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-16
JACK AND HAIDEE.

out Mrs. Greylock from the cabin door,
as she held in her hand a letter we had
just brought in from the store where the
postofice was.
"All right, old woman, I'm a-comin
right along" came in the deep tones of
her husbands voice, as the old man
strobe in from the barn; whats the
row."
"It's letter from Haidee, an she's got
boy, an Jack wants it called after
you," said Mrs. Greylock, all in a breath
~Wa-al, / call that handsome in Jack
Furniss, blest eff l don't. An Haidee's
got baby-why, sho! Old woman, you
and is grandfathers. Hoop!" And the
old man fairly jumped off the ground in
his excitement.
After the letter had been read and re-
read by the delighted couple and COM
mented on during supper, Paul told us
the story of his daughters marriage as
we sat around the fire in the evening
ITO think of Haidee's havin a baby"
began the old man; "why, it don tseem
but yesterday when she was baby her
own self. You see, my old woman. there
had given me six boys, one arter another,
an nice fellers they was, too, if do say
it. They kept the cabin lively, tell
you, with their tricks an games an sich,
but sometimes used to think it 'ud be
kind of pleasant to have girl round.
didn't say nothin of the kind, but the
old woman knowed what were thinkin
about, an I guess that she were as glad
as be when Haidee were born
1.-THE way she got her name were kind
of curious, too, for, as far as I know,
none of the Greylocks nor the old wom-
ans folkses ever were called no such
name afore. Bout o month afore she
was born, we were livin here in Texas
an the country were pretty wild, an a
stranger came along an asked to stop all
night. Wa'al, in course we took him
in, an the old woman she gave him a
good supper. In the mornin he went
away, but he dropped outer his saddle
bags some leaves of book. dunno
what the book were, only it were writ
in poetry an it told how some Greaser
(Mexican) called Don Juan were wrecked
on an island, an how he come across
some girl named Haidee, an monstrous
likely girl she must have bin from the
story. 'Cordin as the book were writ,
she were the prettiest girl you ever see,
an my old woman's mind just got sot on
that girl, so when Haidee were born
nothin would suit her but namin the
child for the girl in the book
"We didn't have but two or three
leaves, an we didn't know nothin bout
the young woman afterwards, only jest
how she looked. | didn't have no 'jec-
tion to the name, an so cur baby were
called Haidee, an were baptized by
Methody circuit rider named Rawson.
I don't remember no great much bout
him 'cept he were terrible man to eat,
an he rode the poorest critter ever see.
Wa'al, Haidee growed up healthy an
strong, an she were just the life of the
house She were as pretty-wa'al, she
were as pretty as she could be; no girl
could be any prettier, an her mother
just thought the world of her.
to be seventeen, an the young fellers be-
gan to come round the cabin good deal.
/ never 'spicioned what they come for
more'n a mule 'spicions what kind of
work he's goin to do when you're breakin
him, an used to think they come to
hear me tell stories. The old woman
was sharper than me, but she never let
on; an thar 1 sot an told them boys
stories, an didn't know no more what
were goin on than coyote do bout poll
tics. Thar were one feller in partic'ler,
Jack Furniss by name, who used to
come bout three times week. He
were fine, manly sort of chap, a good
frontiersman, a good fighter, tho he
weren't very old, an liked him. Fact,
I liked him SO much that always asked
him to come again when he'd get up to
go. Jack were always maxim me pres
ents; he gin me that revolver over thar,
an he was everlastinly bringin wild tur-.
keys or venison or bar meat to the old
woman.
81 used to wonder sometimes what on
earth he done it for, but then l didn't
have as much sense as moccasin snake
in them days. One day Jack an me were
standin out by the corral an he seemed
nervous like, an asked him what were
the matter, when he up an told me he
wanted to marry Haidee. Boys, I'd
ruther darn sight he'd knock me down
with maui; never had no such turn
in my life. He went ON with long
string bout how he loved her an how
he'd work for her an dunno what else;
but didn't hear him. were thinkin of
Haidee. Last broke out, you must be
q fool'-an l guess swore some-'to
think of marrying that child 'Child?'
says he; she's seventeen
'sWaal, I couldn't say sho weren't,
you know, an that made me madder
than ever. do you spose, Jack Furniss,
says |, that I'm a-goin to let my little
girl-my Haidee ee-marry any such fell
low as you beY Waal, he stood thar,
an he said as how he knowed he weren't
good enough for her, an all that, but
that he loved her more'n he did his life,
an he hoped I'd let him have her. His,
life? He didn't seem to think he were,
askin for my life when he asked for
Haidee. Finally, he says somethin bout
Haidees carin for him. an with that ]
stepped up to him an swore I'd shoot
shim like redskin If ever | see nim
again. So he went away.