Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1892-12-14

or about CWeQCy-SlA, uduuSOIue duu
straight rs a pine. He wore a semi
Indian suit of fancifully fringed leather,
and his light curly hair reached to his
massive shoulders from under his wide
sombrero.
He rode up to the wagon and halted
before Adam.
"Good evening, stranger!" he greeted
the mover.
"Good evenin' ,sir!" returned the hunch-
back, looking admiringly at the stran-
gers fine pony and tasteful equipments.
"What pint air yer aimin' fur, stran-
gerr' asked the horseman, his blue eyes
following the movements Of Nancy as
she busted herself with the cooking over
the little camp fire, just beyond the spot
where he had reined in. He could not
help thinking what pleasant picture
the girl made in her dark calico dress
and large checked apron, while the aroma
of the coffee and frying bacon which rose
on the prairie air was very alluring, in
deed, to vigorous, hungry man.
II be aimin' fur Cherokee county,"
answered Hamlet.
eyer don't sayw
Eyes; I've swapped fur claim down
ther."
"Wherbouts?
"On stream thet's called Deer creek"
"Well, I'm glad O. that. live nigh
Deer creek myself"
"Thet so?" and Hamlet regarded his
future neighbor with fresh interest.
"Yes, have cattle ranch near the
Neosho river, bout five miles southwest
O. Deer creek. Wher yer from, stranger"
From nlinoy."
81 understood yer ter say as yer'd
swapped fur somebody's claim down
ther. Who did yer swap withT
"Ik Pender."
"Great Scottl Has TX left ther country
fur good an swapped off his claim?"
eyes, there's no doubt about it, sir,
fur we made fair an squar' trade, as
my darter Nancy thar can testify"
II amt a-doubtin' yer word, stranger,
at all. Only TX had a mighty val'able
piece O. sile on Deer creek, and it didn't
never seem as eff he keered to part with
it."
"Waal, yer see Pender come back to
his folks purity homesick, an hearin' Of
my wantin' to 60 out to Kansas, he jest
up an offered to make q swap Of his
claim for some stock had. So the land,
yer say, is valable?'
Eyes, TX Pender's claim is the best on
Deer creek. But yer hev no writin's to
prove the claims yers, hev yerT'
"Nothin' only TX Penders own writin'
to say ther swap is genywine. He said
he hadn't never contracted fer the
claim"
sNo, fur reckon TX. like some other
chaps I know, wasn't keerin' to hev the
land leaguers git up necktie social fur
his special benefit"
"The land leaguers? What's them?"
ether settlers who contend thet con-
gress has no right to sell the lands ter
some ole nonopolist, but thet they hev
plumb right to pre-empt any homestead,
an pay little fee ter our government
for their places, 'ste'd O a big pile to
some individual who has bought the
privilege of disposing of what's called
the neutral lands"
81 never heerd nothin' o these leaguers
before"
"Well, they've been a-threatenin' fur
some spell what they'd do ef congress
done that way with the lands, an hev
been stirred up considerable. But it's
just lately thet they're calm meetin's
at the settlers cabins and organizin'
leagues. Thars q heap of excitement
out hyer, stranger, over these neutral
lands"
II reckon they won't trouble me-"
"Ef they do, Tom Byers will see yer
safe through. I'm not a Lacquer nur
anti-leaguer; jest reserve ther right to
act as I please, as any free American
citizen ought to do"
"Thet's me, too, Mr.. Byers. But won't
yer lite, give yer beast rest, an take
supper with us?"
"Thank yer, don't keer if do," and
he threw himself from the saddle and be-
gan preparations to lariat his pony. I'm
goin' to ride on ter Fort Scott tonight,
fur I've got ter be thar on important busi-
ness in the morning, but reckon Pop
corn an me kin travel all ther faster at
ter little rest hyer along with you uns.
But what's yer name, stranger"
xHamlet-Adam Hamlet. Hyer, Nam
cy, this gentleman is Mr.. Byers, who
lives near Deer creek, wher we air bound
fur, an he's goin' ter stay fur supper"
To Tom Byers it was the most delight
full supper he had eaten since he had LETT
his mother and sisters back in Kentucky.
There was vast and an agreeable diff
ference to him in slowing away food
which a pretty girl had prepared from
having to fare morning, noon and night
on hard, tough biscuits and meat burnt
to scrap.
Tom gave the newcomers much inter-
esting information about the country
and settlers where they expected to es-
tablish their home He nearly forgot
his business to Fort Scott rs he sat on
a log in the little woodland, answering
the fair Nancy's questions. But when
the moon rose and began to shed her
silvery luster over the prairies, he mount
ed Popcorn and rode reluctantly away
from the little camp fire where some
witchery had seemed to enchain him.
Quiet brooded over the camp of the
tired travellers, and they soon slept
soundly. But Tom Byers pursued his
lonely journey, the music of new,
sweet voice ringing in his heart, while
a pair of wondrous hazel eyes smiled ut
him from every moonbeam that darted
across his path.
Bright and early the next morning
Hamlet and his daughter resumed their
journey southwark.
The man seemed inclined to bestoW
much praise on their acquaintance of the
preceding night, but Nancy was entirely
non-commital regarding the opinion
which she had formed of the young
ranchman.
When they reached the Cherokee
county line they left the military road
which led to Baxter Springs, and took IL
IOuSu WdSOIl Ulhll Illbo LiSLu50S>A eSAOe''
the prairie in southwesterly direction
toward the Neosho river.
At four o'clock that evening they halt
ed before log cabin, where Joe Dugan,
primitive Kansan, having settled there
in 1857, kept country postoftice, to
which the mail was carried once a week
from Baxter Springs, nearly twenty miles
distant.
Adam Hamletpresented his note of in
PRODUCTION from TX Pender, and Joe
Dugan and his wife came out to the
wagon and talked in q most friendly
manner for more than an hour.
When the travellers were ready to start
on, they having declined the Dugans
pressing invitation to stay overnight at
their cabin, the old borderman said:
"Well, seein' yer won't stay with US,