Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-12-08
CHAPTER II.


AS he emerged from his cabin in the
morning, with light and aching head,
and began to make his toilet, he was
startled by an apparition of the young
man with gun. Jack rubbed his ewes
and saw that it was no apparitiOn at all,
but the man in his real person, with a
very real gun. Jack had a gun of his
own and knew how to use it, so he hur-
ried into the cabin, slipped a cartridge
into his. rifle, and then peered cautiously
through one of his little windows. The
man was still there, but he did not seem
in haste to proceed to bloody work, for
he had leaned his gun against a tree
and seated himself on a stump. Jack
placed his own gun within the door yet
where he could reach it quickly if neces-
sary; then he ventured outside again.
The man with the gun raised his head,
saw Jack and shouted:
%Hellol"
Hello yourself, Jack replied; then
he thought it safe to say: Won't you
come aboard?"
Don't care If do"
Jack pushed out a plank, and the
visitor. leaving his gun behind, saun-
tered aboard with his hands in his
pockets and looked carelessly about
him. He seemed to approve Of what he
saw, for he soon remarked:
Mighty pooty bizness, this Of yourn.
Old man Mazzitt was tellin me bout 1t
after he came back last night, an I
flowed I'd take a look at it if you
didn't mind.
Evidently, then, the man with the gun
was so close a friend of the family that
he had spent the night with them. The
idea of so uncouth a fellow being even
under the same roof with that girl and
treated as her equal Jack wanted to
=. IL
bottom with a push-pole, but he re-
strained himself and explained the bee
boat business to him If the fellow
was to marry Lizzie perhaps the girls
life would be more endurable if her
husband was to go into some business
which would enable his wife to see
what little of the world lay along the
banks of the big river. 1t wasn't an
| impossible scheme. The business did
not require much capital TO start it,
and, to tell the truth, there was not
much more work about it than in carry
ing a gun and skulking about in the
woods. So Jack enlarged little upon
what he had already said about bee
boating, and the fellow seemed to IN
derstand it, for he asked an intelligent
question or two. Then he leaned
against the sunny side of the cabin,
looked Jack full in the eye, and startled
the owner of the boat by remarking:
You pear to be pooty decent kind
of Teller.
Thank you" said Jack, though I
don't see how you've made up your
mind on so slight acquaintance.
-Oh, well, said the hunter, we have
to learn in this country tostake a mans
measure poOty quick. There's all sorts
come along, some by land and some by
water. an there's no time to look up
somebody that knows 'em and ask ques-
tons about EN-. If Ididn't think more n
usual well of you, I wouldn't have come
down here this morning to say some
thin TO you-somethin' strictly tween
man an man"
What e-something-is the fellow
up tor" Jack asked himself.
It's about her, said the native, nod
ding his head in the direction of Lizzie s
residence
Don't worry about me. said Jack
promptly and quite loftly. Il never
attempted to take a girl away from an
other fellow.
There lots that she'll be taken away
from, by whoever gets her. was the re-
ply. 7 'llow you amt married? Well
her heads full of you"
-Nonsensel" exclaimed Jack, with {
frown which he could scarcely keeI
from becoming a smile. She never
saw me until last night.
That don't make no difference" sale
the visitor. Il know the signs in gals
She couldn't talk about nothin' else al