The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-06-10

a greaser il do anything for money
except work-aud | suppose she gave
him some money or ne stole it; fol
when l came home from the upper
range one night heard yelling in
the house He was drunk and She
like woman, was making it worse
by hanging around him. begging and
imploring him 10 come and lie down.
las l run in he raised chair tc
strike her. She never moved to gel
out of his way; Just sort OF punched
up and shivered.
Il had my gun on me, and l shot
him."
He turned to me fercely az if
had made suggestion or an accus-
alton.
Il didn't aim for his arm to keep
him from hittin' her with the chair; ]
aimed to kill him, and did l killed
him, and | married her.
His chin sank after this outburst
into the great swell OF his voluminous
beard and his big voice, that seemed
10 be made of hailing ships at sea or
roaring signals in a storm, sank to q
husky murmur.
Poor soul! poor soull She had no.
whore else to go and no ono else to
look to, and she married me when
begged her to- but she never knew
another happy day. She pinned for
him. l planted him in slightly spot
under big live-oak, aud she used to
go there and put flower things on him
and cry, She used to go when she
thought l was away; but | knew OF
it and manys the time I've wished it
was me down there to be sorrowed
over.
Il expect about this time want
nice man to be about | used to
feel like killing something mostly;
and if ever did anything to earn the
name of Bad John Adam, as I'm
known, 1t was then / didn't care
what Ibid. We never saw any pleas
ure together. l knew she pinned for
him. and kept his picture by her. but
we lived together twelve years; then
she took the fever in the spring and
died.
The day she died she talked to me
a good deal about how kind I'd been,
and how she wished she could a-made
me happier. But in the evening she
went to sleep and woke up q little
Eighty, and thought we was all boys
and girls at school again.
'All at once she sat up in bed and
laughed. and her face looked like a
little girls I'm going to him, she
said"
He looked at me with curious,
ghastly darkness. I'm a-going TO
him, )" he repeated and again in a
husky whisper I'm a-going to him. -"
He threw out his hand in gesture
OF intolerable anguish. He robbed
me living and he robbed me dead.
She never spoke again.
Presently he looked up. you've
heard about the girl? You might
have thought she'd be comfort to
me. l did everything for her a man
could do She had saddle horse
that could outrun anything in Texas
saddle had made for her in San
Antone-cost $150-a herd and n
brand OF her own. / didn't want anv
one to wait on her nor look at her but
me; and, seeing the time her motheTd
had l didn't want her to marry.
Everything went lovely for awhile
and saw the most peace and pleasure
l ever saw in my life-which amt
saying much-when she came to me
and said she was going to marry a
low-down, sneaking chump that I
never thought enough of to keep out
of her way.
She wasn't like her mother. I
couldn't do a thing with her; when
she said thing she meant it; so I
tried drawing him off; and when I
found him sneaking back TO steal her
| shot him.
They tried me for that; never
will forget the men that had it done.
l'll even up the score with every one
Of them before die.
She's gone back to Missouri TO her
mothers kinfoks. She thinks Pm
too wicked to live and not fit to die,
and she writes to me trying to get me
TO repent-but I know whether Tve
got anything to repent Of l send her
Mindful OF the moral aspect of the
case, tried little preach on nv own
Not an orthodox one, per-
maps, but said that his neighbors
we're pleasant kindly people and
hat if he lived on better terms with
hem he might find it 80 and be hap.
pier.
$ He took it as matter of course, and
somewhat humorously. 'Of course
you'd say all that; women folks always
10. But you've got pretty good
ense you're considerable OF a man
I'm willing to own that
IN pretty hard man, but I've had
lard luck. / know these people and
,ou don't; there's nothing they won't
ry to work a man for if he'll cotton
o it I've lived fighting for my rights,
md reckon that's the way I'll die.
But you'll send me the picture
ure won't you? I'll take any
mount Of preachin' if you'll promise
hat You see l always think Of
Hattie as little girl leave out all
he time out here and think of her as
he was atyour age and younger.
The fine, fierce Bedouin-like face