The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-28

fascinating Maidie with his city ways
Maidie was not like other mountain
girls, buxom and strong and coarse fea-
tured, Dolph knew. She wasa tender lit
tie thing, dreamer, woman Of refine
ment. of feeling and lofty ambition.
Big Dolph had been very tender with
her, for he loved her as only his big,
strong, simple heart, honest after a
sort, could love. And Haggard might
win her heart He clinched his teeth
passionatelys his grip on his rife tight
ened.
So intensely was he absorbed in his
thoughts that he did not hear the foot
steps behind him. A young man crept
rapidly toward him, holding revolver
in his hand. The man touched him on
the arm. put the pistol in his face and.
in the quietest possible manner, said:
"Dolph, give me your gun"
Like tiger walked from its sleep.
the young moonshiner sprang aroun d
and faced the officer. The pistol was
still in his face.
''Haggard!" he screamed, his voice
hoarse and unnatural. He handed tie
rifle to him without word.
81 am ready to go" he said, sullenly.
Back, along the winding mountain
path, Dolph walked in front of Hag-
gard to the Dexter home. There an
| other officer had old John Dexter and
his son under arrest. Ma Idle was soft
~ weeping Her invalid mother had
reeled to the door, in the excitement of
the moment, and ther, sat speeches.
and helpless
The men got each q bundle of
clothes, and started off for the prison
at Atlanta. Just as they were leaving,
Maidie. fearful and heartbroken, put
her little hand on Haggard's arm in a
pleading fashion.
Promise me-" she said. ''that you
will treat 'em square"
Before Haggard could make response
Big Dolph had jumped toward them
and torn Maidic's hand loose from his
arm. His face was black as thunder.
''Dolph!" she demonstrated, and
then, in confident tone, said: 'Iknow
Mr.. Haggard will do you 'uns right"
Too enraged to look at her or to
speak DOlph walked off without SO
much as telling her good-by. She
stood by the doorway and watched them
out of sight Her little hands were
clinched tightly, her heart beating
mad.y. When dusk settled down over
the little log-built home, and wrapped
the mountains IN an awful, dreadful
silence, Maidie was still sitting on the
doorstep, weepin e softly to herself
IL
Of course, Dolph and the two Dex-
ters were convicted. The sentence Of
the court was nine months in the At
lanta Jail for each They murmured a
little at f rst, but after that they set
tied down to that philosophical resig-
nation to the inevitable which is easier
to mountain moonshiner than any
other class Of the human family.
For a few days Dolph was sullen
and downcast His fierce moods were
sure guarantees of his being left in
peace. When boy, he had been nick
named Big Dolph on account of his
superior strength, and the revenue
prisoners were quick to recognize his
physical superiority. After a few
weeks he became jovial and compan-
iOnable, and was the center of many a
group of prisoners listening to his
stories.
His thoughts wore with Maidie, but
he tried hard as he could to Danish the
worry from his mind. For long time
no letter came, but correspondence is
not practiced art among the more re-
mote mountain classes, and this did
not indicate any change of feeling on |
his sweetheart's part But the words |
spoken at their last parting, Maidie's
appeal to his hated foe, and the dis
tracing thought that Haggard might
then be with her, at times almost drove
him wild.
In the quiet days in prison, malice
and venom gathered force in his heart,
and desperate resolve secured firm
hold there. In his dreams Haggard's
calm face would swim before him He
dreamed on, because the best of the
dream was yet to come, and, before
the sleeping fancy was en- ed. he stood
smiling into the bloody,
dead face of his foe.
The first news from Maidie came
about three months after Big Dolph
went to Jail 1t was brought by a
young mountaineer who lived near
Maidie was sick with fever.
and had been for nearly two weeks
He couldn't tell whether she was
dangerous or not. But he called Dolph
aside AID whispered:
"Haggard's thar a-nussin' of her.
He's pow full keerful an tender like to
her. an she pears to take to him nice.
~"
Dolph did not trust himself to speak.
he asked no questions. He understood
t all. To shed Haggard's hearts blood
vas worth his living. He told no more
stories that day. An importunate COM
oanion who spoke to him was knocked
Town. After that no one approached
lIn. He walked about the yard like a
nan in a dream. As he walked his
yes scanned closely the wall that in
,losed the prison yard He stopped
md seemed to be calculating something
n his mind Late that afternoon,
carefully to see that no one
aw him, Big Dolph crawled under the
Prison and hid himself.
AT the usual hour that night the
prisoners were locked in and his alb
ence was not discovered.
The night dragged its weary length
With a maddening slowness. To the
ensely dark spot where Big Dolph lay
here came. at what seemed weekly in
ervals, the sound of the city clock
triking the hour. At twelve o'clock he
card the footsteps Of the guard pass
n his rounds. When the footsteps died
na1yah 1ol