Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-08-28
A POINT OF HONOR.

There was a commotion in Scratch
 Gravel, Wy, on the morning of June g, lS15. Jack Langworthy, a local celebrity, had killed a tenderfoot from Pennsylvania, and there was naturally some curiosity, if not to say excitement, over the affair. The circumstances of the case were about like this: Jack and the Pennsylvanian were having a little game of cards, when the former noticed a slight deception on the part of his ad- vcrsary in the way of dealing himself from one to four cards too many and concealing them in his coat sleeve.
 'Sich proceedings arg entirely foreign to the customs of this Yer camp" finally remarked Langworthv, and at the same time sent a pistol shot into the tender foots" head. The ball passed diagonally through the head from the base of the left ear, and ranging downward madea a final entrance into the side of whisky barrel which stood in one corner of the room.
 You'll lose some of yer whisky if you don't regulate the hole I've just made in that ere barrel" quietly remarked Jack to the proprietor of the place, adding parenthetically, and it's good liquor tOo."
 As for the '.tcndcrfoot"- he was dead
 The rude law of Scratch Gravel took cognizance of this fact and also of the manner of his death, and Jack was ar rested. \ few weeks later he was ar raiEnel for the murder and pleaded guilty. The judge sentenced him to be hanged. Then Jack made speech Among other things he said:
 Il killed the man, know, and perhaps it's fair enough that l should die too. Leastwise 1 don't set up my judgment agin that If the court. The laws of Scratch Gravel should be enforced, but just now I'm sort Q sorry the enforce ment is necessary. The deal is hard one, and the worst of it all is that the roughness is not aEin me alone-oh. no. not aSin me, but Sally and the twins don't care for myself-juSt as soon go Us not-hut when think of the twins l think-l think, by mighty! I'll have to fell you l cant stand it. You See, the twins are boys-both boys-and they are a rattlin pair an no mistake I alters reckOned on the twins mounting to something in the world, but if their fa- ther is to be hanged-that settles it. What would the twins ever amount to then: Now, if I could go some other way, it wouldn't look so bad-the twins might pull through-but to be strung up like q common thief, it would be weight on them ere twins that 'ud keep 'em down forever. So you see it ain't for myself that 1 care-not fer me and not fer Sally SD much, either. although I do kinder like the old gal-but the twins. Well. it breaks me all up to think of leaving 'en, it does for certain fact JedEr. when will the performance take placc:'
 The unfortunate man was informed that the 10th of July was the date fixed for his execution. and that he should make preparations to be on hand at that time punctuAlly so as not to delay the proceedings.
 ''Nuu see. Jack. said tho judge famil- iarly. we ain't s,oin to be mean enough to lock you up, not yuu-it wouldn't be right-nut with an honorable man like vou. IL ain't fer any dislike fer you or bad feeling that we're going to hang you. Jack, but its the law. you know. the
 N. S" you'll make 1t point of honor, ,Ick, tu be on hand when the time comes"
 For the next week Jack staid about home pretty much all the time. Occa- ~i"ually some uf his friends would drop i'll |" a~k about his health and the health # the twins. The slightest mention of the latter wnulI st his tongue in mo- lion. and somehow he seemed to think thrr, were u"uthyr children in the world worth talking about.
 "ThcNll pull way ahead of their old dad in few wears. he mad often said Maybe one of 'rln i'll be an auctionccr or q bank president, and the other a steamboat captain-who knows: Them boys are smart"
 It was the month of June. Wonder fully bright the sun shonc, wonderfully sweet the birds sung, wonderfully gray and bare and cold were the distant mountains. It seemed to Jack that all creation was smiling over his misfortune and mockins him for coward who was afraid to die.
 One evening. just week prior to the date fixed for his execution, he seated himself on n bowldtr near his cabin door and took the twins in his arms. They were little fellows and climbed all over him. One of them got his little brown arm around the patcrnal neck and pulled the grizzly hair and beard with his chub- by fingers. Then looking into the up- turned face he said sorrowfully:
 There's waSser in your eyes, dad. What'yr natter
 Jack put the child down rather rough ly, and remarking as he brushed his eyes that the bugs war mighty trouble some that evening" he walked into the house.
 The 10th of July arrived. In the morning. quite early, Bill Drake. an old time friend of Jacks, came to see him.
 Seems like thar ought to be some way to get out of this,' remarked Bill.
 "Td just as soon go," said Jack, half apOlogetically, ''ef it wasn't fer the twins. You see, I've sort O banked on them twins fer long while. 1 reckon