Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-11-10

they had concluded that her request
was very natural, and, under the
circumstances, a very proper one, and
that with the prisoners consent they
would comply with 1t, but as he had
already been tried and found guilty
once they thought 1t hardly fair to
him to try him again without his
consent.
Velvet arose, the eyes of the throng
upon him. He was a tall. slight,
graceful fellow, with a sWagger about
him that insensiblY attracted men
and women alike, and with a smile
that showed his white teeth under his
black mustache, remarked that he
was always delighted TO please lady,
but that under the circumstance he
could not see anything to be gained
by it.
He had. in fact pleaded guilty in
the first place, and all that remained
for the Judge was to pass sentence,
but as they had insisted upon trying
him once to please themselves, they
might as well try him again to please
the lady.
There was murmer of approval at
this sentiment from the audien G,
which was sternly checked by the
court. The widow had been dipping
snuff and eying Velvet during his
and the COURTS remarks and seemed
to have made up her mind to some
thing she had en- considering, for
she suddenly closed her snuff box with
a click, rose from her chair, and
turning to the court said:
'Jedge, I'm the person what's bin
most hurt in this yer scrap Pm lef
a lone woman with nary man ter
provide for me, an I've been er
thinkin' ther best way out O. this yer
biznis is fer this man what kilt my
man ter git me er new one"
She stopped amid a death-like
silence. Velvet was the only man
that preserved his customary I'M
ruffled compOsure. Every other face
wore an expression of Mortified as
constituent for moment and then a
yell of delight went up from the
crowd.
The cool effrontery Of the woman
had caught their senses of the fitness
of things Here in a country where
woman most needed a mans pro-
tie ctiOn her man had Teen taken from
her. WHAT more Just than that the
man who had caused his taking off
should replace him. The racket sub
siding. the court gravely arose and
said:
''Prisner at the bar, yer hey bin
tried u foun' guilty of murder Hev
Ye- anythin' ter say why ther SEN
tence in thish yer cote should not be
past 'pon yer?"
Velvet shook his head smilingly
and the court continued:
''Ther sentence in Their cote is,
tnet yer shall marry this yer woman
yer up right now"
At this there was yell that fairly
shook the roof, and the audience
rushed inside the bar to shake hands
with the prospective bride and groom,
and offer congratulations; but the
bride had something else to say first.
"Jedge," she shr1lled, '1've bin
tell'd tibet Mud wind consid BILE ct
gamblin' last night N | want Their
money"
The coin and dust had been i'm
pounded by the court, and he re-
luctantly turned it over to the
widow
After looking it over she slowed it
away in a vOluminous pocket and an
nounced her readiness for the cere-
mony. The counsel for the prosecu-
tion and defense acted as groomsmen
and the foremen Of the jury gave
away the bride.
Surely such another wedding was
never seen. The festivities lasted
until Fiddlers was completely ex-
hausted; and when a couple of days
later the Flat recovered from it's
carouse, Velvet and his wife had dis
appeared.
few days later a tall, swagger-
ing, black mustached man, accom-
panied by a woman dressed in rusty
black with an immense sunbonnet
covering ner head and face, stood on
the deck of a Panama steamer max
ing it's way down San Francisco Bay
towards the gate.
They were at the rail, gazing at
the fast-receding city. Suddenly the
man snatched the sunbonnet from
the woman's head and whirled iG
overheard, and as it foated astern,
said:
''Good- bye to the Widow Mud, and
now, old girl, we can be comfortable
again. The old bonnet served its
turn, and it served it well, but
can't look down two miles of stove
pipe every time | want to see your
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