Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-07-12
THE MooNsHINER's WIFE.
ue.riism Had betrayed I,rub and
IN" so She shot Him Dead.

4nnen the door, Bushl ! have five
non with me, and it's no use for you
- resist II we have to fire into the
.s;ndows some of your family will be
IN come out. What ails yo' all.
anyway
Its for moonshining, Bush.'
Huh! I'm not skeart of that. Yo'
N would a-showed more sense to come
h. daylight. Reub Bush han't been
s.bidin' from nobody
deputy United States marshal and
rosse on the one side and the owner OF
twenty acre farm on the other.
There's still hidden away in some
corce of the mountain, bnt the mar
sbais men have spent days and days in
vain search. Some one has given in
formation that Reub Bush is a moon
sinner however, and he is to be car
red off to Jail in hope that a case may
be worked up against him. In ten
minutes the mountaineer is ready to
90 with the posse. He betrays neither
INDIGNATION nor surprise. His wife has
few questions to ask and no tears to
shed. His three children have been
aroused from sleep, but they rub their
ewes and stare blankly ut the officers
and utter no word.
who all did it, Reubs" queries the
wife il whisper.
Dan Meachem, ! reckon" he re-
plies. Him Went to town today on
his mewl. Him's jest that onery.
They handcuff him and hurry him
away. The children drop back on their
pillows aud fall asleep again and the
Woman blows out the candle and seeks
her bed Dan Meachem is constable
al The crossroads hamlet, three miles
away. The woman could recall two
Of three other cases in which he was
believed to be guilty of giving infor-
nation, and as her heart hardened she
said aloud:
III they all let Reub 60 it will be all
right but If they put him in prison
Dan Meachem shall die"
There was no more thinking, or
wondering. OF planning. She had said
she would do thus and so. Her reso-
luton was Interchangeable. She hoped
her husband would return that day,
but he did not. DAYS passed, and at
the end of a week a nei9 Dor told her
that the government had case against
Reub and would hold him for trial.
She did not fling herself down and
weep. her eyes were not even moist
as she turned to her children and said:
Children, yo'r pops gwine ter be
shet up in Jail fur right smart while.
and it's no use TO look fur him."
What's jail?' asked one in Il dreamy
way.
Place fur pore folks who Try 10
make 4 livin'. Scatter off 10 bed now,
cause yo'r nam wants To think"
She sal in front Of he Jog lte with
her elbow on her knee and her chin on
her hand until they were fast asleep.
Then she rose and reached down the
long barreled rifle from its resting
place on the deer horns. 1t was loaded.
She drew the charge, wiped the barrel
Clean, aud reloaded Her face had
worn an expression Of sadness as she
sat looking into the fire. She had no
sooner taken down the rifle than a
dangerous CLEAN came to her eyes, and
she shut her teeth SO hard that her
breathing was labored.
They all ar gwine to hang to
Retb, She said as she replaced the
gun. "and tomorrer III ambush Dan
| Meachem."
That settled it. She was abed and
asleep twenty minutes later, IN the
morning she would shoot the man who
BETRAYED her HUSBAND to the officers
Why not? An eye for an eye had al
ways been her maxim. OF course she
would shoot him. He no doubt expect
ed her TO do so. She never slept more
soundly than on this night. After
breakfast next morning she said to the
chdren
Mans gwine to the crossroads.
70 all kin keep the cabin while I'm
gone"
Dan Meachem was hoeing corn in Il
held half mile from his house. At 10
O'clock, as lie reached the west end of 4
row and leaned on his hoe TO rest for
moment, a tongue Of flame darted out
q The bushes, rifle cracked, and the
man fell back dead, shot through the
heart.
Il said | would, and ! hey," whisper
60 Reub Bush's wife as she stood up
and looked over the hazel bushes ut
the man lying on his back three rods
away Dan was onery. Him give
haub up. Him deserved it."
Atnoon she was home with her chill
qrel, They were not observing chill
aIen, 3r they would have noticed her
paIe fare and compressed lips. She
nay Work to do, but she laid it aside
ana sat down on the doorstep with her
pipe She had shot man She was
waiting for men to come and arrest
ler Tor the crime. She had been seen
" the highway with the rifle on her
shoulder. and no doubt she would at
oace be suspected. Very well, let them
An hour before sunset an officer
drove up.
l9wdy, Mrs. BushP"
1owdy, Tom?'
" yet lo 50 with me fur shootin' Dave
Aeaelem. \
"Yaas.s
NE put on her sunbonnet. reiilled
nv '4 lighted her pipe, and was ready
,ie children betrayed no curiosity
'eg3 M questions. As she followed
9leer out to the wagon she said: