The Forrest City times., 1894-08-17

giving her a jerk by the arm that brought cry of pain from her and
 came almost getting me into the
 scrap. I kept still, however. and
 waited, and that night he grew so ugly that she called in one of her
 neighbors to serve as kind of protec- tion.
 ''The next day he was no better, but
 he went of and did not return until
 late. During the day she had chance
 to see me and at once recognized me. Whether she was glad or sorry don't ! know, but she broke down and had
 nervous fit of crying for half an hour,
 and l got away until she recovered. When l saw her again she was quite
 calm, and for two hours she talked to me of her terrible condition. He had
 been all things to her man should
 not be, and the community only par
 italy knew what she had to bear. He
 had beaten her and starved her and made her work like slave, and once
 or twice when she had tried to escape,
 he had brought her back and kept her in dark room on bread and water for
 month. There was no place for her
 to go in the neighborhood, and he
 never gave her a cent of money, so
 that she might have gone to some dis tant place. She was ashamed and
 afraid to appeal to the public for help
 and she was slowly being tortured to
 death. Fortunately she had never had l any children.
 We talked the matter over in all it's aspects and 1 asked her, if l could se- cure her escape. would she go with me to my home in the north, for l had
 married and settled down like sen sible man: and she agreed toit if it
 could be done without making her con-
 dition any worse. 1 then began de- vising ways and means of getting the ! poor woman out of this he'll on earth,
 and by night had my plans ready for trial. When Jackson came in that evening he was in better humor, hay ing won some money on horse race,
 and he was not quite so ugly drunk as he had been He was drunker, per- haps, but it was not such a mean drunk
 as before. After supper engaged him
 in talk, and along about nine o'clock proposed game of poker. It struck him just right, and we adjourned to a room upstairs with couple of law
 yers and judge who were stopping there over night, and the game began. 1 At first Jackson won right along, and
 as he won he drank, calling every now and then for his wife to bring him
 more liquor, and whenever she came | into the room and saw me the look | she gave me almost made me kick over | the table and fight the whole crowd. However. that was not my game, and | 1 let on to her and the rest of them | that was about as drunk as Jackson was; but l wasn't.
 "At midnight we had reached the
 climax The two lawyers and the
 judge had been raised out and Jackson hines, not bad hand as hands went in
 those days, and l had an idea that
 Jackson hadn't anything to beat it. l also had my wits about me and Jack son hadn't, and l had five thousand dollars in my pocket, which Jackson hadn't. l had been bluffing like the
 mischief all through the game and
 Jackson had caught me for a good lot on my recklessness, but all he had was on the table when the other three passed out. That is all the money he had, but he owned three good horses. It was a game without limit, as it
 often was in those days, and when put down two hundred he saw me to the extent of one horse. Then l went five hundred more and he went an- other horse; then l went another five hundred and he went the third horse.
 Of course the man was wild now with | liouor and the excitement of the game, and when l laid down a thousand. more he was dazen for 8 minute. Just then his wife came in, and with curse he ordered her out and was about to throw bottle at her. She
 hurried away with an appealing look at me, and Jackson sat stupidly gaz- ing at his hand and at the pile of money and contracts for horses on the table, and he was sure was bluffing. could see that, but he didn't like to ! take too much of a chance. Then all at once a new thought seemed to come to him and he looked squarely into my face.
 By the way. he said. you used to
 know my wife, didn't you?"
 Il nodded coolly. though somewhat
 rattled at this unexpected recognition.
 ".And you used to be in love with her. he went on.
 Again I nodded.
 "sYou wanted her once, he ventured
 slowly. and nodded again.
 By heavens. he exclaimed. I'll put
 her against what you have there. Is