The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-05-04

find him. Stand aside and let me
see what sort Of a fowl y0've had
cooped in yere for two or three
weeks"
Click! Click sounded the hammer
Of her carbine, and as she brought
the muzzle on a line with the mans
heart she said:
There's the road! Yo' scatter! I'll
count twenty and then I'll shootl"
He backed away, m ttering and
cursing, and for the next three days
the cabin was in a state of siege. He
hung about determined to investi-
gate the re orts which had somehow
leaked out, but finding the woman
on her guard he finally went away to
report to the rebel authorities.
Thanksg wing Day came-cold, bleak
and a futter OF snowilakes in the air.
Little Jim had been slot Just three
weeks before, but such was the nurs-
ing that on this Gay he was helped
out Of bed and bolstered up in the
big rocking chair to eat Thanks
giving dinner. Tears came to his
eyes as he saw what e"orts the wo.
man had put forth and how meager
the results Mother. children, ana
soldier were gathered at the table
when there came a clatter Of hoofs
and a clanking Of swords, and a dozen
rebels galloped up to the door. At
their head was a Sc geant, who
pushed his way in and seized wife
aud children and kissed them lefore
he looked at the pale-faced man at
his table. He was followed by a Cor
poral, who was scarcely inside the
deer before the children cried out:
"uncle Daniel Uncle Daniel!
Our other Uncle Daniel has come
home"
The bushwhacker had made his
report to the nearest camp, and the
Sergeant had beer sert to bring the
prisoner In. He sat at the head of
The table and heard the story, and
when it was concluded he patted his
wife on the head and said:
"You did just right, Mary. When
a loyalist is up, he's our enemy; when
he's down we can't strike him. l
wish some one else had come, though.
My orders are to take him back, and
Pve got to do 1t or stand trial"
"l'll 90 with him, jim" protested
the woman. His wound has not
healed yet, and he's no more strength
than a baby"
", o%lunteers in sight, sir" reported
a man at the door.
"How Jar away!"
"About a mile"
THAT let's us out. Twelve Of us
can't fight no thousand volunteers.
Good bye. Mary. good bye, children!
Pm dog gone glad of t! Orders Is or
ders, but I'd a gone back to camp and
told 'em 1t wasn't in me to bust up a
dying mans Thanksgiving, no mat
ter whether he was a rebel or a 10y
alistl"
Five minutes later the highway
was full of volunteer cavalry, and
half a do en- officers were in the
house. This time it was Little Jim
who told the story, and when he had
finished every n put out his hand
to the woman and said "God bless
yON. AlOJ OoOh oAO hCl SCdAU away
In the am nulance, but on the plate
on which he had eaten his Thanks
giving dinner they left a due reward,
and many a soldiers haversack was
emptied that want might be put afar
OF. After the war, Little Jim rode
over that highway again to find the
cabin in ashes, but the soldier and
family alive and well. His money
built a new and better house. fenced
in the fields again, bought horses and
plows and seed and started the ex-
rebel on the road to prosperity.
Well, the Sergeant feels that he can
never repay the debt, and the fam
lily think there was never such an
other enemy in the world. and so
take it all around. it came out as
good as the ending of any story, and
hasn't been concluded y~et-Kings-
ton Press.