Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-10-07

@Bud. you don't come to see Us as often
as yoa used TO.
''Yes-no. nom
you mlght-Nrite. =.
she loked at him quickly as though y
80 uurelv impromptu suggestion as /
,b.pvh he idea Of writing never occurred 70 !
49, Tntu she had tw0-thirds hnisheq thAt
Irna~sut sentence OF three words. Man3
bashni lover has found happiness
v-iting that he dared not spvak- buu
revsr could remember exactly what ne
- IN reply but only knew afterward
that L, was something silly about h1t
Vritirr 20 anybody cause ne wrote AueH
a ulser'ble 20 HAND
psttv regarded him calmly and crltlca..s,
and haIi-sighsd. adding in tone oil quie'
certainty. rh,s.
what you are. Those roses are ioF me-
kftsW. s,ye them here. Don't Just 80 on
and leave them on the table. Ihank you.
New run along home. ,.
He Vas halfway home before bis thoughts
reverted 10 that suggestion ABOUT WH-hB,
and then 4 gllmmsring Of the truth uA"ueu
uuou bis mind. He stopped the horses, a
lnstinctively one might who suddenly re-
membeTed having lost SOMETHING. ana theh
drlye on slowly as one might upon con
gliding that what Vas lost could not De
found By going back 1t was a lost oppof-
tunity.
ing the hickory whip in ais hand. u wonder
II she would believe now many times / have
written. 1 cat AlO' letters In my trunk now
an Carter had oats
An written to Betty. he meant, and never
4 one OF them sent 10 her, There were, 10
fact, several dozens OF Them. One m.slt
have wondered in reading them. that 50
bashfu a man could even think in sueh
cayall irly, audAcious manner. He had re-
paatedly addressed ner, Betty, as his an
eel" and his darling and had again anu
again asked her to be his vile. Many an
hour he mad spent In the solitude Of his room
pennlng those letters, half intending 10 sehd
some and fully intending 70 SEND otneTa!
That night ne decided TO write one more
letter. lie wrote boldly and earnestly
moro 30 than usual, tie told betty now
long and how truly be had loved her. lie
| told her that II she would become MS VIE
| he would try all his life to make her HAPPY,
| and that II she wouldn't be would never
| mary any one; that he wouldn't, because
| he could not, think hard OF her for refus-
ing him, but would, no matter what nap
pened. love her until the day OF bis death.
Bud wrote and rewrote until past mid
night before the letter was got In satisfactory
I shape He burned a score or more Of blot
ted sheets. He put his dictionary ba-E on
| the maniel. Then be carefully folded the
] letter and put it In an envelope, when ne
| dlrec,ei to Miss Elizabeth Pltlman. shiloh.
| Fayette County, GeorEia.' He next put 4
] stamp upon the envelope and finally, to be
l certain about 1t. for IL was rather bulky
l letter. he put on a second stamp
I'm give 1t to Valentine In the morning..
/ be sald He will carry 1t on 10 town an
/ itll reach her before dinner time
Sure enough. when old Valentine drove
/ up about sunrise Bud Strickland was at
| the roadside waiting for him.
"Mornn'." piped the mail carrier, cheer
| lily Fine day we Il have"
] "Yes-yes."
"Whoai" refining up "whoal Amt no
trouble, Is they Bud! Amt nobody sick
] about the placer"
NO. We're all we'll"
amt no fences burned up"
No. Eyerythings all right"
Then it's hippCs, Bud"
NO; shucks!"
ITS hippos. young man. You're sick er
In love. an l don't think it's sickness.
Well. got AIRY message fer me TO carry.
Blame ei l don't stop By an tell the Wild
der Pittman you need sump'n fer hippos,
Bud. Blame ef I don't So long"
The old man drove On, laughing, Bud
stood there still and mute with the fateiul
letter in his pocket,
I'm er fool" he said. dlsgustedly. I'm
jea give 1t up. can pillow an hoe. l rec
kon. an I'll stick to that, What er fool,
what er fool, what er fool am
He told his mother at breakfast that he
was going to spend the day at the Banks
place, a part Of the plantation let TO q
white tenant Of that name.
Things need lookin' after down there
he said. The st0ck-gaps an the watei
gates need Akin an there ought ter be
ditch dug in that bottom field er corn
I'm ies itchin'. anyhow. ter get Banks tel
do one hard days work"
Bud" said his mother. you're not look
In well. You need something"
"A good old kiss" he laughed, holding
her face up between his hands. She pul
her hands, one on each Of his shoulders
and kissed him goodby. Then she stood IL
the doorway and watched him drive on
He's whiEtlin jes fer me ter hear" sale
the good woman. AN not. ef I'm right
because he feels like whistlin'."
Bud reached the Banks place Just al
Banks himself was leaving for the field
They decided to begin at once on the ditch
OF which Bud had spoken TO his mother
The men laid of their coats. hanging then
upon corners Of the rail fence and sta-te,
to work with a will. There was no inter
ruption TO speak Of until Just before moor
when Banks called attention to two clouds
lying toward the southeast They were III,
0hly clouds in sunny sky, and both wer,
! moving toward a midway point
, Comm right together as Banks said
81 believe they are assentel Bud THAI
, ont dig our ditch, though, ner help dig II,
: Thus admonished, Banks resumed hi,
work. Five minutes later he stopped Il
, remark:
You never saw the likes er that Wonder
They're lookin' blacker an are goin' pIun
, together. Hit mus be er pow'fuI heay,
rain down thar"
"a Storm" said Bud, watching the elout
. curiously. There's wind in II, too. seem
ter me l can hear IT,
81 can hear it plain Look"
3 "a cyclone"
"A cyclone" repeated Banks, stupId with
, fright. "a cyclone, an | have nj don,
right! have n done right. Oh. Mr.. bud
: know III be damned. ("
"neeSs'' said Bud. grimly.
The following Sunday was day OF sorrov
> In Shiloh. One funeral service was beI,
over the white victims Of the cyclone eIgn
in all. Al tie Baptist Church The oiba
house OF worship having been destroysd
The two ministers ofhciated Jointly.
Next morning the widow pittman IA
a cided to drive cut with a party al noigh
bors TO visit Mrs. Strickland who gss
said TO be wearing herself out nursing p,d
There was plenty OF work 10 keen ~,
going half day at home, and while Mr.,
FlttInan was giving directions and advic
= one day when he came to bring Mar
about It. who should drive up but oid Va,
5 entine. the postman. va
1 Coin out ter the widder's?" he aslal