Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-04-17
SHE WAS a WOMAN.


sion For Surprise.
The sun beat down that blistering aft
ernoon on the little adobe cabin just be-
yond the arroyo, and ON the far side in
the shade sat two sweltering COW punch
ers with pack Of cards between them.
1t was too hot for even this mild exer-
else, but it served to keep their minds
off the weather, and they played lazily
along. At last one of them threw his
cards down.
"By gravy, Bill" he exclaimed. 81
can't play any more"
Whats the matter?" inquired Bill.
"Too hot for you?'
'No. 'Tain't that, though the Lord
knows it's most hot enough for any
thing. It's that little girl down there at
old Slooum's s."
whats she got to do with the
gamer" asked Bill in surprise.
Nothing much, l guess, but good
deal with me. -
"How?" and Bill picked up the pack
and began shuf1ing the cards aimlessly.
"Oh, don't know"
''Stuck on her?' inquired Bill, with
a laugh, which struck his companion
as rather harsh.
"Not exactly, guess.
"She's the purtiest thing in this val
ley" said Bill admiringly.
81 know it, admitted the other. II
was down there last night, and she was
sweeter than ever. :"
"Well," impatiently, "what are you
going to do about it?''
"What would you adviser"
''That depends on what kind of ad-
vice you want"
'.Iwas thinking about marrying her. ;"
Bill gave long whistle and stopped
shuffling the cards.
"What, marry half breed, and you
having the kind of folks you have back
in the east?'' he said seriously
81 don't see how l can get out of it
honorably." he reluctantly confessed.
''I've been going down there to see her
for six months now, and she has been
kind of expecting me to come. didn't
think much about it at first but now
blame me if l don't think about her
pretty much all the time. The last four
or five times I've been to see her she
showed me straight that she thought a
lot of me. and last night she told me
everything, and said if l left her her
heart would break and she would drown
herself in the river. can't stand that,
you know, and besides I'd rather marry
her myself than have anybody else marry
her,
"She'll git old man Slocum's prop
erty when he goes over the divide, said
Bill thoughtfully, "and that s worth a
pile.''
eyes, but don't care for that It's
the girl and my own honorable action
in the matter. -
They talked until the sun had sunk
behind the mountain, and by that time
it was decided that Bill would go with
his friend Joe and settle the business
with the girls father, old man Slocum.
Early the next morning they set out,
and before the sun had reached the hot
place in the heavens they were at Slo-
GUMS.
"Where's Meg?" asked Joe, after
they had passed the compliments of tho
morning.
'Oh, she's skipped" answered Slo-
cum, with laugh.
"Skipped?" gasped Joe.
"Yes. Skipped some time in the night
with Pete Smiley, aud she needn't "a
done it, fer Pete was agreeable to me, -
and he laughed again.
Joe felt something rise in his throat
and drop back again like a piece of lead.
Bill looked at him curiously.
''Gals will be gals, said Bill, turning
to Slocum, "but what we come down
here to see you about, Mr.. Slocum. is
CATTLE" and he carried it through no.
bly.-Detroit Free Press.
Paul Jones and the Privateer.
The French ambassador, the Duo de
Vauguyon, committed the astounding
faux pas of suggesting to Paul Jones
that he take command of a French pri-
vateer and thus escape from his danger
GUS situation in the Texel. Paul Jones'
reply to this was an instant and naughty
demand for an apology, which was
promptly forthcoming No man hated
privateering and its internal prac-
tees" as he calls them, more cordially
than Paul Jones. He wrote of privateers
as licensed robbers, and was natural
" indignant at the affront offered him.
Some years afterward in a French
port he had an amusing controversy ON
the subject with Captain Truxton, after
ward the celebrated commodore. Trux-
ton was then in the humble capacity of
captain of private ship bent on plum
der. He had the assurance to raise
pennant in the presence of Paul Jones
without asking his permission and i'll
defiance of the act of congress forbid
ding privateer to hoist pannant un-
der such circumstances without the per-
mission of naval ships commander.
They had tart correspondence, and
Commodore Truxton WAS evidently
mightier with the sword than with the
pen, as Paul Jones writes OF him that
there are in his letter "several words l
do not understand and cannot find in
the dictionary" Paul Jones sent him
"a polite message to haul down the
pennant. This being disregarded, an
other polite message and Lieutenant
Richard Deal with two armed boats
were sent, and the pennant came down.
paul JONES'" by Molly Elliot Sea-
well, in Century.
Are Thanks Unnecessary?
"a great deal is said about men be-
ing thanked for giving up their seats in
the street cars to women, said man
in conversation with friend. 'Now,
for my part, don't want to be thanked
for simply doing nv duty "