The Press., 1896-07-16
The Tramp of the Four Corners.


 when the birds sang with blessed amity in the sheriff's garden, he was aroused from slumber by hearing a mans voice lend discordant and utterly unneces- sary assistance to the melody slowly f1l- tering through his dreams. When once thoroughly awake, the sheriff was not given to sentimental influences. The iailer's daughter, whose sweet tones had lent such happy harmony to the concert in the garden, faded away from the con- fused half opened portals of his brain. l "Then up he gat and dOnned his clothes. '' selected his favorite revolver and opened tho window. "Who is it?" he asked, keeping his head out of sight, lest some disappointed candidate for the shrievalty should cut him short in the flower of his days.
 "It's me, M. le Sheriff Mel Millette. Dcre is one vile tramp smashin up my bar, and brace myself 10 run for de constables. Vito. vito, M. To Sheriff, or (lcle will not make himself to stand one brick.
 The sheriff leisurcly fastened his braces and put back tho revolver. "A tramp" he said. ''Is that all? Bar quite smashed up. Millette?"
 "Oh, yes; he is all gono. A hundred dollars all gone, "
 You should sell better whisky"
 But he was dronk ven he made to come in. '
 "Vory we'll. If everything is smash cd, thar'll be plenty of time. I'll come round presently
 Later on the sheriff went round to Millette's and after a brief fight and one knock down blow arrested his prisoner, who differed from the ordinary tramp in that he was so much cleaner and better dressed in a rough, picturesque kind of way. His age could not have been more than 30, and he wore a diamond ring, which, at the suggestion of his captors, he at once admitted to be paste, al though the jailer's daughter, as she peeped round the corner of the court house door with feminine curiosity, thought that if paste rings were so very beautiful diamonds themselves could not flash with purer light. From the tramp's ring her sweet eyes strayed to his dare devil eyes, unsoddened or tainted by the tanglefoot whisky which had brought him into his present posi- tion-a position he accepted with cheer full indifference, as the ringed finger ca ressed beautiful golden beard and his blue eyes met hers for a moment. Then the girl drew back into the angle caused by the sheltering courthouse door with an activity which brought a smile to the prisoner s lips and caused him to ad- just the bandage around his head with an attempt at oriental elegance, for the side of the right temple had little con- gealed patches of blood on it. There was an air of languid ease about the tramp which evidently annoyed his captors, the stalWart sheriff and little "Consta- ble Wrong" The latter's real name was Wright, but as most of his prisoners es- capped public derisiOn had altered it and conferred upon him a sobriquet from which he could not escape. Little John Baines, the sheriff, was over 6 feet, with a fist tho shape and almost the di- mensions of leg of mutton. From time to time he somewhat ruefully regarded the prisoners head as if the blow from which the tramp suffered was evidently not wholly unconnected with his good right hand. The sheriff did not often use revolver, for his fist was so much quicker and descended upon malefactors with the indignant emphasis of pile driver.
 The presiding magistrate had been called ill from hoeing his potato patch to the rough pine panelod little court house in order to decide upon the fate of the tramp. His hands still diffused a pleasant odor from the newly turned earth. It was his first case since his ap- pointment, and he had put on his best 3Oat ill order to inspire the people of the Four Corners with aWo. But the folk of the Four Corners also had potato patches to hoe, and did not even doiSn to come within range of the judicial eloQuence. Consequently Elder Sparkes had taken off his coat and flung it over the back of ] chair. He was disappointed and in- 3lined to visit his disappointment upon the prisoner, who surveyed him with an axasperating smile. Its only $5 fine, judge," he said lazily. "I reckon you can't send mo mp after me gettin this 3lout on tho head. Why, that big bullock of a sheriff ought to have paid me for standin up to him"
 "You jest shet up," said the court, with judicial directness. II ain't goin to bo dctatered to by you, young man. I've ml st made up my mind"-he fin gered the pages of law book with great lignity-"I've most made up my mind to commit you for felony, butt
 The sheriff leaned over the deal court house table and hastily whispered some thing. but the other was obdurate.