The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-09
TANGY ALLEN.
Written for the Eagle.

Written for the Eagle.
The little town of Cornishville nest
les among those curiously shaped Ken
lucky hills that are called by the natives
'9xnobs." The white McAdap5zed pike
winds through the town like ribbon,
hot and dusty in the sunlight, glaring 10
the eyes that seek relief in the delicate
green of the blue grass on either slde
or in the soft grays and browns OF the
old rail fences everywhere; for there are
enough old rail fences in Kentucky TO
fence the world.
: The town is picturesque. Everything
that is old, dflapidated, struggling and
and out at the elbows is picturesque.
There are a half a dozen tuInbledown
cottages, a blacksmith shop, a tavern,
and just a mile from the tavern the in
sv5table Kentucky toll gate that so I'M
mercffully fieeces the traveller over these
fine Kentucky roads.
The inhabitants Of this village seem
to be like the lilies OF the field. They
toll and spin not The men may be
sean about the one street at all hours
Of the day, lounging, their SlOuch hats,
the color of clay, over their eyes, smok-
ing short cob pipes and whiting little
bJJ. no one has ever seen them tilling the
fields. Indeed, it is hard work, filling
the fields in this hilly country, where
the underbrush is thick and unruly, and
the great stumps have long, long roots
that cling Stubbornly TO the soil. So
they idle through the summer days and
trust to chance for the winter. Their
wants are few. They are devoid of am
bftFon- so long as they have crust 10
gnaw, they are content. OF the great
palpjtating world, beyond their own
mills, they know absolutely nothing.
Many Of them have never passed the
boundary Of their little village nor
climbed 10 the top Of the nearest knob
10 dock over on the other side.
And these are the people, idle, igno-
rant and superstitious, who, dispensing
with courts and judges, band together,
under the name of White Caps, take
tlle-Iaw in their own hands, and meet
out Justice" by means of the whip.
Tangy Allen lived beyond the toll gate
on the Cornishville pike. She lived
alone in a cottage.
Her mother had died early in the
spring and there had been only these
two, her mother and herself.
Like the people of the village, Tangy
was ignorant as the rabbits that sour
Tied past her door.
She was like "a wild animal, if one
,
on the expression of a frightened doe.
She could read the clouds.
She knew the signs of rain, the feecy,
flying clouds close to the earth, the blue
thunder clouds in the distance, and the
smell Of the wet grass that comes be-
fore the storm.
Then, she knew enough to go into the
house; and this was about the extent of
her knowledge.
But, if her thoughts We're few. they
were pure; and her heart was full of
love for all inanimate things.
She loved the knobs that were so
green IN summer, so bright with sumac
leaves in autumn; and so gray with bare
fiWigs in winter.
She loved the dewy sprtngtime, when
the breast of the hill nearest her home
was sweet with wild flowers.
1t was then, when winter was over,
that she climbed oftenest to the top.
gathering these flowers and pressing
them 10 her lips, gazing with wistf1Il
eyes far over into the beautiful blue
grass country, whence came all ia
NOUS 'Kentuckians. Was there ever a
Kentuckian who owned that he lived in
these knobs, where people Like Tangy
eked out their monotonous lives, the
Hives Of wild animals, and then died, al
so often like wild animals, through the
medium Of a gun? !
Tangy felt a vague longing, looking
over into this glorious blue grass coun-
try.
She saw waving meadows, with the
sunlight upon them, fields of grain, |
wheat that was TO serve for the bread |
of nations, and corn that was soon TO
be convented into the liquid which |
steals away mems brains.
Beyond these fields, she saw the spires
OF town pointing heavenWard, like |
human fingers.
She peopled this town with fairies. |
exquisite crea lures of her own imagnin- !
alton.
When, in the twilight, the spires fad |
ed from her sight, they seemed TO her TO |
have been absorbed in the clouds, and |
caught UP into heaven, so that she was |
surprised early in the morning TO find /
them there again. sparkling in the sun |
Through the long, bright summer /
time she lived thus alone, roaming the I
hillsides and dreaming, her big eyes /
blue With the tint of the skies, and her /
hair shining yellowish red like the sun |
set; when, suddenly, young Darlington !
rode, as 1t seemed to her. straight out |
Of the Slanting rays that bathed her |
fairy city; and changed her life from |
grave to gay, from dreams to reality. /
from the hope of an unreal, intangible 4
happiness, to the graSping Of a real I!
tangible happiness in her arms ami 4
cl3sping it to her breast.
Her life grew glorious in the balmy
light Of love that enveloped her. Her I.
days were dreams.
Together they rambled over the knobs. I
startling the squirrels that were buSilv /.
gathering nuts for the winter, and .
throwing little pebbles at the wood 4
peckers, peclNng away at the hard wood .
OF the walnut trees.
The jaybirdS SCOlded at them. and 4
the boiSwi1ites called 10 them from the /
thickets, Bob Whiter' Bob Wh5tel"
Not Bob White. laughed TauCv. /
shut Tangy. Tangy, TanCy." she cried .
until the woods resounded with her /
name.
Then Darlington would shut the
mouth that was sweet and red and
ripe as a strawberry with kisses. hold 4
ing Tangy's face between his two hands .
the while.
one day, when he had kissed her thus, /
an ugly face peered at them from be Z
hind 9 clump Of cedars.
TanSy shivered, the face was 50 evil; /
and Darlington, drawing her arm
through his. led her out into the open.
along the turnpike, where the sunshine
might chase away the shadow that had
fallen upon them.
Three weeks passed; the happiest
weeks Of Tangy's life; and then Oar