The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-13
Stories of an inland State.

He leaned back in the narrow closet and
said:
Caught. And by a woman. A pretty
ass you've made of yourself Thomas. What
was Joey to you? What was he to you
that you should risk yourself to go on a
! fool errand like this for him, an errand
back into a ne:ghborhood where the au-
thorities have just been hunting for you.
an errand for a fool of whom you know
nothing. 1t was clever trek for the
hussy to play"
said again with a perplexing turn of mind:
But why softly?''
Then he went on again in despair: II
suppose it was motive of humanity which
led me into this scrape; led me TO lug that
man over half county and then come here
at night to steal him a nurse. A man
should be consistent. If he is a thief, let
him be thief, not philantroph.st The
good Samaritan business is all right for
the Good Samaritan tribe, but game cock
wants TO keep out of the mild company of
Buff Cochins, or they'll expect him to work
the egg department for glory. But / love
that girl She is cute. She is magnificent.
Think of that nerve. Locked me in Like
flash, the hussy.''
But again MS mlnO r6NeTleQ 10 q COuSo-
lation as before and he asked:
why softly?''
Again he went on. ''She's slipped down
stairs-gone after the neighbors. They'll
all be here, presently, scores Of 'em. And
they will open that door softly-right there
right there the crack will widen and in
that crack will poke in four shot-guns. ten
revolvers, a p:tch-fork, a rake and a piece
of wagon-tongue, all poked at me. Ugh!
/ can fairly see 'em now. And they'll haul
me out and tie me up with such knots as
sailors never knew, and pull me into town
and exhibit me along the road
And then again: But why so softly?"
The desperate never loses the sustaining
arm Of Hope. From the moment Of his
capture on up through the courts, indict-
ments, convictions, appeals, sentence, re-
prieves to the very end he grasps at the
straws of hope on the surface and strug-
giles for freedom.
So again he asked himself "'Why so soft
"? Why did she close that door so softly.
1t wasn't a woman's way. Is she had
meant to keep me prisoner, she would have
slammed the door, locked it and then
screamed and tainted. There was no slam,
no scream, and all is quiet in the house.
The dear, sweet creature. Is 1t modesty?
! If that is true, what a head for a news
paper. "A Thief Frightened by Modesty''
in big black letters. Well, my fair birdie.
If that is the fact you've had dress on
| the outside and it's about time you had 1t
On. There goes the knob. What shall it
be, the round open countenance of a shot
gun. pitch-fork and a rake or a dressed
-'
"Ah! SO you are dressed! And you have
taken that gag off, Great heavens! Guard
yourself. You might go off into Mysteries
any minute and scream in spite of your
self. Are you ready? Good Lord! girl, how
you frightened me!''
Have you a pencil?" she whispered ner-
vously.
Have a pencil? What a question. Yes,
1 have. Here. Don't delay, Miss Bar
rett. Make IL short il you must write
something and keep within five post-scripts
at least"
She turned quickly to the table and there
tore the fiy-leaf from a book and hastily
scribDled note to her mother. 1t was a
simple thing, telling her she had grown
tired of the dull country and tired of being
burden on her mother and that she had
gone out in the world 10 seek her fortune,
that she would write back soon and would
send part Of her earnings home. She
scrubbed the last line-a prayer that her
mother would not worry-that she would
never do anything to make her ashamed Of
her Madge
While she was writing this note which
she left on the table with one corner slip
ped under the base of the lamp, Dick
Thomas stood near calculating to himself:
Great heavens. How deliberate she is.
Biting the end of the pencil over doubt
full word. She wants to use elegant lang
uage I guess and have the grammar ad-
justed neatly, and not split her infinitives
tangle an antecedent or double UP on a
superlative. Look at her! Scratching out
a word! Oh, you dramatists who have peo-
pie on the stage write two hundred word
messages in one minute, if you could see
this scene, this Honorable Dick Thomas
waiting to steal girl who is biting her
pencil and polishing up her note and cut
ting out redundant adverbs and running
down plural subjects on singular verbs,
Oh, Woman. You could teach elaboration
to a turtle and delay to a just deficiency
appropriation. / suppose it's the PISS"
coming now. And the '.Oh, Yes 1 for
cots" Oh no. Don't forget to date it
and send kiss to the baby. Great hea-
ASAic3
She arose from the table and glanced
around her, her eyes moistening. There
was such a tenderness in her glance, that
after they had passed slowly out of the
house and were far up the country road.
he turned to her and spoke for the first
time since they had left the house as fol-
lows:
do you know life"
"No." she said lowly.
81 thought not. Do you know you have
been in danger tonight?"
She stopped as in fright and looked upon
him curiously.
Come on he said pleasantly. "You
are not in danger now. Let me give you
lesson in life. my young woman. Never
weep when alone with man. You cried
before you left the house. Before that,
before God, could have sworn you We're
not a woman. But that weakened you.
ted you tears are a dangerous thing in
woman. Man Is brute. Tears are the
white feather OF a won1an's surrender-to
a-a-a-brute. Do you understand? A
libertine never lived vino did not send out
a skirmish line of sympathy 70 battle
down a woman's protests. Do you under
stand? \ woman's tears are spurs 10 a
mans boldless and boldness is tyrrant
over occasion, protest or absolute refusal
Do you understand"
But she did net understand ard trudged
on in silence.
The road was dusty and as they Travelled
on in the night lay before them white Ike |
a purling stream. in the sheen OF The moon |
light lodging OBVIOUSLY over the low-rollins
hills which seemed TO hold up the spangiei /,
sky. and down in the bssin-Eke valleys |
where the darkness brooded like a vapor |
Aud as they went on the Ett.e pufrs Of tic |