The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-11-21
SaIly's Notable Revenge.

Sallys Notable Revenge.
..Frum wat 1 know OF the reeding OF
rovels.'" writes the old settler OF Hell
roaring Creek, Oklahoma, Il wudn't rex
un mend it
This op.nyon is founded on the kostiy
experience he'd un a lot Of good people
with me- 1 win tel the storeign Of Sally
Woods Sally Woods wuz purity onc.-
That must have bin when she WIZ young.
along about the war times. she had al
ways bin on the front She wuz a Kanzun
in the days when the abolitionists un pro-
slavery men were carefully killing each
other off, She wuz the wife of a pioneer,
who wuz killed. un she Immediately coupled
on to another wedding, un so on. Frum
the time she left Missouri when she wuz
bern, until she shuffied OF her mortal coils.
1 expect that Sally he'd bin the wife Of az
meEny as ten men. She wuz always a.
moving west un further on the frontier.
She must have bin god-lukins early in
game. but when the lamps burned low
un the spots on the cards wore cut, she
WIZ a nag.
But then she wuz an interesting bag. She
wuz tall I'm strate, with prominent nose
un firm, closely set lips un an eye that he'd
sunsets in it when she got mad.
No one wunted her fer wife emmy
more Bill Kent, the cowman. gave her
g home with him. saying she cud stay
there until she tired of II, meaning. Of
korse, until she died. She wuz quiet enufr
ter awhile. She always wunted to be
friendly with the neighborhood, un when
she kane TO toun she spoke up jok;ngsy
TO the boys Ike she wuz sweet sixteen.
One day she stopped me un sed:
How old YOU are getting!"
cod fseI IN In hon
"AiI you prepared? she asked, smiling.
How do you mean?" asst I.
This death they talk about-can you
read its brani?'
sally Woods sed I. ''can your
Yes" she said, ''un no. Iron has never
touched it"
You mean that this yere life is alp
This life is awl-un pressious littel."
Then she hobbled away chuckling about
what she he'd sed.
1t wuz mebbe three weeks after this
VIXEN Bill Kent, one Saturday night, in
TIE saloon, sed:
Wat do you thinks the latest on Old
Sa!ly?'
''Ded." We exclaimed.
Hardly. She's readin' novel"
We awl LATED. Bill Kent went on IN
explained that some one he'd left it at the
up un began reeding, picking IL out word
by word. The novel was awl about Euro
pean docks and dutchesses, un bawls., un
concerts un parties, I'm that kind of thing.
Several timex after that as / passed by
Bill Kent's place. I wud see Old Sally
Woods, setting under a tree. a-running
her fore-flnger along a line. getting out the
words.
Wat happuned when she finished that
novel Bill Kent tells himself.
The cid woman threw the book down
OF the groun with cry of anger un then
she picked it up un wept un kissed it.
Il love ye, she sed 10 the book, but
hate you" She turned 10 the long. long
prairie land which stretched Its floor 10
the sky. which scanned to be tucked in
at the edges. Fer fifty years Sally Woods
he'd seen nothing else. Fer fifty yeers
its dsmnable 'monotony he'd starved her
eyes, un brain un soul. Fer fifty yeers
she had Toasted on this dry bone of mad
den!ng saTneness. Frum hor.zun 10 hor-
izun lay the plain, sleeping in the sun,
sleeping Ike the heat he'd drugged Il.
sleeping while the tireless prairie wind as
if in haste 10 escape the scene. hurried
whisung through the dry, sheathy blue
stem. Fer fifty yeers she he'd he'd this,
in eastern kansuZ, in western KanZus, In
eestern Colorado, I'm in. the Injun kuntry.
Tn what he'd she lost, Oh, what he'd
she lost, There wuz music that sang with
the reddening dawn, un muzic that tainted
in the arms of scented summer twil.ghts;
there wuz mTzic, that signalled to the
stars Of Christmas mite; there wuz muzic
that tinted the cheeks of men un deepened
the eyes of women un she
Il rirf
fer fifty yeers he'd the muzic OF the prairie.
Oh. What he'd she lost, She he'd bin
pretty Cnce. Her eyes he'd cleaned with
win:ng warmth. her arms had sprung vo-
lupt;ous from the wrist un shoulder Tn
yet, in all her prettiness. a calico dress wuz
all she ever he'd. There wuz silks that
moved at a breath, there wuZ satins which
tore at the touching, there wuZ cloths
which beautified themselves in beautify-
ing women, un She
She looked at the old faded dress, un
sobbed, sobbed hard un dry un bitter
On, What he'd she lost, There wuz anoth- |
pr world-a world of mirrory lakes, III en- |
powered woods, un majestic mountains, I
there wuz deep lying bays, wave/ashed /,
reefs, ships lifting away in the offing: /
here wuz cities Of thousand-fold daily 4
events, of palaces with Injuries beauties, /
dl-un l0is IRE WuZ avn [
in she he'd chosen that life on the 4
prairie.
She turned to 1t agen with awful hate. |
The sun wuz 5ulging bigger in his setting. /
Did Sally Woods turned n suddenly. Fer /
he next two hours she worked tirelessly. 4
She he'd made two balls OF rags. soaked 4
hem in kerosene, un lowered them with 1
/ wire frame.
1t must have been eight o'clock when we
irst saw the prairie fire. II was about 4
lalf-past eight o'clock when Bill Kent dis
covered that his novel-reed.ng guest was
gene un his best mare-Blsck Jenny l.
ruZ an awful prairie fire. II Wiped out the
ange un broke up seven eow-men who
.udn't get grass.
AS fer Sally, mover told US after that
he crossed the rode In front of him astrile
Slack Jenny riding Ike mad. with her hair
treaming back of her Ike witches. ur |
With her ball OF fire trailing behind her
Ne never found her or the mare. Poor |
flng. she he'd her revenge on the prairie.