The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-06
~JUST A CHATS

One reason why people do not listen tC
+, very strange things purportlng to come
| from real life is that they do not believe
Them. The same story put in the form
| of fiction will be gratefully inhaled like
some stimulating fragrance. More Thrill
! ling things have happened on earth than
have even happened ever in the lurid
chambers of the minds of Dumas fills.
/ am persuaded to make this much
preliminary ado in order to pave the
way for a story that came to me yes
terday from Il responsible railroad Off
ciaI friend in casual conversation.
Just why it did not appear in the pa
pers of yesterday, / do not know.
The husband had sold a good bit of
land for several hundred dollars and his
good wife was glad. and she went about
her hOusc-duties singing more heartily
than ever; for they needed the money
they were Il Woodworking husband and
wife. And the good man went to put
his money in the bank in Il town twenty
miles away, and left the good woman
getting things in order, frightening the
fire and warming the board against his
homecoming i'll the evening.
And the home was quite in order, and
the crackle of the fire was II coy obi
cato to the baritone Of the breakers of
the sea.
She was waiting.
She did not wait for lOng,-while the
wintry red. as of battle, of the late
afternoon sky circled the white-plumed
Atlantic.
When she opened the door, there stood
three men.
They were masked.
She was frightened into speeches.
ness.
I'VE come to get the money for the
land,' they said.
There is not a cent in the house.
she was finally able in a broken way to
tell them. MY man has gone to the
bank in the city with the money, and /
and have set the house in order against
his coming. You may see that speak
the TRUTH" and she opened the door
which looked in upon a sav0ry heartfelt
board for two.
I'VE will sup with you then" they
said.
And they supped, while she tended
upon them.
of them said roughly.
And they took of the sugar which she
brought. But all that sweetens is not
sugar. The prOvident helpmeet had put
into the sugar some Rough on Rats
which was to her hand.
And she waited-but this time not for
the husband-but she was waiting for
the Rough on Rats to arrive.
1t arrived.
The three men sickened and staggered
and fell upon the floor in a heap.
Then the poor soul grew yet more
frightened at what she had done. She
thought they were dead, and she fled
from the house 10 the houses of her
neighbors for help. She said to one,
.-Tell your husband to come, l have kill
edfthree men and they are in my house,
and, continuing, she went into detail.
My husband and two sons have gone
into the city," said the neighbOr, ''but
will go to you in your distress, my good
sister" and the two women hurried
back to the little home.
Tlae three men lay motiDnless with
their masks yet over their faces, on
their backs on the floor digeSting to the
death their Rough ON Rats.
i With q spring towards them, the
neiglhbor-w woman snatchcd from their
faces the masks of all of them. Their
eyes were. closed, their faces upturned.
The two women looked atone another,
as if they were in a CHASTITY dream. II
was their time to stagger now. They
caught the backs of the chairs and
were about TO fall.
that ,taauaanf tho Inn tho nd nnfaro1
Upon the floor lay the husband and
two sons of the other woman.
This happened in Newport News on
Friday, whence the husband had gone
to put his money into bank at Norfolk
People in Raleigh, NJ least, will remem-
Der with pleasure, the eloquent dis
coureSs here some time since of Dean
Hart of Denver, COlorado-the clergy
man with an irish face and English
voice. He had the elOquence of one and
robustness of the other. This ROBUSTNESS
is not confined to mas sincere treatment
and simplicity, it is i'm the man where
after adj eIOquence resides. Here
in an interesting story told me by {
prominent gentleman in RAJ
eigh, who knows something of the
early life of the Dean. 1t was IN Den
yer during the cowboy and desperate
days. There was a row of bar-rooms-
they constituted about the chief business
houses along the narrow streets of the
pioneer prairie town. Dean Hartt was
then "a young man and his force was
making itself felt even among these al
most abandoned men. llhe gamblers and
drink house keepers grew FESTIVE. They
could not stand any shock of good deeds
but tney had a certain kind of open
handeoness and brutal frankness with
all their maynard habits of life. They
gave the young preacher so many days
to get out Of Town. He refused to go
and kept ON with his work. Pluck is a
pet quality with these men and the
young man nad it. One of the most
desperate of the dance-hall keepers came
to him and sand: Young man, i like
you because you are game, come to my
shanty tonight, and preach and no one
shall harm a hair of your head" The
young man was there, and his audience
A clOlld of smoke and wide-brimmed
hats, with pisto and knives i'll thelI
belts The stage was crowded with tho
same kind. But the boss-man and his