The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-02-16
lcopsEshs, 1851, by Bres Hsrse.l


attempting to dry our damp clothes by
The stove and sizzling our wet boots
AGAINST Il, but as the same individuals
} calmly permitted the rain to drive in
upon item through the open window
without moving and seemed to take in-
finite delight in the amount of steam
they generated even that Eretanse drop
ned Crotalus himself, with his tail In q
muddy ditch and the sun striking cold
Ere from his Slit eyes as he basked his
head on a warm stone beside it, could
not have typifed as better
Percy Briggs took his pipe from his
mouth at last and said with reflective
severity Well gentlemen, II wecan't
get the wagea road over here, ard If
We,re goin to be lefs cut BY the stage
coach company. we can atleast straight
en- up the camp and not hare 1t look
like a Cross between a tenement alley
and q broken1doWn circus. I declare I
was just sick when these two M1llln
girls started tomake a short cut through
5 ecamp Darned If they didn' turn
round and take to the woods end the
RattleE,s s again afore they got half way.
And that benighted idiot Tom Rollins,
ssandin there IN the ditch, sIattered all
over with slnmguliion TIL be looked
like Al spotter tary pin wavin his fms
and sashaying baekards and forrards
and sayin This way, ladies', this
WY. Z y,
didn t, returned Tom Rollins
quite casually without looking up from
/ his steasaIHg boots i didn t start in
night afore LAST to dance The Gree.
Com Dance, outer 4iawatha, with
feathers IN my hair and q red blanket
on my shoulders, rcEnd that far,ily's
new potato patch IN order that it might
increase and multiply didn t sing:
xSabbash Mornin Bells with an anvil
accompaniment until IL O'clock at night
over at the erossin so that they might
dream of their happy childhood S home.
st seems tome that it Wasn tine did L.
II might be nsistaken-iit was late-Dutl
have the impression that it wasn' me- 2
Fror4 the silence that followed this
would seem to have been clearly the
actual performance OF the previous
speaker, who, however, RESPONDED qrito
scheerfnl An evenin Of simple, child
ISL gayesy dcn't cent. We got to start
II again fair. " hat re want here is to
dear up and encourage decent iEni-
grafton ard get lid Of gam5iin's and
sblathelsskites that are maxim this here
camp their happy huntin ground We
don want any more permiskous snoct-
IN. We don't want any mere paintin
the town red. We Cent want any more
swaggerin gauoots ridin up to this gro
scery and enptyin their six shooters il
the air. afore they light. We want to
put stop to it peacefully and without
q row-and we Kin. We amt got no
DULLES CT our own to fight back, and
they know it, SO they know they won't
get no credit bullyin us-they'n leave,
If we're only firm. It's all along Of our
fcoI coed nature. They see it
anuses as, and they'll keep IL up as
long as tine whisky's free. What we
want to &c is, VIXEN the next man
comes waitzin along
4 distinct clatter from the rocky hill
side here mingled with the puff Of damp
air through the window.
Looks as if we might hev a show
even now, said Jim Rollins, removing
his feet from the stove as we all IN
stinctively faced toward the window.
Il reckcu you're in with us in this,
Mosby. sid Brisgs, turning toward
the proprietor ofthe grocery, who had
been leaning listlessly against the wall
behind his bzr
AFTER the mans had (. 1ei- show"
said Mosby cautiously. Ee deprecated
the prevailing condition Of things but
it was sill an open question whether
the families would PROVE as valuable
customers as his present clients. .'Ey-
serythng IL moderation, gertlemen!"
The sound Of gallopin3 hoofs care
nearer, now swishing in the soft mud OF
the highway, until the unseen rider
pulled up before the door. There was no
shouting, however, nor did he announce
himself with the usual salvo of firearms;
bat when, after a singularly heavy
tread and the jingle Of spurs ON tie
platform, the door few open to the new
conner he seemed realization Of QUE
worst expectations. Tall, broad ard
muscular, he carried in one hand {;
shotgun, while from his hip dangled a
heavy navy revolver. His long hair. m
kernpt, but oiled, swept greasy circle
around his shoulders. His enormous
mustache, dripping with wes, complete
" concealed his mouth. His costume Of
fringed buckskin was wild and outre
even for our frontier camp; but what
was moro confrmasiye CT our suspicious
was that he was evidently in the habit
Of nlakinsy aa impression, snd after