Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-02-12
! Unexpected Friendship.
4 BY Tnos. p. MONTFoRT.



ONE Sunday morning in August, in
u the year 1870, a very aged andfeeble
woman crouched in the tall grass at the
side of a road which ran across a stretch
| of wild Kansas prairie. She was poor
ly clad in worn and faded garments,
and her pinched features and enact
| ated body told all too plainly that she
| had suffered for want of food. She pre-
scented a touching and pathetic appear
ance, sitting there all alone on the open
prairie, with the hot sun beating merci-
| lessly down on her head, and her aged
fern dropping and trembling under the
burden of cares that had fallen to her
lot.
Presently the Sabbath stiffness was
broken by a wild, ~unearthly shout that
came from away off to the north. In
stantly a dozen other shouts, equally as
wild and unearthly, followed. The poor
old woman started up in alarm and
looked fearfully out from her shelter in
the grass. A half mile away up the
road she saw a small body of men on
horseback g%alloping down in her direc-
ton. Her eyes were weak and dim, and
she could not make out much about
them at that distance, but she knew
from those shouts who they were.
With an expression of fear on her
face, she shrank back in the grass and
tried to hide. Again there came to her
| ears a series of those hideous shouts.
She put her hand to her heart, and her
eyes filed with tears and her lip quiv-
cred.
Its those dreadful cowboys" she
gasped, land they're coming right this
way. Oh, | wish | could hide. They're
so mean and I'm so afraid of them. 1t
would be just like them to shoot me or
ride over me-"
She looked eagerly around, but there
was no place to hide. Then she tried TO
get up and run away, but she trembled
so that she could not stand. She sank
back helplessly and sat quaking with
alarm. Presently a half dozen men
galloped up, and, seeing her, came to a
halt. They were cowboys, rugged out in
their Sunday attire, going to town for
a day of it. They stood for a little while
gazing at her in silent establishment,
while she cast ~furtive, timid g%lances at
them. Finally one of the cowboys, a
grizzled, bearded old fellow, spoke to
the woman.
What in the name of blazes," he ex-
claimed, "are you doing out here?"
She looked up at the speaker, but did
not reply. She was too terrified to utter
a word. After the lapse of a moment
one of the cowboys said:
81 reckon, Sine, that maybe she's
squatting on this claim"
"Of course she'ssquattingonit," Sime
replied. 1--WE can all see she's doing
that"
Il mean maybe she's going to take
II up and settle on it," the other ex-
planned. IF she is you'd bettcrru her
off, you're so poison fond of chasing set
tiers off government land"
NO, no." the woman said, hastily,
you're mistaken. I'm not a squatter
and | don't want to take up any claim.
] just stopped to rest awhile, and if you
won't hurt me I'll go away dire"4 81
will, sure" an length. .eeclfy. !
The cowt.eri"~
then sG,'4lboys exchanged a glance and
ooeitiled. Directly Sine said:
Look here, aunty, you haven't got a
notion that were're going to hurt you, l
hope?"
Cowboys amt like Settlers she
said, land was afraid you would think
wanted to take up a claim"
Old Sine laughed.
II reckon" he replied, "you couldn't
take up enough land to break up the
cattle business entirely. But, serious
ly, aunty, what are you doing out here
like this, anyway"
I'm going to town." she piped in her
thin, quavering voice, ito get myself
put on the county. Iain't got any home
or friends any more, nor any money"
A plying expression came into old
Shines face, and when he spoke again
his voice was gentler than it had been.
That's a bad condition to be in" he
said, "a mighty bad condition, sure"
"Yes, it is" she agreed, land it hurts
me sorely, for l never expected to live
10 come to such a pass. When my ole
man and l came to Kansas we had q
little money, and we calculated to get
us a claim and build a nice little home
to live the balance of our days. But now
he's dead and Pm homeless and penni
less. Oh, it's bitter, bitter!"
"How did it happen you didn't get O
home~ Slime asked.
I'VE took up one claim and built us q
house, but some cowboys came along
and drove nus off," she said. 'They
claimed we were on their range, but il
we were we had a right to be there, fol-
it was government land. Then WI
stopped on another claim and planted q
crop, but some more cowboys drove
their cattle into our field and DESTROYED
nj corn and wheat"
"Onery, sneaking cusses!" Sine OBJ.
served in a low voice.
after that" the woman went IN
1--WE came down here and took anothe,
claim. The cowboys didn't bother us an,
more, but it was too late to raise an,
crop and our money was pretty nearly
all gone. Then my husband took dowr
with malaria and was sick a long time
The balance Of our money soon went
and l had to borrow 500 from a neigh.
bor.. / signed what he said was a note
but it wasn't, it seems, forwhen my hus,
band died the man came and told mt
. I'd have to move away, as the claim was
I his and he wanted it. He said it wasn't
a note I'd signed, but a release of the
I claim"
Il ~ " A-a =.