The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-05-31
SHhOMY JAMES KISS
BY Bret Rarte.
Copyright, 1898, by Bret Harte.)

! would serve as a Disguise for him and
hide that heroic figure. which she
! thought everybody must now know as
she did. Then she rejoined him breath
; lessly. But he put the food and whisky
[ aside.
"Listen,' he said: I've turned the
boss into your corral. You'll find him
there in the morning. and no one will
know but that he got lost and joined the
other BOSSES
Then she burst out. But you-you-
what will become Of you? You'll be
| catchcd.'
Ill manage to get away" he said in
a low voice, '.ef-ef-'
EFF what:' She said trcmblingly.
EFF you'll put the heart in me again
as YOU did" he gaspcd.
She tried to laugh-to move away. She
could do neither. Suddenly he caught
her in his arms and with Il loag kiss.
which she returned again and again.
Then they stood embraced rs they had
embraced two days before, but no longer
the same. For the cool, lazy Solomy
Jane had been transformed into anoth-
CT Woman-a passionate, c~linging saw
age. Perhaps something of her fathers
blood had surged within her at that SUI
Qreme moment. The man stood erect
and determined.
"Wot's your namc?' she whispered
quickly. 1t was Il wo1nan'S quickest
Way of defining her feelings.
Dart"
"Ycr first namc?"
Jack"
Let me 90 now, Jack. Lie low in
the woods till tomorrow sun-up. III
came agin."
lie released her. Yet she fingered Il
moment. Put on those things" she said
with Il sudden happy flash of eyes and
teeth, 'and lie close till | come And
then she sped away home.
But midway up the distance she felt
her feet going slower, and something
at her hcartstrings seemed to be pull
ing her back. She stopped. turned, and
glanced to where he had been standing.
Had she seen him then. she might have
returned. But he had disappeared. She
gave her first sigh, and then ran quickly
again. 1t must be nearly 10 o'clock. 1t
was not very long to morning.
She was within Il few steps of her
wv door when the sleeping woods and
silent air appeared to suddenly awake
With Il sharp "crack,,'
She stopped paralyzed. Another
crack" followed that echoed over to
the far corral. She recalled herself in
stantiy and dashed off wildly to the
woods again.
AS she ran she thought of one thing
only. He had been ~"dogGcd' by one Of
his old p%ursuers and attacked. But
there were two shots and he was I'M
armed. Suddenly she remembered that
she had left her fathers gun standing
against the tree where they were talk
Ing. Thank God. she may again have
saved him. She ran to the tree; the gun
was gone. She ran thither and thither.
drcading at every step to fall upon his
ll1elcSS body. \ new Thought struck
her; she ran to the corral. The horse
was not there. He must have been able
TO regain it and cScapcd-after the shots
had been fired. She drew Il long breath
of relief, but it was caught up i'll an APP
prehcnSiOn Of alarm. Her father,
awakened from his sleep by the shots,
was hurriedly approaching her.
"What's up now, Salomy Janc?" he
demanded. cXcitcdly.
"Nothin', said the girl with an effort.
Nothin'. at least. that | can find She
was usually truthful because fearless,
and Il lie stuck in her throat-but she
was mol onger fearless, thinking Of him.
Il wasn't abcd, so | ran out as soon as
| heard the shots fired" she answered
in return to his curious gaze.
'Aud you've hid my gun somewhere
where it can't be found he said re-
pr~oachfuily. EFF it was that sneak Lar