The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-04-06
One evening he spoke.

sd1u tnHt ne WuS y E1Cu Cdttte OWucIs
and that he had great ranches in the far
west.
Aneta closed hsr shining eyes and
smiled, and when she went in she told
the little colored maid that she was 20
happy she was afraid she should die.
As soon as he went home, the trooper
told Aneta, he would be mustered out,
and then he would send for her, and she
should come to his hacienda and be mis-
tress of houseful of servants and Of q
ranch that was like little Kingdom.
Aneta liked to hear about the range,
and about the wild flowers, but when he
began to talk about the money she
said:
20, 81, 81, al. know. Now, sir, tell
me, If you will, please, about you.
Where were you born? How old do you
really be2 Have you brother or q sis
ter? No? We're you q good little boy
when you were small? Have you the
picture of you, yourself, IN the long
dress? No? 1t is too badl 1 like to see
you-all ways-when baby and when
boy, as all ways. And do you love the
music like me? Idol 81. That is good
Everything is good in these days."
Butone day the troopers were ordered
home.
Anetas trooper had to 60 with the
rest.
Aneta pinned knot Of jessamine on
his coat, and made him go into the little
oratory with her and kneel before the
little altar.
But when the great troopship was
gone, she Went into the little oratory
and staid on her knees half the night.
The first steamer brought Aneta a
letter from her trooper.
but there was something in it that made
Aneta's heart grow cold.
It made her feel as she did when he
laughed so much and made his gray
eyes look like cold steel, with the moon
glittering on them.
when will you be free?" she wrote.
when shall we be married?
The trooper wrote back long letter,
full of his fine ranch and his money and
for Aneta.
II do not care about the ranch" she
said, cor about the fine home. want
to be with you"
On Christmas day she wrote him that
she would kill herself If he did not write
to her.
"They are laughing at me here" she
said. "They are telling me that you
were joking with me, that you never
cared for me. If do not hear from you
in four weeks time shall kill myself"
Just two weeks ago Aneta Ovideo re-
ceived an answer to her letters. Jim
Jenkins is dead" said the letter. HE
died a week ago. He spoke your name
with his last breath"
II am so glad" she said. II am SO
glad. Now, shall see him soon again"
And every day she throws the knot of
jessamine into the sea, for the charm
must be worked for twice seven days
before she will know surely how long
she will have to live.
Henry Harmon lives out in Indian
territory.
It was he who wrote Aneta and told
her that her sweetheart was dead
In all his letter Henry Harmon wrote
just one sentence of truth, and that was
thatJim Jenkins was dead. All the rest
was a lie.
Jim Jenkins was not ranch owner.
He had no home prepared for ,Aneta.
He was a cowboy in the same outfit
with Henry Harmon. He did not die
with Aneta's name on his lips. He did
not love her.
He showed her poor little letters to the
cowboys on the ranch and made fun Of
them.
He roared with laughter when he read
the one in which Aneta told him that
she would kill hersef unless she heard
from him.
He died very suddenly that very
night ard left IN unfinished letter to
Ansta.
II never cared a cent for you," the let
ter read. "I've been having fun ell the
time. But now I'm getting tired Of it.
The boys are making fuss about your
writing so often, and I wish you'd stop"
Henry Harmon. cowboy, X L outfit,
read the letter aloud to the "boys" who
had heard Jim Jenkins read the other
ones aloud.
The "boys" did not laugh at the joke.
They sat still
"Bs0ers." said Arizona Ike, the head
Of the outfit, "this amt no time fer the
truth, lets keep on lyin'."
So Henry Harmon wrote the Tying
letter to Aneta Ovideo, and poor little,
soft-eyed girl will die happy for his
pains.-N. Y. Journal.