Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-02-24
The Swamp Secret
CHAPTER I.

n very 61VCrp0y DIuce ITOIIt tue oTOWuS-
willie OF to-day. The name suggests a
village. There Is a kind Of villagy sound
about the "yillc." But In the days of
which I write, when villages were few
and far between on the frontier, the
sound suggestive Of village was the
only indication of one which you could
have found IL you had hunted the town.
ship over in which Brownsville was To-
Gated. There was a little store on one
corner Of the crossroads. and little way
down the road from this general rendex.
vous for Brownsyillians Of the sterner
sex on rajpy DAYS. and at times when
there "wosn't much to DO" there was a
school house. which wns n church pro
tenn. whenever n minister came along,
which was not very often In that early
ocriod Of Rrownsyillc's exfefcncc,
Thcse two houses. built of logs. form
Cd the nucleus of Brownsville. The farms
M tho settlers we're scattered about
tbrourh the woods. and ms the oldest
inhabit ant" had only n residence of five
or ak wears TO fall back on In telling
tho stories which oldest inhabitants al.
WAYS have told and always will tell, the
residents OF the place had TO admit that
IL was unite "ncw," ms the saving goes
in tho West. regarding n RECENTLY set.
fled locality. Az tho settlement extend.
cd several miles In ench direction from
the school housc and store. and was all
included when BrownsyiIlc was spoken
OF. 'goIng 70 Browu.yillc" was regarded
as n rather ynruc statement regarding
= ncrson's dcs,ino,;on. Inv ncople living
outside tho MACS. In thosc primitive days.
the "yiliapc." "a tho storc and school
house were dubbed nv genera, consent of
All public. spiritc,l citizens living In the
vic,nitv. Hc had the hest farm, In the
settlement. and cnioyed the cnyiabic mo-.
toriety OF owning the best span OF horscs
and the pretticst girl In Brownsville.
Mamie Boone was n yery pretty rirl.
and shc knew II unite as well m sny one.
Her face WINS mi or hcaltbv color. with.
ont being red. and her cheeks were fuliy
a. bright as tho wild roses which 9rcv,
along the nsth iead,ny IN tho .choo,
house. Her eve, were "a kecn a. bisck
ewes ever are. but thev were brown. M
thar peculiar shade which car sh,St
through the pemmt NJ the color .caie.
somctimcs sccmInv ,ntensclv dsrk and
thcn softcninr a. Tho tcnd.rnosS NJ hi"a
This trick NJ oxnrc.sion which ns,wr"
bsd bcstow.d unor xt,.. Nanrio Nod M
mower N mako Tho hoor,. NJ mo vorns
mon NJ Rrown.viiio noini,n,o .ton, ,,vico
m fast No m.n.i vh.n sho ,~rmoS her
ewes unon th"n,' and ro' nforcoJ her
sinnces With n .miio From hor s,,u ro.,
iin.. for . L,ss from, which .,r,o.. .n.
OF The vounv man would hov" sIvor =
~ood ,,coL'. .o.L E.o,, ,,I,,I, 80, Iii,
readily infer thar tho yonrv mon n, ,,a
BrownxvilIo NJ 0S,v vcsr. 600 ,voro v..,,
much tho .smo In chair t"s,.. a. ~.
youns mon ~ tho Rrown.v,I,o =, to.a.r
PRETTY Iips. like Mamie Rooro,. h.yo
siwsys Ind = necmiisr ,,itchsrv "a
charm about ,hom sor yo,r~ ,r.,, .aS
somctimcs ola ono. .incs xIsr, ..o,o ~.
6r.t Liss In Eden
or comr.c. N.nm,. h.a r,.rv .ar,,r...
among the yonng m.n NJ ,ha sstsisr,s,,,
.nd ni.nty NJ o"om,a. .rno.. 49," lei.
Who knew well onow,h ,hnt Ma ~.
Chosen IN So .o sho could .ra.diIv h..e
brought nil the hsckwsr,i gallant. % h.r
sest anS ssn. .h",. .h".. " 49," ,, 20 asl
oIIxin9 that verv neces..rv o,sr,ort :" ~.
peace and prosperIty of such n Mace ss
Brownsyille was NJ that time. whore the
sirls were In the pronortlon of two IN one
Win the vouny man Rw, ,hst ,,s. h".
fore the dawn Of mononoiies. and Nan.
ME was OF too thrifty a disposition 40
keen beaux dawdiins about her when
they might much better be Mt home helm.
ing their fathers clear the farms thew
had stakcd orr In tho wilderness.
She was somcthins a. n airt and lik.a
to make tho virIs icalous and sec the
Young men east furIoms Glance. A. ono
another on her account: but that. I take
n. A natural for tho average Girl. Ehe
can't helm II. II ia born in her. All Of
M exult In n sonso NJ mower. and whv
uho,,Id nrcttv girls like Mamie Roone
NOT And n certain sntisfnction IN tho
knowledSe thar thov have onIv N nav
the word or give tho Look 10 have Tho
Young men fall down and do them hom.
ageY In doing this they are only allow.
Ing human nature to come TO the sur.
face. and human nature Ii about the
same thing the world over. They mean
no harm by Il. aud It n only when girl
allows ambition to trample good sense
under foot that any real harm Is done.
But Mamie, while su,iling upon most
of the Brownsville boys, had one sweet
est smile which she kept for Dick Bray.
ton.
Dick was q good-looking young fellow,
who had come from down below
which was anywhere forty or fifty miles
from Brownsville, and had reference to
NO particular place or point Of compass
about six months before the opening Of
my story. He was quite unlike the young
men Of Brownsville on bis advent among
them. His hands were white aud soft.
and bis dress and general appearance In.
dictated that he had not been used to hard
work. When Intercepted about It, he