Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-12-07

in the rear of the mansion and were I
speaking OF the awful details in low
tones.
EFF de do lay hans on 'im," opined |
the antiquated and disabled |
carriage driver of the coionePs father, |
ssMarse Ratcliff couldn't tex inn a mile |
to'ds de Jail house, TO- some gang er
white trash 'ud string i'm up ter a |
limb"
''Now you er ta1kin', Eph," agreed
Melvina, the portly head cook, as she
stood in the door washing half dozen
dismembered chickens in a tub of wa
ter. 'sHe won't STAN no mo- show dan a
stump-tail bull in fly time"
"What's all this about?" The voice
came from the upper floor of the We
randa, where the colonel stood in dress
ing-gown and slippers, his round, rubi-
cund face aglow from his morning
bath.
Half a dozen negroes essayed to ex-
plain, but the result was a noisy con-
fusion of tones and words. The colonel
stamped his foot and swore furiously.
This left Ephraim with the floor; he
was too deaf to hear his masters COM
mand for silence. The colonel heard
the story from his lips.
''In my swamp, eh?" he exclaimed,
when the carriage driver had finished,
"a pretty come off! The next thing we
hear all the cutthroats in Georgia will
be hiding in my corn house and gin, and
YOU lazy scamps will stand by and al
low it."
With this parting shot into the black,
upturned faces, the colonel retreated
into his room to finish dressing and to
tell his guests the news. In few min
utes Hardy and Wrinkle came down for
their early morning promenade on the
front veranda and they were promptly
followed by the ladies.
81 hope they will chase i'm out near
u.s." observed the captain, as he helped
himself to one of the colonel's apple
toddies, which James was passing
round in punch-bowl. 'As long as
have lived in this section I have never
been present at lynching bee.'
| AS he finished speaking he found
himself under the cold stare of Mrs.
| Lancaster's mild blue eyes.
ST should think, Capt. Winkle," she
! remarked, chat you would have more
| CONSIDERATION Luz d. AuIhdA AA1C dt StdNC
| than to look upon the matter as provid-
ing you with new form of amuse-
| ment."
! This young man smiled indulgently
as he put down his glass and daintily
| touched his lips and waxed mustache
with his handkerchief.
| sMy dear Mrs. Lancaster" he cried,
"you ladies are such delicious bundles
of inconsistency; you would not, in
| your hearts, have these bloodthirsty
fiends run at large, but as soon as one
is about to suffer for his crime you fill
his cell with flowers. Now, this swamp
rat has killed helpless old woman and
the people are rising to see that justice
is done. He ought to be hung, and that
promptly"
The colonel was listening to this col
loquy as he stirred the apples up in
| the toddy with an old-fashioned silver
ladle.
''Of course" he remarked, "lynch law
is deplorable thing. It is fundamen-
tally wrong, because mistakes have
now and then happened; but how on
earth are you going to stop it? Why,
Mrs. Lancaster, those chaps-Syd Hart.
Thad Williams and their ilk-would
burn me out of house and home if ut
tered protest in this natter
"But, papa"-Evelyn stood holding
to Mrs. Lancaster's hand, and as she
spoke her voice trembled-'but, papa,
you must do something-you really
must. The man has not been proved
guilty; he may be absolutely innocent"
"Ah, there you go!" laughed the
colonel as he touched her chin playful
ly. "You think your old father ought
to run the world. Why, I am absolutely
helpless. If I telegraphed the governor
to order out the state militia, they
couldn't get here in time, and if they
could these determined mountain men
would make it hot for them. Twenty
lives would be lost instead of one"
Just then breakfast was announced.
The colonel CALAMITY offered his arm
to Mrs. Lancaster, and as she took it
she started to draw Evelyn along with
her. But the girl drew back.
81 don't care to go in now" she fall
tered. 81 had a cup of coffee in my
room. Oh, 1 am so afraid they will
hang him!"
'Well, 1 shall come out to you soon
DEAR" said the widow, tenderly. ''Wait
for me-,
Seated at a window in the drawing
room-she felt too nervous to remain on
the veranda Evelyn had good
view of the road running along the
edge of the swamp. She could see the
ever-strengthening chain of men, thei1
guns and pistols cleaning in the sun
light. To her the sight was more aw-
full than had it been an army in bat
tie array. Presently she saw figure