The Worthington advance., 1900-12-21
hustled her OF to bed right after, sup
ner .iTha ninh& h ad aAk IN n Safnl II fn1ernY

hustled her OF to bed right after, sup
per. The night had Get in awful stormy.
and bad, and I5was settin' ~ . roarin's
fire hemmin' some tablecloths long
about ten o'clock and thinking that
hoped no one was out in that storm
when all Of? q sudden my door opened
and in dashed a tall, slim young feller
without any hat or overcoat and look
in skeered out Of years growth. . :. 4.
30 Mother Tubbs!' he says, with hds
voice all of a tremble and his eyes stick
in out of his head with fright. They
are after me! What shall dor
Who's after you, SON p says I. And
what are they after you for~ ~. F..
The men up in the gulch, he says.
They say I have jumped claim, but
If l have didn't know it, I thought
it was an old claim that some one had
abandoned. But they can't be made to
think so unless you can make 'em think
1t. What shall do?'
SWELL, recognized him in = minnit
as Harvey Briggs and I held up ny hand
for silence, fearing the girl in the
other room would hear him, but she
was too worn out and slept too soundly
to be easily Weakened. told the boy
he want over 22-to set down, and
he KEEP beggin' me to hide him, and~l
was about to send him to the loft over.
head when the door swung open and in
come about as many men as could
crowd into the room, and the young
feller give q yell and run into a corner
like q skeered rabbit. Well, I just
jumped right in front of him, and held
up my hand and I says, saysI:
"'Stand back, boys; stand back!
There amt one of you that wants to
lay hands on woman, and you'll have
it to do if you try to pull him out.
Stand back, tell you'll
II knew more than half of 'em, and,
I tell you, they stood back. It'd been
mighty. rash for one of 'em to Of laid
hands on Mother Tubbs, for there were
boys there. that would have fit to the
death for me, and one of them boys was
Bill Hodge, the leader o. the gang. He
says, says he:
eyes, stand back and hear what
Mother Tubbs has to say
"I got this to say, says I: There's
a young gal in the other room who has
come nearly 1000 miles to marry this
boy, and just as sure as you take his life
hers will 60, too, for she is just that
far gone on him. You don't want her
blood on your hands; no, nor you don't
want any human blood on your hands.
This boy says he didn't mean TO jump
that claim, and even if he did he is
a young, inexperienced boy, and It amt
for You to jedge him. I don't believe
that he meant to do wrong, and I tell
you right fiat that you don't take him
out o. this house to his death. I'll shoot
first!'
"There was loaded rifle on the wall
back O. me, and grabbed it and held
it out before me-"
Bully for Mother TubRs!' says Bill
Hodge.
Just at that minnit the door of the
cabins other room opened and the girl
come out. She had on long, loose, blue
wrapper and all her yeller hair hangin'
down her back. The young feller
SSA cams OuC AuCy! duu Sic was III lily
arms in q minnit. Then, in minnit or
two, she says:
"'What are all these men here for?
"'La, child says I, they have come
to your wedding. Well have the cere-
mony performed right now. Come,
parson, marry 'em right off, rr
"You see, I had parson that had just
come to the camp lodgin' with me, and
he had been routed out by the noise and
had just come into the room. He come
forward and the girl kind O. objected
to bein' married in blue wrapper, but
I told her that she couldn't look purifier
in the finest white satin and that it
would be pity to send the men away
without seein' a weddin' when they had
come fer that purpose. So she give in,
and they was married, and if Bill
Hodge want the first one to shake
hands with the bridegroom, and he
kissed the bride! I flew around and
made coffee and cut big fruit cake
I'd made for Thanksgivin', and we had
gay time. And the young fellow turned
out real we'll. He is prosperous man
and he and his wife have four lovely
children. visited 'em last week. But
L reckon that was the first and only
time a lynchin' was ever turned into
weddin'.'"