The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-06-22
THE WORLD AGAINST HIM
= BY WILL N. HARDEN


Ronald raped on the door-facing to
attract her attention, and when she
looked up he asked her If her husband
was at home.
"IIe was jest this minute" she said.
coming forward and wiping her hands
on her apron. "He took his gun jest
now and went into the strip of woods
down thar at the foot O. the field. Is II
anything important"
II came to turn myself over TO him,
Mrs. Ratcliff; If you could send for
him, perhaps he would like for you TO
do It,"
81 could blow the dinner horn," she
betrayed no surprise, If she felt any,
over his announcement. at might
wake the baby, but l reckon l could
quiet it down ag'in."
She gave him a seat in the passage
and took his hat and laid 1t, according
TO rules of hospitality, on her bed in
the room on the left. Then she reached
up for the cows horn, which hung on n
nail on the porch.
"Have you got yoreself in trouble,
Mr.. Fanshaw?" she asked, as she raised
the horn to her lips
"I've killed sydney Hart, Mrs. Rat
cliff" He gave this explanation after
a slight hesitation, for he feared that
being a woman and alone with him it
might upset her nerves.
"You don't say she calculated;
"well, I'll be switched
She did not seem more surprised than
IL he had told her that he had had
tooth extracted, and then he remem-
bered that she had been Ratcliff's COM
panion in many rough experience.
One night when he was taking three
desperadoes to Jail and had stopped at
home for refreshments, he found that
the mountain streams ahead were so
much swollen by recent rains that he
could not go on, and there was nothing
open TO him but 10 convert their COM
pany room into a temporary prison.
Mrs. Ratcliff sat up till daybreak with
shotgun on one knee. and restless
baby on the other, and remarked after
wards that she didn't sleep half the
night.
Ronald watched her as she stood like
an Amazon in the doorway and gave
two long eohoing blasts on the horn.
Then she came back to him.
'Well l reckon you had obleeged to
do it," as she looked into the room on
the right at the little box cradle. "Mr.
Ratcliff lowed you an sgd would have
a taste o. one another's gore fore long;
he lowed he'd never seed a man with
yore reckless nerve, an that Hart never
would sleep till he'd bucked ag'in it,"
The baby being quiet, she stepped
back to the door. 81 see Mr.. Ratclff
comm lickity-splt through the broom
sedge. We agreed when thar was any
thing important fur me to blow twice;
] reckon he'll think the house is af1re.
Ny la! did you ever see body ske-
daddle like that? You'd think a hoop
snake was at his heels! Nothin' amt
the matter!" (she shouted this to her
husband); you are wanted-that's
ALL" She stood In the doorway and
waved her hands. 81 want i'm to see
I'm unframed ur he'd break his fool
neck"
A moment later the sheriff came into
the passage painting and perspiring,
"Well, lowed the nggers had riz,"
he laughed.
Briefly Ronald explained what he had
come for and Ratcliff pulled his long
brown beard thoughtfully. He would
have made joke if he were at funeral
and the joke had been at the expense
of the corpse.
"It's bad on me" he said, drily, "if you
fellers kin out many more ringleaders
like sgd I'll be out of a job-that skunk
has been bread an meat to me fur a
long time. But, no jokin', we'd better
make bee line fur town. an I'll see
II | cant git you up bond. You are
too good n citizen TO be stuck in a com
mon Jail. We cayn't do a thing till
we've had a committal trial. TO
tell you the truth, l don't like
the looks of the business. Thad
Williams is a devil on wheels; he'll give
you trouble. What he'll swear won't
be prompted by the angels, an his
threat shows his hand. But his testi-
mony, true or untrue, will go as fur
at court rs presidin elders. Many
an innocent man has had his life swore
away by designin' rascals."
u