Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-09-28


I'm going to be father and mother and
brother and sister and the hull billing lot
of relatives to you from this on. with
out regard to conventionalities, and for
the present, while | turn this thing
over in my mind two or three times,
I'm going to think, and while I'm
thinking I'm going to treat you as al
ways have-just as If you were a boy
and lastly, before speak very decid-
edly on the subject. I'm going to have
q talk with Miss Erna Thomas. She's
a whole team with boss behind and q
dog under the wagon. Let's ride on"
There was silence between them aft
er that. neither speaking until the
ranch was before them; then 1t was
Craig Thompson who spoke.
81 brought Hank Smith along with
me-" he said. Hes handy with tools
and can make coffin in jiffy. Where
shall we break groundT'
"It makes no difference to me-"
81 mean where do you want the old
man buriedT
II understood you. do not care.
Bury him where you please. 1t Is all
the same to me-"
"Humph! Look here. Lisle, under
stand how you feel. but you don't want
to do anything now that you'll be sorry
for later on. and 1t amt fair to try and
convict q man without hearing him In
his own defense. Dick Maywell's gone
where be can't be beard. and don't be-
lieve that you are made Of the sort OF
stuff that's going to hit q man when
he's dowp-leastwise that amt exactly
the way that sized you up"
"What do you want me to dor
"Your duty, not to him particularly,
If you don't like 1t that way. but to
yourself and to others-to ME, to the
cowboys on your ranch and to the
world. It's the worst kind Of cow
ard that turns tail at a time like this.
You 90 to your room and walt for me.
Think 1t over. A man may have lots
Of reasons for doing things. and they
may be Of the sort that he can't ex-
plain, but there's one thing that is dead
certain. and that Is that every son and
every daughter In the world has got
q credit rs well as debit account In
the names of the old folks, and any
body who won't study both sides Of the
ledger before making out the balance
sheet amt fit to he mentioned in polite
society. and. Lisle. the only really po-
lite society in the world Is the one
that's made up Of honest people,"
Lisle reached out one hand and rest
ed 1t upon the arm of her friend.
"You are right. Craig" she said.
"There is no need for me to think 1t
over. You have done that for me In the
few words that you have uttered. Be-
fore you leave me. however, there Is
one question which must ask you."
"What Is it, kid?
do you despise me because | am
woman? Tell Inc truly-do you despise
me?
elsie, the man never lived who
honestly despised. women rs a class.
Here and there one man may have
despised and hated one woman or two
or dozen-but all of 'em? Not much!
'Tain't natural. and God Almighty new
er made one Of us that way"
"My father did"
"Not OH your life. Lisle. The best
proof that you are wrong Is the fact
that he hid himself away from 'em all
the way he did. He did that because
he loved 'em so that he didn't dare to
60 where they were for fear that his
pride would give in to human nature.
It's more than likely that one woman
has deceived him somehow, and he got
on his ear. just as you have done at
him. There wasn't any old critter like
Craig Thompson around to tell him the
difference tween tweedledum and
tweedledee. You just make out that
balance sheet and look 1t over. and If
you don't find more to your dads credit
than you've got ag'in him I'll eat it,"
But you have not replied to my
question. Craig"
"Ain't |? Well. III answer 1t now.
1t don't make no difference to me or to
any other man whether human crit
ter's n man or woman. It's the crit
ter, not the sex, that we look at. No
body will ever be despiscd by any
body If he or she Is honest and true.
Those are the biggest words in the die
tionary of human conduct, cause they
mean the most AS for my deSpising
you because you're woman. the idea
Is Internal rot. When deSpise per-
son, that PERSONS pretty apt to know
it 'thout asking questions on the sub
ject. Look here. Lisle: wasn't in
tending to talk any more to you till
after had chance to turn things
over in my mind. but I'll say this:
You're facing situation that looks
heap sight bigger to you than 1t does
or ever will to anybody else. You have
| found out that you are woman with
out knowing what woman Is. and
| you sorter feel rs If you was walking
round arm in arm with your own ghost
| You've met a stranger that you can't
| git away from for the rest of your life
You've got 10 get acquainted. and the
sooner you get on familiar terms with
| yourself the better for all concerned.
If you had been picked up and carried
away and suddenly put down again on
another planet. you couldn't have been
In a much worse fix than you are now.
but l reckon you'd find the inhabitants
of the other place sort of decent. and
you'll find 'em so here. think that
| between Tom Thomas, Erna and me