The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1901-12-05

/ thought had come to his mind to ask
| Mrs. Hawkins to marry him. Night
/ after night he lay sleepless, thinking
! it over, and weighing his chances OF
failure or success. Finally he decid-
| ed to put it to the test. He called on
Mrs. Hawkins and made known his
1 desire in his blunt, straightforward
/ way No less blunt and straightfor
! ward was her answer. She was mar
! ried, her husband was still alive, and
| in fact she expected him home that
very evening. He had been away for
long time, but to-day he would re-
| turn. Tatton saw the look of JOY
in her eyes, heard the ring of glad
ness in her voice. He turned from
! her and left the house. As he walked
dejectedly to the front gate, the little
girl ran ac,ar him, shyly slipped her
| hand into his, and told him not to
| look so, that her papa was coming
home that night. Tatton stopped alb
ruptly. took her in his arms, and held
| her close for moment. Gently plac-
ing her on her feet again, he contin-
ued his way to the woods, while the
| little girl returned and told her
mother what the man had done
When he came to the village the
letter, notifying him of Toms death,
was given him. Out by the OLD Fort
swamp he brooded over it all. He
wondered in a mechanical way how
much it would cost to reach Ken
| lucky. Once there, he would shoot
| Jenkins. Tom would rest easier in
his grave if he knew of it.
Late that evening he came to the
| Hawkins house. lie came late pur-
posely, that ne might miss seeing
Mrs Hawkins husband. AS he APP
preached the house he took refuge in
the clump of saplings, to see if the
road were clear. A glance convinced
him that it was not. Coming towards
him, along the path, were a man and
woman; before them, in childish
| glee, ran a little girl. He knew the
| three at glance. As they came
nearer something about the man
seemed familiar. Tatton watched
him closely. The man raised his face
| to look at the full moon in the east.
| There was no installing hint was
Ben jenkins. Tatton's first emotion
was one of ferocious pleasure. His
blood surged hot within him, and
then ran cold. Already was his enemy
within his reach. He paused not to
| think how he came, or why he came;
but pulling out the pistol was pre-
pared to do bloody work. One sec
ond he hesitated and then it was too
| late. Softly he replaced the pistol,
and as softly slipped from the sap
ling thicket deeper into the woods.
at mout scare Mis- Hawkins an
the leetle gal" he muttered; I'll
come back tonight an git him Wen
| they amt so clost to him"
True to bis word, two hours later
| he returned with his rifle. Long he
paused in the thicket, but he could
| see no one about the house, Finally
he slipped up close to the front door
and lay in hiding. From within came
| the sound of voices. Soon Jenkins APP
peared on the small front porch, and
with him came the little girl, She
climbed into his lap as he sat on the
/ step, and called him papa
Up to this time Tatton could not
| conceive of jenkins relation to
Mrs. Hawkins and her daug. ter.
! With a sudden shock it now came to
him. He remembered having heard
| shat Hawkins was Mrs. Jenkins
maiden name. For some reason She
had adopted it when her husband
went to Kentucky
Tatton had just raised his Win
chester when the words of the little
girl came to his ears. At this mo-
ment, from within doors, came the
| sound of Mrs. Jenkins voice in song.
| Sweetly the words throbbed in his
| ears. It was the old song, dear to
| every loyal heart of the old state,
| 'She was bred in old Kentucky
Tatton thought the gates of paradise
had opened, and that this was the
| fragment of an angel song. Enrap-
| tured he listened until the last word
| foated on the night air and died away.
He dropped the muzzle of his gun,
arose to his feet, softly slipped out to
the pine thicket, and thence along
the path to the Old Fort swamp
|