Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-02-08
The World Against Him
BY WILL N. HARDEN.
Copyright. 1900. by
AN. Kellogg Newspaper Company.
CHAPTER XIX.-CoNrNuED.

CHAPTER XIX.-CoNrNUED.
The " ind blew the fine fakes of snow
under the roof of the porch, and they
fell and melted on her iron-gray locks.
gan, nor did she give him her eyes
steadily once through the whole re-
0ital.
you've heerd bout yore pas BUSH
whackin' days up in Tennessee endurin'
Of the war;" she began. "He was sort
of head man against 'em all. They
made a good deal by it, fust an last.
He used to tell me all about it fore we
got married an I was sech foolish
young thing that I thought his conduct
was smart, an that Jade Fanshaw was
about the finest ketch in them noun
tains. They did their biggest business
an made their biggest hauls by captur-
an folks that was trayelin' heer an
yam through the mountains to git away
from the war, as most of sech folks had
money about 'em. They didn't kill
often, unless it was through lack of
proper Judgment, like, for instance, in
threatenin' a man to give up his treas
ure BY DRAWN i'm up on rope an let
tin i'm hang a mite too long. Whar
you come in was this away" Mrs.
Fanshaw cautiously closed the door
leading into the hall and then went on:
"a man and his wife an a baby about
four months old come long in a car
riage driv' by a niger man, an yore
pas crowd was lynn in wait fur 'em an
helt 'em up in a lonely mountain pass.
The man was young confederate Of
ficer, an the woman was mighty good
1ookin' an dressed as fine as a fiddle.
That's one reason the gang thought
they had money. They ordered all of
'em to git out on the ground, an the
officer did so at once, an tuck the baby
from its mother so she could git out.
A'WeH, they say he had no sooner
put foot to the ground fore the niger
driver whipped up the bosses like mad
an managed to dodge the shots an git
away. The tale Jake always told me
was that the officer started off at full
speed after the carriage an got shot ac-
-cidentally, fallin' with you in his arms.
The wust part of it fur the gang was
that the man had no money about him,
nm they had live squallin' baby on
hands. Then they drawed lots as to
. who was to put the baby out o. pain, an
1T fell to Jade, an he fetched you to
put the job off on me. I'd been married
two yeer an never had no child, an as
I was by myself in a lone cabin from
morning till night an often all night I
begged Jade to let me have you fur COM
pany an as he didn't seem to want to
bother more about it, he give in. No
body but the gang ever knowed you
wasn't my child an they scattered to
all parts of the world after the surren-
der. After that Dave an the gals was
born an nobody ever suspicioned that
you wasn't = Fanshaw."
Ronald, pale and excited, leaned
against the watershed.
do you know the name of the Of
1icer?" he asked.
''Thar wasn't a thing to show who he
was" answered Mrs. Fanshaw. "He
didn't have a thing in his pockets ex-
.cept silver tobacco box. You've seed
1T hunderd times; all the children cut
their teeth on it; it's in the front room
with matches in it.
She went into the house and brought
it back.
"1'ye told many lie about this lit
tie trick" she admitted, with shrug
He had seen the box often before,
and remembered that words were en-
g-aved on it. He held it to the light
making out the following: From
Elizabeth to-"
This does not help me much," he
said, ''but 1 shall not rest till I know
who 1 am. Is any of the old band living
now?''
Thar must be some of 'em, but the
Lord only knows whar they are; they
seemed ashamed of Their war conduct
an amt anxious to keep up old friend
ships. Now, Ron, remember yore prom
ise!"
81 shall do nothing till you are away
from here" he said, "and then you
shall never be blamed. The one to be
blamed is there" He made gesture
toward the graveyard over the hills.
81 reckon you are right" she sighed
maybe eff I'd a-had other company
when was CROWN up my end would
a-been different"
CHAPTER Xxx.
Another summer had come. Ronald
UaSnOyy Reddin r'S law ma rfn err md LIVED