The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-28
The Gentleman From Indiana
1 By BOOTH TaRlclNGToN
t Copyright by Doubleday Mcclure Co., 1899.
By BOOTH TRRI1NGToN
Copyright by Doubleday s. Mcclure Co., 1892

anything until he's out Of the way.
The girl gave low cry with sharp intake
of breath. 'Ah, One grows tired OF THIS
everlasting American patience! Why dont
the Platville people do something before tney
."It's lust as say BrIscoe answered; "our
folks are sort of used to them. expect we
do about all we can; the boys look after MIN
nights and the main trouble Is that we can
make him understand he ought to be more
afraid of them. III he'd lived here all his nfe
he would be. You know there's an old-time
feud between the CROSSROADS and our foiks;
goes way back into pioneer history ana
mighty few know anything Of it. Old William
Platt and the forefathers of the Bardlocks ana
Tibbses and Briscoes and Schofields moved
I'D here from North Carolina good deal Just
to get away from some bad neighbors, mostly
Skiliets and Johnsons-one Of the Skillets had
killed old William Platt's two sons. But the
Skllets and Johnsons followed all the waysto
Indiana to Join in making the new settlement,
and they shot Platt at his cabin door one
night, right where the courthouse stands TO-
day Then the other settlers drove them out
for good, and they went seven miles west anu
set up a still. "A band OF Indians. on the
way to join the Shawnee Prophet at Tippe-
canoe came down on the CROSSROADS, and
the Cross Readers bought them on with baa
whisky and sent them over to PlattVille.
fighting under Harrison, and when they came
back there were only few half-crazy women
and children left They'd hid in the woods.
The men stopped just long enough TO near
how it was, and started for the Cross-Roads;
but the Cross Roads people caught them In an
ambush and not many of our folks got back
I'VE really never did get even with tnsn; .
though all the early settlers lived ana oieo
still expecting to sec the day when PlattVllle
would 20 over and pay off the score: ITS the
same now as it was then, good stock with US,
bad stock over there; and all the country rlff-
raft in creation come and live With EN- When
other places get too hot to hold them. only
one or two of us old folks know what the
orisinal trouble about: but you ask
PlattviIle man to-day what he thinks OF the
Cross Roads and he'll he mighty apt to say,
I guess we'll all have to go over there some
time and wipe those hoodlums out It's been
coming to that q long time. The WORK the
Herald did has come nearer bringing us even
with the Six-Cross- Roads than anything else
ever has. Queer, too-a man that s only nVeu
In Plattvllle few years to be settling sucn an
old score for us. They'll do their best to get
him, aiid If they do there'll be trouble OF an
illegal nature. / think our people would go
over there again, but expect there woulon
be any ambush this time; and the pioneers
might rest easier in-' He broke Or SUD
denly, and nodded to little old man IN
blackboard, who was turning off from the road
into farm lane which led up to a trim COT
tage with honeysuckle vine by the door.
| That's Mrs. Wimby's hubsano. SAID the
| Judge in an undertone.
Miss Sherwood observed that Mrs. VIM
bv's husband" was remarkable for the ex-
ceeding plaintiveness of his expression. he
was a weazened, blank, pale-eyed little man
with a thin, white mist of neck whisker; MS
coat was so large for him that the sleeves
were rolled up from his wrists with seVera
turns, and, as he caimbed painfully to the
ground to open the gate Of the lane, 1t needed
no perspicuous eye to perceive that MS trou'
sers had been made for much larger man
! for, as his uncertain foot left the step or his
| vehicle, one baggy leg OF the garment iei
down over his foot, completely conceallne
his boot and hanging some inches peneatn' Il
family vexed expression crossed his lace az
he endeavored to arrange the disorder. but n*
looked up and returned Briscoe's bow, sadly
with an afr of explaining that he was accus
toned to trouble. and that the trousers hae
| behaved no worse than he expected =
No more noffensiye or harmless figure thar
| this feeble little old man could be imagined
! vet his was the distinction Of having recelVet
a terrible visit from his neighoors OF IN
Cross-Roads. Mrs. Windy was widow, whit
owned a comfortable farm, and she had re
fused every offer Of the neighboring ineligible
| bachelors to share it. However, a vagabond
| ing tinker won her heart, and after incl
marriage she continued to be known as MIS-
Wimby"; for so complete was the orlde
groom's insignifcance that it extended to nj
| name, which proved quite unrememberaDla
and he was usually called "Widder-W Womal
Wimby's HUSBAND or, more simply, MI
Windy" The bride supplied the needs 0
his wardrobe with the garments of her Tor
mer husband, and, alleging this proceedln
as the cause of their anger, the Cross Road
raiders, clad as White Caps broke Int
the farmhouse one night, looted 1t, tore IN
old man from his bed, and compelling nj
wife, who was tenderly devoted to him'
watch they lashed him with sapllng shoot
till he was near to DEATH "A little yello'
cur. that had followed his master on hi
wanderings, was found licking the OLD man
wounds, and they deluged the dog with kero
sene and then threw the poor animal upo
a bonfire they had made, and danced aroun
it in heartiest enjoyment.
The man recovered, but that was no pal1s
tion of the offense to the mind OF hot-eye
Young man from the east, who was besiegin
the county authorities for redress and wr1tin
birthstone and saltpeter for his paper. Tn
| powers of the county proving either lacka
daisical or timorous, he APPEALED to those
| the state, and he went every night to slee
at a. farmhouse, the owner OF which had re
ceived a warning from the "White-Caps.
And one night it befell that he was rewarded
! for the raiders. attempted an entrance
, and the farmer and the farmers sons bes
off the marauders and did a satisfactor
amount of damage In return. Two OF tf
white Caps they captured and bound, an
others they recognized, Then the state al
r thorities hearkened to the voice OF the Hel