Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-01

:
from Harmony. For long time Sile
didn't know what to do for a grievance
and it worried him so that he hitched
his team to his shack one night and
pulled 1T over onto the northeast cor
ner OF his hundred and sixty. That
brought him nearer Concord, seco
When the county seat was located in
Concord and things got fairly quiet
/ there, he was blue as milestone till
he hauled his shack across to the
southwest corner of the quarter, and
that made Harmony man out of him.
just now it don't make any difference
which side of his farm he's on. Sile
can be in hot water all the time, SO he's
just about as comfortable in the spirit
as any man can be. and live. And that's
the way it goes"
Dick Pettibone was full of anecdote
and Renaissance and sage reflections
on life, and the half hour which it re-
CURED for the high stopper to trot
them to their destination was whiled
away most agreeably.
Lake Elizabeth was a small but
beautiful expanse of water, simmer
ing like diamond against the green
of the plain. On all sides the banks
| had gentle slope and there were wide
reaches of white sand skirting the wa
ter's edge. To the north were two
small groves of cottonwoods standing
knee-deep in dense underground.
We're half an hour ahead of time"
said Pettfbone, land consequently are
first on the ground. Suppose we make
ourselves comfortable among those
cottonwoods, whore we can't be seen,
and await Developments"
Thus speaking, he headed his horse
toward the more southerly of the two
groves. In little time the horse and
buggy had been hidden in the brushy
tangle and the sheriff and Guy had hit
upon point of vantage from which,
entirely unobserved, they could see
the north shore of the lake in its full
extent.
| They had no more than settled them
selves comfortably when fall of hoofs
reached their ears and they saw near
the crest of the sloping shore two
horsemen descending at gallop to-
ward the other grove.
"By cracky!" muttered Pettibone.
If there amt old man Glimmer and
Lem Bilkins, I'm Feejee! Now, what
the dickens are they here for? feline
that, somebody, and I'll be obliged.
Look at that! They're going into hid
ing in the other grove. Well, I'll be
dinged!"
Bilkins and Glimmer disappeared in
the brush and among the trees to the
north, and all was outwardly as calm
and serene as before.
The next arrivals were Col. Dingle
and Capt Blue, wh,o drove red
wheeled gig over the rise and down
to sentinel cottonwood that stood
apart. The captain and the colonel
were joking and laughing and one
would have imagined thata duel was $
ordinary matter with them as Col.
Keever had informed Guy it had once
been with him.
Capt. Blue hitched the horse to a tree
and as he finished and turned away Col.
Keever and Sampson drove merrily
upon the scene. The editor of the Biz.
ard was smoking cigar and his e1-
treme nonchalance was the most no.
ticeable thing about him.
Good afternoon, gentlemen" he
called courteously to those already ON
the feld.
Col Dingle and Capt. Blue nodded
distantly and Col. Keever shrugged his
fat shoulders, chuckled cynically and
got down from the buggy. Cropping
around under the seat he succeeded in
finding and in drawing into sight
large revolver. Facing about, he
pressed a spring, pulled down the bar
rel and gave businesslike glance at
the cartridges in the cylinder. This
done, he snapped the revolver together,
knocked the ashes from his cigar with
the muzzle and staggered over in the
direction of his opponent.
WELL" said Dingle, sharply, "if you
are ready, pace off the distance and
let US get this affair over with"
We'll first flip a quarter for choice
of positions" returned Keever, Civ
ing a side glance at the sun. 1.-THE
last time figured in an affair of this
kind-was it the last, now, or next to
the last?-well, anyway, I fought with
the sun in my eyes and only pinked
my man. Still"
"Your "reminiscences are very inter-
esting," but think we can dispense
with them" cut in Col. Blue, taking
a quarter out of his pocket. "Once
for all, Col. Keever, what is it?"
The coin twirled in the air.
"Heads!" cried Keever, and won the
toss.
Taking up his position with his back
to the west. he motioned to Sampson.
The printer came at once, leaving the
horse unhitched. Although the horse
was known to be gentle, it was fool
ish thing for Sampson to leave it in
this way.
Sampson, pace off 20 steps with
Capt. Blue" commanded Keever. eff
you'd rather make it ten, Dingle, I'm
agreeable"
"Five!" cried the little Colonel.