The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-08
Harry Benton's
Return.

-. graduated from Yale md
had returned to his home.
sx in q small city near In
BHeHoEx dianapolis. His father and
mother, four sisters between the
ages Of ten and nineteen and him
self made up the family. The father
had been Mayor Of the place q
number Of years. member Of Congress
two terms and was at one time enjoy
ing q small income from about $780,
600 leaned ont On mortgages. Mr.. Ben
tom had hihted to Harry more than
once that. as his law and land single
had brought him no customers he had
better begin looking elsewhere. 1t was
better In the Far West, perhaps than
In hi: own native town.
But Mr.. Benton was as completely
stunned N was his wife and the four
girls when Harry struck the dining
table one evening after dessert was
over and exclaimed .excitedly: This
10 my last meal IN this family! ! leave
&C midnight for Deadwood, CT Tomb
stone, or some othe. old mortuary town
IN the Far West, and you'll none Of you
ever zee or hear from me again unless
] become q millionaire cattle king, a
miner or ann bent to the United States
Senate. ! have received several letters
from Tom Haskins. Jim Metcalf and
Bill Herold, all Of whom are getting
rich herding cattle in Wyoming. while
Cousin Horace says he has struck It
Dig near Deadwood. I have been qui-
etiy planning for o break for the Far
West for nearly q month. and have
already purchased a pair Of big boots
and some huge spurs, q buckskin suit
with plenty Of fringe. sombrero. two
forty.nves, q knife, q revolver and q
Winchester"
sWhy. You are going to start out
a. o real cowboy calculated q Of
the sisters, horriaed almost beyond
expression.
That's just the size Of it." responded
che young man cooliy. II have fur
nished myself according to Cousin
HoFace's recipe, which concludes as
follows:
81 win meet you on the edge Of the
town with a fast horse. and you shall
enter the throbbing municipality on q
clean run, with the bride and knife
in your teeth, blazing away first with
the Winchester and then with the re-
volver. retaining.a couple Of shots In
case Of an emergency"
my impression 10 that Horace Is
starting you anfavorably." said Mr..
Benton. 1T would be better for you
II you entered the place more amiably
and more peacefully. I have been In
an the States and Territories beyond
the Rockies In an oficial way. and I
want to inform you that r. You waltz
into the thrchbing municipality. rs
Horace felicitousiy puts 1t. the town
WIN turn itsek loose and make you
think It had swallowed'a hurricane for
breakfay>-
"Ah. Ia! You are talking. amt
you? Would you have your first born
enter q cowboy town in q plug hat and
q swallowtail? Would you want a son
Of yours refuse at the start to take
his medicine? Would you want me to
be Initiated as o tenderfoot or as a
bug chaser from some scientific insti.
tute? Not much! No. sir. I'm going
30 fiop into that little burg like q grizzly
leading q German. I'm going to swoop
down on It's Inhabitants like q human
tornado and make them think the en-.
tire earth II Oh Its trolley. ! can just
zee myself now riding into that little
camp on the outside Of civilization. and
its staggering tarantula Juice guAziers
making q Wild break for their cyclone
cellars when they see me coming.
.Whoop! Ha-ha-ha! Whoop!"
At this juncture. amid the tears and
shrieks OF his mother and his sisters
and establishment Of the head Of the
family. the young man again brough,
his hand down ~furiously on the table
then arose and shouted: "Goodby'
When you see me or hear from me
again It win be under different cir
,cumstances. I am or for the Far West
where millionaire Senators and multi
millionaire miners and railroad mag
mates grow on every bush. When
return II may be In my own private
a or II may not. But I will give YOU
q surprise. sure. Tom Haskins. Jim
Metcalf. Bin Herold and Cousin Hor
ace left here without q dollar. and now