The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-05-27
REVIVAL OF DUCKIRG STOOL
For the Eagle.


look at me and my husband seemed equal
ly silent. and apparen~y Indifferent as to
their presence there.
/ was greatly astonished at his manner;
not offering to introduce me or make any
explanation regarding the presence OF
these people.
After keen look in his direction,
which he paid no attention, making my
surprise still more deep. l advanced hesl-
tatingly toward the couple and said:
.Win YOU not be seated?" glancing more
directly toward the woman, whose pale
face bore some trace of refinement.
though she did not.evidently, belong TO
the Weather class.
No. thank you. VIZ are waiting re
piled the woman, with a shrinking glance
at the man who stood in stolid, forbidding
silence.
noticed then. she wore very peculiar
sort of half BELT and half girdle, of tan
leather. with two raised disks on each
side of the fastening. which was peculiar.
too. in that it seemed TO be literally
grown together In the center of these
disks were small round holes. Wonder
ing why they were there, and why she
wore such an outiandish circlet as that,
/ walked over to my husband and while
asking him about his headache, ques-
toned him with my eyes
Be it known we were proprietors of a
small store, with living rooms above, and
at the rear We had recently moved to
this remote place. and knew little of the
people around US.
Ny husband looked at me calmly, albeit
with a dreamy expression in his eyes.
AND. as I grew cold with fright. he said
In a wholly unnatural tone:
1.-The gentleman wished me to pune
ture those holes in his wife's belt for
hour to arrive when she viii be placed
in the ducking stool"
1 looked at him with dilating eyes. my
brain Teeling with horror. Surely his
sickness was not so serious as that.
But no. he returned my look with one
of deeper meaning. though he appeared
to look beyond me, and glancing around,
/ saw the man was looking at a picture
above the mantle. But / could not un-
derstand the LOOK. and, wondering if these
people were lunatics as they surely must
be from what ! hau just heard. / de-
cfded. with a sinking heart, that they had
in some way cast spell upon my hus-
band and he was appealing to me for
help. that we migH, not both be muir
dered. I was engaged in trying to mas
ter the situation. and did not notice the
couple were leaving the room. But my
husbands eyes recalled me, and glanc-
ing toward them, l seemed all at once
to understand.
In one moment l was at the woman's
side. and had placed my hand on her
shoulder. She turned to me a face bathed
in tears: so fun of agonized pleading L
grew dizzy at sight of it, and of the
magnitude of the undertaking before me.
1 passed my arm around her waist, and
while my heart tripped mady. / SAID:
"Wil you not stop long enough TO tell
me of this proceeding. 1t is new to me"
The man turned then, and | saw him
fully in the face for the first time. He
was a surly looking fereigned Of some
sort. With half grown black beard, and
shifting coal black. the look of determin-
alton in his face would have daunted a
weaker spirit Though inwardly filled
with horror. l was none the less decided
The woman was of medium complexion,
APPARENT the mother of several children.
and seemingly much the superior of the
ynan. She loked careworn. ard her hands
were scanned with the evidence of hard
work.
She sank trembling into my arms, as l
drew her head upon my shoulder, weep
ing silently
What does this mean" / repeated, as
the man did not speak
1t means this. said he, turning his
eyes from mine. owing probably TO their
expression; lit means she has been sent
enced TO the ducking stool, as a scold, and
must take her medicine
who sentenced woman to such cruel
ty in this enlightened age? No officer in
this free land would do such thing"
My voice was clear and brave though
my heart was at my throat suffocating
me. 1t was dreadful and the man had
evidently done something TO my poor hus-
band TO unseat his reason. too. ! could
not call help for the one clerk we had
was of these people. and he was at the
front Of the store, too far to hear even
if l had felt that | could trust him. which
j quickly decided l could not.
The woman still sobbed In stiffled
way. as IA 10 propitiate her spouse, while
ne looked at me sullenly. his manner say
ing: 1T is no use
Then apparently remembering me, he
answered:
mo officer condemned her. II was our
preach. 1t is in the laws of the church
We oil Il, ,T,. ol,,.,..b
l remembered we Were in a strange
country. hut I did not stop. for my arms
were stin about that trembling form
We'll. if your preacher did do this
thing, You are in America. and it is
against the laws Of this country"
Il don't care what your laws are. we
are a law 10 ourselves. Run your own
ships and We viii run ours Do YOU un-
derstand?"
Here my husband said: My dear. we
cannot help these people this is not our
affair
And this was my husband who would
always fight TO protect a woman. no mat
ter who she was. If in distress And
there he lay. actually abetting this mon
ster. 1t was plain case of lunacy in his
case. ] felt sure, and the belief Vas far
from comforting.
But the man before me was sane He
was toe mean to he otherwise. and the
woman was entirely 50.
l stood with my arms around her think
ing swiftly. Il would hot do TO finch
now that l had put my hand To the plow
The woman husband made move to
wards her and said.
Come on. they are waiting now"
But she only save a pitiful cry and
chung more tightly to ne
Then l remembered pase successes at
persuasion, and softening my voice.