The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-07-22
eyes, I'll shoot you no matter what

Then, / guess III be going. Good
day."
Burns turned back toward the shore,
but he had not gone far when Sam
yelled to him:
Here! What are you doing! Are
you going off and leave me to drOwn?"
"I am sorry to see you drown Burns
replied, turning back. But | can't al
ford to save you so you can shoot me-
That wouldn't be good policy, would
it?"
Old Sans finger began to slip on
the boat.
Save mel" he screamed, "and
won't shoot you"
Very good" Burns replied calmly.
"but you must make some other prom
ises."
What are they? Quick!"
well, for one thing, you must prom
ise not to try to force Minerva into
marriage with old Ben Tucker"
That's my business.
lust so. And saving your life, or
not, is mine"
Sans fingers were slipping more and
more.
81 promise, dem YOU" he screeched.
Now save me-"
mot yet" Burns replied. "You must
make one more promise first"
What is it?"
LAS she and | love each other, and
as you can have no reason for object
ing to me as a son-in-law, you must
! promise to give me Minerva for a
wife,
"Never!"
mot even to save your life, Mr.. judi
kins?"
mo. Haven't you already eloped
| with her and married her?"
mot at all. l merely took her, at
her request, to some friends over in
town to keep you from forcing her to
marry old Tucker. But are you going
to agree to my last request, or shall /
bid you good day."
Old Sam hesitated a moment, then,
as his fingers gave another slip, he
said:
Save me, dem it, and III promise
anything"
"AIl right" Burns replied.
Then he swan up and turned the
boat over and threw old Sam into ii,
after which he climbed in himself. Sc
curing the oars, which had hung in
the locks, he struck out for the shore.
For some distance they went along
in silence, but old Sans face wore
such a sad, woebegone expression that
finally Burns was constrained to
speak.
"Mr. Judkins," he said, "you seem
troubled and unhappy. What is the
matter?"
Sam drew long, hopeless sigh.
"Im ruined" he moaned, ruined,
ruined!"
How so?" Burns asked.
Ben Tucker has a mortgage on my
land and now he'll foreclose and turn
me out on the world It's awful"
'Is that all your trouble?"
"All? Isn't it enough, at my age, to
be set adrift, homeless and penniless?"
'It would be, if such thing was to
happen to you"
well, it will happen, all right. It's
bound to now
81 must differ with you there, Mr..
Judkins. Minerva's father shall never
meet such a fate. I'll find the money
to pay fuckers claims
You will?"
"Of course. | will.
"Are you sure you CAM"
81 have $4,000 in the bank. Wont
that do it?"
Eyes, ten times over"
"Then that's easy fixed"
"Why didn't you tell me long age
that you'd do that?"
How was l to know about the mort
gage?"
''Didn't Minerva tell you?"
mo"
Didn't she ever say why l wanted
her to marry Tucker?"
Never"
"Humph! That's strange. I wonder
why she didn't?"
.'I think I know, but perhaps I had
better not say"
Speak out. I don't like mysteries.
"Well, I rather suspect that she was
ashamed to let anybody know that her
father valued $1,000 more highly than
he valued her life happiness"
Old Sam did not reply, but sat for
k,ong time with his head bent. Finally
he muttered, as if speaking to himself:
II reckon that's Sc. / guess ought
| To have d-owne1--and old Tucker,
too"
Easy to Guess.