The Forrest City times., 1904-01-22

What was that noise?" the woman
asked intensely, drawing quickly away
from the other.
! "Nothin but a bunny in tn brush"
Dudley whispered, amorously. Were
! goin' out after game to-morrer-me an
Hatfield-pore devil, looked so lonesome
a. druv by this evenin' tibet just had
t ask him t come along"
There was long silence.
Bill said the woman, at last, now
that were engaged and goin to be mar
ried, I've got to Tess up. You know
this spring We all thought Hatfield was
dyin' of consumption. Well, | tried TO
be good to him, brought him little
cookin's, you know. an tried { tidy up
| his house a bit. Well, he'd look at me
kinda funny all the time, sorta pitiful,
an yet | can't exactly tell how he
| looked. | took it jus tn same as any
nurse would a fever patient-allowin'
! fur him, y know An one day he said
he wished | could always be aroun' thet
] little cabin o his'n, an the words scared
i him. an he looked out at the rainy
peach blossoms for a long spell, red as
any lamp shade Another time he said
4 | was the kind of a woman that the
supreme intelligence intended the breed
/ TO be-strong backed and soft handed!
/ Or somepin' like tibet. An then his
cough eased up and he TUX to work, and
! | didn't go no more. Two Or three times
he came here in tn evenin'. but mother
tux care of him. an | was allus pickin
plums or cannin' peaches. An thet's
all"
| Dudley laughed.
Il amt afraid of pore Hatfield a-cut-
| tin me out" he said.
But be nice t him t'morrer," the
woman whispered. hastily. He's a
pore, sad Teller, an harmless as
Harmless as a rabbit" Dudley An
ished
A few minutes before four the next
morning, while il was still black night,
Dudley drew up his rig at Hatfield's
gate. There was neither sound nor sign
of light in the shanty, so the driver made
huge noise and prepared to wait.
Scarcely 80 seconds passed before Hat
field appeared in the clothes he had worn
the night before. Dudley turned his
lantern upon the gaunt figure.
Go an git yer rubber boots, he com
manded, laughingly. Cant Go thout
EN-"
Hatfield obeyed silently. and two min
utes later was driven rapidly toward
Titman lake. The horse was fastened
on the high rail and Dudley led the way
TO the cove
You've got the best gun" the man Of
experience 2-gauge ham
merless. Press down that little lever on
the left side an you cock her . No,
don't cock her yit She's loaded"
They had a mile to walk. The day
was gathering.
"S-sh-h," warned Dudley We're
purity nigh thar. Ye don't want t skeer
EN-! By cripes, but ye're a fool with
gum"
did you say that you press this left
lever down to cock the piece-both bar
rels?" Hatfield gasped.
Sure whispered Dudley. The
lakes yonder. Dye see it?"
Titman was ahead, showing up pearl
| gray in the dawning, like the mist which
/ hangs over a bog
"Ssh-h," warned Dudley "Thar's a
flock down in the cove-hear EN-?
] Well get bunch-fust shot,
They crept on. Dudley turned at last
/ his body bent behind an artificial blind
i in the edge of the bluff over the cove
/ His arm was raised to further command
! silence.
Hatfield was crouched, too The
nerves of the man wrung a horrid scream
| from his throat, before the crash Of the
/ gun.
That instant II seemed that the whole
! lake ratified and clacked, but the sound
was merely from the cove where the
vast flock was rising. . Hatfield saw
the other sink upon his gun, his chin and
/ throat a blotch of deep color.
Two or three hours later Hatfield's
I brain assumed command Of surviving
/ faculties. He was two miles away on
/ the far shore of old Silver He was
/ harboring a world of ancient pas
! sion - that Of killing himself. The
lake was there. but it did not ap-
peal The knife in his pocket Mortified.
He wanted one more shell. Dudley had
given him two, but both barrels were
empty. There were innumerable shells
on Dudley's body. He started back. run
ming.
The place was changed Dudley was
not there, Other hunters had come to
/ the blind. Hatfield searched on his
hands and knees for one dropped shell.
! Thus he was found by those who required
him.
The twelve wise men adjudged him in
sane after many days, but the woma q
who knew most, yet who had done no
wrong-remained TO weep - Chicago
/ Tribune.
The Nile Dam.
Sir Benjamin Baker, who built the
Nile dam. has just given out some new
figures concerning the dam and its con-
/ sequences During the critical neriodc