Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-11-16
enough. tell you. III reckon II

start now
| You're a good brother, Jimmy
Bits eyes were wet, but the grls
hand was upon his shoulder and there
was joy upon his face.
! Abruptly Jim turned and walked to
his dray. They watched him until a
grove hid him from sight, but not once
did he look back. Then the two men
returned to the store. and the woman
! went into the house, leaving Bill and
the girl talking blissfully together over
| the back fence.
| Shortly afterward Mr. Tunk de
parted for home. cogitating deeply
within himself.
Now maybe them two boys is the
biggest fools in these parts"-thgs ran
his thoughts-"but l doubt it consid-
cradle. / doubt if there amt a bigger
fool than either one of 'em keepin'
store right in Wigglefork this minute,
and l doubt If he'd get out from under
a strain of emotion half as graceful as
they did, Jim especially. l wouldn't
be bit surprised if he'd break right
down and blubber-I wouldn't, by GIN
| ger!" He chuckled softly and fiicked
with his whip bush by the roadside.
| Its just possible now things can be
fixed SOS the Widow Ruggles will be
able to pay me for that cow and still
have a little left to make up for what
Ezra beat her out Of She certainly
made fine figure holdin' them horses
fine. | never realized what she was
for looks before. l reckon I'll have to
go to town again tomorrow. Tonight
III write a letter to Teller l know"
Mr.. Tunk became almost daily visi.
tor to Wigglefork after that, ostensi-
bly,, as he told Mr.. Rollins, to attend to
certain matters pertaining to hoop
poles and to collect the money for the
COW he had sold the Widow Ruggles.
He declared. with some show of in lig-
nation, that he had become weary of
waiting for that cow money; the widow
had boarders now and was able to pay
| If she wanted to do So All of which
seemed perfectly reasonable to Mr. Rol.
Inns. Mr.. Rollins was distinctly in
favor of the widow settling her old
accounts before he married her.
Then one day young man arrived
~ =
at the train and escorted him to the
store, where he introduced him as my
nephew, come out to see the country
For three days Mr. Tunk drove hin
about, seeing things, and Mr. Tunb
during this period added a new WORD
to his vocabulary. This word wa,
"Dolomite''
Three weeks went by-weeks Of mos
delicious May weather. And on a Ger
tain afternoon, when Mr.. Collins wa;
lounging in the doorway of his store
Mr. Tunk, clad in new habiliments, ap
peared to him.
ezra, Mr.. Turks voice was sof
as spring mud-"Tve just come from
Mrs. Ruggles's. She's sold the bal
ance of her land"
What land-them bluffs?"
Mr.. Tunk nodded.
'Humph! hos the fool?"
Me, Ezra Mr.. Tunk was very
meek. I'm it,
well, of all dunn foolishness," Mr..
Rollins stared at his friend pityingly.
Got any objection to tellin' what
you gave her, Salem?"
81 gave her $500 and the COW, Ezra.
What did you get for your bluffs that
join hers on the south?"
Zone hundred and eighty, and that
was a hundred more than tfey was
worth, too. Why, dunn it, man! have
you gone stick. stark, starin' mad?"
Mr. Tunk smiled>sweetly. 81 reckon
not, Ezra" He drew a bundle OF
pape@s from his pocket and drawlingly
enumerated them. There's the deed,
all signed and witnessed; there's a let
ter l got from a contractor in chicago,
sayin' he'd send man to look the
thing over; there's another letter from
him. writ after his man had got back,
sayin' he'd give me for the property
Mr.. Tunk paused, moistening his lips
with his tongue-.sayin' he'd give me
$4,000, which offer l took up as soon
as 1 could get Mrs. Ruggles to make
out the papers shown me to be full
owner in fee simple, etcetery. There's
an almost inexhaustible deposit of
dolomite there, Ezra-best k,ildin'
stone in the world-but it's way down
deep in.
Mr.. Rollins lay back in his chair,
his face purple, his eyes bullying from
his head.
With rather enjoyable expression OF
injury upon his face Mr. Tunk sauntered
forth into the street. Mingled pleas.
ingly with the humming of insects
came to his ears the tinkling of bells
and presently Bill Elliott's dray. with
Bill occupying the high seat beside the
blushing daughter of the Widow Rug.
giles, appeared over the brow of the
depot hill
Il reckon I'm a fool to do it." he
reflected; 'but I don't know: there's
that $3,400 I'd have to give her to
make me feel right if didn't; amt
got the same sort of conscience Ezra
has. And she's willin'-struck me she
was awful willin', but maybe that's