CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1904-03-31


spoke his voice was gentle, and, though
the tremulousness of age harped on the
vocal strings. it was rigidly controlled
kin some kline gelmun." he asked,
'please t be so good ez t. show de ole
main whuh de W'ite Caips is done
shoot Marse Hawkliss?''
Here was where it happened, Uncle
Zen answered Wiley, leading him for
ward. Here is the STAIN
Nenophon bent over the spot on the
sand, making little odd noises IN Ills
throat. Then he painfully resumed
his former position. "Dass his blood"
he said in the same gentle. quavering
tone. "Dass my bes' frien' whut lay
on de groun' whay yo' staind, gelmun.
Dass whuh dey laid i'm, an dass whuh
he lie" the old negro continued. ''Dey
shot i'm in de fiers. Dey ain't shot i'm
heah. Yondch dey druggen i'm, but
dis whuh he lie" de bent over again.
then kneit gtoaEinsly and placed his
hand on the stain, one would have
said, as "A man might place his hand
over a heart to see if it still beat He
was motionless. with the air Of heark-
ening.
"AIarse, honey, is you gomez He
raised his voice as IL calling. els yo'
gone, suh--marse?'
He looked up at the circle about him,
and then, still kneeling, not taking his
hand from the sand. seeming to wait
for a sign to listen for a voice, he said:
"Whafo' yo gelmun think de good
Lawd summons Marse Hawklss? Kase
he de mos httes'? You know, dat man
he ketch me in de cole night. wintuh
TO lais,' stealin' is wood. You know
whut he done { de ole thief? TEX an
bull up big fiah cen ole Zen shainty.
Say: Hep yo'se'f. an welcome. Reck-
on you hongry, too, ain you, Keno
phonT TEX an feed me, TEX an tex
keer O. me ev since. All pump de bath
full in de mawn', mex is bed. pull de
weeds out'n de front walk; dass all.
He TEX me in. When All ask i'm ain
he 'fraid keep ole thief he say, Jesse:
'Dass all my fault, Xenophon: ought
look you up long go; ought know long
go you be cole desc bald nights. Reck-
on Ah'm de thievenest one us two,
Xenophon, keepin' all dis wood stock
up when you got none he say, jesse.
TEX me in; say he lahk thief; pay me
sala'y; feed me. Dass de main whut
de Caps gone shot lais' night" He
raised his head sharply, and the mys-
terry in his gloomy eyes intensified as
they opened wide and stared at the
sky unseeingly.
'.Ah's bawn wild cawl!' he exclaim-
ed loudly. His twisted frame was
braced to an extreme tension. "Ah's
ha, ttsfI No ,f.f
1T wasn't the White Caps, Uncle
Xenophon" said Warren Smith. laying
his hand on the old mans shoulder.
%enophon rose TO his feet. He
stretched long, bony arm straight TO
the west, where the Crossroads lay;
stood rigid and silent, like a seer; then
spoke:
"De men whut shot Marse Hawk
liss lies yondeh. hidin' FUN de light o.
day. An him"-he swervcd his whole
rigid body till the arm pointed north
west-"he lies yondeh. You won fine
i'm heah Dey fought i'm In de fiel's.
an dey druggen i'm heah. Dis whuh
dey lay i'm down. Abs bawn wild
cawlr'
There We're exclamations from the
listeners, for Xenophon spoke as one
having authority. Suddenly he turned
and pointed his outstretched hand full
at Judge Briscoe.
"An' dass de main" he cried; "dass
de main kin tell yo' All speak de
trufew
Before Briscoe answered, Eph Watts
looked at him keenly and then turned
to Lige Willetts and whispered: Get
on your horse, ride In and ring the
courthouse bell like fury. Do us ]
say"
Tears stood in the Judges eyes. ''It
is So" he said solemnly. HE speaks
the truth. I didn't mean to tell It to-
day. but somehow He paused.
''The hounds!' he cried. 'They de-
serve It. My daughter saw them cross
Ing the fields In the nisht-saw them