The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-01-19
Blue EYED JOE E|3aEg|ON



quired passenger OF the stage driver
during change or horses. pointing to a
man standing in the door OF the express
Office.
That? That's Joe Eggleston. He
amt so meek US he looks. Jlst We get
up alongside of me on the box for the
next relay. and RI tell you somethin'
about him.
in u few minutes the driver got the
rcins in between his fingers, the man
holding the leaders let so and they
dung away down the road.
WAL, as to Joe Eggleston." said the
driver when the pace had settled down.
Il always thought Joe u quiet, inoffen.
| sive chap with no great spuni sill his
affair with Jennie Robbins. Jennie's
people were poor enough TO eat gopher
meat, and as Jennie was us purity as a
| pictur and had all the men in the
neighhorhood III love with her they
wanted her 10 make good match
Jennie was only fourteen at the time
they set their hearts on her MARVIN
Phil Steere, big cattleman, but she
had all the monkey shines OF woman
of twenty. She wasn't havln' much of
u time when Steere asked for her. SO
she didn't object, thinkin' that with his
money she might make things hum
He was forty, crossgrained and mean
as sawdust.
"She hadn't much more'n said veg
when along comes Joe Eggleston, nine
teen years old and as fair loolin' 70.
man as Jennie was for n gal. The
men didn't think much of him. He
seemed timid sort of Teller and
most of the time didn't even carry
gun. He was clerk In the express,
office, and a man that dabbles in tx.
isn't ginerally much good for blood
hut the wimmen all seemed to cotton
to him. He had way of lookln' at 'em
out of them blue eyes of hls'n., At any
rate him and Jennie jlst went together
like two magnets. Joe knowed that
she was laid out for Steere. but that
didn't keep him from bein' about with
her hull lot
"one day Joe seq TO her, seq he,
Jennie, there's goin' to be a weddlE
down at the City hotel In Park CITY
Park City was relay station for tina
stage line. and, as to parks, they was
on the maps of the town that was to
be. What dye say SEE Joe, to us
goin'? After the pair git hitched there's
10 be dance
I'm go with We, Joe,' she SEE, but II
Mr.. Steere finds it out he'll put holes
enough in yer body TO make culender
of We. Have ye got gun?
There's plenty of guns in the office,
SEE Joe. IN take a couple along in
case Mr.. Stcere gifts on to u.s.
"They lit out after dark, but, as bad
luck would have II, one of Steere's COW
boys saw 'em and went Off to tell the
big cattlenlan that his little bird had
flown SteeTe was Kind OF paralyzed at
fust, but the more lie thought about n
measly clerk takin his gul away from
him the madden he got. He mounted
the fastest horse he could find and dug
out in the direction Joe and Jennie had
started. lie followed EN- all right
enough till he came to where the road
forked; then he took the wrong fork.
This Is why they got to Park City long
before him. If they was goin' TO git
married, they'd "a had time enough
for dozen hitchln's before he come
up, but Joe hadn't no money &C. snpport
a wife. They was jist follerin' the in.
stincts of two children OF nature. II
beats anything the way SIGH will run
their heads into moose jist for n little 4
fun!
WAL, the weddin' was over, and the
guests was all a-slingin' lively leg in
the dinin' room, the tables bein' piled
up agin the wall. A fiddler stood on n
bari scrapin' away and calm Ladies' |
change! 'Alaman leftr and all that.
Joe was a-slingin' Jennie in turn cor.
ners' when all of Student Steere rode
up to the open door and begun to pump
lead into the room. The change that |
come over that dance was remarkable. |
There was a screamin' of wimmen and |
n swearin' OF men, though none of the |
men raised gun. for they never sup
posed Steere would be shootln' that |
away onless he was backed by dozen |
or more of bis cowboys back in the |
dark holdin' the drop on the crowd.
Then was when Joe showed up.
Catchin' sight of Steere outside and !
KNOWN well what was up, he drawed |
with his left hand, for Steere had |
winged his right, and begun shootin'
movin' for'ard at the same time. Jen.
ME she got out his other weapon. and |
as soon as be had emptied the FIRST
handed IL 10 him, and he kept on pump
in.
Zone of Joe's shots knocked the big
cattleman off'n his horse. Then one OF
the men said TO Joe, 'Ye little fool, git
out of this while We have a chance
Some on EN- hurtled Joe and Jennie
out back door, and they made tracks
for home, leavin' Steere to be carried
upstairs to a room. where he lay for
month not KNOWN whether he was
a-goin' TO turn up his toes permanent
or not
Meanwhile some of the people tod
him IL he ever shot into dance agin
they'd give him chance 10 dance him.
self where the grass was too short
1