The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-24
Our Daily $bcrt Story

1 awakened. It was past belief that | the sight of slender slip of a girl | and a glance at her barred shoulder and dimpled arm could thrill man in this fashion. 'Ah!' he exclaimed hoarsely, and then, Cover 1t up. What's Hem sley to you, CapitoIar' His voice fingered over the name and found 1t | sweet.
 Mrs. Hensley took me from the or- phans' home" Capitola answered. "She was good to me, but since she died he's starved and beaten and worked me till I've been ready to drop many a time. And If you break that door down, expect he will kill me for he left me to take care of the jail while he is over in the edge of Cinnamon County seeing l after some business. He will be home tonight Please be quiet till then | won't you?
 "Ain't you got nobody to take care O your Red asked. The girl shook her head.
 Red ripped out a mighty oath. All his life he had cursed as naturally as he breathed. Now he bit his tongue. T hadn't orter cuss before a lady," he commanded the girl. She came, won dering but obedient.
 Look at me-" said Red Davis bad l man. Look at me good" he urged. The girl loked as ordered. The face that she saw was not the face of the bad man as imagination conjures him. It was a freckled face with a tinge of humor and a hint of grimness about the thin Tipped mouth. The blue eyes were honest enough to have belonged | to a respectable citizen. And atop the freckles and the smooth lean cheeks was a thatch of blond mane so nearly red that his companions took the color for granted and dubbed the wearer Red" anyway
 DO look like a bad man?" de- manded Red. ta | swer. T never saw a bad man be- fore"
 | Well, ain't one.' said Red positive | ly. "I know they call me bad. I've | been mixed up in some card games | well, 1 allow that. I'll cut out the cards. I've been up against the drink. Shucks! I don't care nothing about it, and you women don't hold to the drink. Here she goes" He took from his | pocket the flask spared him in the recent fracas and threw it upon the stone Tagged floor of the cell, where the glass splintered and when there pre- sently arose the fumes of liquor gone to waste. You hear 'em say I killed a man. You know what for?' The girl shook her head well, I'll tell you. killed him because I caught him beating a helpless little kid. a little runt of a boy not as big as you. It
 was his kid and I reckon he had the
 right to lick it, but he beat 1t with a
 black snake whip and he cut blood every lick. It made me so mad by I@" Red hesitated. stammered and
 substituted 'by gosh" for the word he
 had intended using. that I went after
 him. He drew his gun and I drew
 mine, and there was mixup and shot quickest. That's all, I've done all that
 but I'm square. I'll be square with you. You let me break these con
 founded bars down. and I'll take you
 over to the preacher and we'll get mar
 ried. Then we'll make a sneak and
 begin over some place where my repu-
 tation ain't ahead of me. I don't know
 much about dealing with women. but
 I'll be square with you. A feller'd have
 to be all fired mean if he wasn't good
 to a little mite of "a thing like you.
 And I like you Will you?' Reds
 proposal was vague. but his meaning was evident
 "oh, it wouldn't be honest" the girl
 said. Please don't ask me to help
 you, get away"
 'Hou don't have to do any helping"
 Red answered promptly "Just say the | WOFu ana l can SnONe lneSe OiQ dOOrS
 down without half trying. Think about it. honey" The unaccustomed
 endearment came falteringly from
 Reds lips Capitola stretched her
 hand through the grating and laid 1t in Reds brown palm. She was such
 tiny little thing. A man felt like
 cuddling her in his big arms as he
 might a helpless kitten. Just think . about it till tonight" Red said com
 fortingly.
 The afternoon waned till twilight \ and the twilight deepened into night
 but Capitola did not come, Red tossed luneasily in the cot in his cell He dozed and dreamed that he held Capf- 5 tolas hand in his and that he bent his I lips to the dimple in her elbow. He t dreamed that the caress made her cry I and was seized with sudden compunc- ] tion. Then he wakened fitfully to the 3 realization that some one was. indeed . weeping in the corridor. Eagerly the . bad man sprang to the door "Capito. - la." he cried Honey" And in the n dark little hand again crept through 3 the bars seeking refuge in his palm !. again.
 d Please break the bars" Capitola n whispered The little hand was with. e drawn. It joined the other little hand - sheltering Capitola's face. 'T can
 bear it," she sobbed. 'I can't bear tt
 think about you here in jail and tn,