The Topeka state journal., 1905-12-22
TIE EVENING STOR Y
IIomespuIl Heroics.
q. Claude Pamares.

One of the habitues Of SINNERS gro
cery, at the village Of Skinnersville, was
Abe Langford. He became a ''sitter"
when he was 20 years old, and for Il
years he never missed but one night.
That was the night of his marriage to
the Widow Durham. She was his senior
by ten years, and she married him most
" that he might have a mother. EVERY
night, rain or shines summer or winter,
Abe was there.
During the first year the old veterans
crowded him around somewhat, but af-
ter that one of the cracker barrels was
marked with his initials, and duly rec
ognized as his throne.
AS for occupation, Abe was most any
thing. He did a days work here and
there, but the wife mainly supported the
two of them by sewing for the neigh
bors. Abe was mild-mannered and
easy-going, and he was not much Of a
talker.
But Abe Langfords wife knew him
better than his fellow sitters. They had
often remarked among themselves that
he had no ambition. She knew better.
Under that quiet and humble demeanoI
was hidden away an ambition that
longed to soar and impatiently waited
its opportunity. Almost every night
when Abe reached home he said:
Dog gone it! but I don't amount to
shucks and never will Why hain't
as big a man as Deacon White?'
Whats the deacon been doing?"
"A horsethief tried TO cit into his barn
last night and the dog woke the dea-
con up and he went out and yelled at
the fellow that If he didn't git out
mighty sudden he'd let go a hull bushel
Of buckshot at him. He's a hero, the
deacon is. When he got through tellin'
the story Skinner offered to trust MN
for ten pounds of sugar all to once"
Everybody can't be hero" answer
! ed the wife with a sigh
What do you s'pose happened to
] F1H A~rT- ATr~aa froSs
"I can't say. I don't remember of
his telling that anything did,
''NO, he never told a human being
about it till tonight, and then he made
US all promise never to breathe word
| to q soul. Lordy, but the chills went
up and down my back while he was
| tellin' it!''
What was it2'
He saw murderer. His dog
/ barked about midnight and he got up
and looked out of the winder and sa =
a murderer snoopin' around The
| feller even come up and ratified on
the kitchen door. The dog put his tail
! down and made a sneak and didn
! come home for two days. LiJah said
/ he got so weak in the knees that he
could hardly git back to bed. and he
! covered up his head for moFe'n an
hour afterwards
How did he know it was a muir
derer?''
because the feHer had on a siouch
/ hat pulled down to his eyes and was
crouched over. That's the way they
aIlus do. Yes, he was a regular muir
derer. A week later a tin peddler come
along and told Lijah that a hull family
had been murdered about fifty miles
away the very next night. If the dog
/ hadn't barked the Smallman family
would have been wiped out. Do I ever
see a murderer snoopin' around"
Land O. massy, but I nope not!
But I orter see one, same as other
folks If ever do see one I Won
stand and tremble and shake. No, sir
won't. I'll just go right out to him
and tell him to hump himself out OF
| that or he'll have me in his hair But
I shan't never see one. There's no such
ssBut YOU hair't done so bad" OBJ
served the wife in soothing tones.
you fell in the river once, didn't
you?"
And you had fight with light
ming rod MANI"
Yes
And mad dog chased you up a
ladder?"
amount to agin Injuns and murders? I
want to be a hero. same as other folks
! If I'd ask Skinner to trust me for ter
pounds of sugar all once he'd droF
/ dead"
| to prepare for bed. You are doin' all
you can, and nobody can't do any bet
ter. If you live long 'nuff mebbe your
chance Will ceme."
It was on the road and only two weeks
away. A millionaire had his summer
1 home on the banks of the river running
through the village His 1S-year- old
1 daughter was fond of rowing, and II
was an almost everyday sight to see
| her sximning along in her boat. There
! had been heavy midsummer rains ana
the river had gradually risen until the
water poured over the dam like Nj
| agara. There was a drop or Il rect
! with three or four waves at the boil
tom rising up and curlir~ over in a
menacing way. One day. at the highest
| stage of the water, three young ladleS
! appeared on the pond in a boat. The
rich mans daughter was taking COM
Danv ont for a row Two hundred feet
/ above the dam, as she attempted to turn
/ and go back, one Of the oars snapped,
and in her sudden panic she lost the
other while the boat turned broads1de
to the stream. To go over the dam In
| that fashion meant death to all
/ Abe Langford had been salyaging
sawlogs and boards from the river with
rope and hook, and stood on the bank
when the disaster to the boat occurred.
/ There were others higher up and lower
| down who were startled by the screams
! of the girls, but not one of them grasped
1 the situation. 1t was left for Abe. on
/ came his coat, vest and SHOES, ana IN ne
I plunged. A score of men called to him
that he could never hope to tow the
boat ashore, but that wasn't his plan.
! There was tast a chance that if the girls
kept quiet and the boat was guided over
the dam bow-first that she wouldn't Ill
or be upset. Abe caught it when it was
yet fifty feet from the plunge, and
whirling it about he hung on to the stern
and got the bow pointed straight. Then
he said to the girls:
1--WE have got to go over the dam. All
| of vou crouch down and hang on for
your lives. If you make one move we
! shall all be drowned"
There was screaming and yelling and
shouting all along the banks, but Abe
Langford was not ratified. Two of the
/ e-irIs7 had tainted away, and the other