Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-05-16
Love Finds a Way

an fifty If he was day. We wal
catin' supper one evcnin' when a com
pany Of cavalry come along the trail
an the officer in command stopped an
asked us If we'd seen anything Of {
party of Indians they was after. Dave
knew where they was camped an
lowed he'd guide the sojers. Brady
an Bruff an me lowed we'd go long
an see the fun, for the Indians hat
scalped some whites, an the sojers
was goin' TO clean EN- out.
Before sunup the next day the hull
crowd of us, cavalry an all, swooped
down on a dozen or more tepees look.
in as quiet as the rest O. the snoozin'
landscape an killed or run out the hull
lot except the women an children,
These was allowed to go where they
pleased. There was one ketch that
puzzled the cap'n o. the troops, an
that was a leetle white gal about sew
enteen years old. She'd been taken
by the reds matter o. ten year be-
fore an had perry nigh forgotten the
American languidge. Her skin was q
good deal Drowned, but her tow hair
an blue eyes was jlst the other thing
from horsehair an copper O. the In
dians. The cap'n lowed he'd have to
take her to white people, though she
didn't want to leave the Indians. We
all went back over the trail, an when
we got to our camp Lutte Brady tole
the cap'n thai If he'd leave the gal
with us one Of us would marry her.
Lutte meant hisself, though he didn't
have the gall to say so. The cap'n
not KNOWN what be was goin' to do
with her when he got her back to the
fort, consented.
"Waal, the gal was left on our hands,
an as soon as the cavalry was out o.
sight Brady lowed he was goin' to
take the gal into the nearest settle
ment an marry her. Ole Bruff spoke
up askin' what right Brady had to her
more'n the rest O. us, an Brady low
ed he didn't know any o. US wanted
her, especially Bruff, who was old
enough to be her grandfather Bruf
lowed we'd better all jine in a game O.
freeze out for her. an Brady couldn't
very we'll refuse So 1t was agreed
that Dave an Lutte an ole Bruff
should take fifty chips apiece, an the
man that froze out the other two
should have the gal. The reason
didn't 20 in was cause couldn't; was
hitched already.
1--WE had chips an keerds-they was
the next thing we valued to our guns
an ammunition-an' the three sot
down to the game. The gal didn't
pear to understand what was goln' on
at fust, but when she did she sot be-
hind Brady, an caught her lookin'
admirin' at Dave. The game went on
with varus luck, Brady's chips gittin'
lower an lower till at last Bruff swept |
the board oil full o. aces an cleaned
him out.
1.-THE game now lay between young |
Dave Dangler an ole Bruff. was |
watchin the gal an see by her eye,
though she KEEP up the Indian looks o
not carin' anything about which way |
1t went, that she cared heap. Dave,
too, got mighty interested. Fact is, |
be got so much interested that he was
no match for Bruff, who was as cool
as a frog. Dave had poor hands, too,
while BruR held big ones. Dawes pile
KEEP runnin' down, an Bruff's pile KEEP
runnin' up. Brady got tired an went
AWAY. The gal sot behind Bruff an
ooked at his keerds. I'd ha' reckoned
she'd ha' given Dave points, but she
lidn't know nothin' bout the keerds.
Dave KEEP losin till his pile was purity
nigh cleaned out; then he got q good
land an raked In small pot.
"From this time the game was pecul-
ar. Bru6 drawed some fust class
lands, bat Dave wouldn't bet. SO his
bile KEEP about the same for some
line. Then Dave drawed some fine
Ieerds an increased his pile. Bruff
ooked up an saw me smilln'.
"He grunted an went on with the
;ame. Every big hand he got went
or nOthin' cause Dave wouldn't bet
the two hands would run
lear alike, but when Dave went In his
lands was allus the biggest. Leetle
,y leetle Bruff's chips went over to
Dave. / wanted to laugh all the time,
nut / didn't dare to- Bimeby Brufr ,
ot three kings, bigger hand than had
'een held by either for some time, an
isked what was left O. his pile. Dave
bowed down q full O. tens an clean
d the ole man out. Then the gal
miled real American smile, the fust
reckon since she was taken by the ,
edskins, who never learned how to 1
mile. Dave went up to her, an 1t was ,
purity sight to see them young things ,
-kissin'.
"Was Dave helped7 You bet. When ,
Is pile was low the gal TUX out from ,
nder her blanket the only piece Of fur 6
itur she owned an which she never :
t go Of, one O. them leetie round look
L glasses backed with tin. Where
he'd got 1t don't know. Reckon In
Ome settlement. Settin' behind Brun, [
be held 1t so 1t showed his keerds to {
ave '
"a long time afterwards Bruff an I
ie was talkin' about how Dave Dan 6
Ter won the gal, an Bruff says to
Ie, he says: !
al want to know what you was &
laughin' at durln' that game S
"Then tole him. He flushed up an C
Idn't say nothln', but l reckon he !.
dn't try no more to win young wives v
ON young men.
at do beat all how young people
no take a shine to each other II find
way 70 git together without the old 9
,lks suspectlu' that they have noticed q
lch other" .
CHARLES p. THURBER. Z
Ccurrnn