West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-10-18

II S.\ >>CEs%
Rcmonsbcr f-,horc bdicy I,-prcsonti"
rifcd. The limp ciai prol.lutress Of
the eating house. made curious by the
suGIon silence. looked ln from the
kitchen. Simpson. his eyes wandering
Ike trapped rat saw. and called.
through teeth that chntterel I'm an nguc
OF fear: "Rec-memm-ber tn the there's
ladies p-presentl Remember t-therc's
ladies p-p.escnt!"
The pale mHn looked toward tho
kitchen, and, seeing the womon. he
gave Simpson II look In which there
was only contempt You've hid bc.
hind The law once. and this time it's
pctiiconts. The o~cA don't seem to
have no charm for you. But lie
cidn't nuish; there wua no need to-
Every one knew and understood. Hc
put up his revolver aud walked into the
street.
The mcn broke into shouts OF laugh.
ter, loud and ringing, then doubled up
and had II out nli over again. And
their noisy mcrglmcnt was ns clear an
indication of the suddenly lifted strain
nt the nvcrtcd shooting as IL was OF
their enjoyment OF the farce Simpson.
relieved OF the fear OF sudden death,
now sought TO put better face on his
cowardicc. Now that hls cncmy was
well ont OF sight Simpson handled his
revolver with easy assurance
Put Ut up" shouted CustiVan above
the general uploar "'Tis tolme 10 fear
a revolver In the hands nv Simpson
wh!a he's no int!nsIons nv shootIn'"
simpson then attempted TO haranguo
the crowd, but his voice was lost In
the general thigh slapping and the
shouts und roarS that showed no signs
OF abnting. lie skunk away from them
10 Il corner OF the eating house, feeling
the stigma OF their contempt. yet afraid
10 go out into tho street, where his en-.
emy might be waiting for him. Much
OF death nnd blood ami rccllcssness
Town" had secn unl condoned, but
cOwarllce was the uuforgiyablc sin.
IL baked the rude Justice OF these from
tIersmeD aud tampered with their code.
and Simpson knew that the game had
gone against him.
What wns II all nbout2 Wore they
In earnest or was 1t only their wny OF
amusing themsclyesT inquired Mary
Carmichael. who had slipped into Mrs.
Clark's kitchen after the men nt the
table had taken things IN hand.
Jim Rodney was in earnest an he
had reason 20 bc. That man Simpson
was paid 10y cattle outfit-now, mind,
/ amt sayin' which to get Jim Rod
ney's sheep OF tie range They had
threatened him and cut the throats
OF 200 OF his herd as warning. but
Jim went right OH grain 'om, same
Ms he had always been I'm the habit OF
doing Well. I'm told they up and
makes Simpson nm offer 10 get rid OF
tho sheep Jim has over 5000 an It's
just before lamblng and them pore
ewes, all heavy. Is being druv down
to Watson's shearing pens. that Jim
always shears at. Jim an two herd
crs md a couple OF dawgs-least this
i3 the way | heard it's drivin' 'em
easy cause. ms I said before, It's Just
before lambing. II does now seem
awful cruel TO me to shear Just before
lamblng. but that's their wny out here.
We'll nothing happens. and Jim ain't
more'n two hours from the pens an
le comes 10 that place on the road
hat branches out over the top OF n
,anyOn, an there some one springs out
Uf clump OF willows an dashes into
The herd and drives the wether that's
lending right over the clII. The lead
ers begin TO follow that wether, an
they go right over the cliff, like the
pore fools they are The hcrder fred
and tried TO drive 'em back. they tell
me, an he an the dnwg were shot at
from the clump OF willows by some
one else who was there Three hun
dred sheep had gone over the cliff
before Jim Snew what was happening.
lie rode Ike mad right through the
herd 90 try and head ora on, but you
know what sheep Is llkc-they'rc like
lost souls headin' FOR damnatlOn Moth
Ing can stop 'em when they're once
started, and Jim lost every head.
Started for the shcarng pens rich
man-rich for Jlm-an' seen every
thing he had swept awny before his
eyes, his wife an children made pau
pers.
my son come MP and found him.
Hc said that Jim was slttln' huddied
up in a heap. his knees drawed up un-
der his chin. starln' straight up into
the monday sky, same as n he was
0skin' God how be could be so cruel.
His dead dowg, that they had shot,
was by the side Of him. The herder
Tint was with Jim had taken the ono
that was shot into Watson's. so when
my son found Jim he was alone sittln'
on the edge Of the cliff with his dead
aawg, an the sky about was black
with buzzards. an Jim hc Just sat nm
stared up az 'em, an when my son
spoke 20 him he never answered any
more than n dead man. lie shuck him
by the arm, but Jim just sat there,
watchln' the sun, the buzzards an the
dead sheep"
WAS nothing done to this man simp-
sonT"
'"The cattle outfit that ne done the
dirty work for swore an alibi for him.
Jim has been in hard luck ever since.
He's been rustlin' cattle right along.