Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-08-30

| LIQUOR got the best or MN. / uiu my
share in keeping the feud alive. What
he said of me and what said of him
generally reached both Of us in time.
as you can fancy.
AT last. when l joined the church,
I concluded it wasn't right to hate Il
man the way l hated Sharp. for, YOU
see, he'd never really done anything to
me.
Zone day l stopped in at the smithy
he was Il blacksmith-to have Il talk
with him and see if we couldn't patch
it up somehow and he friends. 1t WAS
a Saturday afternoon, and he'd been
drinking more than was good for h;m.
Il hadn't hardly got the first words
out when he anne at me With a big
| sledge in his hand, all in Il rage and
| swearing he'd have my life. l pushed
, him off and started for the door. I saw
1t was no use to try to reason With
him. but he came at me again, and this
time he struck me with his Sledse. 1t
did no harm. though it hurt, and l
pushed him out Of my way and backed
off toward the door. The lock was
caught, and before l could open it he
was within striking distance again
and l had to turn to defend myself. l
snatched up a bar of iron perhaps Il
foot long. had kept my temper down
until then. but the moment l had 4
weapon in my hand it got clean away
from me, and in an instant was fight
ing-just as he was f%ighting-to kill"
Roger Oakley had told the story of
the murder in a hard. emotionless
voice. but Dan saw in the half light
that his face was pale and drawn.
Dan found it difficult to associate the
thought of violence with the man at
his side, whose whole manner spoke of
an unusual restraint and control. That
he had killed a man, ever in self de-
Tense, seemed preposterous and incon-
ceivable.
There was a part of the story Roger
Oakley could not tell and which his
son had no desire to hear.
People said afterward that I'd gone
there purposely to pick a quarrel with
Sharp, and his helper, who, it seems,
was in the yard back of the smithy
setting q wagon tire, swore he saw me
through a window as l entered and
that 1 struck the first blow. He may
have seen only the end of it and really
believed l did begin it, but that's Il
sample Of how things got twisted. No
body believed my motive was what I
said it was. The jury found me guilty
Of murder, and the judge gave me a
life sentence. A good deal of a fuss
was made over what 1 did at the fire
last winter. Hart told me he'd sent
you the papers,"
Dan nodded. and his father contin-
ued:
Some ladies who were interested in
mission work at the prison took the
matter up and got me my pardon. It's
a fearful and a wicked thing for a
man to lose his temper, Dannie. At
first 1 was bitter against every one
who had a hand in sending me to
prison, but I've put that all from my
heart. 1t was right l should be pun
ished."
He rose from his chair, striking the
ashes from his pipe.
"Ain't it very late, Dannie? I'll just
put away my things, and then we can
go to bed. l didn't mean to keep you
up"
Oakley watched his precise and Or
derby arrangement of his few belong
ings. He could see that it was q part
Of the prison discipline under which he
had lived tor almost a quarter of Il
century. When the contents of his
bundle were disposed of to his salts
faction he put Oh Il pair OF steel
trimmed spectacles with large. round
glasses and took UP Il we'll thunbed
Bible, which he had placed at cue side.
Il hope you haven't forgotten this
book, Dannie,' tapping it softly with Il
heavy forefingel.