The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-08-15

ton.
Wei. had ii rather hard for
awhile" going back to his story.
Yes" with keen sympathy. You
were nothing but little boy"
FINALLY | was lucky enough to get a
place rs IL newsboy on train. sold
papers until ! was sixteen and then
began brlk!ng | wanted to be an en-
gineer. but | guess my ability lay in
another direction. At any rate, they
took me off the road and gave me an
office position instead. | got to be q
division superintendent. and then
met General Cornish. He is one of the
directors OF the line | was with at the
time. Three months ago he made me
an offer to take hold here, and SO here
am"
And you've never been back home,
Dannie!'
Never once. I've wanted to CO. but
l couldn't
He hoped his father would under
stand.
well, there amt much to take you
have lived. You'd have been great
happiness to her. and She got very lit
tie happiness for her portion any way
you look at it. We were only just mar
ried when the war came. and l was
gone four years. Then there was about
eleven years when we were getting on
nicely. We had money put by and
owned our own home. Can you re-
member it, Dannie. the old brick place
on the corner across from the pOstOf-
fee? A new Methodist church stands
there now. 1t was sold to get money
for my lawyer when the big trouble
came. Afterward when everything was
spent, she must have found it very
hard to make living for herself and
you"
"She did" said Dan gently. But
she managed somehow to keep a roof
over our heads"
when the law sets out to punish 1t
doesn't stop with the guilty only. When
l went to her grave and saw there
were flowers growing on it and that
It was being cared for it told me what
man. Dannic. You know that was an
awful thing about sharp
Dan turned toward him quickly.
"Why do You speak of it? It's all
past now"
"I'd sort Of like to tell you about it."
There was Il long pause. and he con-
tinued:
"Sharp and had been enemies for
a long tine. 1t started back before the
war. VIII IL he wanted to marry your
mother We both enlisted in the same
regiment, and somehow the trouble
kept alive. He was Il bit of Il bully,
and | was counted handy man with
ways trying to get US into the ring to-
gether, but we knew it was danger
GUS We had sense enough for that.
won't say he would have done it, but
never felt safe whom there was fight
on in Ill those four years. It's easy
enough to shoot the man in front OF
you and 10 one he the wiser. Many q
scores been settled that way. When
we got home again we didn't get along
any better. He was Il drinking man
and had no co!tro! over himself when
liquor got the best Of him. l did my
share in keeping the feud alive. What
he said of ne and what | said Of him
generally reached both of us in time,
as you can fancy.
"At last. when | Joined the church,
l concluded ii wasn't right to hate a
man the way hated Sharp, for, you
see, he'd never really done anything to
me.
zone day stopped in ut the smithy
he was biacksnith-to have talk
with him and see Il 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 him.
Il hadn't hardly got the first words
out when he caine IL me with big
sledgc in his hand. ell III Il rage and
swearing he'd have my life. pushed
him off and started for the door. l saw
it was no use to try TO reason with
him. but he came AT me again and this
time he struck me with his sledge. 1t
did no harm. though it hurt, and I
| pushed him out OF my way and backed
| Off toward the door. The lock was
| caught and before could open it he
was within striking distance again
and had to turn to defend myself. /
| snatchel up bar of iron perhaps a
foot long. | had kept my temper down
until then, but the moment l had q
weapon in my hand it got clean away
from me, ard in an instant was fight
ing-just as he was tighting-to kill"
Roger Oakley had told the story Of
the murder in 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 whoie manner spoke Of
an unusual restraint and control. That
he had killed man. even in self de-
Tense, seemed preposterous and incon-
ceiyable.
There was Il part Of the story Roger
Oakley could not tell and which his
son had no desire To hear
People said afterMard that I'd gone
there purposely to pick a quarrel with