Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-03-07


Of the meadow an, wondering at his
luck.
An when young Ben left Westaway
he went straight down to see Mary
Jane Arscott. A crooked game he
played. sure enough!
They had bit Of love.making by
the river; an then Ben arranged to
meet her next day an go out upon
Relstone Tor an pick whortleberries.
But he never said no word touching
his talk with Nicholas Westaway.
Well, the girl, who lived in a cot.
tage down the valley, came up as a
matter of course by the field-path to
Belstone in the morning; an for that
matter. Westaway had long since Civ.
en- her special permission to do so.
Her was half way across the great
meadow, with nothing in her thoughts
but mushrooms and whortleberries an,
Benjamin Pearn, when there coined
sound very high-pitched an ugly. 1t
got louder an deeper till she heard a
proper below, an there, right ahead;
she seed Nick Westaway's great red
Devon bull, a-pawing an a-prancing as
if he was trying to dance the sailors
hornpipe.
She dropped her basket and ran for
her life. She weren't built for run.
ming, but nature will do a great deal,
even for the proudest of US, in a pinch
like this an for once her got over the
ground in very fine fashion. She'd
reached within ten yards of the hedge
when she heard a shout, an man
came tearing down the filed-path; but
he was too late, Mary Jane went head
first into the hedge, screaming to. the
Everlasting to spare her, an the bulls
horns just gave her the ghost of a
touch-enough to swear by after-as
she went through all ends up.
OF course, the man was Benjamin
Pearn. An he knowed really that the
field-path ran nigh the hedge, an he'd
been dead sure as Mary Jane would
not get into no real danger. Besides,
he had planned to be there in plenty
of time, an it wasn't till he actually
seed Mary Jane flying an the bull a.
believing after her, with his tail up
an his head down, that he knowed
what he'd done.
ITO Think" gasped Mary Jane. "Te
think as might be lifeless jelly this
moment but for my own legs! II
you'm man, Benjamin Pearn, you'll
go an get your gun an shoot hint"
They'd put me in prison for it-not
that I'D mind that ii you'd have me
when coined out" said Ben very
eager like. But" he added as an
after-thought. ''the dashed luck of 1t
is haven't got a gun"
Her black eyes flashed an he,
gypsy.dark face growed darker still.
You'd best to borrow a gun then"
she told him. Anyway, I won't marry
you while that bulls alive; an IL you
was man you'd never sleep till you'd
put bullet through it,
Same morning she went up with
her mother to Belstone an gave Mich.
olas Westaway the whole law and the
prophets, by all accounts. His ears
must have tingled to hear her; but he
was pretty cool head, an when she'd
talked herself out of breath an failed
back on torrents an oceans of tears,
an when her mother had also said
what she had coined to say, which was
mere tinkling brass after Mary Jane,
Nick popped in word or two edge.
ways.
IF you'll be so very kind as to hola
your noise minute-the pair Of you
I'll tell you how the bull got in the
field" he said. "Twasn't my idea at
all. Ben Pearn put me up to it. So
you've got to thank him, not me.
didn't know as you was coming to Bel
stone to-day, Gods my Judge, or I'd
have been at the stile to meet you an
see you over the meadow safe; but he
knowed you was coming. Any fool
can see that he meant to kill YOU"
"He axed me to come" said Mary
Jane.
did he? Then it's him you've got
to thank, not me. IT'S only by the
mercy of Heaven he ban't q murder.
en-"
you'd better look after him then"
said Mary Jane. thoughtful like, "for
I've told 'un to shoot your BULL"
Let 'un," answered Nicholas very
cunning. I'D shoot the old devil my.
self for daring to run after you"
Then Mrs. Arscott struck the iron
while it was hot, an afore she LETT the
parlor Mary Jane had named the Jay.
So Ben was sent off with flea ~
his ear, an he changed his opiniui.
about marriage an growed to 90
hard an fast bachelor an a lover of
saving money. But as for Mary Jane,
she did her husband a power of good
an enlarged his mind every way. An
when they got family young West.
away's nature coined very well
through the usual ups an downs of
life. He fancied hisself less. an
thought of his little people an his
good lady first. an growed bit more
like his father before him. Not, of
course, that he was the man his
father was. But what chap ever be,
for that matter? never see none.
New Field for Taking.