Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1907-05-08
The. CAPTURE
Of
sQUIN1Y SMITH.
By JOHN H. RAFTERY.
s,..ss.asa.s...ss..sa..s

"Yander he comes, Nanny! yelle'
the little yelIow-headed, freckled boy
running into the rfckety shanty ant
out again, dancing with delight. 4
scrawny, withered, weary woman CAM
out Of the house with two dirty chill
iren at her heels and behind them
half-grown, red-headed, gangling girl
with two fierce little fiery braids stick
Ing away from her poll.
A burly man on ragged pony cam
galloping down the country road.
Supper ready, Mag?" he bawled a
the woman.
Supper! Why, faint no morn
o'clock. What's up?"
whats up! Everything is up
5quinty Smith has gone an done i
right this time. He killed Frank Cop
ley in the Hazard s'loon, put four colo
uns in tn dep'ty sheriff. and Lort
knows how many he's ashot sence lef
town"
The children stared in awed aston
lshment at this bloody news and fol
lowed him round to the corral.
"Well, what y'all lookin' at? Here
you, Siss," to the red-headed girl, "get
4 move on you. Maria, don't stand
thar all night like you was locoed. Git
my supper"
did you see him, Hank?'
"See who?"
why, him.. Squinty Smith?"
"See him! Of course 1 didn't see him
II seen him it'd be all up with him!
I'd ribbed him up with lead till he'd
l-sunk his own grave. But l didn't
have no gun, nohow. Sheriff Hous-
man says / must jine the posse, an
says, 'Sher'ff, if Id a-been sheriff stead
} you, wouldn't need no posse for to
ketch Squinty Smith nor no other orn-
cry outlaw like him. So / didn't have
no gun, SO just come home for git
supper an ready up my arsenal. Git a
move on thar, Siss."
The red-headed girl tossed her head
and disappeared into the tumble-down
kitchen. The mother got busy with pot
and pan, and the man, clustering fierce
" about what she'd a-done if he on'y
mad his weepons,' pulled his Winches-
ter out of the closet and began to slip
cartridges into the magazine.
81 don't want no morn peep at that
Squinty Smith, nohow. He
alluz wuz ornery, an he otta been
put outa biz long time ago. He's had
sher'ff Housman bluffed for two year
an more, an he's got purity nigh
every man in Plankton buffaloed! But
I'll show himi"
The mans slatternly children stood
about him in gaping admiration. The
girl stuck her head in at
the door and said:
What did you fetch t'eat, daddy?"
"Dry up, you uinny; I didn't have no
time to think about fetchin' home
nothin', l come home to git suthin'.
come nome to git my weapons, an if
ever I,ketch peep at that blamed"
at this instant there was a sharp,
rasping click at the open window and
a blue barreled gun fnuzzle jumped
into the light.
Hold up your hands, MITCHELL" said
a quiet but very distinct voice.
The big man at the table held up his
hands with foolish effort to smile at
the face that looked over the gun.
"Quit yer foolin', Smith," he said,
weakly; put it down an come in"
Squinty Smith, a bull-necked, one
eyed rufian got in at the window
without foregoing an instant of his
"I'll take charge of these, Mitch" he
said, coolly putting his hosts pistol in
to his coat pocket, and this. Both
guns, but I'll take charge
O. them,"
Mitchell sat still; his wife and siss
watching the performance from the
darkness of the kitchen, while Smith
walked out into the lot and deliberate
ly dumped the rifle and the pistol into
the well.
Got any more guns?" he asked, COM
ing back.
'Nery gun, Smithy," Z" answered Nit
chell, trying to wink knowingly to his
wife. =;
"All right, you can let down your
mitts," quoth the outlaw, "You sit
that, and here, Mrs. Mitchell, you set
alongside. Now make that gal O. yourn
git me some, supper"
The scared children huddled in the
corner behind their fallen hero. The
woman, fascinated into submission, sat
beside her husband. The outlaw, his
big, blue revolver beside his plate, at
tackled the pile of corn bread. Siss, the
red-headed, nervous, viperish-looking
girl, came in and out with dish of
potatoes, some fried bacon and a can
Of water.
''What makes you act 80 foolish,
smithy?" Mitchell was whining, "ain't
nothin' wrong, is they? You might
knowed I'd give you your supper
thout no such row as that"
"You might and you migbtn't. Got
any eggs?" growled Smith, leering at
siss out Of his one yindictive eye.
"Ain't got none fur you!" snapped
The little yirago, bridlirg viii fury and
whipping her two little red pigtails
sly-z..--.s....s.
The desperate turned red with fury,
clutched at his pistol and was choking
out curse when Mitchell interrupted
with: sg.
See here, siss, you little rattle
snake, fetch him some eggs. That
amt re way fur you to so sassin' Mr.:
Smith! Don't you know no batter than
fur to he givin' back talk to folks old
er'n you?",
Siss looked inquirinsly at her mother,
but the weak little woman nodded her
head and piped:
SIN the stone jar, Sir. You'll find a
couple O. eggs in the stone iar."
L, \