Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1909-12-30
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDRE Bowie,
81 CHS SCRX6MfRS SOWS

way she stopped. In the room she had
taking apart revolver to clean it.
The revolver was spread in its parts
before him, but across the table lay
rifle The man had not been in the
room when she left it a moment be-
| fore
Dicksie passed behind him. He paid
no attention to her; he had not looked
/ up when she entered the room. Pass
| ing behind him once more to go out,
Dicksie looked through the open win
dow before which he sat. Sinclair and
Marion sitting under the cottonwood
| tree were in plain sight, and the muZ-
zle of the rife where it lay covered
them. Dicksie thrilled, but the man
was busy with his work. Breathing
deeply, she walked out on the porch
| again. Sinclair, she thought, was
| looking straight at her, and in her anX-
/ iety to appear unconscious she turned,
walked to the end of the house, and
at the corner almost ran into man
sitting out of doors in the shade mend
ing a saddle. He had removed his belt
to work, and his revolver lay in the
holster on the bench, it's grip just
within reach of his hand. Dicksie
| walked in front of him, but he did not
| look up. She turned as If changing
! her mind, and with little flirt of her
riding skirt sat down in the porch
chair, feeling faint moisture upon
her forehead.
Il am going to leave this country,
| Marion" Sinclair was saying. There's
nothing here for me; / can see that
What's the use of my eating my heart
out over the way I've been treated?
I've given the best years of my life to
this railroad, and now they turn me
down with a kick and a curse. It's
the old story of the Indian and his
dog, only | don't propose to let them
make soup of me. I'm going to the
coast. Marion. I'm going to California,
where l wanted to go when We were
married, and | wish to God we had
gone there then. All our troubles
might never have been if / had got in
with a different crowd from these cow
boozers on the start. And, Marion,
want to know whether you'll give me
another chance and go with me-
; Sinclair on the bench and leaning
against the tree, sat with folded arms
looking at his wife. Marion in a
[ hickory chair faced him.
mo one would like to see you be all
you ought to be more than /, Murray
| In, - rlJ
that can ever give yourself another
chance to be that"
THE fellows in the saddle here now
have denied me every chance to make
man of myself again on the railroad
you know that, Marion. In fact
they never did give me the show was
entitled to. | ought to have had
; Hailey's place. Bucks never treated
: me right in that; he never pushed me
! in the way he pushed other men that
were just as bad as | ever was. II
discouraged me; that's the reason
2 went to pieces"
1T could be no reason for treating me
as you treated me; for bringing drunk
en- men and drunken women into oul
i, house, and driving me out of it unless
2 | would be what you were and what
they were"
2 Il know l haven't treated you right
I've treated you shamefully. / will dl
i anything on earth you say to square
: it. | will! Recoilect, | had lived
= among men and in the same countr!
e with women like that for years before
e | knew you. | didn't know how tt
l. treat you; l admit it. Give me anoth
J, err chance, Marion"
81 gave you all that i had when
: married you, Murray. | haven't any
}, thing more to give to any man. Yo1
q would be disappointed in me if coul,
ever live with you again, and / coul
+ not do that without living lie ever
Il day"
He bent forward looking at tn
i ground. He talked OF their first meet
ing in Wisconsin; of the happiness Q
u their little courtship; he brought u
California again, and the northwes
O coast, where, he told her. great raj
y road was to be built and he should fin
n the chance he needed to make recor
for himself-it had been promised hill
o "a chance to be the man his abilitie
D, entitled him to be in railroading IAN
le I've got customer for the ranch an
r. the cows, Marion. / don't care fc
le this business-damn the cows! lie
Is somebody else chase after EN- throug
n the sleet. I've done we'll; I've mad
TO money-a lot of money-the last tw
years in my cattle deals, and I've g
ID it put away Marion; you need nevt
he lift your hand to work in our hous
ic again. We can live in California, an
as live well, under our own orange tree
81 whether work or not. All want
a know is, will you go with me-"
e' mo! l will not go with you, Mu
ne ray"
~ He moved in his seat and threw h
~ head up appealingly. why not?"
20 Il will never be dishonest with yo,
!, never have been and never will b
i. have nothing in my heart to ri,