Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-10-28

On, oont trouble, he says; Il SUD
pose III meet her on the trail.
mo trouble at all, Jest plain dutv a"
l answers, careless-like, loossnin' INV
felt Oxen my brow. shes certainly a
fine lump OF q female; II ever a bunch
o. calico held . armfzl o. good looks
reckon bern doesi" l don't knoy,
where 1 got them Eastern manners n
mine-never was past the Arixon' line
in my hfe-but they jest seem to
come natcheral to me. Factl
Well he frightened up a powerful
sight. and says: Indeed, indeed. Won
are right, Mr.. Emmence," he s.vs.
she reminds me Of" and his eves
got kind o. dreamy and his voice
trailed or to nothing. You could Sec
he was thinkin' O. her and lest dead
gone on her.
i reckon 1 kept meetin' him acct
dental that way fer . month. lots n
times him and the girl ridin' together
Tod was over there most every day
TO the p. & o., putin in fowery Ian
guase for HemPden's cause. And every
time met the lunaer, accidental that
way, l fed fresh green talk into him
about the soethin' hand o. females.
him ssemin' to like 1t powerful well.
And yet things didn't seem to be
comm to q showdown seen l had
to shove that Hsmpdsn along He'd
be gettin' well, hrst thinE I'd know,
and goin' back east without her
So enc day 1 Sauntered into his
room at the ?. 4 o.. and surprised him
kissin' Photograph. That locks bet
ter" thiRks; hes get her picher.
but dOGtahe q man that'I kiss a
pichsr when the 'riginAl is in the
same state. He aims set the spuRk
Of q coy0ts."
Well, he chats alenG, and chats
along. easy. and RRally he says, real
animated-like: Mr.. Emmenoe. do
you see that pile o lumber out there
in the yard!"
1 had noticed q pile o. logs and
boards as 1 como in. Gposed the
P. & o. was goiR' to build an addition
to the ranch house. 1t was SEINE
small fer them, considerin' Mrs.
Frsnchy was always boardln' luagers.
He continued: I'm s-gOin' to throw
little shack together, Mr.. Emmence.
1t will be small, but 1 shall endeavor
to make it comfortable. am a very
happy man. / suppose you know
what that means" he says, smilin
away. He looked as tickled as a pup
with an old gum-boot. But I'm here
to state that he wasn't no joyfuller
than l was.
Good" 1 says. I'm glad to hear
the glad tidin's. l been wahtin fer
some whiles to ask you when you was
goin' 20 tie up"
Tie up2" he says. puzzled like.
Get married" 1 explains.
Married." he repeats, kind o. ex-
cited and surprised. What do you
mean?"
Why, amt you Hggerin' on marryin'
Miss VespSr Lovatt, late of Pennsyl-
vansy?" I questioned, irritated, h.u
actin like blasted dummy that
way.
I'm certainly net" he snaps.
Say, 1 was foored.
You hain't, huh?" jerks out.
pretty powerful mad. too, ii you want
to know. I'd like to bet you $40. 900
you are" gently pulled out my good
old Colts and laid it handy across my
knee. Young man." | says, do you
think I've been a-boostin this here
match along for two months. wastin
eloQuence on you about that girls fine
points, to have you back out at the
showdown? You're goin' to be q bliss
full bridegroom, If it's necessary to
I'LL you full of holes to make you see
things that way" l meant it, too.
Well, you should have seen him.
He was mad.
You IS kinds of a blasted IDIOT"
he hollers. grabin' up that photy-
grapht and shown it into my line of
vision. That's a picher of my wife
and TWO children" he shouts, that's
a-comin' out here next month. Does
that filter through your boiler-iron-
plated brain-pan? What do you think
ana Mormon?'
/ will pass over the scene rapid-like.
Even yet the memory of his unchaste
language sort O. jolts me. orta
picked off his eyebrows with my six
shooter, but 1 didn't. Some way,
hadn't the feelin of joyousness and
freedom from care that a man ort
rightly to feel when he gifts playful
that way. l hid that gun away and
sneaked out of the ranch house with
hangin' head. l leave it to anybody,
now, if this wasn't a howdy-do.
I climbed up over the hill Iayin'
south of the P. & o., and reckoned I'd
find a seclooded nook where l could
sort O. pail myself together. jest
dragged along, no heart in me, lookin'
like a motherless calf, and gain aim
lesslike around. All of a sudden |
came around a bend in the trail, and
say! what was in my range jest
natcherny froze my blood.
There they sat-her and Tod. They
was readin out Of book. She had
her cap Oxen her head, and her cheek
laid up against hisn You couldn't
| "a slipped q straw between EN-. He