The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-09-16
Her Brother
By ROBERT L. JAYNES
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.

When | was keepin' store in Ari.
zony young woman come in on the
stage one evenin' and put up at the
tavern. The next mornin' she come
Into my store and tole me she'd come
out from the east to find employment.
She couldn't stenograph or typewrite.
II she could she needn't have come
away from home, but she could keep
cash account, sell goods and do any
ordinary work about the store. She
was mighty trim little body, and l
tole her she'd better git married and
let the other feller do the work; but
she larfed and said 1t TUX two to make
match. I TUX her in for help, think
In If she turned out as well as she
looked l wouldn't mind maxim the
other one Of the two.
But 1t soon appeared that she wasn't
goin' to turn out as well as she looked
First thing l knowed a feller came
into the store to see her that looked
like a road agent. They seemed to be
mighty familiar and did a lot O. talkin'
In the back O the store while / was
engaged waitin' on a customer in the
front. When the feller went out l
said to the young woman, says l:
"Rosy'-thatw was her name-"if you're
cahoots with a gang o. robbers the
sooner you git out the better"
"Oh, that feller was all right" she
said.
"Who Is her"
"Why, he's my brother"
"Your brotherw says, turnin' away
from her contemptuously "If that's
the kind of family y belong to I don't
think much of yer stock"
There was nothin' more said about it
at the time, but l done up lot O
thinkin'. Fust off l thort I'd better
give the young woman the grand
bounce, but didn't know whether she
was up to anything or not, and if she
wasn't didn't want to lose her. She
wasn't so much use about the store-I
didn't have so very much for her to do
but I'd got hankerin' after her.
Well, the next thing that happened
looked kind o. suspicious. l was layin'
one night on a settle in the back O. the
store when l heered somethin' rattlin'
at the front door. jist reached back
under piller, tuck my weepon and let
drive through the panel I heered a
yell an, goin' to the door, listened.
Not hearin' anything more, I opened
the door and by the light Of match ]
struck saw drops o. blood leadin' away.
I calc'lated I'd hit some un' who was
goin' to rob the store.
Wal, this thing comm so soon after
the visit of Rosy's brother, l didn't
know what to think about It. l noticed
when 1 tole her about it she looked
kinder quar-.
Hope he warn't yer brother" I said
to her, an I thort she was goin' to
faint. Seem 1t bothered her to talk
about It didn't say nothin' more, and
after awhile she righted, though for a
few days she didn't look very cheerful.
But one day the feller that she said
was her brother come in. He looked
kind O. white in the face. He talked
with Rosy awhile an went out.
"Reckon yer brothers been SICK" l
says, a-sympathizin' with her.
EYES," she says, "he has"
"What's he do fer a livin'T
"He aint doin' nothin' jist now. I'm
tryin' to git a place fer him. Trades
mighty brisk lately. Don't yer think
y need a shipp1n' clerkH"
II don't think do"
wondered If she thort was soft
enough to believe the feller was her
brother and out Of employment.
reckoned he wasn't employed, except
when he was holdin' up a coach or
somepin' like that. And l reckoned
she'd have to do lot O. coaxen to git
me to take in a man to work who'd
tried to rob me and I'd winged when
he was startin' In to do 1t.
But we men are kind O. quar- g well
AS the wimmen. One day the feller
come into the store in hurry. Rosy
was there and turned pale. He said
somep'n to her quick, and she p'inted
under the counter. He ducked just In
time to dodge the sheriff, who come
runnin' In with weepon in one hand
and par O. bracelets in t'other. Rosy
she stood up agin the counter right
where the feller wor hid.
Emmy one come in here" asked the
sheriff.
Now, I'm a-goin' to explain why we
men is quar- as well as the wimmen.
Rosy she give me jist one look. She
might as well have sent a few ounces
O. lead at me, SO far as my dom emmy
interference was concerned.
"Haint seen no one" says, talkin
parrot-like, jest as Rosy wanted me to-
singular; thort I had him cor
nered."
He was out in jify, and when the
danger was past Rosy put the feller IN
q hack office had my boots in and
called me in too.
"You're a trumpT she says.
"And yer brothers the knaVe'"
says, replyin'. ~
She could sca'cely keep from larfn'
at my joke. But she didn't. She tole
me the feller wor rely hei brother,
that he'd gone bad and she'd come out
70 reclaim him. She had got him to
promise to go east with her, but she
couldn't get him off onless I'd help her
instead O. givin' 'em away. tole her
I'd do all 1 could on condition she'd
come back and run her part o the
store and me, too, as she'd been a-doin'
~ it she promised, and 1 got 'em