Evening journal., 1910-10-14

Been away some time. haven't YEP
"a matter O four days"
"who did y leave in charge O. yer
store|
wilkins boy"
''Y' find it kind O. lonesome cavortin'
around here without any O. yer fam
bly,. don't y'T'
"You bet. I been tryin' to make
enough to bring my wife n boy out,
but bad debts beat me-"
Hard lines"
I'm goin' TO start out on new
principle. I'm not goin' 10 trust any
one"
The other cast a melancholy look at
Jim Murphy. but didn't say anything.
Ben Hicks was a short, thickset man
or. rather, boy No one was quite sure
whether he was man or boy. He wore
a vest and pair OF trousers much too
large for him and no coat No one
had ever seen him smile.
''Yer too late. jim" he said at last.
"What dye mean?" asked Jim esger'
ly.
Ter store 3 UGtu
"Enteredw
Eyes, the day after you left there
was two of 'em come down on wilkins
boy, turned him out n TUX possession"
Jim was heartbroken. He cursed
the day he had come west TO coun-
try where there was neither law nor
order; he lamented having separated
from his wife and child, for fate
seemed to decree that he should re-
main separated from them. Now, since
robbers had come down on his stock
of goods he could not get back to
them nor bring them to him.
Have they carted the stun awayY'
he asked.
Dunno; reckon not"
Suppose they list gutted it. carryin'
or what they wanted and ruined the
rest. That's the way these jayhawk-
ers do"
Ben Hicks made no reply to this
He looked as II he was going to cry
Indeed. he seemed so melancholy that
Jim didn't like TO show any more de
spondency at the loss of his stock, It
seemed TO have so lugubrious an effect
on his sympathetic friend.
"Oh. we'll" said Jim, "sich things
can't BE helped. What we have to do
in this world when we get knocked
down is to get up agin and go ahead
S if nuthin had happened. Cheer up.
Ben. I'll bring it all around right in
time"
what v goin' to do with 'emT
with the robbersT'
"Yes"
You don't mean they're there yitT'
Yes, do. They're maxim their
selves at home"
in my house, with my things?"
"Yes." ie
"And not neighbor has raised I'm
ger to turn 'em outg"
mary finger"
'DO you suppose you and together
could tackle emp
Reckon / could fix the smaller Of
the two"
And the other?"
"You kin manage t'other. reckon" !"
what was they doin' when you
left?"
"Reckon they war hghtin'"
Don't v know?
"Well. I'd got quite a ways from 'em
when ! heered a yell. looked back
and the little man was a kickin' and
a hollerin n t'other one was hittin'
Of him."
"What them"
IL come away then"
Jim Speers carried on this dialogue
with his friend while he walked along
homeward. the other walking beside
him. When they came in sight Of the
house Jim's eye lighted a little.
''At any rate" he remarked, they've
not burned it. Whar y goinY
Reckon you kin tackle 'em alone"
"FraidT
But Ben made no reply to this i'm
| putation on his courage. Jim went on.
A three-year-old boy playing on the
premises was all that appeared. A
woman came out of the house and was
about to take the boy In when she
espied Jim. Shading her eyes with
her hand. she gazed on him for a mo-
ment, then ran to meet him.
why, Mol. how did you git heref"
made the money sewin'."
"And the kldg
"There he is"
She pointed to the boy before the
house. Jim sprang away from her
and. running to the boy. took him up
/ in his arms and covered him with
kisses. When the wife came rp Jim
turned to her, took both her and the
boy in one embrace and said:
"By thunder" l never had such a
change from trouble to happiness in
my life. 1t was all that Ben Hicks
doin's. He tole me the store had been
entered, the boy 1 left in charge fred
and let me believe robbers had done
/ IT,"
Later when the Speers family were
celebrating their reunion with a good
supper a neighbor came along.
whats the matter with Ben Hicks
| Jim!" he asked IL seen him goin
along chucklin' about sumpin. No one
ever saw him do that before. He's
solemn as an owl. asked him what
he was chucklin' about, and he told
] 60 o..4 F,,,,. .rof,