Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-08
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR JANUARY 8. 1911

in the sweet, pure water; but could not bring myself
to poison it with my cursed flesh. thought to wait
til she again to the WELL drag her down with me,
and die holding her in my Then all the fends of
hate came charging upon me. hated this youth How
ard this betrothed of hers because she his because
he young,-whch could never be again,-because
he hated me without knowing me, all hated me.
Aye, Timothy, because like them he longed for the
Judas gold offered for my life For why? So he might
be happy with her. he might enrich his little garden
of love with the carrion the hangman made of mel All
these accursed thoughts came driving and swimming
into my brain like clutter of tangled, splitting vpers
fanging into fever, flashing into madness again
like the heat at the camp But by one through the
night crushed the evil things-as I'd crushed Jalers
the foreman. kept my eyes on the stars kept her
face before And when the day came like drench
of molten lead had beaten down all the grding ends.
felt weak as little Hop o My Thumb, the frog I'd
made mate Of but knew that would do what l
would do
XIHEN she came to the well in the whiteness of the
" morning and drew the buckets up, l broke
piece of paper the cued iron of the bucket handle
This is what I'd written it:
I. Owen Grifiths who killed Wyatt Jalers at Ormuz.
in the well below you. in hole made by cavern.
You may give up with profit to them that hunt
but by the of by the goodness of
heart and its tenderness and by all heard you say last
night have no fear. | am you think me- and bless
you for thinking it. And have no fear of come to
the well tonight and aoneso may tell what must.
Il saw her shake and whten Her brown does eyes
looked down the well in fright An hour after is
the empty bucket came dangling past but saw only
slices of sweet fresh baked bread lined with meat all
wrapped in paper. Oh, the melting, heavenly good
of that food, Timothy, cut and given me by her
own dear hands, When I'd eaten it, l saw there
few words the inside of the paper This is for the
flower you sent 1t was her mother that drew water
for the of the day. No law officers to drag
out to judgment and broken neck. That night when
the sky like coal-t might have been ten o'clock
heard whisper, her lark tones futterng down to
Man. she called, man in the well, come up!
CLIMBED out hand over hand up the gathered dou-
BILE rope. black demon of an outlaw must have
looked with nv long hair and beard which hadn't known
a comb for a fortnight And my foued clothes tapped
upon like scarecrows rags There she stood tall
and white and calm and then l there was more of
the in her than the child. Just pace apart she
stood and held out her hand to me- but Id have taken
it no more than that OF snow white angel hung
the swarthy head of me and folded my evil hands
though she my judge.
"'The we'll is deep and damp, said she last and
poor place to hide What can do to help your
Then bent my tongue loose where it Glove to the
roof of my mouth. Bring me to your sweetheart How
ard said. I want to give myself up-I want him to
have the reward
No. mol said she in open burst of fear. Why
should you give yourself up?'
For the law, for righteousness for conscience sake,
said to her. for the good that shines in golden
like yourself for the good deed might do your Howard
and yourself and so wipe away my evil one.
az The reward! she cries. 'Never tell you never
for either of u.s.!
"For your sakes that need it, spoke l. rather than
it go into the black hands of wolf dog of
hunter of men, Lead me on to your Howard, or fetch
him and I'll wait
"'No mol she cries again. peering about her. Hurry,
"'Then lead yourself, said to the magistrate
before 60 of my accord, mschancing perhaps, to
fall into the lynchers hands,
"'Merciful God!' she bursts out I can't do it
can't take your life upon mel
1.-THE two thousand dollars, then, said l, that
might have bought you homestead with him, with
your young man. will be wasted in dcing and drinking
md / for The Ices he fWnf