Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-17

which seems to be 1Ookin' after Mrs Petit
son. the same as usual. It's safer than it
was; but still it amt a place that you'd
pick out as safe for a woman and little
girl, livin' alone. There's bad men a plenty,
only they dom rampage so much.
DON'T like it, said Dan to me one day,
he havin' taken sort of fancy to me, 50
that he talks freer than he does with others.
| wisht she'd go back with me- This amt
no place for her.
"Go back where I asks.
"'Back where she come from, he says,
short.
Il don't ask no questions after that; but
pretty soon he speaks again, like he was
talkin to himself It's my fault, he says,
| thoughtful She amt to blame,-shed be
more human if she was any different after
what happcned,-but | wisht she'd trust
me. Well. he says, sort of Sighin | got
to watch over her, anyhow: it's all | can
do now
"P'r'aps YOU can dig the story out of that.
can dig six; but can't be sure which is
right, If any OF them is. Fact is it has me
beat all WAYS; for there's something that
don't fit in, whatever way tigger it out.
He's out to her cabin frequent, as | said,
and it looks to me. when I'm passin once,
like she's glad to see him. The little girl is
sure glad; for she runs down the road to
meet him and jumps right into his arms.
But there's hitch somcwheres, certain.
Where is it he wants her to go, and why
won't she go? Well, women is queer crit
tiers and don't most always know what they
want; so it don't bother me much to figger
it out that she will go with him pretty soon.
Looks like that's about as certain as any
thing, spite of what she says.
IONE day, when I'm passin', | see Jake
~ Pender Standin' at her door and talkln
to her. She's sayin' no most emphatic to
something. 1t don't make me feel easy;
for Jake amt fit conp'ny for no good wO-
man. There was talk of runnin' him out of
the country on gen'ral principles once; but
that amt accordin' to the prestige idee,
which was to let him stay, KNOWN what
was comm to him if he broke loose. He's
been LAWN low ever since; but he's man
that II bear watchin' all the time, 50 | tell
Dan about it. He's as black as thunder
when he hears it.
"'This amt the first time, he says; but
what can | do? She won't listen to my in
terfcrin' with anybody on her account, and
he amt done nothin. so fairs know. to call
for it. She never see him drunk; 50 she
don't know what he is.
"He seems to keep little closer watch
over her after that; for there's always a
chance of somebody gettin drunk and drop
pin in to see her. It's no Sunday school
class that we got there, even if it is quieter
on account of this prestige business, and
she's a good lookin' woman, CONSIDERED
under thirty. Did | tell YOU that? Well,
she is. That's what makes it more serious.
And there's plenty drinkin' still, only the
boys that carries the load is more careful
what they do.
"Jake don't really liquor up for a long
time, KNOWN his own weakness and the
danger of givin' way to it now; but at last
he does He's drinkin steady from early
in the afternoon, and gets to boaStin' that
the little woman-which is Mrs. Pettison-
is his own property. Then along in the
evenin' he starts out to see her. allOwln'
that she will jest about go along with him
this time The crowd he's with don't think
nothin' of it, and don't care anyhow; but
bime by one of EN- gets glimmer of sense,
rememberin' what Jake is when he's drunk,
and he starts out to find Dan. He finds the
two of us together.
"Whcn Dan hears the story he starts out
to say what he thinks of a crowd thatll let
drunken man tear loose like that; but
there amt time or language enough, so he
heads for the cabin on a run, me trallln'