Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-01-17

WM
vt Was in These Very Mountains"
Said Robert Maitland.
mule came wandering into the camp,
saddle and pack still on his back"
II knowed that there mule" said
Kirkbys I'D sold it to a Teller named
Newbold, that had come out yere an
married Louise Rosser, old man Ros-
ser's daughter, an him dead, an bein'
an orphan an this Teller bein' fine
young man from the east, not a bit Of
tenderfoot nuther, mimi engi-
neer he called hisself."
swell, 1 happened to be there, too,
you remember continued Maitland,
''and they made up party to go and
hunt up the man, thinking something
might have happened"
"You see," explained Kirkby. I'VE
was all mighty fond Of Louise Rosser.
the hull camp was actin like father
to her at the time, so long IS she
hadn't nobody else; we was all at the
weddin'. too, some six months afore.
The gal married him on her own
hook, of course nobody maxim her,
but somehow she didn't seem none
too happy, although Newbold, who
was perfect gent, treated her white
as far as we knowed."
The old man stopped again and re-
sumed his pipe.
"Kirkby, you tell the story" said
Maitland.
Not me-" said Kirkby. 81 have
seen men shot afore for takin' words
out n other mems mouths an amt
never done that yit."
"You always were one of the most
silent men I ever saw" laughed
George. ''Why, that day Pete yere got
shot accidental an had his whole
breast tore out wen we was lumber
ing over on Black mountain, all you
said was, Wash him off, put some
axle grease on him an tie him up !"
That's So" answered Pete, IAN
there must have been somethin' pow
erful soothin' in that axle grease, for
here am safe an sound to this day."
"It takes an old man." assented
Kirkby, ito know when to keep his
mouth shet. I learned it at the muZ-
zle of a gun"
"I never knew before" laughed
Maitland, how still a man you can
be- Well, to resume the story, having
nothing to do l went out with the
posse the sheriff gathered up"
Him not thinkin' there had been
any foul play" calculated the old man.
mo, certainly not"
''Well, what happened, Uncle Bob?"
inquired Enid.
"Just you wait" said young Bob,
who had heard the story. This is
an awful good story, Cousin Enid"
st can't wait much longer" returned
the girl. "Please go on"
1.-TWO days after we left the camp,
we came across an awful figure,
ragged, blood stained, wasted to a
skeleton, starved"
II have seed men in extreme cases
afore," interposed Kirkby, but never
none like him."
Nor l." continued Maitland.
''Was it Newbold?" asked Enid.
eyes"
"And what had happened to him?"
"He and his wife had been prospect
ing in these very mountains; she had
fallen over cliff and broken herself
her.
What" exclaimed Bradshaw. "You
don't mean that he actually killed
herr"
That's what he DONE" answered
old Kirkby.
Poor man." murmured Enid.
'But why?" asked Philips.
''They were five days away from a
settlement, there wasn't human be-
ing within a hundred and fifty miles
of them, not even an Indian contin-
ued Maitland "She was so frightfully
broken and mangled that he couldn't
carry her away"
But why couldn't he leave her and
go for help?" asked Bradshaw.
'The wolves, the bears, or the vul-
lures would have got her. These
woods and mountains were full OF
them then and there are some Of them
left now [ guess"
The two little girls crept closer to
their big cousin, each casting anxious
chances beyond the fire light.
ooh, you're all right, little gals, ;"
said Kirkby reassuringly, they
wouldn't come nigh us whils this fire
is burnin' an they We been pretty
well hunted out I guess; sides there's
men yere who'd like nothin' better'n
DRAWN a bead on a big bar"
continued Maitland. when