The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-07-16

as II was in his own handwriting 1t
condemned rather than cleared MIN.
i L couldn't be proved that he was
! glilry. but il was felt by all that he
had al least been indiscreet, and II
was determined to administer a prop.
or punishment and send him from the
Cove
Had the proofs been sufficient Jed
! Baker would have been put to death.
As it was. the punishment was to be a
whipping and Punishment. He had
been sized up for man without
sand" 1t was believed that he would
cringe and weep like woman. They
! looked to see him go white and fall on
j his knees and beg for mercy even as
the punishment was announced. He
! had a,toEished the Cove by his calm
deneanor during the examination. He
as'oni,hed it again BY saying:
You can whip me and you can
drive me out. but you cannot make an
! !Aiorntr OF me The charge Is false
Who could 1t have been if not
/ yog"" was asked.
Je.. shook his head and stared at the
blank wall and made no answer At S
0 cock that evening he was tied to a
tree and whipped and cast loose and
told to disappear before sunrise. There
We're those who felt sorry for him, but
all telt that the punishment was due.
.\lter being cast loose he sat down
Oh a log for an hour with his head in
bis hands. While he was sitting there
the widow Carson was going about In
her cabin with tears In her eyes. Tom
l}eardsly came in to tell her OF the
whipping. and she detected the ex.
stantly remembered thing or two.
He had been in town during the two
days she was. She had noticed him
In company with man she believed to
De an official OF some sort. In passing
the hotel she had caught fleeing
glimpse of him as he lodged out OF
sight. Her woman's intuition helped
her to a conclusion In moment, and
wheeling on the young man, she ex.
claimed.
Tom Beardsly, you did it-you did
IT,"
You must be crazy" he replied.
You did it, and | know you did.
What did ye have agin him? How has
he ever harmed you''
Don't talk nonsense, wilder I'm
tellin' YOU here and now that I've been
thiukin a heap OF you for a right
smart while back, and"
tom Bcarlsiy, who give the still
away"
"Thiukin' heap Of you, wilder
and ri2ht now I'm askin you to be my
wife You know how I'm fixed, and
The women Of the Cumberland shoot
as we'll as the men. They do not hunt
bears and wildcats, but they kill
squirrels and gama birds. The widow s
shotgun stood in a corner of the room
She walked over and lifted 1t UP and
wheeled on Tom TO say
Not another word from you. Out
you go. You was jealous and you did
it,"
He went without word Ten min.
utes later she was kneeling beside the
man who had been whipped and say.
ing:
"Oh, Jed. but you never gave the
still away"
NO he whispered.
1T was Tom"
"Mebbe"
And you knowed it all the time"
"Mebbc"
But why didn't YOU say so' Why
did you take the whippin'?"
"kaso kasc thought you loved
him and You two vas gwine 10
marry
Then another woman knelt down
and. with tears running down her
checks, she said.
LED. ! didn't hear that inc! Was
ewinc 10 whip you till it was all over.
II had heard would have told the
men that give the still away l
would have lied to save you. I'm AKIN
your PARDON, Jed. I'm sayin' that |
am the sorriest woman on all this we're
mounting"
Jed put hand on the shoulder OF
each woman and rose UP with Painful
effort. lie realized that both loved
him. one knew tie ruth the other
would have lied for him.
"GoodAy" h. said. as he moved
aT iato no dark woods
Ue h.# fe.a Nlinnod in public lie
sad 1yca 55s.ras-d fer g,c In lH:i".
cove Ant ,u th door ct lie humble
syhco'ho3-e r,st mo-iHE incl" I.@
Henderson aa.zed 'ad'ock ard then