Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-07-22

II
60 away with him"
"Yes, sub, had wanted to get
| away from Nineveh, where I'd been
shamed and disgraced, and he was the
| only man what would ha' married me
after that I might ha' told Colonel
Todhunter the truth II I hadn't been
| afeared O. Jesse and II hadn't seen
that 1t would be eveniu things up with
Tom Strickland as well as Jesse had
evened 'em up with STAN Tucker If ]
went away with him."
| "What do you mean by evening up
| things with Tom Strickland? You have
lust testified under oath that Tom
Strickland had done you no wrong"
The girl was silent for moment
| Her face flushed dark red and then
went white again.
"Tom Strickland made me eat m!
heart out for himv' she cried sudden
", shame and n desperate defiance in
the passionate eyes that confronted
her audience. HE wouldn't see that
I loved him better'n anything else in
all this world and that ! wanted him
| to love me the same way And the
reason he wouldn't see what l was al
ways a-showin' him was that he was
80 dead in love with Miss Mary Tod
hunter. Thst's what made ME tell
that lie against him when | knowed
| that Mrs. Todhunter was a-goin' to-
ask me to leave the party"
There was pitiful break In the
| girls voice.
81 didn't care the tip Of my finger
| for Jesse Breamw she cried 81 hated
and despised him. But he was willin
to marry ME and take me away from
Nineveh, and so KEEP my mouth shet
and waited for him to come and do 1t. y
II am going to ask you. Miss Dog
gett," said Major Gentry Dryden.
when was the first time you saw
Jesse Bream after Colonel Todhun'
ter's visit to you that day"
II didn't see him till the day before
this here trial begun, sub. He had
gone away to fix things up for mar
ryin' me and takin' me down some
where in Oklahoma, and he didn't
come back till then"
"What time of the day did you see
him?"
"I reckon twas long about three or
| TO- o'clock in the day, sub. He didn't
come clear to the house cause he saw
grandfather settin' on the front gal
lery. But he give a whistle l knew
and went out and met him."
"Where did you meet himr
I'm a little clump O woods cross the
road, not far from the old cabin where
Aunt Mirandy Ransom and old Jed
Ransom, her husband. two colored peo
pie, are livin', suh."
what had he come to see you
about?"
"He come to tell me that everything
was ready for us to run away that
very night. He was plannin' to drive
over into Rails county, and we'd get
married there and then start for Okla
homa. And he'd been drinkin' and was
braggin' about how he'd killed STAN
| Tucker. 1t was then knowed for the
first time, from his own lips, that 1t
was him that killed STAN. but I'd been
certain of it In my mind all the time"
Ibid you consent to go away with
him"
"Yes, sub. and we went away togeth'
er. The first day and night ne got to
drinkin'. and when we stopped at the
| hotel In Sidon he quarreled with me,
keepin' on sayin' that was In love
| with Tom Strickland and would blab
about who did really murder STAN
| Tucker If | got half chance. And
somethin / said then about my wish
| in had told the truth at first skeered
| him. Stead o stuyin IN sidon till he
was ready tn go straight to Oklahoma
| he took me- :;way from there the next
| day. We went fur. too. and he was III
| ways a.watchin me. AT daybreak one
| morrin' we come to Il tumbledown
| cabin deep in the woods. and he said
| that's where we'd stay till dark. and
| then | begun to he skeered myself
"Of what were you afraid?'
| Il begun to feel skeered that he was
| goin' to kill me. We had quarreed
| nd quarrecd. and whenever ! lost my
temper good and proper told him the
ruth that ouchtnt to leave Tom
| strickland to Ue hung when | knowed
rom wasn't guilty and knowed who
was. Then well. all of sudden we
had our biggest quarrel. and what I'd
heen skeered Of come to pass"
What do you mean by that. Miss
poggett"
~ mean that Chickasaw Jesse tried
to kill me. sub. He sorter went crazy
and Jumped for me with his bowie
knife in his hand, and Id ha' been
dead the next minute II 1t hadn't been
for Colonel Todhunter, sub"
For Colonel Todhunter"
"Yes, sub. Colonel Todhunter bust
ed in the door o. the cabin that very
minute. brIngiE' the sheriff o Rails
county along with him. Him and the
sheriff both had their pistols sighted on
jesse and made him throw his knife
down And then done what I'd want
ed to do all the time. ! told them II
was Chickasaw Jesse Breain who had
killed STAN Tucker"
"And what happened when you Old
thatT
The girl shivered. Il don't like to
think about It. He made ME feel ike
cowardly hound dog" she said,
new shame IN her reckless eyes. Jesse
Bream Just laughed and folded his
arms and looked at me and then at
Colonel Todhunter and the sheriff and
said that i told the truth. I killed
Siam Tucker because he ruined Lottie-
May he said. smilin'. And l run
away with her to marry her But she's
tellin' the truth now to get shet o me-
and I don't care what comes next.
| T,ka mo and hnnR me- I'm dOne!"