The Oakes times., 1913-08-07
o~~~~~~~~~~o
THE WAY
A MAN
By EMERSON HOUGH
Copyright. 1907, by the Outing Publishing
Company

Copyright, 1907, by the Outing Publishing
Company

me. "Whut business is this here of
yores?"
None. madam" | bowed, "but l was
only curious"
You keep yonr own curiosity to
yourself ef your goin' to travel in
these parts. That's mighty good
thing for you to learn. You. Andrew
Jackson, stick your pistol up agin
, your head the way | tOr you. Now
snap it, dash you! Snap it till you
git through bcin' scared Of it, Do it
now. or. by gosh. I'll chase you over
the side Of the boat and feed you to
the catfish, you low down imertation
Of a he thing!"
My good woman" said l. do you
mind telling me what is your nameY
1 Names Mandy McGovern. and l
come from Pike" she answered. al
most before the words were out Of my
mouth. i've been merried three
times. and my first two husbands died
n -tiShtn' like gentlemen in dittikilties
with friends. Then along come this
Danny Calliins. that taken up some
land nigh to me in the bottoms-low
downest coward OF man that ever
disgraced the sile Of yearth-and then
. | merried him"
"ls he dead. too, my dear woman?"
asked
Don't you dear woman me.
ain't free to merry agin yit," said she.
Nav. he amt dead. and | amt dee
vorccd either, just done left him.
Why. every man in Pike has whipped
Danny CalkinS one time or other.
When a man couldn't git no reputation
any other way he'd come erlong and
/ whipped my husband got right
tired OF it. And me the wife of two
real men befo' then! had eight
chillrn 10y my two husbands that was
real men. and every one Of them died
or got killed like n man or went west
like Il man eXceptin this thing here.
! the son OF that there Danny Culkins.
Why. he's afraid to 80 coon huntin' at
night for fear the cats'll get him. He
don't like to mek keow for fear
she'll kick him. He's afraid to court
Il gal. He kain't shoot. he kain't chop,
he kan't do nothin'"
Say. mister" said she. show tall
are you?"
"About six feet. | think"
Hum. That's just 3t"ut how tall
my nrst husband was. You look some
like him in the face too. Say, he wa'
the fghtin est man in Pike. How come
him to get killed was a ditflkllty with
his brother-in-law, Dutrhman that
kept "a saloon and couldn't talk Eng.
lish. jim, he went in there TO get a
bite to eat and asked this Dutchman
what he could set up Paul-that was
the Dutchman's name-he says. We'll
we got dawg-mallnrd dnwg and red
head daws and canvnshack dawg-
what's the kind Of dawg you like
Chin?
My husband thought he was pokin
fun at him. talkin' about eatin' dawg
not KNOWN the Dutchmun was tryin
to say duck and couldn't. 4 Nigh
have IL piece of duck said Jim. but
mint eatin' no dawg.'
~ said dawg.' says Paul. still a-try
In to say duck.
"T know you did says Jim, ant
then they clinchcd. Jim he broke hi
knife off. and the Dutchman sOake
him with beer mallet. But. Mandy
says Jim to me jest before be shet hi
eyes, Il die content That there fe
low was the sweetest cuttin' man
ever did cut in all my life. He wa
jest like ripe pumpkin. Say, ther
, wss a man for you. was Jim. Yo
look some like him"
. You compliment me very much, Mr.
j, McGovern." | said.
SAY" she responded, II got 2.O(
=. head O. hawgs runnin' around in tt
Y timber down there In Pike"
q At the moment l did not see tt
/ yelled tenderness of this speech. b'
, thought Of nothing better than to te
j. her that | was going no farther up tt
! river than Fort avenwOrth
3 And may be widder almost ar
!. day now: somebody III shore kill Da
i. ny Calkins fore long," was Mandy
/. final hint.
y We were running in the dark befo
r the rising OF the moon. thing ca
3 tious steamboat men would not ha
It ventured. when some time iowa
v midnight there came slight shock.
j. grating slide and rasping crash
IS wood. With a forward churning
her paddles which sent water hi
e along tho rail the River Belle SHIT
dered and lay still, her engines thrt
r. bing and groaning.
e l Joined the rush to the bows al
10 leaning over, saw that we were IA
" aground at the lower end Of sa
N bar. Imbedded in this bar was 10
e. white snag. tree trunk whose max
arms, thrusting far downstream, t
p. literally impaled us. The upper wo
IA work of the boat was pierced gu
n. through, and. for all that one CO.
tell at the moment. the hull bel
nc the line was in all likelihood simila
?" crushed.
Sudden disaster usually brings s
TX den calm. the pause before resolut
-. or resignation. Running down
companionway. found myself am
r. a crowd of excited deckhands. n
ito of whom. with many Of the pass
in gers. were pushing toward the s
or board rail. whence could be seen
gloom of the forest along shore.
il gangway door on the opposite side
the boat was open. sprang
do and. making good my hold upon