The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-12

that he could get along without the
Banner, and of late has been refusing
to take it outen the postoffice, SO he
told Postmaster Higgins to mark it
refused" and send it back to the editor
and started to walk back home shortly
after dark.
Now the nearest way from Bingvile
to where Enoch lives is crost the fields,
and so Enoch returned that way. 1t
was about 9 o'clock when he come out
en- the edge of the woods not far from
his house. Suddenly he stopped in his
tracks and his blood most froze in his
veins, for there standing not so #. from
him was one of the most feroshious
looking pirates Enoch had ever saw.
Enoch said he had gun aimed at his
(Enoch's) heart, but never said a word.
But Enoch knowed which side of his
bread was buttered, so he held his
hands as high up into the air as he
could reach and stood still, expecting to
be shot on the spur of the moment,
every second, as you might say.
Enoch says he never wants to live
over the agony he suffered in them few
minutes. standing there facing death in
the most horrible form. His arms
ached him so that he couldn't scarcely
keep them up, but he was afeared to
let them down. The pirate jest stood
there as silent as ghost, but never
said a word-after a little while Enoch
got so weak in the knees that he
swooned and sunk right down in heap
and become unconscious. When he
come to the pirate hadn't moved and
Enoch, inch by inch, crawled behind
the cover of big white oak and then
from there a little farther into the
wood, until he was out of sight. then
he run home by round about way, ar
irving all outen breath and his tongue
as dry as a bone.
Soon as he got his breth he loadened
up his old shot gun with ,buckshot and
Weakened up Brad Hinsley, who is his
nearest neighbor, and him and Brad
walked to Bingville and got Seth Dew
berry, Our lion-hearted town constubble
and they was joined by several other
of our most respecktcd citizens until
they was quite a possy of them, all
armed to the teeth, and led by Seth
they all started for the spot where Enoch
had saw the man.
When they arrived and crawled up to
where Enoch had saw him, there he
stood in the dim moonlight jest the
same as ever. Cy Hoskins told Seth
to walk right up to him and put him
under arrest in the name of the law,
but Seth said he didn't think that would
be a good plan-Seth said that if he
should walk out there to where the fell
Ter stood and the teller should see that
big tin star which Seth wears on his
coat as constubble, the Teller would run
and excape from custody. Seth said he
would deppytize Cy and Cy could go
out and speak to him, but Cy remem-
bered that he had told his wife before
leaving that he would be back by 10 |
o'clock if he come back alive at all, and
he would haft to start right off, which ,
he done.
Finally Seth he mustered ur enough
courage to creep up closer with his
pistol cooked in one hand until he was
behind tree about Is #. from the
pirate, then Seth peeked around the
tree and said in loud voice, Il arrest |
you in the name of the 'law" There |
was no answer and Seth repeated it |
louder. Just then there was a gust of
wind blowed acrost the field and the |
pirate seemed to wave his arms. That
gosh-blamed thing acts like a skeer |
crow" says Seth. Then it all come |
back to Enoch that it was the skeer
crow he had fixed up, and Re explained |
to the crowd that he had forgot all
about it, and they all returned to Bing- |
vile in deep disgust and went to bed
and Enoch went home.
The general opinion is that if the |
skeer crow works as we'll with the |
crows as it did with Enoch his corn |
will come up this time without molesta-
ton.
P. S. LATER-Enoch was in Bing-
\ lille again yesterday. When we asked
him how his skeer crow was workin