Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-04-15
THE RECOGNITION
OF JESSE BADL[IGH
BY II. II. GREEN

~~A
established theories and proceed att
once with our tale as though it had
met with no interruption.
From the time James Cobb suffer
ed his humiliating defeat at the
hands of Jesse Badleigh for his cow
ardly assault on little Willie Twomy,
he had never for one moment lost
his desire for revenge or weakened in
his purpose to obtain it, Persistent
ly and obstinately had he nurtured
his malignant enmity; brooding over
1t so necessarily that it became an
all-absorbing passion and dominated
his being in spite of all his friend
Tony could say or do to persuade
him to change his purpose, or at
least to moderate his ill-will toward
Jesse.
In this frame of mind he left the
court room and went direct to the
house of his mother, where he found
her Frustrated with grief over this
new evidence of his waywardness.
The poor woman had gradually CIV
en- way to the ravages of the dread
disease which had fastened itself up
on her and was ruthlessly eating
away her life. 1t Is by no means
probable that che would have long
survived in any event; for a pro-
tracted course of mental suffering
caused by the cruel violation of ev-
,ery filial feeling by her unnatural
,son; the crushing disappointment
of fondly cherished hopes for his fu-
ture, followed by the cowardly, un-
J, provoked attack on Jesse Badleigh
with the humiliation of it all, prov
ed to be burden much too great for
her strength The poor overwrought
mother rapidly declined and soon
word went out that Mrs. Cobb was
|, dead.
CHAPTER XIII.
u 1t was on lovely afternoon Of one
of the first days in June, that most
delightful month of the year in nor
thern Iowa, that two young persons
apparently oblivious of everything
save themselves, had wandered out
to the Dugway and were slowly stroll
ling in the direction of Pulpit Rock.
j Between these two young people
there had grown up what promised
to be an abiding attachment. From
!, the time of their first meeting on the
banks of the Mississippi, or the day
that John Armstrong with his wife
and daughter had crossed the great
river, up to this moment beside the
waters of the Oneota, there had new
er been an interval when they had
not entertained for each other an
emotion of tenderness which time
had gradually ripened into love as
pure and beautiful as it is possible
for two beings to feel for each other.
| The Dugway was never more In
lviting-never more in harmony with
! the blissful feelings of its youthful
visitants than on that afternoon in
June. To stranger it would have
appeared as If the Way" had been
conscious Of having in its guests two
of the most happy, If not distin-
guished residents OF the adjoining
city. So 1t had thoughtfully taken
its time and clothed itself for the
occasion. To be sure it's garments
many Of them, were merely made
over in the spring. Always they were
of the same materials. And always
the fashions were the same. The
Dugway had it's own milliner, in ma
ture herself; she never changed her
colors. Year after year, both colors
and patterns remained the same ;
ever possessing the quality Of fresh
ness; never becoming a WEAKNESS to
the eye; serving the purposes Of
their creator, whether maintaining
the simple beauty of verdure-na-
lures favorite color, or the varied
tints impaired by the gentle touches
of the great source of light and
heat.
/ Frances, said Jesse to his COM
panion, 'yonder is nice shady
place, at the foot of that great rock
to the left and in front of the maple,
where we can be seated and together
enjoy the scenery along the river
ever since l saw it first it has pos
sessed a charm for me which in
creases with every repetition of the
view
i And well it might for every sue
ceedfng season seemed to extend and
heighton its beauty; rendering it the
more attractive, especially to those
7 who like Jesse, had inherited and
nurtured the esthetic taste.
: The granite walls behind them
were muraled with vari-colored
vines There the wild Crane. the wv