The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-04-16

POINTER
By IOHN Y. LARNED

y passenger from rlullS OH II iotOHo
tive. about to start on Il run between
two stations. | went forward and OBJ
taiied leave of the man ut the throt-
tie to do the distance-abUut twelve
miles with him. He was near fifty
years old. but hale and hearty.
just before starting Il m about
thirty years Old came to the engine
and stood talking to the engineer ear
neStly for a few minutes. then turned
away. AS she did so | could see by
the look she gave him thar she had Il
.,reat affection for him. but whether 1t
was that Of wife or sister | could not
tell. Yielding to curiosity. I asked the
question.
She's not my wife" he said. Shes
had two husbands and | shouldn't
think she'd want another. Her first
husband was a bad one. and the sec
nnd didn't live long
"There seems to be a story in her
case" remarked. I'D like to hear it."
He made no reply until we We're we'll
out in the open country. Then hr said:
Somehow l feel like telling you tn"
story this morning. I've kept it long.
but now it seems to want to come II
The young woman you refer to was
J little more than q kid when ! was
| coming on to middle age. She was In
love with u youngster named Perkins.
a little older than she was. but her
father wouldn't let her marry him.
Dnol,s, rr. .H .,l
Sallie-that's her name-married q man
named Thorpe. who had just come
into some money. Sallie's father
thought he knew what was best for
his daughter and made the match. Sal
lie not being willing. for she loved
Perkins. Thorpe run through the mon
ey he'd inherited-they said he gam
bled it away and it wasn't long aft
erward that he lit out. leaving his
wife to get on the best way she could.
She heard nothing from him for TWO
or three years: then n day she saw
IA notice OF the death OF Il nan of the
same name in a hospital in Il distant
city. 1t was too far away for Ilei to
20 and investigate the matter, and she
didn't have the money anyway. so she
wrote for IA description of the man
and the one given her Tailed with her
husband exactly.
"Another year passed and Perkins
came back one fine day. and learning
that Sallie was il widow Went to see
her. Perkins was a nice chap and had
made some money. Sallie would have
married him right away. but she felt
kind of uneasy about Thorpe. not i"-
ing certain that he was dead. She
waited a year, Perkins begging her to
marry him all the while: then she
gave in.
"There was another man who had
wanted Sallie from the time she was
seventeen Years old. but he was then
double her age and had no show
against the Youngsters"
That man." l interrupted. lis your
self"
He turned toward me with u sur
prised look and asked how ! knew
that. l made no reply. and ne cOntin
ned:
II "Sallie was very happy with her sec
ond husband for about two years: then
something happened. | had always
lived near her. and she knew that
whenever she needed any n to lear
on she could come to me. One nigh
about II O'Clock there was a rap al
my door. l put on some clothes. wen,
down and opened 1t. There stood Sal
lie. white as a sheet and trembling al
over | begged her to tell me VIVA
was the matter. but instead Of doinl
so she clutched my wrist and led m.
to the back yard Of her home. There
"a a man lying there, hut | couldn'
see who he was. ! struck a mattel
and saw-Thorpe. He was dead.
1T was clear that Sallie had beer
living with Perkins while she was an
} other mans wife. | had to make NJ
my mind mighty quick what to do.
bring me a tablecloth or a shaw
or something l said to Sallie.
"She went into the house and cam
; back with a big shawl. | wrapped
: around the body. then took 1t M in m!
arms.
[ Don't say a word to any one
said. till I see you again
II carried the body to my W yar'
J and put 1t in an clubhouse while | du'
q grave: then | buried it six feet IN
} dergronnd and put back the sod owe
] it."
J And risked being hanged for muir
dcrY" | interrupted.
The next morning | watched TO
t Perkins to leave his house. then wen
D to Sallie and told her what | had done
made her believe that all would b'
Well If she could keep the secret.
2 mentioned the risk Id taken. View
j neither Of us mentioned the matte
l to the other or to any one else, ant
no harm has ever come of 1t. It's no
:. been hard on me. but it wa terrible
e on Sallie while Perkins lived"
d when will you marry Sallie?"
: asked.
II marry Sallie! What makes 70,
think thatT"
SsD-n~~ c~IOl~ III H. 49, A~~~S,