Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-05-31

EMzzzE2z&zAA 1S2--AS nevertheless, II
I may be allow
ed, I will tell you of an Indian Terri
tory feud Of which I was press agent,
camp follower and accessory during
the fact.
I was on a visit to Sam Durkee's
ranch, where had great time fall
ing off unmanicured ponies and wav-
ing my bare hand at the lower jaws of
wolves about two miles away. Sam
was a hardened person Of about twen-
ty-five, with a reputation for going
home in the dark with perfect equa-
nimity, though often with reluctance.
Over in the Greek nation was a fam
lily bearing the name Of Tatum. was
told that the Durkees and Tatums had |
been feuding for years. Several of |
each family had bitten the grass, and |
it was expected that more Nebuchad-
nezzars would follow. A younger gen !
Grafton of each family was growing |
up, and the grass was keeping pace |
with them. But 1 gathered that they |
had fought fairly; that they had not
lain in cOrnfields and aimed at the
division of their enemies suspenders
in the back-partly, perhaps, because
there were no cornfelds, and nobody
wore more than one suspender. Nor
had any woman or child of either
house ever been harmed.
Sam Durkee had girl. Her name
was Ella Baynes. They appeared to
be devoted to each other and to have
perfect confidence in each other, as all
couples do who are and have or aren't
and haven't. She was tOlerably pretty,
with a heavy mass of brown hair that
helped her along. He introduced me
to her, which seemed not to lessen her
pref erence for him, so I reasoned that
they were surely soul mates.
Miss Baynes lived in Kingfsher,
twenty miles from the ranch Sam
lived on a gallop between the two
places.
One day there came to Kingfsher a
courageous young man, rather small,
with smooth face and regular features.
He made many inquiries about the
business of the town and especially Of
the inhabitants cognOminally. He said
he was from MuscOgee, and he looked
it, with his yellow shoes and crocheted
four-in-hand. I met him once when I
rode in for the mail. He said his name
was Beverly Travers, which seemed
rather improbable.
One day when l was messenger for
half a gross of cigarette papers and
couple Of wagon tires l saw the alleged
Beverly Travers in a yellow wheeled
buggy with Ella Baynes, driving about
town as ostentatiOusly as the black,
waXy mud would permit. I, knew that
this information would bring no balm
of Gilead to Sans soul, so I refrained
from including it in the news Of the
city that I retailed on my return. But
on the next afternoon an elongated eX-
cowboy Of the name Of Simmons, an
old time pal of Sans, who kept
feed store in Kingfsher, rode out to
the ranch and rolled and burned many
cigarettes before he would talk. When
he did make grafton his words were
these:
"Sam, say, there's been a descrip-
ton of a galoot miscallin' himself Bevel
Edged Travels impairing the atmos-
pheric air of Kingfsher for the past
two weeks. You know who he was
He was not otherwise than Ben Ia
tum, from the Greek Nation, son Of old
Gopher Tatum that your Uncle Newt
shot last February. You know what
he done this morning? He killed your
brother Lester-shot him in the cot
house yard"
I wondered If Sam had heard He
pulled a twtg from a mesquite bush,
chewed it moment and said:
"He did, did be? He killed Lester r
%AThe same" said Simmons. "And
he did more. He run away with your
girl, the same as to say Miss Ella
Baynes. I thought you might like t1
know, so I rode out to impart the In
formation"
81 am much obliged, JIM" said Sam
taking the chewed tw1g from his
mouth. Eyes, I'm glad you rode out
Yes, I'm right glad"
"Well, I'll be ridin' back, I reckon
That boy I left in the feed store dom
know hay from oats. He shot Lestel
In the back"
"ShOt him in the back"
eyes, while he was hitchin' his boss
"And you say
eyes, Sam. Everybody seen zen
drive away together in a blackboard
with big bundle, like clothes, tied u
in the back of it. He was drfvin' tn
team he brought over with him iron
Muscogee. They'll be hard to over
take right away
"And which,
81 was goin' on to tell you. The
left on the Guthrie road. But there
no tellin' which forks they'll take-yo
know that"
Gall right, Jim. Much obliged"
"You're welcome, SAM"
Simmons rolled a cigarette and stat
bed his nnnv with both heels TWeI