Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1916-05-25

that day he had been saying his unspoken good-byes
to the little hooks where he had played when child
to the old where his young body had clambered
to the rocky hlsides where his feet had climbed He
had fondled each hound and pated each pony he had
watched his father and mother and little brothers and
sisters with wsful eyes, but had been careful to say
word which might arouse their suspicion. Several
times in his wanderings from early morning to mid
afternoon his feet had strayed unconscously in the
direction of Minnie Fosoms house and the messy spring.
but he had wrenched himself in other paths because
he knew that Minnie would be futile and would
make everything harder. He had not had glimpse
of her since that eventfu night when his jealous
had told him that she crying in the of John
Cohee Of her later presence in the old oak he had not
guessed. Neither had he John Cohee and he had
put the man out of his mind John Cohee probably
far away and safe from the gun of the executioner
Having lived always in the open and been nursed under
the shelter of the wooded places his mind free from
all pettness and the thing which he about to do did
not great to him. He merely doing good
turn for he loved, and his religion embraced in
stinctvey much of the mythology of his forefathers;
the thought of death not fearful to him. For to
the Indians of long ago death but beautiful trans
formation and they did dread it either for their
bodies souls Lewis James knew that after the guns
had done their work with him that he would but be
started his journey to land faer far than his dear
Choctaw country; that the Christian God to whom he
prayed would place for him there all the wood
land things which he so loved and keep him free and
happy there forever
And so when four o'clock came he found himself riding
calmly his little pony toward the place where his
young heart would to beat He ambled through
the woods taking last look at their beauties and
breathing the scent of the flowers and the spicy odors
of the grass if he drinking rich wine. The
birds kept up a continual funeral drge for him. but it
happy and joyous and wildly melodious that it
took on the tune of trumpha march, Without know
ing it, the thing which he to do that day gave him
the feeling of young god going forward to sacrifice,
and not the agony of human being facing humiliation.
He tasted of the joy of great giving that death
sweet
When he within mile of the council house he
slipped into green alcove off the roadside and dis
mounted. Throwing the bride his ponys neck he
turned her loose in the woods knowing that before the
night far spent she would be front of his fathers
barn. Then he struck off through the woods so to
avoid the town and wait for the hour of his execution
at secluded place nearby His eyes searched for
the largest and greenes of the leaves and finding one
to his satisfaction he pulled it off and pinned securely
against his gray shirt just the heart that
could be plainly hundred yards away. Wearing
this emblem, he walked leisurey toward the place
which he had selected in his fancy to wait for the sun
set. 1t little knoll, with its top free from any
growth except that of grass and flowers its base
sncrcled by trees which seemd to be playing "Rng
Around the Rosy" perfect a circle did they make.
)ny few yards away the spot where the soldiers
we're to stand with their guns but the foliage hid it
stretched himself to wait he could the smoke from
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