The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-20
By WILLARD BLAKEMAN

man any other sheriff. but il ,Last he
admitted that by far the larger MN
Der were dead when captured. for very
lie" OF them coui Ice taken alive 70
sides. Holman didn't take any chances
Tor an officer of the law was no NOR,
immune from thesc people Than an,
one else. once asked him il he had
any shrinking at killing one Of them
or any qualms afterward He repliel
that if he bad been built that WAY they
would have landed him instead of his
landing them
But there was one KILN" lie said
that has troubled me ever since. |
wake ~ nights some time ANA get IA
thinkin' about il and always feel the
same Sinkin about the heart Il was
this way;
before was made >herin / WAS
workin on ranch owned hy a sen
tleman as had come out from the east
lie had been a banker or somepn like
that, hut had given up the business To-
bring his daughter. little ga about
nineteen. who was threatened with
consumption, out here hopin the air
would do her good llayn plenty of
money. the natural thing fer him to
do WAS To buy a ranch aud stock ii.
But he didn't care nuihm' about that.
except to give him somep'n to do He
was bound up in his daughter Susie.
just as everybody else was, Talk about
heart winners. Susie could slaughter
more people that way than any one |
ever seen. There wasn't any one on
the ranch or Off it that wouldn't
swaller dose o lead fer her.
Il never could tell jist what it was
about her that had this etfec'. but !
allowed the principal part OF 1t was
that her heart went out to every
body. When they was hankerin' To
do sumpin fer her she was worryin
because they was putin themselves
out'n their way on her account Be
sides. delicate people allus attract
strong ones Susie was so frai she
looked as If the fust good wind that
blew would carry her away But be-
sides all this thur was somcpn win
min about her that no one could reck
on on.
Il got ahead of every one else Wit
her this way. | owned Il blooded mare
that was as easy managed as a kittel
and could cit along like the wind
Nothin' Susie liked bettcrn to ride 81
horseback but she wouldn't rlde any
other horse than my kate used u
% with her lots q times. fer her ia
ther wouldn't let her 20 alone ah'
didn't like to have her so under th'
care o any one else ! was only ap"u
ten wears older than Susie ana M
married. but laws. ia aS soon cal
culated on maxim love 10 some ga u
come down from heaven, Bnt th'
didn't matter nohow. fer there was
Young gent rs he'd left college to 20
to fancnln luil SHNi' ""'' 49,
tumbled TO. I'm our rides together sl
got confidential with me and t"ic III
all about il. tole me when tue leip
bisself didn't know nothin nj AL ahou
If In fac was the only pussoh a
knowed it except the little gal herSel'
This Young mans. Dick Nalcott
,.o,ob was = matter o. tfty miles iron
ourn which was known a. the tour'
nev ranch from Susie'> father. WA
owned il. But Walcott used To com
over quite frequent maxim eAsu>'
MI the time 10 see SUSIE. ''oSh nov
rho youpc Teller was wrapt up III h''
He would any time have cra"ied e"
the ground before her. she 'oie III
she didn't let on she cared any H'o'
fer him than any one else '''a''Se S''
wasn't strons and healthy and was"
willin' to pull any man down ny MAJ
/ ryin' him list think o TINS a"-'
contidin this 10 a rough Teller l'he III
when nobody else kno"rd u -,
..rb.rc WAS one o. the herders Va VI
conrtney's employ that was oao e.
no mi, some sort o malice ann E"ui
Walcott didn't know the reason
erst list reckoned that Wal.ott ma
treated him like the saioo' ae w"
This herder. Jim Stises was not On Oh,
nowerful man. hui was one It
ouickest and straightest shots ! e,'
soan allus allowed that II ] hau
a;snnte with him wouldn't do nlu'
sloanin but would keep my ri2ht Z!
- him continually till the fraeas Wa
settled | vas sorry he'd turned az
valrott for Walcott Was II" va
for him whatever-more OF ie'', ,,.
handle books than reviewers
I'm wasn't thinkin' Of Wa'eot.
was fearful for susie. known 'iiiI =,
we'll that if anything happened 70 III
II would knock her into smi'here ems
"wel. one day the secret =. - ~
dislike came out with a yeii4ean II.
Snsie came to me all oil uul's' "
= wriprin' Of her hands and said
lin Stiess has left here % ~
tho walcott ranch TO kill Dick >'-