Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-14

~ ~ Its NNE -
a. he trottcd through the corn with a gun
in one land and a sweat-stained hand
kerchief in the other. "Some OF em Will
Get bad hurt if | do ketch en-"
Ii had been hard enough 10 guard Elvina
alone. but now that he had 10 watch both
the melon patch and the girl he was N
constant sweat of anxiety.
The melon patch was Ind away IN the
corn field three hundred yards from the
house. and 80 far Ebenezer's ingenuity
had devised no plan by which he could
watch the girl and the melons Al the same
time.
No sooner wa~ \ hid in a bunch Of tall
weeds where hI> shotgun commanded The
patch than he began Ia worry about FL
VIVA. He was sure she had seemed anN-
ious for him 10 get away.
lie remembered she had looked out Of
the kitchen window two or three times, and
that he saw dust rising down the road.
The more he thought of il the surer he was
that she was III that very minute down by
the spring talking to that drafted Har-
vey.."
Listen, That was their laugh. They
had been laughing over getting ahead Of
him. But Just wait.
Then Ebenezcr would 20 t%rotting back
IL the house. gathering anger and heat,
and when he fond Elvina singing >weetly
a. she went about her sweeping and dust
ing. he said all the abusive things he had
intended to say had he caught her ~ the
supreme act Of Notwithstanding I"
Harvey. lie Away, closed with the
threat:
And il YOU ever do speak 10 that drat-
ted Harvey a long "a YOU live Ill wallop
YOU within an inch of Your life. | don't
keer if you are grown
No sooner was he fairly comfortable on
the porch where he could be- sure the
premises were free from that drafted
Harvey. than he began to worry about hi
melons. He could see. in HI, Imagination.
three. sometimes five young "galloots"
slipping in from the east side.
There was that "whelp of a Dalton"
and the Riley hoy. and maybe Tobe Stcv-
en-. They are in the patch now, tramp
ILL., VII ~ NAhf~. AiAiilhh= hNA' 'H' 49,
plugging the big ones. and then. plucking
IA blg one apiece. making off through the
timber.
Then he would 20 ~trotting back To- the
melon patch. with hi~ shotgun IN hi~ right
hand. hopping the sweat from hi florld
face and bald head with the left, vowing
he would fill their ''dadgaSted hides NJ
full of holes a. the top of = pepper box"
About that time a bright idea struck
him. Butcher. the bulldog. was useless a.
a guard for Elvina. for he was her slave
and therefore on friendly terms with llar-
Wy. But why not the melon patch! Just
the thing. Butcher should guard the mel
on patch. and h. would guard the house.
The old man drove u stake in the Gen.
ter of the patch and tied Blucher with "a
slip knot. To this knot he tied u long
cord. which reached ~ the edge Of the
corn. By pulling the cord he could re-
lease the dog.
The old man experienced 4 feeling AKIN
10 satisfaction a. he sat on the porch that
evening tanning himself with a palm-leat
fan, and hopping his bald head with a blg
blue handkerchief. Blucher's growl could
be- 9ealy heard ~ the house. and the dog
would most certainly growl If anything
went wrong with the melon patch.
That evening Elvina sat b. the west
window looking out across the meadow,
beyond the valley, and a. the wind lightly
blew the soft curl~ around her face her
eyes grew large and wi-tfuI. She was
thinking al ham. The old man neither
knew nor cared what -hc thought. She
was IN the house, where she belonged.
That was sufficient.
That George Harvey stopped his work
and fingered m the shade while his face
grew tender and thoughtful ~ he was
thinking II her. the old man knew not.
Neither did hc care.
Twice hc had ordered Harvey off the
premises. the last time positively swearing
he would shoot him on sight ii he ever set
foot ON the place again.
Ebcnezcr had me- objection 10 Harvey
except that Flvina seemed too fond 81 ~
company. and ~ had ~ notion ~ letting
Elvina gct married.
she was rnllftlN Too h~flW "h nv l'lh'
and nothing except giving mp money hurt
Ebcnezcr - much a. giving up something
that saved HIM work.
The plan worked a. smooth - a sew
ing machine III The hands ut an agent III
vina went about. obcdicnt and ~uncomplaIn-
ingly. Harvey stayed away like \ sen
~iblc young man be was, and avoided
the huckshot.