The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-06-23
A SHERIFF'S
STORY
The Only Life He Took
That Troubled Him.
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN

Jake Rodman was a sheriff in the
then territory Of Dakota. He had land
ed more desperadOes alive and dead
than any other sheriff, but it must be
admitted that by far the larger mum
Der were dead when captured, for very
few of them could be taken alive. Be
sides. Rodman didn't take any chances
for an officer of the law was no more
immune from these people than any
one else. | once asked him il he had
any shrinking at killing one of them
or any qualms afterward. He replied
that if he had been built that way they
would have landed him instead of his
landing them.
But there was one killin'." he said
that has troubled me ever since. |
wake up nights some time and get to
thinkin about it and always feel the
same sinkin' about the heart. 1t was
this way:
Before was made sheriff | was
workin' on ranch owned by gen
tleman as had come out from the east
| He had been banker or somep'n like
| that. but had given up the business to
bring his daughter, little gal about
] nineteen, who was threatened with
consumption, out here, hopin' the air
would do her good. Havin' plenty of
money. the natural thing fer him TO
do was to buy ranch and stock it.
But he didn't care nothin' about that.
except to give him somepn 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 l
ever seen. There wasn't any one on
the ranch or off'n it that wouldn't
swaller dose O lead fer her.
II never could tell jist what it was
about her that had this effec', but !
allowed the principal part Of it 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 alus attract
strong ones. Susie was so frail she
looked as If the fust good wind that
blew would carry her away. But be- /
sides all this thur was somepn win
min about her that no one could reck-
on on.
II got ahead of every one else with
her this way: l owned blooded mare
that was as easy managed as a kitten
and could git along like the wind
NOthin' Susie liked better'n to ride on |
horseback, but she wouldn't ride any
other horse than my Kate. l used to |
go with her lots O times, fer her IA |
ther wouldn't let her 60 alone and |
didn't like to have her go under the
care O. any one else. l was only about
ten years older than Susie and un-
married; but. laws. I'd as soon cal
culated on maxim love to some gal as
come down from heaven! But this
didn't matter nohow, fer there was a
young gent as he'd left college to go
to ranchin' that Susie had met and
tumbled to. In our rides together she
got confidential with me and tole ME
all about it: tole me when the feller
hisself didn't know nothin' at all about
1t. In fac | was the only puSson as
knowed it except the little gal herself.
This young mans. Dick Walcott's.
ranch was a matter o. fifty miles from
ourn. which was known as the Court
ney ranch from Susie's father, who
owned it. But Walcott used to come
over quite frequent, maxim excuses
all the time. to see Susie. Gosh. how
the young feller was wrapt up in her.
lie would any time have crawled on
the ground before her. She tole me
she didn't let on she cared any more
fer him than any one else. because she
wasn't strong and healthy and wasn't
willin' to pull any man down by mar.
ryin' him. Jist think o this angel
conhdin' this to rough feller like ME
when nobody else knowed it,
There was one o. the herders in Mr.
Courtney's employ that was bad egg
lie TUX some sort o malice agin young
Walcott. didn't know the reason al
hrSt. | iist reckoned that Walcott had
treated him like the galoot he was.
This herder. Jim Stiggs. was not only
powerful man. but was one o. the
quickest and straightest shots | ever /.
seen. | allus allowed that il | had
dispute with him wouldn't do much
sleepin. but would keep my right eve
On him continually till the fracas was
settled. l was sorry he'd turned agin
for Walcott was no platch
Ter him whatever-more of a Teller to
handle books than revolyers. Mind !
you. | wasn't thinkin' of walcott.
was fearful for Susie. KNOWN mighty !
we'll that If anything happened to him :
would knock her into smithereens.
We'll. one day the secret of Stiggs''
iislike came out with a vengeance
susie came to me all of a-flutter and '
l-wringin' of her hands and said:
Jim Stiggs has left here to 90 m
he Walcott ranch to kill Dick. Stiegs a
las made love to me-
What! That galoot made love To