The record. (Greenville, Ky.) 1899-1???, 1917-03-29
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 num-
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 if 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 kilIin','' he said,
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 1 was made sheriff | was
workin' OF ranch owned by Il gen
tleman as had come out from the east.
He had been Il 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 sOmeD'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 l
ever seen. There wasn't any one on
| the ranch or Off'n it that wouldn't
| swaller a 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'
! 's5,sesftfs ICY as Juttih rflt:ifsssfs es.
out'n their way on her account, Be
| sides, delicate people aius attract
| strOug ones. Susie was so frail she
| looked as if the dust good wind that
blew would carry her away. But be-
sides all this thur was somep'n win
MIN about her that no one could reck-
Oh on.
! 81 got ahead of every one else with
her this way: l owned blOOdcd mare
that was as easy managed as 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. | used to
go with her lots o times. fer her IA
ther wouldn't let her go 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 I'm
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 q
young gent as bed 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
it. In fac | was the only pussOn as
knOwed it except the little gal herself.
"This young mans. Dick WalcOtts,
ranch was matter O fifty miles from
ourn, which was known as the Court
ney ranch from Susie's father, who
owned it. But WaicOtt used to come
over quite frequent, maxim excuses
| oil To InCh how
the young feller was wrapt up in her.
He 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
copfdin' this to rough feller like me
when nobody else knOWed it.
: There was one O the hCrdcrs i'll Mr.
Courtney's employ that was bad egg
He tux some sort o malice agin young
Walcott. | didn't know the reason a
first. I list reckoned that Walcott ha(
treated him like the galoot he was
This herder, jim Stiggs. was not only
a powerful man. but was one o thu
: quickest and straightest shots | eve
seen. aIlus allowed that if I had /
dispute with him l wouldn't do mucl
sieepin'. but would keep my right ey'
on him continually till the fracaS wa
settled. | was sorry he'd turned agii
Walcott, for WalcOtt was no mattel
fer him whatevcr-mOre of feller t
handle books than rcvOlyerS. Mine
you, | wasn't tllinliin' of WalcOtt.
was fearful for Susie, KNOWN might,
well that if anything happened to hin
; it would knock her into smitherecns.
''Wel. one day the secret of Stigg>
dislike came out with a vengeance
Susie came to me all of a-futter an
a-Wringin' of her Lands and said:
"|)im StiGgs has left here to go t
', the Walcott ranch to k!ll Dick. StiGG
has made love to mG;-
"'What, That galool made ioye t
you?
"'Yes; and Of course wouldn't is
ten to it. He has inferred how / fet
: toward Dick, and he went away say
ing he would kill Dick this very nigh
: emit you do something to stop him?'
"'HOw long tas hG been ~on.a
"'Nc2rly tWl hours.