Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1918-07-19

pony's head, reached easily to his hip,
slung forward his holster, and came,
| with an easy stride, among us.
He was granted his usual little "ci--
cular space of safety" as he called it.
and finally, planting his back against
the side of the house, he lounged into
easy attitude and bit off a chew.
Not a sign of Dog Hankly yet
Bet he won't show up at all"
grunted the fve-footer disgustedly, in
an aside.
Take yerw answered another, 'fer
dog my cats if there he amt"
From his low shanty across the
road emerged Dog in all the casual
ness of a small errand. He was pick
ing his teeth with a fish-bone.
Hallway across the road he threw
away the bone, Strengthened a little,
and made an answering line for
kinston, on the porch.
Breathless is no word for the state
of our suspense.
At first Kinston eyed him casually,
as was his wont. Then, Hankly's di-
rection DETECTING by not hair, he
took on a quickened interest and
toyed casually with the pistol-grip.
Dog strobe on forward with no
waver
Up jumped Kinston.
Ear enough you! !" he cried. "Whirl
your circle, or I'll let in daylight"
He brandished that pet of his.
On came Dog.
"Br-r-rh !" grOwled the pistol.
On came Dog.
"Whang" tipped the next shot.
On came Dog.
Six times that iron coughed, with no
swerving on Dogs part.
Then wild fear crept into Kin
stons face. He threw the discharged
weapon at Hankly's head; Hankly
ducked, and past him sped KinSton in
pretty dodge.
He gained his horse, mounted and
clattered out of town.
We were all too paralyzed to speak.
Even Dog Hankly did not see fit to
VI eth tllc SllcllCe' lllSledu, le SllOllCu
on back to his cabin.
We saw him pass on out to his
shed, and fifteen minutes later he
once more hit the road. This time he
was mounted, and by long rope leash
he led the last hound which he had
been training for my uncle, Colonel
Caldwell.
The next afternoon, at about three
o'clock, a small boy brought startling
intelligence.
Two men, a horse, and a dog were
coming up the road.
We filed out to witness events. Dog
Hankly sat astride his cayuse; from
the saddle-pommeI stretched a rope,
and at the other end strobe Kinston,
the mighty fallen, securely bound.
Well, did they make that lank Dog
Hankly sheriff? Did they apologize
in a superabundance of profuseness?
l should smile.
And Dog and l grew old together,
for business and health kept me long
in that region.
Men came from miles around to see
and meet the man who had stood the
fire and made the capture of Kinston,
the outlaw.
Late one autumn afternoon, as Dog
and l sat chatting on his back porch,
the topic turned to that "Opportun-
ity" which is supposed to knock once
at every mans door.
"Somethin' in itw grunted Dog
musingly, "if yer couple 1t with luck
and ingenuity"
II don't exactly catch your drift" l
answered.
He looked sharply around to see If
any one was by, and then, leaning
over, said:
an jist bust If / don't tell some
one how got this here reputation of
mine"
your reputation about that Kinston
affair-about your being the bravest
man in the Old North state?"
Exactly" he answered.
well, I sure won't TELL" pledged.
eyer see" said Dog, "when Kinston
sprang by me and got away I got
plumb disguised, and made up my
mind to take that hound I'd been
training over to your uncle to change
my spirits.
Nov, I got along by the spring
down there at Does Crossing, and
thought I'd take a drink. According,
l approached the bushes around the
water and what should l hear but
voice come out of that shrubbery.
"Don't shoot, Hankly' 1t said; I'll
come peaceable.' Then, sir, out
crawled Kinston, scratched with briers
and clean out of heart. played the
card which had fallen right in my
hand-bound him up some secure, and
brought him along. Yer see, I'd kind
of got his goat by walking up to
that there bloody gun Of his"