Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1893 — ON THE VERGE OF DEATH. [ARTICLE]

ON THE VERGE OF DEATH.

Boston Globe. | There was great excitement at Newell’s ranch. Miss Rose Newell was coming out from the East to visit her father, and the employes of the ranch, with three exceptions, were on the tiptoe of expectancy. Those three exceptions were old Barton and his wife and James Lyal, or “Deacon Jim,’’ as he was more commonly called. The morning of the day on which Miss Rose was to arrive the cowboys, with the exception of “Deacon Jim,” spent two hours or more in making preparations for the event. “Deacon Jim” alone appeared in his ordinary everyday clothing. “Why don’t you fix up, deacon,” someone asked, “and do the honors of the occasion?” “I don’t propose to make a fool of myself,” Jim replied, “by parading before Miss Newell. like a circus clown. I’m not so anxious to show off what little clothing I own and I guess she’s seen better many a time.” “Humph! Have you fellows got an idea that Miss Newell is going to take any notice of you? It’s hardly likely that she’s going to come out here and get dazzled by some common cow-punchers with a lot of gaudy trappings. I ain’t fool enough to make a spectacle of myself, and give Miss Newell a chance to laugh at me, you bet!”* When tlie carriage bearing Miss Rose arrived at the ranch, the cowboys, with the exception of the deacon. stood about the floor, each one “with his best foot forward,” anxious to be seen by the young lady, and hopeful of making an impression on her heart. That night, when Jim came in from the plains, they gathered about him, intent on singing the praises of Rose’s loveliness. “I tell you, deacon,” Anson said. ‘ ‘you just ought to seen her. I never saw a woman so beautiful in all my life.”-

“I don't doubt her beauty,” the deacon replied; “but what good would it have done me to have seen her? She’s not going to care anything for us.” “Maybe you know about that,” said Ansm,- “and maybe you don’t. If you had seen her smile when she saw us, you might think differently from what you do now*”, “Yes, and she was looking right straight at me when she smiled!” cried Ab Johnson. “I noticed that.” “Humph!” said Anson. “She was looking as straight at me as she could look.” “She wasn’t!” exclaimed Ab, angrily. “Hold on, now,” said Jim, “It isn’t worth while for you to fight over that. I can easily believe that she’d V smiled, whichever one of you she was looking at, when she saw the clothes you had on. It was enough to make her smile, I’nvsure.”

Ab and Anson muttered something, then went away, and the subject was dropped. //' • . " From that time on they viewed each other as rivals, and were never on good terms again. A month' passed. Miss Newell proved a very sensible young lady, and though she had grown up undet the influences of the highest refinement, she adapted herself readily to her new ingsShe treated her father's employes with the kindest consideration, laughing and chatting with them with perfect freedom, Tittle suspecting what stress they placed upon every word and every ripple of laughter that fell from her lips. Anson and Ab both grew more sanguine and hopeful as the days went' by, and each in his own heart came to feel assured that he was winning his way into Rose’s love. Deacon Jim had continued on from the first in the even tenor of his way. J__ He never thrust himself forward at all—never made auy effort to gain admission to Rose’s society, but if anything, rather seemed to avoid her.

A change had come over the deacon, too. Always serious, he had become almost melancholy. He liked to mope about alone or sit for hours gazing thoughtfully into space. He was in love, though, he tried hard to conceal the fact from himself, and for all the world would not have admitted it to any one else. One morning, when the men were preparing to begin the work of the day, a dispute arose between Anson and Ab, and as it grew warmer and more bitter, the former said: ‘‘When I become a partner on this ranch, you’ll go, Ab. Johnson, as sure as shooting. I won’t have you here.” “When you get to be a partner!" sneered Ab. “When I get to be a partner, you’ll go, and don’t you forget it.’ ,f “You a partner!” Anson said, mockingly. “Why, Rose Newell wouldn’t have you, if you were the last man on earth!”

“My notion is you’ll both see that you are making fools of yourselves,” old Barton observed. “Miss Rose will never have either of you. If I had to name anybody on this ranch that she was most likely to marry Yd say,it was Deacon Jim.” There was a universal roar of Aughtcr at this last remark and everyone seemed to think it a great joke. “Why,” said Anson, “the deacon don’t stand a ghost of a show. He ain’t 9hined around her a bit, and they never take any notice of ecch

other sesycely. You’roff, Barton — away off. Jim ain’t in it at all.” That day Rose rode with her father across the country and late in the afternoon was returning alone to the ranch. When within two miles of her destination she was aroused from a drowsy, reverie by a rushing, surging noise that came suddenly up from behind her like the onsweep of a great storm. She listened an. instant, glanced back and then uttered a cry full of terror. A little distance away she saw a great herd of cattle in full stampede sweeping down upon her in one mighty, irresistible mass. On over the level prairie sped,., and—on, on in the rear came the surging sea of horns. One mile was thus run and part of another, and the girl, bending low over the horse’s neck, urged the animal to still greater speed, while a hope of escape came to her heart. But at that instant the horse stumbled and fell to its knees and she was thrown to the ground. The horse recovered its footing and sped away. She arose, looked about her inti daze of wonder, saw the herd almost upon her, in a hopeless despair attempted to run, but with a cry of pain she sank down helpless. She had sustained a sprain, and could not support hpr weight. . She heard the eattle as the}' swept up nearer 3nd nearer over the hard, dry sod. Another minute would bring them upon her. She shuddered and covered her face with her hands. Then she felt a pair of strong arms about her. She was lifted up and sat upon a horse’s back. A man sprang quickly in front of her to the saddle, and, planting his spurs in the animal’s sidq, swept away at full speed. There were a few minutes of uncertainty, a few minutes fraught with terror, alternating with hope and despair. Then it was over, and, amid a wild shout from the assembled cowboys, the horse halted at the rauche, while the herd swept on by but a few yards a way. It was Deacon Jim who had saved Miss Newell’s life, and everybody agreed that he had performed a brave deed. Even Anson and Ab admitted that. Jim, however, considered his act of very little consequence, except for the result, and he did not like to hear it mentioned. The next morning Miss Rose sent for Jim, and, blushing and trembling, he went to her room. She was lying on a couch, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her look before. She thanked him profusely for her rescue, and showed not only by language, but but by her looks, how truly grateful ghe was. How the deacon ever came to say it no one could surmise, and even he could never account for such boldness and audacity. “Miss Newell,” he said, “to do you a service is a glorious reward of itself. To save your life, believe me, is a privilege worth living for.” Then, blushing at his own temerity. he arose to leave the room, but she held out her hand to check him. Soon it became noised about that that the deacou and Miss Newell were to be married in a few days, and that the deacon was to become a half owner of the ranch. This information was not pleasant to Anson and Ab, but, bitter as it was, they had to swallow it. »‘I can tell you how it happened,” said old Barton. “She’s a girl of sense, and it is not what a man says or the wav he looks that takes with her, but it’s the way he does. Jim won her by his actions, which appealed to her heart, while you chaps tried to win her by your dress. If it’s clothes a girl wants to marry, she can beat taking you fellows all hollow by going to a clothing store and buying a suit.” “Blamed if I don’t believe she could,” said Anson.