Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-09-18

{ 80 enooheo HeT passion as she tho
Of hosenburgh's presence, and lowered her
, voice. Jenny, | say, when will YOU be
done forever takin the part Of that misera-
BILE Tom Frost. | sho'd think you'd hev a
little shame about ye-all she kin saw Is
: for Tom, and that Dummy's diegins are
hls'n. | wouldn't speak again for 4 month
ct | couldn't say a word for poor Dummy. !"
She turned to Rosenburgh, and continued
Il know it faint right for mother of a
family to talk to their children afore other
people as | hev, but sometimes BODY
cant help it. She alters sticks up for Tom
IN this matter; but what reason she hes
tort cant for the life of me see.''
Jenny did not attempt to speak again.
The blood mounted to her face during her
mothers rebuke, showing that she felt it
Ekeenly. During the closing remarks which
lshe made to Rosenburgh, she took up
book and appeared to read with interest,
but her real object was to hide her shame
and modification eccasioned by both her
mothers reproof and her ill-mannels.
81 think" resumed Rosenburgh, with
out appearing to heed anything the widow
had said to Jenny, "that great injustice
has been done Dummy, but how to prove
it to the satisfaction of the people is a ve-
Try difficult thing.
Frost may be in the right after all, but
: thersarea great many little things which have
came to light within a few days which make
the question look quite dark for Tom; still
4 there may be nothing in them. Tom
claims you know, by virtue of an old wind
lass-frame remaining upon bis diggings on
the hill in range with Dummys which he
ayers has been there constantly to this time.
If SO, he can hold, suppose beyond a
doubt. But some surnises have been
! made lately that it was possible that it
might have been taken there by Tom or
some of his friends. It is mere guess-work.
How it is, am sure, I don't know. All /
desire is to have justice done to all par
I, ties"
'Therc, Jenny, what did l tell you,when
you told me about Tom Frost being seen
by you early Sunday morning when you
went after Lilly" broke IN the Widow, quite
abruptly, directing her conversation to Jen-
ny and not making a direct reply to Ros-
; lenburgh, "wlth windlass-frame on his
I back, tearing over the prairie like one all
prossesed9 said no good would come of
it."
: "What Of all that, mother" earnestly
replied Jenny, "that don't Prove man a
: villain. There may have been athousandgood
: reasons for doing this, and not one Of them
: criminal. Why put the worst construction
upon its Would you like to have every
act Of your life judged Of in The worst pos
) Islble light, and the worst view taken OF it
that was possible under the circumstances
: All have to say.sis this, judge Others as you
would wish Others to judge you"
"Thats not here nor there" tartly an
I swered the mother, ''that'll do when you've
decent mems actions to talk about, but when
: scamp like Tom Frost comes up, you may
: know for sartain, there amt any good il
: him, nor anything he does."
j. "Now, mother" replied Jenny more calm
ly, ''since you have chosen to condemn
Thomas without the least proof, but on the
mere ground Of suspicion, | will show you
that you can judge uncharitably and some
times unjustly, if you are my mother, as
well as others, by giving you the facts re-
, lating to his appearance with a windlass on
the morning in question.
She then went on and explained Toms
story about RUDE Hare's windlass not hav-
ing been returned by Tom after he had ia
ken it to assist in taking CATERS COW from
a mineral hole, and Hares threaten theSatur-
: day previous, if it was not returned by the
next morning by sunrise to do him some
: great harm, and Toms taking it.
The story was SO plausible, and SO free
from apparent invention, that the Widow,
in great measure, was silent. All she
could say was:
"Jenny it may be so, and it may not
l'Taint for me to say. It's jest as likely to
be ontrue as true. There's no depenciin'
on man every body is talking about It's
no use hayin' any more words about the
matter. A body seein on us, would think
we lived unhappy, but faint true.' Tur-
ming to Rosenburgh she finished by SAYING.
"There anita family in the mines as lives
more peaceabler than us. We never have
!, any words about anything but this pesky
Tom. Goodness knows, | wish from the
bottom Of my heart he'd leave these parts.
He would not be missed, by anybody
). Rosenburgh replied briefly by using some
conciliatory Observation-Disclosures at their
ease again, and took his departure soon af-
ter.
| He had carefully noted the conversation
from the beginning, and had derived more IN
formation therefrom than he could have rea-
sonably expected He betrayed no emotion
during the scene, and left the impression
upon the minds of both, but particularly
upon that Of Jenny, that to him it posses
Esed no more than an ordinary Interest,"
She thought no more about it.
4 Rosenburgh went to Hare's cabin to as
Icertair the truth Of Jenny's explanation;
but t" his disappointment and vexation he
learned from bis partner, that he had gone
quite a long distance north on business
that would detain him month. From
there, he soughtCaffer's dwelling; and found
him too drunk to give any reliable informa-
ton; and in consequence he was compelled
to relinquish that part Of his investigation
! He deemed it wise to postpone it until
Hare's return, being afraid to interogate
~ e T.