The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-02-06

Lucy aad lie would not oe All 2 fall-
ure.
d" Shall I count it, Luny - said.
after 1 had got my voice back again.
He assented, and, sitting down in
the snow together, he slowly took
piece after piece from the kettle and
held it up, while kept tally.
Il remember got impatient with
hin because he was so long about the
cOppeTs; but at last it was all told,
four hundred and eight dollars and
thirty cents, nearly three hundred
being in bills. As | counted, Luny
had put the money, piece by piece.
into a long, narrow leather bag, made
like belt and, when It was all told,
he began to fasten il around his waist
under his blouse.
"Iuny,' began, will YOU lend
me yOIr money for 2 month or two -
u hardly expected any opposition,
for the fellow was so devoted to me,
had not the slightest idea of wrong
ing him. l should pay him back IN
time, with interest, too; and was il
not better that I should use the mon.
/ ey to save Lucy and myself, than that
/ it should lie there useless in that old
kettle under the snow?
'But, 10 my surprise, Luny drew
back, and a fierce light came into his
/ faded ewes.
MOI he said, savagely. No one
shall haYe it, No one shall tOuth il
It's my own
Il know it's your own, Luny. |
only want to borrow it for a little
while, and l will pay it all back, ev-
/ cry cent, and more, too
'But he only repeated no one
shall have it! No one shall touch it y
and going back to the saw, took up
his end as if to put stop to the dis
CussiOn.
I AZ tried every possible argument
and persuatiOn. / even poured nv
story into his dull mind: / promised
to bring back treasures for little Gil;
l offered to take them both with me
20 see the great city-but all was in
vain.
The little man stood obstInateIy
silent, with an ugly look upon his
I face which had never seen there be-
fore. / never worked so hard in nv
life as ! did that morning, although 1
did not once touch the saw. The
. very trees were witnesses to nv elo-
I quence, but not Luny; the tears stood
in my own eyes as ! talked, but his
were hard and dry. II dId seem too
cruel that my whole life should b
ruined by a ma ..Atn S-s.iu aIll ...f
last L found myself LlvasurIns uIul
with my eye, and comparing the
muscles Of his arms with mine. The
temptation came upon me, like a
WhlrlWlnd, to OYerpOwer the man,
take the money, ana flee. But, while
l was nerving myself up 10 this, my
first real crime, Iuny started down
the track toward the shanty, for il
was dinneT-time, and, as it happened
he had not gone far before i heard
voices, and one of the sledges came
into view from 4 crOss-rOad in front.
The opportunity had passed, and,
strangely enough, I felt relieved, as
though l had gained a respite; moth
ing could be done, Of course, until af-
ter dinner.
IS we came IN sight of the shanty,
| saw ittla Gi at the door with Motn-
er Brown, the gOod-natured house
keeper of the camp. The cook stood
wiping n pan in front; and one of the
men, who had come in early, was
blowing the dinner-hOrn, with hun
cry might and main.
little Gi ran forward 10 meet us,
with shout of gfee, and, by some
freak, he came first 20 me.
'Old Log he said, holding my
knees-'dear Old Log, take me up
and carry me. Do, dearyp
Gfnunr rr-ag nna nf NT1Thar Dro-r-y, y,
names for him, and now the child ap-
piled it to me with loving eagerness.
Il affected me stangely. / took the
little fellow up in my arms without a
word, and he put his arms around my
necR and kissed me. Dear Old Log
he whispered softly, dear Old Log
and strOSed my rough cheek with his
hand. 1t was baby action, but it
brought back my better self. Il will
let the fool and his money alone l
thought. 1T is his, not mine, and no
sOphlstry can make IL anything but
robbery, will walk, WORK, beg nv
way to New ,5!g, 49TL but vii! not
"DUring dinner, l kept little Gi by
my side as q safeguard over myself.
Luny Jack sat at the far end OF the
table, and never once looked toward
us. could not tell how he felt, and
did not care, now that I had put
away the temptation. Only l must
keep him and his money out of nv
way for a while. It would not be
long. In the morning q sledge was
going 10 the nearest town for supplies.
l would go with the driver; and,
once on the line of the railroad, ]
would manage in some way to reach
Lucy. / was stronger I was more
sanguine than before. This time I
should succeed.
"After dinner, went OFF with the
hauling-teams, making some excuse
for leaving the saving To another
hand. Luny was sent to our uniin-
ished work Of the morning, and l
thought was safe But about three
O'Clock he appeared among the teams,
and began, in silence, to busy him
self with the logs, as though he be-
loBged there, while the men laughed
to themselves at his obstinate per-
tinaeity in following me. / took no
notice of him. In a multitude there
is safety, and there were twenty of US
abOuU the place. But. as Fate would
nave it, the harness gave way, some
of the tools required mending and,
for one reason and another, all the
men went back 10 the shanty-stables
and smithy except myself. Being a
new hand, was left TO 60 en- with
the skidding. At the last moment,
when the teams were starting, no
ticed Luny standing on the other
side of the end team, as though he,
too, intended to stay behind. "GO
on with the rest. 1 don't want you
here" said, roughly, as the team
started and left Us face to face. But
he did not move. "GO on with the
rest, or it will be the worse for yOu,D
I repeated, lifting my arm threaten
ingly. But he kept his place. Back
came the temptation with terrible
power. made one more effort.
Taking him by the shoulder, forced
him down the path. "If you come
back, wont answer for your life,
fool ~ I said, close to his ear. SOEae-
thing in Ely vOiOe-perhaps the truth
in it--frightened the little man, for
he crept away after the teams, walk
ing close to the bushes, as if afraid of
the broad track. / breathed more
freely, and going back to my work, I
attacked the great logs with furious
strength, although still trembling in
every limb with the effort at self-cOn-
troll. I labored fieTcely; the pine
trunks were like so many tWigs be-
fore me, and all the while my brain
was on fire. That money stared me
in the face; I saw it before me ev-
cry instant; and at last I was begin
ming to fear that was haunted by
imps, when,suddenly looking up, there
stood Luny before me.
'I threw down my lever and went
towards him. I could not help my
self now. 1 began gently enough.
"Iluny, will you lend me that mon
ey or part of it 2'' I said, quietly. 81
only want to borrow ii, and I VIII
bring it all back TO you before long"
- Nobody shall have it, nobody
shall touch it," he repeated in his
mOnOtonCus voice.
"With one push / threw him down
on the soft snow, and holding him
with one knee, I hegau to unfasten
the belt, when l heard ehlld's voice
in the forest. 1t was little Gi coming
up the path. The teams had re-
turned without US, and, by a strange