The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-07-11
upon his ear and fixed themselves in his

sank straight down in a little heap upon
the floor. Then followed series of
quick gasps and catching for breath, and
short exclamatiOns of so dear! O
dear!' and then the stifled shrieking be-
gan:
Walter took his wife up in his strong
arms, and tried to undo in part the sad
work which had been accomplished upon
her by the few words he had so suddenly
| and imprudently uttered. He. said that
Willie might not be dead after all, but
only hurt. And 80 he placed her upon a
bed, and he and Phil left her there and
started to 90 and see Willie
| Not many words were said as the man
| and boy climbed the bank and strobe
hastily along to the fatal spot. AS they
neared it there sat the two watchers,
faithful to their post and as still as
statues.
Phil and Walter turned the angle of
the fence, and the father came up to the
body of his little son. He had not
seemed stricken with grief until now, but
only excited. AS he looked steadily upon
the chubby little form, all battered and
bloody and bruised, the lad who had
must be said
|
That was hardly the right thing to say
at such a moment, perhaps. The poor
father choked and trembled, and replied,
dear!" And then hc turned his head and
looked away, and there was the sound of
his sobbing, and a strange, moaning cry.
Walter would not stay by the body,
but directed the boys to remain and
watch while he himself went and brought
his friend the doctor. And then he
turned away and went off over the fields
| toward the settlement, uttering loud sObs
and that same strange cry.
1t was hardly more than ten minutes
walk down to the road toward which
Walter directed his steps, and in a very
! short time the boys saw groups OF men
coming from the houses, up the ACTIVITY,
toward the fatal spot. They came hastily,
two and three together, and soon dozen
or more were gathered around the three
boys who had watched, and were gazing
at the body.
After the first look the men made
characteristic remarks.
"That is a rough piece of business!"
| said Dan
"Fearful!" said Pete.
THAT'S mighty queer work for hoss
| now, amt it," said Levi, a tall, keen fel-
low intended by nature for lawyer.
ut don't look like hoss to me-" said
another.
And so they went Oh to comment and
| examine. 1t appeared that the rail under
which Willie was jammed was dentcd
| and marked as if hammered by many
blows. The three innocent boys who
had originated the "hoss theory" as the
11I -
| on the rail by saying that the horse
paved Willie after he was under the
fence.
The men said they knew better; they
began to question the boys as if they en-
tertained suspicious in regard to them,
and the boys became very uncomforta-
ble. The men asked repeatedly just
how the body was lying when the boys
had found it, and inquired again and again
whether they had moved it at all. The
lads felt these insinuations very keenly.
Men continued to come, and at length
women came in groups, until quite an
assembly was gathered there in the open
| field. Finally Walter returned slowly up
the hill with a few friends, as if he were
! reluctant to come again to the place.
Just as he reached the spot good old
Father Moscly and his wife, sharp,
managing woman, came from the oppo-
site direction and met Walter Father
| and Mother Mosely lived down by the
school house, at the other side of the
settlement.
Mother Moscly at once seized hold of
Walter, and while she wrung his hand
| exclaimed in high voice that seemed to
the boys not becoming or natural voice
in which to express grief:
"Oh, Walter! we can't give him up;
no, no, no; oh, dear"
The gesticulation which accompanied
this was tragic and STACEY, and it was by
far the most theatrical thing done on that
occasion.
Father Mosely spoke few words
which interested the people very much.
Hearing some allusion made to the hoss
theory" he said:
1.-THE little boy down at the school
says it was sheep that did it,"
| And then it came out that Willie's
playmate, Charlie Sanders, was the lit
tie boy down at the school," and that
Charlie had cried all the forenoon and
dared not tell the teacher what the mat
ter was; but finally at the noon-spell he
| to1d little girl that Wllne uld not come
to school because sheep in the lot had
] chased them and knocked Willie down,
| and he could not get up.
Here was light indeed, especially for
the three lads, who had begun to feel,
since the horse theory was criticised, as
if they themselves were culprits unless
they accounted for !" the murder"
Across the lot the sheep were still feed
ing. A young farmer stepped out of the
crowd and called Nan, nan, man," and
| the flock, raising their heads, responded
with a multitude of ba-a-as, and came
galloping over the grassy field. At their
head was i" the old ram," fine "buck''
with great horns curling in spirals around
his ears.
The young farmer held Willie's basket
in one hand, and making brawny fist of
the other struck out toward the ram, of.
fering him battle. The buck at once
brought his head down in line of attack
squared himself for big butt, and came
on with little run, and a charge that in
an artistic point of view was quite beau
tiful. The farmer, stepping aside, caught
him by his horns as he came, and that
magnificent charge was his last.
There was blood-thirsty feeling per
vading the crowd, undoubtedly, but Buck
had fair trial. There on his white, bold
face and horns we're the bright carmine
drops of fresh blood No other witnesses
were needed. In moment glittering
keen knife flashed from somebody's keep
ing in the bright sunshine, and in 8
moment more a purple stream dyed tho
white wool around Bucks throat, and
there was red pool upon the grass; and
a little later, as Dan remarked, "some
tough mutton"
The excitement abated; for the mystery