Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-06
w down under some bushes and fell

4
name. They held me fast and bound me.
Il struggled, but it was no use. Num-
bers were against my single strength.
"' What are you? Robbers? I've moth
| ing worth the taking said, at last; and
when standing still | saw faces knew
about me-those of the farm hands at NV
old masters.
"' You know we'll what we want, Jack
| Marlorne,' said one. If he did speak an
| Ill word, at least he was a good man in
the main, and you'd worked for him three
years. You might have answered him as
you liked, but to try to murder him was
| too horrible. We didn't think it of you,
Jack-we didn't think it,
Murdered! Is old master murdereds
| Why lay it to me? I swear I never hurt
| him.
"'I If he is not quite dead it's none Of
your fault cried another man. Don't
| perjure yourself-1ook at the blood on
| your clothes
The blood from my hand was IN blots
and smears all over my vest I felt my
heart turn sick when took heed of it.
90 Master will clear me- said.
GO He says it was you,' said one of the
men. At least, he nodded Eyes" when
we asked him # you did it.
"'Then old master was not right in his
mind said He'd never be against me-
After that heard the whole. Master
had paid the men and dismissed Mark He
had only said: ALI right; I'm tired of
work, and had eaten breakfast there, and
left in sight of all. But l was gone; and
| when they found that master, who was
always up at cock-crow, did not rise at
nine, they opened his door and found him
| on the floor, senseless-they thought dead
| at first. He had been robbed of his pocket
book, watch, and an old-fashioned pin
he always wore in his neckerchief-th
painted head of lady set around with
what he used to tell us were pearls-an
ornament older than his grandfather
They found nothing about me, of
course; but the quarrel and my cut hand
made the case hard against me- The
master, dying, as they thought him, had
been able to speak at odd times, and said
that, to the best of his belief, I Was his as
sailant. It was dark, to be sure, but in
the struggle he felt that the man wore a
cap, and [ was the only hand who had
anything but straw hat Besides, he
came from the inner passage and down the
stairs, and did not break in through the
door or windows as burglar would have
done. And [ was the only missing mem
Der of the household. So lay in prison
with this awful charge upon me, until
| they knew whether master would live or
die; and my greatest grief was for Peggy
Keep it from her. I begged them,
until she must know it,
"And they were kind and did it, and her
letters were sent to me IN prison. It was
a weary time, and the one drop of COM
fort in it came with those letters I had
had five from her when at the end of one
came this:
"DEAR JACK-I never hide anything from
you, and not to boast of my conQuests, a thing
I'd never do, but just to let you know that I
keep no secrets to myself, 1 must tell you
what has happened.
| Our master has hired man, lazy fellow
that I disliked at first sight, Mark Hulker bv
name, and what should he do but take
notion to me, or pretend to do so, trying his
| best to sit up with me after work hours and
follow me about wherever I 90 of holiday
| Then he tries to make me like him by telling
me how rich he is. Four hundred dollars he
has laid by he says, and has gold watch
like gentleman. The other Sunday I was
dressed for church, and up he walks.
Why Peggy says he, you've no pin to
your collar"
=" Said l: l can't afford money for fnery.'
Then says he: Now how lucky it is that
I've one to give you,' and he pulls pin from
his pocket.
Jack, couldn't help looking at it It
was lady's portrait, with hair all white
though she was so young--like an old
woman's. He said it was powdered as they
did it in old times; and pink dress-aud all
about tiny stones-and no bigger than a
silver quarter altogether How he came by
such thing, goodness knows! But of course
[ wouldn't have it. Says he: Now do take
1t, Peggy. | want to keep company with
you, and now you know the truth
80 says I: I want neither your company
nor your presents, and please remember that
hereafter
" 1t was rough, l know, but hate him so.
And was none too rude, for he bothers me
yet as much as ever. Though you know if
he were ever SO good and handsome am al
ways your own Peggy, ard think of no one
| else.
When | read that you could have
| knocked me down with a feather. The
pin was the one the old farmer had lost,
knew, and it was Mark who was the thief,
and who had tried to murder him.
81 sent for the lawyer who was to take
my side, and had all along believed me
innocent. [ gave him the letter
It's old masters PIN said. What
| shall do, sir?'
And he said: You can do NOTHING.
my poor fellow, but wait and hope. II
have clew now and I'll follow it,
"Then he went away, and afterward I
heard what he did. He went down to
the place where Peggy lived, and took