The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-07-20

my best to get the whole OF it, and II
/ l was to be hanged for It tomorrow /
! couldn't raise another dollarn
7 Sne looked at me with those clear,
steady eyes OF hers for half a minute,
and looked straight back at her, for
was telling her nothing but the
truth now.
"Of course you krOv." she said pres-
emily, "that Mr.. Blackjack has paid
the money out OF his own pockets ?''
{" Yes, know it, answered.
HAnd you can't expect that he will
bear the loss quietly. He has given
you an opportunity to save yourself,
and shown you more fOr5earanee than
some others might IN his place"
"Much more than you would, pve
no doubt, ma'Am. IL takes 8 woman
said, ssvagely.
her, and she gave me q look that
made me feel like dirt under her feet.
docs offering gratuitous Insult
help TO redeem your self-respeet p"
she asked, gently. "If it does / ex-
euse you-mOre readily, perhaps, than
/ you will excuse yourself by and by"
The look, and the words, and the
tone were so different from what
had expected for an answer that / was
upset completely. The stubborn,
reckless spirit in me broke down
somehow, and kind OF light seemed
to shine in. 1 can't put it into story
book words, you know, but 1 seemed
to feel all at once that sue understood
me, and that she would help me II l
had the sense to let her. Someh0 W
or other, cOntrived to stammer out
an apology, and to beg her to listen to
me.
"If you'd only let me tell you how
| happened to get that check, and to
use It." entreated her. Mr.. Black
lock wouldn't hear a word-but yon'H
understand, know you will, if yohH
only listen To me-"
Well, she said she would, and she
did. l began at the beginning, and it
was such a relief to speak out plain,
after ali the shuff1ing and cOncealing
I'd been through with, that let my
tongue run on as il il would never
stop. She stood it like an angel, tjO
.-pne OF the sort that rejoice In
heaven, you know, when q sinner re-
pents. Her eyes shone soft and sweet
when j told her abnut Molly, and
somehow or other I found myself
taking out Molly's picture presently,
and showing 1t to her, 5he look ed at
it aud smlled-the sunshiny kind OF
smile that makes ones heart warm
and she said: .t
''It's q sweet little face-hOnest and
sensible and brave. II I were the
man that loved her / would have no
secrets from q face like that"
"WOuldn't you ?" 1 said. mot
even il it was such thing as this Pm
telling you ?''
"Not even such q thing as this
She doesn't look like q girl that
would quarrel with her lover for q
fault confessed. She would love you
more for trusting her, and have a
stronger motive for bringing all her
good Influence to bear on yOu."
'9'h tell her this very night before
l Sleep" I cried out. :'Mr. BlacklOck
can't have me arrested till Monday
morning, anyhow, and I'll make
clean breast, OF 1t TO Molly. before
then"
sit is the best thing you can Dc, :"
she said. "As for Mr.. Blacklock,
may as Well tell you frankly that he
directed me to sccept.no compromise
in this matter il you were not ready
to pay the money be said he should
certainty have you arrested, as You
say.H ~-
Il expected that" 1 answered, for
lorRly.
"But shall take it upon myself for
she went ON, 'iit0 90 contrary
TO his directions, or rather to act in
OF them. You have but
forty dollars, you say /; well, / will
lend you thirty-five." And she took
out her purse and counted seven five
dollar bills, then pushed them toward
the forty that she hadn't touched.
NOW you have the amount re-
quired for Afr. Blackjack. I will give
you a receipt for it, and trust 10 your
honor to repay what | lend you as
soon as you are able"
She began 70 write the receipt di.
rectly, and put It into my hands be-
fore could even blunder out a word of |
thanks. She didn't do things by |
0AlVeSt you S6Ej UUu Dfcss hSs II
didn't either. / was ready to cry be- |
fore, and you can say what you please |
about it, but [ amt ashamed to own |
that i blubbered right out then and
she, though she was such q fine lady
"a real fine lady-and / was only q |
poor clerk that she had just saved |
from State Prison she came round to
where sat, shaking all over, and |
patted my big shoulder with her lit.
tie white hand as il she had been nv |
"There, there" she said-"there,
there" soft and gentle. as you'd
sOOthe CHILD. Not bit OF preach
ing, to grind the thing into. me. Just
kindness and sympathy,
aud that sort OF noble confidence that |
would have put heart into stone.
made man out OF Digger Injan! II
DON'T brag on Jack Stebbins--not
to signify-but II he could
have gone back on a trust like that
he wouldn't have been worth. saving
from Sing Sing prison.
At any rate, he wouldn't be spin
ming this long yarn about himself
tonight. It's pretty NEARLY wound
up, that's one comfort. 1 got home
some time or other, or rather to
MOlly's home, where / found the old
iOlks and the boys gone to bed long ago
But my little woman was nursing the
parlor fire still.
"FOr knew you'd come, Jack
knew it," she said "and [ know
something has happened to you I
see it in your face. You might as
we'll tell me all about it, first as
Iastt."
"ThRt's just what came for. Mol
y"
And we had it out sitting there by
he fire that she had kept. red and
bright for one, scamp as was The
mail hours crept upon us before the
story was done, for there were a good
many Interruptions, you see, and
more than once Molly had to have
her cry out, with her. head upon my
shoulder. Hard as she looked at IL,
she hadn't word OF reproaeh for me,
not one, even when / told her the
bit Of all. the shabby history
how had tried to sell her ring, and
meant to lie to her about it.
"Poor Jack !n was sll she said.
i'My poor, dear old Jaekl to think
should have brought you such
trouble 90
For she would persist In thinking
she was somehow or other to blame,
which was the silliest thing in the
world, of course. When I told her
what Mrs. Blackjack said about her
picture, she colored up with delight.
lack, I've got an ides," she ex-
claimed. "1t's no use asking me
what 1t is, for 1 shan't tell you.n
"Well, that's cool, I said, "when
Pm just turning myself inside out for
you, miss"
"Never mind pm going to do
but ] won't tell you'll
And she wouldn't and I never found
out what it was till days and weeks
afterward-not till such time as the
Grand Mogul condesesnded to give
Us another bite OF cherry, and was
lucky enough to get q warrant for
two months salary. You can guess
II any grass grew under my feet be-
tween the bank and Mr.. BlacklOck's
house after got that warrant cashed.
| picked out while was waiting IL
the library for Mrs. BlscklOckl the
newest and eieanest EilIs-seven
fives and I think il was the hap
piest moment in my life, all things
when put them into her
hand dOnit knOW ~ Tiua aaid ~ ha- |