Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-08-29

bu returned, and was in the Kitchen
before the bell rsng, :haasging over the
stove while old Jane, the eoeIs. served the
meat He. watched her kee4ly IS she
poured out the coffee, and when she
carried It in, followed her To the dlniinig-
room, where he crouched in one toYner::F
tH"What 3 $uAey doing here3" cried Will.
'"~iaet.o out Of this! YoucAn spend your
time measuring the pond, yonderN 4. =. .
Il; A'W v!i3 Do you mean, Wiil1liama"' said
.,z"1t's ,,dniy a joke, Sir: - .5oeI,' under
"Iat the peor boy alone. He is doing
NO harm. Some coffee, my idear.".. .'
Joseph stood! by the window, watching
Mrs. Cochran pour out the coffes: He
tilted his body from heel to toe, and his
jaws moved as II he were TALKING ~ Blu
he made no sound until Will and Harry
were helped to coffee, when he cracked
his thunlbs'a and chuckied. ..>.. -
~ other" said Will, this coffee has a
queer taste: There 3 something gritty in
"Nonscnse! Jane always makes it
atlke.' You're as captions about your eat
ing as = dyspeptic woman" ,,:,,
!, VIII raised the cup again to to his lips,
Dut set 1t down with a ,grinace.. ,..., 80.
At that moment Mrs. COCHRAN passed q
cup to Helen. isn't it as good as usual,
Nelt2' she asked. ..: = -;
g, "a Little. bitter, mamma,"n Helen re-
,plied, and wss lifting her cup up again
to a Ri }; It, when Joe .sprapg forward AID
's"You sf1an't drink It! II don t mean to
fix you"he shrielted. -. =. J, 49,! >.l.
:; Mr. Cochran caught him by the shout
G e :, *What haye yeu! 1one?'' he: asked,
The boy struggled niadly to free him.
self, Laughing and sobbing both at once.
:..:"Rnison !'poisou!: They'll die like the
rats last, weekl Hi-yi!'.~ :n.>.:
4r. Cochran flung him off as though
he had been venomous serpent. -
''Murderer! He shall hang for this " he
cried..''. .~-"i :,' -. !: 2. : :-!),''
Joe stood still moment. Then the
meaning OF the words reached: his dull
brain, and he turned and fed from the
house without word.
Some time elapsed before the Cochranns,
in their terror and confusion, remember
ed that none Of them had yet drank
enough Of the coffee to, harm them. It
was found, however, that It had enough
arsenic in %it-that had been used lin the
barn tp poison rats-to kill twenty. men.
!, 1ouE kindness to the poor mad crea-
ture has saved our lives" her father said
to Helen...''' " '''''>'' ~:--' Z
! 1n'their alarm they had forgotten Joe.
At this moment there Was q Knock at the
kitchen door, and Squire Hail, <nne, aof
the neighbors, put in his head, =. 49,,
: nCochrant-look, a:here.! .I-dont want
to Tighten tie your wifeE--bu't-that boy of
"Wlsat lis ii? WHATS he doing >now2'
!" l'>He's got through doing anything. He's
dead; l,...: "a; ~. - .::.:: :.N
-":Dead!" !.
They all crowded out.
/ "Well-Within a breath of.it,'', contin-
ued the squire. ''Here' come the men
with him. Jones and me wass On the
broad, when we saw the poor, cr,tter throw
himself headlong into the pond Wonder.
The turppikers and us fshed him out.
break it to ye.'' t. 80 g.. ''':: 81 - 20
There was only a breath between poor
fJoe and DEATH The men ia:dlhim down
on the grass: under the apple-tree. He
breatbed family and. at, long intervals.
Now that his face was at rest, they ali
saw how Immature and childish it was.
Mrs. Cochran remembered for the first
time. that the work-house, boy was an
orphan-never had known "a mothers
gentle touch, or. looked in q loving face.
!, Little Helen knelt down aud took. his
head in her arms. 49,. =. :.
Poor Joe! Poor Joe!' she said. He
opened his eyes and looked about wildly,
but when he saw her he smiled. = :.
"That's Miss Helen.' She's bin good to
me,'' henuttered, holding; and then. he
cried OUT. ''They'l hang me! But I
couldn't bear it 20 ,longer-no longer p
Nobody, shall hurt you, .Joe,' said
Helen, tenderly:.' ~ 81. - '''''''<
His wondering eyes rested on hef again,
softened and filled with tears. =. :, =.
::|'You's the only one that's ever spoke
kind ito me in this world" he said SLOWLY.
Then the silence about grew deeper; "a
bird twittered overhead, ana the boy lay
dead on the grass. '.':l.:' 80 w.; Y:
'''"Poor Joe he hadn't chance in this
world,o said the squire, turning away.
Your good words seem. to have. been a
KAuu o. oelp>t 10 mm, ~ ellie. a.. ,IereOn
never knows how far kindness or ,tlnkiad-
ness is-seis e, .ttoraet~on~4aaaaan beings,
hecontinaed, feeling that he ought to
draw some ssort: Of a moral from this sud-
den death.:.u !s;,f*<..i ~u.i,~ 8: !:
But Will land Harry did not need any
such lesson when they looked upon THE
dead face at their, feet: They had not
thought to-, be cruel; ,they had not
pool Joe's feelings. as though be. had No
teeliaggp and now the. result of their last
cruel act was before: them; It,seemed to
them almost as if they were murderers.
The shadow of that childish. dead face
went with these two boys. in after years,
and could never be forgotten: YOUTH
Cdnap1nioa. :s.',, I..:.. "....: 49,.
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