The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-08-28

$50 he TIL eateneQ TO NIX us, CHS COLI
tinued Harry. ''Come here, you Suke J!
See that horse-ponds Into it you so to-.
night. Can you swim9
stNo. sir.
Gall the worse for you, for in you go 7
Joe looked after his tormentors in alb
ject terror. Whenever the boys met him
him that day, they muttered "horse-
pond" under their breath.
If they had had an idea of the agony
which the poor half-witted being under
went, they would have despised them
selves, being at heart manly boys.
In the afternoon Joseph disappeared,
bu returned, and was in the kitchen
before the bell rang, hanging over the
! stove while old Jane, the cook, served the
meat. He watched her keenly as she
poured out the coffee, and when she
carried it in, followed her to the dining
room, where he crouched in one corner.
"What's Sukey doing here?" cried Will
sect out of this! You can spend your
time measuring the pond vonder." A.
"What do you mean, William?" said
| his father.
"1t's only a joke, sir. Joe under
stands" ..s-s
"Let the poor boy alone. He is doing
no harm. Some coffee, my dear"
Joseph stood by the window, watching
Mrs. Cochran pour out the coffee. He
tilted his body from heel to toe, and his
jaws moved as if he were talking. But
he made no sound until Will and Harry
were helped to coffee, when he cracked
his thumbs and chuckled.
'Mother,n said Will, ''this coffee has a
queer taste. There's something gritty in
it."
"Nonsense! Jane always makes it
alike. You're as captious about your eat
ing as dyspeptic woman
| Will raised the cup again to to his lips,
but set it down with grimace.
At that moment Mrs. Cochran passed a
cup to Helen. isn't it as good as usual,
| Nell?" she asked.
"a little bitter, mamma" Helen re-
piled, and was lifting her cup up again
to drink it, when Joe sprang forward and
struck it down.
"You shan't drink it, I don't mean to
fix you!" he shrielzed.
Mr.. Cochran caught him by the Shout
der. "What have you done?" he asked,
sternly.
The boy struggled madly to free him
self, laughing and sobbing both at once.
'Poison !! poison! They'll die like the
rats last week! Hi-yi''
Mr.. Cochran flung him off as though
ne had been venomous serpent.
"Murderer! He shall hang for this !" he
cried.
! Joe stood still moment Then the
meaning of the words reached his dull
brain, and he turned and fled from the
house without word.
Some time elapsed before the Cochrans,
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 in the
barn to poison rats-to kill twenty men.
Your kindness to the poor mad crea-
ture has saved our lives,' her father said
to Helen.
In their alarm they had forgotten Joe.
At this moment there was knock at the
kitchen door, and Squire Hall, one of
the neighbors, put in his head.
"Cochran-look, a-here! I-don't want
to brighten your wife-but-th bow of
yours"
"What is it? What's he doing now?'
"He's got through doing anything. He's
dead"
"Deadn
They all crowded out.
"Well-within breath of it," contin-
ued the squire. "Here come the men
with him. Jones and me was on the
road, when we saw the poor cr1tter throw
himself headlong into the pond yonder
The turnpikers and us fshed him out
But he's jest about one. run ahead to
break it to ye.''
There was only a breath between poor
Joe and death. The men lad him down
on The grass under the apple-tree. He
breatbed family and at long intervals.
Now that his face was at rest, they all
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 mothers
gentle touch, or looked in loving face
Little Helen knelt down AID took his
head in her arms. .
''Poor Joe! Poor Joe!' she said. He
| NPSHet AiAS % 1Het iOOhCu dUOuG y,
bat when be saw her he smiled. f..
'That's Miss Helen She's bin good to
me-" he muttered, nodding; and then he
cried out: They'll hang mel But I
couldn't bear it no longer-no longer!''
Nobody shall hurt you, Joe," said
| Helen, tenderly. 49,.
His wondering eyes rested on her again,
softened and filled with tears.
"You's the only one that's ever spoke
kind to me in this world !" he said Slowly.
Then the silence about grew deeper; a
bird twittered overhead, and the boy lay
dead on the grass. !. :
'Poor Joe! he hadn't q chance in this
world, said the squire, turning away.
Your good words seem to have been a
kind Of help to him, Nellie. A person
never knows how far kindness or unkind-
ness is going to act on human beings,
he continued, feeling that he ought to
draw some sort Of moral from this sud-
den death.
But Will and Harry did not need any
such lesson when they looked upon the
dead face at their feet. They had not
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