The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-12-11
PORTLAND, OREGON, THURSDAY, DEC

slant, as ne strobe toward the door, that
he was about to enter the presence Of
I 'Lize's father aud his own sworn enemy.
'I'd say he was dead IL I was going to
spend an opinion" was the slow, drawl-
ing answer Of the informant, as he
stood outside the gate, whiting ugly
notches on the picket points.
Have you seen him ?" asked John.
''Id say had"
"Where ?"
ain the run"
"But left him tied ia the thicket.
He couldn't have gotten lonse himself"
al don't pretend to spend an opinion
there, young man. It's none o. my
lookout as to how he got loose. ] only
know that / went down to the drink to
water my steers this morning-young
ones 50 nolconnt because of their
spreeini round at the Fourth, you
know, aud I've everything 10 do-and
the steers suiffed something, and /
/ looked, aud there was your horse, his
nose under water and his sides full to
/ bursting with swallowing water and
wind. | Thought ia come and tell you.
Not that owe you any particular good
will but the saddle aud bride may be
worth saving, though they're pretty
wet"
John Ingleton was as badly aggrieved,
almost, as though a near relative had
died. Aside from his attachment to the
horse, the noble animal represented
money value Of no mean consideration
just now.
The bearer Of the unweleome news
strobe shamblingly away, firing back
shot which fell as an added knell upon
the family group.
az say, neighbor, Pve bought that
note Of thousand dollars from old
/ Hardran down at the burg, aud III
need the money afore the September
court Am goin' to build"
Squire Ingleton was at his wits end.
The expected rise in lands, upon which
he had built his hopes, had not
trauspired. The yearly interest on that
thousand dollar note was all he had
ever been able to pay upon ii, and even
that was saved at the expense Of
hundred comforts which he wonld have
gladly provided for his growing family
and his genial wife, to say nothing Of his
own personal Qualifications, which had
so long been held in allegiance to the
ruthless demands Of debt that he was
well nigh discouraged with the unsatis-
factory experiment Of trying to live at
all.
Another dead horse to pay for" said
John, bitterly. "It seems to me that my
whole life thus far has been more than
wasted in trying to refund money to
somebody that was spent by somebody
else, for somebody's dead horse But it
puzzles me to imagine how it was pos
sible for Reuben TO get loose from the
tree where hiiched him. Some enemy
has done this"
The young man sought the creek
} with heavy heart. The "run," as it
was called, was a sluggish stream that
ran, in its own lazy fashion, hard by
the foot OF widow Ridgeway's cottage
r and garden. \ little way below the
garden there was bend in the stream,
above which thicket grew, at whose
feet there was hole called "the
J drink" where sheep were washed, and
where children disported themselves
, when the water was low; and it was
b here that John Ingleton's horse was
! found.
But there was no clue to the mystery
2 Clearly the animal had been stolen
and forced into the drink. The tanb
over which he had plunged wa,
? marked by human footsteps, though
d strangely enough, no one thought o.
detecting the author Of the crime by IA,
j shoe-tracks except Dave, the oracle
) aud, by the time the news had reached
} his ears, the original imprints had been
{ so often duplicated that il was i'm
/ possible TO distinguish them from IN,
] steps Of dozen others.
With a heavy heart the young mar
turned away. It was necessary to pro
e. cure assistance to liberate the carcass
r from the drink, so that it might floa
] down the stream and out Of sight, an,
the performance Of this last sad ofiic,
was his next duty.
D For an instant the idea crossed hi
q brain that this misfortune had been tn
= work Of the senior Hardine. But he a
I, instantly dismissed the thought as al
) injustice to the father of his betrothed
"I must go around and ask John &
e help me clear the drink Of the carcass, ,
h he said, audibly. "Five hundrer
e dollars gone, and poor Reuben drowned
d But for this I would be the happies
], man alive. What shall say to Lie
a I see no prospect ahead that will justif
e. me in marrying now; for I swear ~
=, never subject her TO a life Of drudger
.e and poverty like her mothers. som,
10 thing must be done to bring about
change in nay circumstances before
re- can consistently urge her to shaI
"a them"
,s Thus soliloquizing, he wandered aiu
10 lessly along the brook side ill !
ie reached bend, opposite Eliza's hom
h. where, in the adjacent bottom, IL
e. junior Hardiue was busy Telling tire
le "Halloa - he exclaimed, huskily.
e "Say it yourselfw replied youn