Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-05-06

John had held his peace during thi
alteration, sharply cycling the partie
concerned in it meanwhile The Nashe
he knew something about. They wer,
OF good reputation as far as he wa
aware. The maid was stranger t,
them, as to him; but spite OF the cir
cumstances, and her manner, which wa
hardly less suspicious, he could no
bring himself to believe her guilty. H,
was not hasty man, and he was JUS
one, with kind heart to back his tenn
perate judgments; and afte1 few min
utes' reflection he made up his mind wha
to do. 49,.
IL can't swear that T put the VALE
under the pillow or anywhere else, !" b
said. "I'm pretty sure that I did bu
my thoughts about it are confused some
how, and it may be that I left it a
Bolton, where I slept on Tuesday.
don't want no injustice done on my &C
count. So don't cry like that Address
ing himself to the girl-'sI'n tell yor
what I'll do. Get the bay shod during
the day, will you ?"-to MI. Nash-ssane
If you'll lend me saddle I'll ride bach
to Bolton and make inquiry there. If
find the money, we'll and good; if
don't, it'll be time enough to talk further
about it tomorrow.
"I'm sure it's very good of you to take
so much trouble" declared the landlady,
But whether or no, the girl don't stay
here. I'll have no suspected thief in my
house.
"There'l be nothing to suspect her of
If I find the wallet, rejoinedJ ohm, dryly,
"Don't give the poor thing bad name
till you know that she deserves it.
Then he left the room, unmindful of the
look Of gratitude which shone upon him
from the blue eyes of the girl, who had
dropped her apron, and gazed after him
till he was out of sight.
His reflections we're not agreeable as
he retraced his footsteps over the dusty
highway travelled but yesterday with so
light a heart. The loss of his money
meant great deal to John Boyd. The
pressure OF anxiety seemed to settle
again upon his shoulders, as he thought
over the probabilities Of it's non-re-
covery. "But I won't give in without
a fight for it, " he thought, grimly, as he
urged on his horse. Miles seemed
doubly long when measured by heavy
heart, and what with dust, heat and the
continual effort to clear his mental con-
fusion as to where and when he last
had seen his wallet, the young farmer
was tagged and dispirited enough before
noon was fairly come.
He stopped to dine at little tavern
attached to toll-gate, and with some
vague hope that the money might have
been picked up on the road by some one,
mentioned his loss. The toll-keeper
shook his head.
"Bolton's your only chance, "he said.
elf twas on the road you dropped it,
there's no likelihood that you'll ever hear
OF it again. The dust's eight inches
deep, I should say, and there's been
three big droves OF sheep and one of
bullocks along since yesterday, so if your
wallet was a-lying there, they must have
trampled it under pretty thoroughly. It
is buried deep enough, you may be sure.
unless, which is just as likely to happen.
some one has picked it up and made off
with it. Your chance is slim one, I
reckon"
Cold comfort this; but John was
forced to agree with the opinion. De-
spondingly he rode through the after
noon, scanning the ways as he went; for,
despite the toll-keeper, faint hope still
fingered in his heart, though the track,
deep in dust, and churned and trampled
by the crowding droves, presented a
sorry field for either hope or discovery.
He had gained the top of long hill,
from which Bolton was dimly visible,
when a moving object far ahead caught
his eye, and he he rose in his stirrups in
order to see more clearly. As he did so
his horse made false step, stumbled,
and threw him forward in the saddle, SO
that his head grazed the horses neck.
1t was in this position that tiny object,
a patch Of red not over an inch square.
III the dust beneath, caught his quick
eye. His heart gave little leap, then
he called himself fool; but all the same
he dismounted to examine. Already
random hoof-stroke had buried the red
patch from sight, but John reconected
the spot, and STOPPING, dug and scooped
till again it became visible. His fingers
recognized solid substance. Trembling
with excitement, he continued to dig:
another second the object was uncovered,
lifted out, and with wild, incredu]ous
whoop of Joy, John Boyd held in his
hand his wallet, buried deep by the hur-
rying herds, and uncovered for one pas
sing moment that his eye might detect
it, and no other. Except for that lucky
stumble, he too would have ridden over
the lost treasure, and never dreamed
what lay beneath his horses feet.
"And some folks say there amt no
God!" was his mental comment. spoken
half aloud. Then-for John Boyd's re-
igion, though homely, was true one
he bent his head and said few words
OF Thanksgiving; otter which, jumping
on his horse, he took the backward
route, eager to tell his good fortune and
exonerate the poor girl. who, as he now
remembered with self-reproach, must
have passed a painful day under the
stigma Of undeserved suspicion.
The heat was yielding to evening
freshness, and he urged his horse, i'm
patient to set matters straight: but.
with his best endeavor, it was after
eleven before he at last drew rein in
front of Nash's hotel. He was expected.
that was evident, for lights were burn
ing, and both Nash and his wife hur-
rled out to meet him, wearing faces of
lugubrious length, which onl Y in part
changed to cheerfulness when they heard
of the recovery of the wallet.
There, what did I tell your" cried
the husband. Haven't I been a-saying
and a-saying all day that likely as not
this scare would turn out all for nothing ?
And you wouldn't listen to word, but
Just kept on to that poor thing inside
there, and she's nothing to blame all the
time. I declare, it's too bad the way
women act to each other-and folks calf
ing them the softer sex!' A man would
be ashamed to be so hard. Well, do tell!
and SO the mbney wes a-lying there in the
dust all the time! Well. I'm mighty
glad, for your sake and ours too. Go
right IN, sir, and wife II give you some
supper. I'll see to the horse. -.
Mrs. Nash waited on the meal in grim
silence. She seemed only half rejoiced
at the denonement. =
:" It's mighty queer" she remarked,
Us she set the last dish on the table. II
don't feel as if we'd got to the bottom of
IL vof Whr 1i1,,sk la--