Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-10-06

5 !. Il was . terrible oath. Following Il. .
han1mer new from the stout hand Of the
be6c&Smith and sm0te with a crash up0a
one Of the outer door-posts Of the shop.
It sent the splinters flying in all directions
from spot where Just before the head Of
q nen hadrssted It was ouly a brief con-
yersation that had preceded this violent
outburst, and one that had been entirely
confined to man whose behavior betOkened
intimate compapionsbip. He had been
standing, leaning against the door-poH..
with one leg crossed over the other. and
picking his nails with peculiar knife that
betrayed his calling IN be that OF shoe
maker.
His general appearance and his shabby
garments proclaimed also that It was his
habit to attend more faithfully to the affairs
Of other persons than 10 business that con-
cersed himself lie had stood there some
minutes without having uttered . word.
where's your wife, Ranse?" he had
asked At length. looking somewhat iurtive-
ly from under his eyebrows at the big
blacksmith.
The same question had come into Rams
e's mind more than hundred times that
morning. and. thus quito him. seemed on
w an ecnD Oh All Tue rest les "hCiC
was his wife? He had not been home all
the night before. There had been Wild
frolic, As he called It, at the Red Tavern,
almost five miles over the west hill.
They had kept it up all night. and he
had met the rising sun coming toward him
as he crept YEARLY back through the deep
and freshlv-fallen snow To his shop. She
must have known by the ringing Of his an
vii that he had returned. and that she
might bring ont TO him his breakfast, a.
she had done time and again on similar
occasions. Yes. where was his wife,
Where's The Reverend Scudder o..
Sly ?'' pursued the shoemaker, after no
long interval, for that which bad passed
thr0ugi, Ranse's brnin had been 80 rapid
In its fight as to occupy scarcely the time
of a breath. .sr.ss-.
lie looked up at the question. evidently
not catching at once, or completely. the
connection. Then he turned over the
piece of iron on which he was working,
gave It a tap or two with his hammer. and
plunged II in tub OF water close at hand,
where il went with shush. sputter and
hiss. raising above it cloud of steam.
..Both gone" presently added the shoe
maker. pursuing his own train Of thought.
and answering his own questions.
Ranse turned full round upon him. with
his hammer swinging loosely In his right
hand and the piece Of iron held ut an angle
from him by the pincers in his left. There
was something in his eyes now like dan
ger signal but it was not noticed. or, II
noticed. was disregarded.
His visitor calmly curled piece OF the
nail from one of his fingers with the keen
blade Of his knife, twisting his mouth a.
wry with the effort, and then closed the
conversation with the words: "And both
gone together!'
His quick jump from the doorway saw
ed his life As Il was, he stumbled over
block of wood. and fell full length upon
the ground. Before he had even begun
to rise, Ranse rushed from the stoop and
almost few past him.
There was q group, mostly Of women,
standing near the gate leading to Ranse's
house, a hundred rods or 90 up the street.
They saw Ranse coming at a pace like
that OF an enraged bull, and the group.
to all OF whom he was just as much of a
terror, melted away from the spot. One
Of them muttered to her neighbor. ~ they
all separated.
II du b'leeve Tom Corey hes telled
him."
why it's bin known the hull mornin'
all over the village" was the reply.
wonder what he'll dup
What he would ultimately do was mere
conj4Wp, What he did Immediately
was characteristic.
Heswung open the rate, aud without
sslnplit9 10 c1ose 4. $3.50 up the path
he honse. A1l1eoxh I ANAL build
in 4vaa : duobeD one, originally intend
fofst1to l6i111lss. AoSing in eSch portion q
do<n1AAk Iouksti tuNArd ~ g0sd.
AQ1o of these stood wideopen. Through
- torway Rsnae spxanE He stamped
H. yuom to roOu-"best ROOM com
- 1l1li1g room. bedroom and kitchen.
H grew hot and cold. red and pale. by
turns. fits hands were clinched and then
opened. with the fingers stretched wide .
part. rs though he was eager to seize hold
ofsomething and crush il and the muscl-
es stood out on his naked arms like ridges
Of flesh swollen from blows.
The house. except from his own move
ments, was rs still rs sepulcher. There
were evidences all around of hasty de-
parturo. each room excepting the best
one. having objects IN Il that seemed to
have been left, dropped Just where they
had BEEN used. Q HH& kkkT
There was an cir Of untidiness that will
fall upon house at the close Of the day,
especially if there be children about, no
matter how careful tho housewife. 80
Ranse breathed hard while his teeth set
closely together !; and nov and then there
was half groan. or growl, like the warn
ing protestations Of angry tiger.
As he stepped into the last room in his
search. and saw that that also WAS unoc-
cupied, human "Oh." burst from his
lips. A small looking glass hung just OPP
posit to him. Its CLEAN caught his eye.
lie snatched il from the wall, and dashed
it into thousand pieces on the floor. The
shivered atoms at his feet. quivering in
the light like frightened human ewes.
were pleasing to him.
Some footballs in another room, echoing
As footballs will in an unoccupied houee.
attracted and startled him. II might have
been n ray Of hope that came into his
eyes. But. IS he turned. he met In the
doorway woman. leading by the hand
two little children. The expression fed
from Ranse's face.
- "Oh She lett them!" he muttered to
himself
The two little children, running to him,
grasped the corners Of his leather apron,
and called out Pop
m .3;1r.t nav v,,rch .sxartscv, Il, thar,