The Red Cloud chief., 1882-06-29

ths wsll and weighing tie bsssss with
heavy stones and lengfhening the rope.
Jet IL down Till they heard the wood
strike hard against the rocky bottom
from whence dubbed up that living
spring. Nobody Was there
"You haint tranped around tho lots
any. hcv yeF' inquired Royal Phelps.
Nowhere only tow'ris your house."
answered Will
We'll. then. when mornin' comes We
kin track her; for IL showed about an
hour here AFTER breakfast. and there
haint ben no passin' onto the road
sence. for I've ben a-choppin' long side
ont the hull time to-day; and I took 4
bite along SOS not 20 stop; 1 Was boun'
TO finish up to-day"
But would that morning ever Gomez
IL seemed not 10 VIII: he walkei the
hos sc while Royal snorei ia the rocker.
and recalled with despair and distress
how he and Sally had parted in the
morning in anger: parted now. il secmed.
for the last time.
He had hot much Imagination. but he
bad enough TO conjecture dreadful
things about bis wiies fate. All alone
there In the farmhouse what might not
have happened? Or. more probably.
bal she not fed from him forever.
afraid If his temper and his tongue?
lie blessed the shower of snow that hal
fallen in his absence and must tell the
story Of her fight; and he made a lew
but very earnest resolutions a, TO his
future conduct towards her-if. indeed.
any future found them once more to-
gether.
But morning came. and on no field or
road. not even on the railway track in
either direction. was there a foot print
except those Of Wills old horse aud the
two men.
sally's light feet had not travcrsed
that yielding surface; nobody had been
there.
Then VIII broke down; without food
or sleep, oppressed by the awful mys-
terry OF his loss. as well as by the loss
itself. he grew half-crazy. sobbei, raycd
and tramped the house. till ROYAL Phelps
nj last went over 10 fetch his wife, with
the sage remark:
He 5 past my handlin'; Iguess WON
cn-folks'd know better how 10 fetch him
- now"
30 Mrs. Phelps came over. made some
hot coffee and persuaded him Ia drink
IL, set things to rights n little. and pre-
pared TO get dinner; but Will still lay on
. his face in the bedroom. a wrctched
and hopeless as n man could be.
Suddenly a horses hoofs beat on the
crusted snow up To the back door.
VIII jumped up and rushed out, and
Il man handed him n telegram; he did
not hear, while he was opening it, the
bearers explanation.
lit come to Taunton deepott for We.
and the operator said twas real i'm
portant, an you'd give me a dollar to
fetch it"
VIII did not answer; his brain reeled
rs he read:
William Gray, Taunton. Your wife
is Mt Seyms Station. very ILL.,"
Can i go back To Taunton with
your he said 10 the man, handing the
telegram 10 Mrs. Phelps. with a light in
his eyes that tod the relief he was scarce
ly conscious of as yet.
"Rcckon you kin. for another dol
lar" and with "A nod to the astonislied
Mrs. Phelps. Will was of. and in an
hour was seated in the train for Seyms
Station.
The story is strange but true; when
Sally slammed the barn-door behind
her she pulled her apron over her head
and ran across the rQ~h. safe in the
knowledge that the morning express had
passed. The light fall Of snow dulled
the sound of special freight-train slow
iy rounding the corner just at that mo-
ment. and Sallie was struck by the
cow-catcher rs she stepped on the
track. and was thrown violently to one
side.
Stunned by the blow. she lay on the
ground unconscious. She did rot
hear the cry of the engineer. who
had witnessed the accident; did not
know that the train had stopped. or that
she was surrounded by a group Of strange
men.
The engineer and one of the brake
men entered the house and found il
deserted. No other dwelling was in
sight.
To leave n woman lying insensiblc in
an empty house was out OF the question.
and SO at last, after calling in vain for
assistance. they laid her in the conduct
or's car to carry her to the nearest sta
ton, some miles further on.
When she ~regained her consciousness.
il was her turn To feel all those pangs
of regret and repentance that viii
suffered. and to make resolves of her
own. if ever she returned To live up to
them.
She could not move or speak when
the train stopped. and the men took her
from the car suposing she was perhaps
fatally injured.
She did revive. however. but only
enough 10 whisper Wills name and
town in reply to persistent questioning.
before delirium set in. and when her
husband reached the hospital where
they had taken her, she did not know
him. and it was weeks instead Of days
before she could 60 home.
In the meantime. Will sold his farm
to Royal Phelps brother. and bought
another close by Mystic. and two miles
from any railway. He knew that
neither he nor Sally would ever again
feel safe at the old place.
So far. their first quarrel has been
their last; the resolutions have been
well kept Sally can make pot-pie and
~ryc-bread. rs well as many other things.
quite rs skillfully rs Cousin 'Phrony.
and she is so happy with her husband
and her baby that she sometimes thinks
VIII lost all his bad temper when he |
found his wife at Seyms.-RSe Terry
Cooke. ia foath's Companion.
- - |