Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1882-09-21

savage. III not nave IL put upon me.
/ didn't want to marry her; that was
your doing, and / don't want TO make
away with her; that's your doing, and
IL it's hanging matter, | am not the
one to swing for it,
Heaven forgive you, Sammy said
the old woman, evidently horribly
scared. Don't you talk in that way
to your poor old mother-don't. II
the poor creature was only in her right
mind she'd be the first to say her old
nurse was her best friend-the only
one she had in the world when her pa
died and left her.
Here she SMILED a little. Sammy
gave sort of derisive growl.
And as to her marrying you; it
stood to reason that she must marry
somebody, sometime, left all alone in
the world with her good looks and her
fortune; and why not my handsome
SOM 1t was luck for you, Sammy,
though you turn against me now.
There you were, just come home from
foreign parts, without halfpenny in
your pocket. or notion where to turn
to find one; and there was she without
a relation or friend to interfere with
you-as simple as a baby--nOt a crea-
ture to stop her doing as she chose
with herself and her money. 1t would
have been a sin and shame TO lose
such chance OF course. L wanted
to zee my handsome lad as good a gen
tleman as the best of Them The old
woman seemed to be talking on and on
purposely; like telling rigmarole to a
child to keep it quiet. Sammy growl-
ed again in a milder tone.
oh, yes. Say it's all my fault, do |!
You can talk black white when it
pleases YOU
1T was your fault, Sammy. You
might have lived happy and peaceable
if you'd chosen. Haven't been down
ON my Bonded knees to beg you to let
her alone when you was treating her
that shameful that the whole country
side was ringing with it. You know
it, and others know il. And can tell
you what, Mr.. Samuel Nixon, if she'd
been found dead IN her bed, as l ex-
pected every morning of my life to
hear, there wasn't servant in the
place that wouldn't have spoken up
before the Coroner-and glad to do it.
Who'd have swung for it then, I'd like
to know.
The brute was mastered. / heard
him shutting his feet about uneasily;
then-in maudlin whimper: 1T was
drink, nothing else, and her aggravat-
ing, whining ways. Don't be hard on
me old woman, I'm sure I've given in
handsome to all your plans
Because you couldn't help yourself
You fool. Now you see what it is
to have your poor old mother to turn
to. Your wife may talk as much as
she pleases now. Who'll believe her
when we've got it written down by
| two London doctors that she's as mad
as mad can bep Who's TO mind heI
talk, or anyone else'sp Aren't we tax.
ing her up to London just for the good
of her health, to nice safe place where
she will be well looked after and kept
from getting herself and other folks
into any more trouble; and then you
and me will go back, Sammy, and live
as happy and comfortable as you
They will treat her like lady eh
motherY
OF course they will; beautiful
place, and the best of living Bles!
you, she'll be as happy as the day il
long. 1t does you credit being so ten
ler-hearted, Sammy. L knew you
couldn't abide seeing her storming ant
raving as she did last night, so l jus
gave her little sup of something be
fore we started, and you see shes beer
sleeping like baby ever since. An'
the gentleman-where she's going yOl
know--he gave me this bottle ant
when we get to London I've just Il
give her Whit of it on Handkerchief
and off she goes as quiet as lamb
No screams or tantrums this time: an,
he and his nurses will be on the look
out for us with his carriage, and be
fore she knows it there she'll be a
snug as you please
This was awful
What should do? Were we eve
going to stop? Was there auothe
station before London? Should l b
drugged, dragged off and made ava
with? knew if they found me out
was all over with me. The pattern O
the blue Shetland veil danced befor
my eyes-the noise of the train was a
the sound of the roar of artillery in m
ears. l sat up. ready for spring an
struggle.
A jerk! Another A stop, and tn
door flung open.
Tickets, please
/ made one plunge. dung the ru
clean over the old woman, dashed IN
arm into Sammy's face, and tumble
headlong out, into the arms Of the al
tonished ticket collector. l felt hiI
clutch me, and then the ground roe
up, or / went down-down-into a
unfathomable depth of blackness
'Hullo! old fellow. Better now
were the first word heard. ThomI
l sons voice! There he was with
glass of water in his hand, stoppin
over me. Thompson's mother wa
kneelnp beside me. cuddlinQ me II