The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-06-16

mate. IL M round this way again I'll
look in on you
And he did.
One day, as Pete was soldering milk
pail for Mrs. Burge. this time whistling
little, having work to whistle over, the
man came in without warning of rap or
voice.
Thought you's twenty-f five miles away
afore this" said Pete plying his iron.
Take seat"
ssTLings don't please me much over
that way" said the fellow pompously,
again beginning to cut his tobacco, per-
haps as cover to his furtive glances. ST
may stay round here for spsll. Per-
haps I'll do bit OF work on somebody g
farm"
"Can't get it," said Pete, briefly view
ing his completed work with approval.
"Ain't no farm work to be had just
now"
''Well, doing chores, mean-light
work. I'm not particular how little do
for my board" with coarse laugh.
Folks do their own work ronnd here,
said Pete. "Some of 'em have got
money enough to pay, but they're able
bodied, as it happens, and don't want a
hired man round in the winter"
''Seems pity-don't it?-that things
can't be equally divided, SO that you and
I could have our share" said the
stranger putting industr1ously at his
pipe, but not forgetting to watch the
tinker. II should like to help myself to
somebody's pile; now, shouldn't you?
Honestly enough, of course, man. You
needn't jump. mean, suppose the
IL l,ak II. l. E.
over there Poysett? = should say,
'Whettles, take half my bank stock. ]
don't need it alp do you think I should
say mop
Of course the tinker laughed at the
fanciful notion. He was q sunny tenn.
pered fellow; it hardly needed very
bright thing toprovoke his mirth.
Where Whettles stayed at night was q
mystery. Sometimes Pete suspected he
might have slept in barn, he turned up
SO touseled in the morning; cften he
guessed that Toppan, the saloonkeeper
had given him a lodging, from the fumes
that fingered about mis- shabby person.
He had money at times, for again and
again he treated Pete to cheering glass
of whisky. Pete was not used to fre-
quenting the saloon; he did not in the
least approve of it; but it happened that
about this time the evil bird of prey
sought his company more persistently
than did any more respectable person.
And Whettles was sociable fellow; he
could tell more stories in half ON hour
than any six OF the honest people knew
taken together. He was. so Pete con.
cluded, nobody's enemy but his own. II
would take more time than you are will.
| ing to give, and deeper knowledge oI
| mental intricacies than possess, to de-
tail the process through which Pete was
brought to the point of promising to
| creep into the Poysett farmhouse and
rife the old desk that stood between the
sitting room windows. The grooer's bill
was growing longer, his wife was paler,
and she worried him by entreaties to lei
Whettles alone and forsake Toppan's
the aggregate of such straws is not
small.
The opportunity came, fitting the mood
as exactly as if the mood had made it.
Frank Poysett was going to Boston to
meet John Wiley; the women folks
would be alone.
You take Poysett's," said Whettles;
ssyou know the lay of the land there; and
the same night I'll try Turner's. over on
the hill. Well meet somewhere about
I, down there under the big elm. .aud
divide. After that I'll make tracks across
lots and take O train somewhere. No
body'll think of you
Tinker Pete was equally sure OF nobody
suspeoting him. He had always been
honest-this he thought with q pang-
and, being simple minded sort of q
man, he never calculated the effect in
other peoples eyes of having been seen
with Whettles.
"But s'spose my courage gives out, !"
he said uncertainty. 81 don't knows I
can do it, alter all. It's easy enough to
get it, but what if somebody should see
me? It might end in what's worse"
s'Man alivep said Whettles impatient
". stAfraid at your time of life2 Well,
here's what I'll do. They go to bed
early, you can have it over by midnight.
Now, I'll come back that way, and if
you're there and afraid to stir, I'll go in
and do i myself. But mind, don't ex.
pect you're going to back out. If have
to do all the work get all the pay"
"Oh, I mean to do it fast enough"
said Pete. doggedly. Things can't be
much worse off than they are now"
"And if amt there by twelve you'll
knew something has happened and I
can't come, 80 you'll have to go on your
own hook. But be sure you are at the
big tree by l."
Whettles, like many another skillful
tactician, did not tell his cats paw all
his plans. He had no intention of doing
what might be done for him. It was only
polite to assure Pete of helping him out
should his courage fail him, for fear,
under too great dread, that he might
break away from the plan altogether.
Whettles, who had as little right to his
name as to many another article he had
possessed at various times, was as truly
an arrant coward as william. All of his
ill-deeds, and they were numerous, had
been done, as far as he could manage it.
at the expense of somebody else. If the
robbery at Turner's seemed feasible
without too much danger he would keep
his word if not, there was the excuse of
having been watched and prevented and
Pete could be coaxed or threatened into
sharing what spoil he had from the Poy-
setts'.
That night Mrs. Poysett and Linda
had an early tea, and having done the
indoor work. and sat down for one of
those quiet talks that was SO precious
because they were soon TO cease. The
journey to Illinois was so long, and
Linda's beginning new life such q seri-
GUS matter, that it seemed the two would
never have done talking over it. Hen
ry, the nearest neighbours boy, had shut
up the barn long ago, the milk had
been strained, and the pals were washed.