The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1883-04-26
whistle over the man came in without
warning of rap or voice.

whistle over. the man came in without
warning of rap or voice.
"Thought you's twenty-five mile
away afore this" said Pete, plying hi.
iron. ',Tak3 seal"
Things don't please me much Over
that way" said the fellow, pompously
again beginning to cut his tobacco
perhaps as a cover to his furtiv'
glances. 'I may stay round here
spell. Perhaps I'll do bit of work OF
somebody's farm"
i "CanS get it." said Pete, briefly
viewing his completed job with ap
proYal. aAin't no farm-work to b'
had Just now"
swell, doing chores, mean-ight
work. Pm not particular how little
do for my board" with q coarse laugh
(. "Folks do their own work round
here" said Pete. "Some of 'em have
got money enough to pay, but they're
able-bodied, as it happens, and dom
want a hired man round in the winter
"Seems q pity = don't it2-tha1
things can't be equally divided, so thai
you and I could have our SHARE" sai(
the stranger, putting industriously al
his pipe, but not forgetting to watch
the tinker. 81 should like to help my
self to somebody's pile; now, shouldn't
you? Honestly enough, Of course
man. You needn't jump. mean, sup
pose the young fellow that owns the
big farm over there--Poysett ?--should
say, '1Nhettles, take half my bank
stock. I don't need it ALP do you
think should say 'no'2"
Of course the tinker laughed at the
fanciful notion. He was sunny-tem'
pered fellow; it hardly needed very
bright thing to provoked his mirth.
Where Whettles stayed at night was
a mystery. Sometimes Pete suspected
he might have slept in a barn, he
turned up so tousled in the mornng;
often he guessed that Toppan, the
saloonkeeper, had given him lodging,
from the fumes that fingered about
his shabby person. He had money at
times, for again and again he treated
Pete to a glass of whisky. Pete was
not used to frequenting the saloon; he
did not in the least approve Of it; but
it happened that about this time this
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 an hour than any
six of the honest people Pete knew
taken together. He was, so Pete con-
cluded, nobody's enemy but his own.
It would take more time than you are
willing to give, and a deeper knowl-
edge Of mental intricacies than I pos
sess, to detail the process through
which Pete was brought to the point
of promising to creep into the Poysett
farmhouse and rifle the old desk that
stood between the sitting-room
windows. The grocer's bill was grow
ing longer, his wife was paler, and she
worried him by entreaties to let
Whettles alone and forsake Toppan's;
the aggregate Of such straws is not
small. :7 - =. 49,. 49,, y
,Ehe opportunity fitting Fthe
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 Whet-
ties, "you know the lay of the land
there, and the same night I'll try Tur-
ner's, over on the hill. Well meet
somewhere about l, down there under
the big elm, and divide. After that
I'll make tracks across lots and take a
train somewhere; nobody'l think of
you"
"But s'pose my courage gives out"
Tinker Pete said, uncertainty. Il
don't knows can do it after ali. It's
easy enough TO get in, but what if
somebody should see me? 1t might
end in what's worse"
"Man alive" said Whettles, impa-
tiently. "Afraid at your time Of life?
Well, here's what I'll do. They 60 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
tri' SUI, L &c &c i, i, aan4t}s;t and Dc It myself. But
mind, don't expect you to back ont.
And if I amt there by II you'll know
somethin's happened and l can't come;
so you'll have to 60 en- your own hook.
But be sure you're at the big tree
by l."
Wkettles, like many another skillful
tactician, did not tell his catspaw all
his plans. He had no intention Of
doing what might be done for him.
1t was only polite to assure Pete of
helping him out should his courage
fail, for fear, under too great dreal,
that he might break away from the
plan altogether.
When Pete crept up to the house at
10, the women had been soundly
asleep for two hours. lie tried the
kitchen window it had no fastenings,
and went up noiselessly. He stepped
in and stood trembling. The clock in
the next room licked with appalling
loudness. His knees smote together,
but it required as much courage now
to flee as to remain. Perhaps for ten
minutes-perhaps hours, judging by
mis- own exaggerated reckoning-he
stood in fear; and chen, rs the clock
licked on steadily as if it had no refer
ence to him, his hcart-beats grew
fainter and his courage crawled back
He crept toward the sitting room
door on his hands and knees. There
stood the old desk, with it's high spindle
legs, half of it exaggerated shadow and
half thrown into light by shaft from
the moon. Probably the key was in
the lock. He had seen it there HIM
self dozen times-had seen Frank
bring in a fat roll of bills after selling
his oxen, toss them in there and put
down the cover without turning
the key. There had been no rob-
berries in Belburn, and so people
trusted more in human nature and
less in steel and wood. But the
sitting-room was so light! He should
never dare 60 in there; the very
thought of having his shadow thrown
on the wall, distorted like those of the
tables and chairs, gave him another
sickening spasm of fear. What if
there were only women in the house?
Suppose one appeared? where should
he hide himself? He was not thief
by nature or training. lie would
crouch down in corner and wait for
IT, 1,,l ham fnoro orac