Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-13

waved the other hand n the air, and.
with m exteFnpogizing gaze 1t the shin
ing shoep-erooks above the nasnfeipseos,
oe9sn:
Oh, my trade il il the Yaress oue.
Simple shepherds All,
Ny trade is sight 70 see.
For my customers I tie, ard take them
cp On high.
And vzf. EN- TO far coun.ree.
The room ~as sijen. when be had fin
ished the yerse-~ffh one exception that
Of the rnaa in the caimrey corner. vko.
AZ the word Of the singer. ~Chorus-~
joiaed hira in a deep bass voice Of E1-
steal reiisA-
And vaf: 'em 70 far coca.ree.
Here ell seemed lost In thought no: of
tho gsyest kind. TIE shepherd boxed
uedItativeiy OF tie ground. and his wife
gzzed With some suspicion on the singer;
see was do1btsnG whether fnIs stranger
vzs merely singing an Old song from re-
collection. or Vas composing one there
and then for the OCCASION. All were a.
perplexed at the obscure revelation as
TIE guests At Belshazzars feast, except
tie man in the chimney corner. Who gai-
city said, Second verse, stranger" and
smoked On
Tie singer Thoroughly rnoistened him
self from his lips In wards. and went on
with tbs next ssanzs as requested:
Ny tools are but common ones,
Simple shepherds all,
Ny tools are 10 si9nt 10 see:
4 little hsfDpsn string, and post
Wherein 70 swing,
Are implements enough for me.
Shepherd Fennel glanced round. There
was no longer any doubt that the strau-
ger was answering his question rhyth-
mically. The guests one and all started
back With suppressed ordinations
"Oh, he's the -" whispered the
people in the background, mentioning
the name of an ominous public officer.
F" He's come 70 do it. lis to be at Cas-
serbridgs Jail touorrov-the man for
sheep stsaling-tte poor ciockmaker we
heard Of, who used To i've away at An
glebury and had no work to do-Timo-
thy Somners, whose family were starv-
ing, and 80 be went out of Anglebury by
the high road and took sheep in open
daylight. defying the farmer and the
farmers wife and the farmers man and
every man jack among 'en. He- land
they nodded toward the stranger of the
terrible trade sis come FROM up the
country 10 do it because there's not
enough to do In his own county town.
and hes got the place here poz cur own
County niAu's dead; he's going to live
in the same cottage under tho prison
wall"
The stranger in cinder-gray took no
notice OF these whispered observations.
but again vet his lips. Seeing that his
friend III the chimney corner was the
only one who reclprocated his joviality,
he held out his cup toward that appre-
ciative comrade, who also held ont his
own. They clinked together, and the
singer parted his lips for the third verse;
but At that moment another knock was
heard at the door. This time the knock
was faint and hesitating.
The shepherd looked with consterna-
ton toward the entrance, and it Was
with some effort that he resisted his
wife's deprecatory glance and uttered
for the third time the welcoming words,
- Walk in"
The door was gently opened, and an
other man stood upon the mat. He, like
those who had preceded him, was q
stranger. Ii vas short, small person.
age, Of fair complexion, and dressed in
a decent suit Of dark clothes.
Can you tell me the way to 10y
he began, when. gazing round the room
70 observe the nature of the company
amongst whom he had fallen. his eyes
lighted on the stranger in cinder- gray.
IL nj hu 90 xvt,~ L.
ter. who had thrown his mind into his
song with such will that be scarcely
decided the interruption, silenced all in
quiries and whispers by bursting into his
third verse:
Tomorrow Is my working day,
Simple shepherds all,
Tomorrow Is a working day for me;
For the farmers sheep. IL slain, and the
lad who did il taen,
And on bis soul may God ha' mercy!
The stranger in the chimney corner,
waving cups with the singer 50 heartily
that his mead splashed over the hearth.
repeated III his bass voice, as before:
And on his soul may God ha' mercy.
All this time the third stranger had been
standing in the doorway. Finding now
that he did not come forward or 90 on
speaking, the guests particularly regard
ed him. Thew saw ~ their surprise tina.
he stood before them q picture of abject
terror: his knees trembling, his hand
shaking Nd violently that the door latch
by which he supported himself ratified
audibly: his white lips were parted and
his eyes fixed ON the merry officer of
justice Ia the middle of the room. A
moment more and he had turned. closed
the door and fed.
Then followed u silence of some min
utes, which was suddenly broken by the
distant sound of a gun reveroeratino
through the air. apparently from the di-
rectiOn OF the county town.
Be jiggered.' cried the stranger who
had sang the song. jumping up.
VIVA: does thar mean?" asked sew
eraI.
"A prisoner escaped from the Jail
that's what it means"
Tue sound was repeated, aud none OF
them spoke but the man in the corner,
who said quietly:
I've often been told that in this coun-
ty they ire gun M such times. bus /
never heard il till now"
i wonder IL il is nay man?- said the
parsonage in cinder-oray.
Surely it is.' said the shepherd in
voluntarily. Aud surely we've seen
him. Ths; little man who looked in at
the door by now. and quivered like leaf
when he seed ye and heard your sonor'
The firing OF the alarm gun went on
at intervals, AID their suspicious became
a certainty.
Soon. under the leadership Of the con-
stable, who was ono Of the guests, the
entire company started in pursuit OF tbs
fugitive. The man in cinder-gray and
his corrade Of the chimney corner went
oct with the others, but, giving them the
slip, returned 70 the cottage. took part
ing drink, shook hands at the door and
went their several ways.
The pursuers, after various mishaps
and considerable delay, found their tsan
standing beside lonely oak quite dis
tant from the c;tsage. When be say
them approaching him. the fugitive,
whose trepidation had in a great mea-
sure suhsided, stepped aside from the
tree ard walked slouly toward those who
we're in quSx. Of him. The constable.
addressing him, said:
We arrest yc on the charge OF not
biding ~ Casierbridge Jail in decent,
proper manner 10 BE- hung tomorrow
morning. Neighbors. do your duty and
aat rs sb. <~,,t,.~x.sss