The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-30
the cart, thinking, thinking, needless

craving over the roof OF Il pretty cot
tage by some southern sea. l don't
suppose there was word of truth in it;
put, some way, ever since pa made a
clean breast of his troubles, l can't get
that shiny, black monster out Of my
thong hts night or day. l should say,
Indeed, that mortgage like ours was a
trlf1e the worst of the two, because
there's only one weapon to fight it, and
where in the word is pa to get the first
red cent Of that terrible three thousand
dollars2 If pa had only told me in time,
perhaps l might have done something
heroic with my poultry-a flock of gray
geese did grand things for history once
on time-but no, he kept as dumb as
Cheops, until found it all out for my
self, and no thanks to anybody.
The way of it was: ma started mo
down to tho meadow one evening last
week to see what pa meant by keeping
supper waiting, and when found him
leaning against the barn there as quiet
and gray as the twilight shadows, why,
think the One who doeth all things
we'll must have put it in my heart TO
wake him up and tell me the matter.
There is no woman in all this big
glorious world SO weak RS Sampson
with his head shaved, and so he told
me between sObs-1 don't ever want to
see my father cry again-hOw the big
family had gobbled up the small earn
lngs, how ut last there was nothing to
40 but borrow money Oh the dear,
shabby old place, and now Il villainous
Dill OF some sort was coming due.
"Ncver mind, dad," | said, ''come
along to supper; iii get you out of your
tiX,n
L don't think pa realized at the min
ute-and Pm sure | did not-that |
had never seen so much as hundred
dollars in all my life together, for he
followed me home contentedly, put his
head under the spout while | pumped
and then, with his hand on my shoul-
der, went into the house aud ate supper
enough for two! The next day pa was
out OF his head with fever, and now to
see him prodding about the farm with
a stick i'll his hand and pain in his
back-poor, dear pa! OF course, the
ilrst thing that suggested itself at his
bedside was blood, and plenty OF it
and l did saddle Calico and race off to
murder the mortgage man-but |
might have saved myself the trouble,
Tor the vile creature wasn't ut home;
then l turned the old mares head to-
ward the family sons-in-law, but there
wasn't husband among them who had
the cash to spare-they don't seem to
spare anything quite so conveniently as
childrenl l even decided to-
Say, young woman!"
l am not a coward, but the creature
who has brought the cart and my
thoughts to sucn sudden halt LOOKS
so like some great famished wolf, stand
ing there at Calico's head, that shivcr
from head to foot, and he sees it.
"You needn't bo afreard," he gasps,
III rasplng sort OF whisper. 81 haven't
tho strength to harm you if M will
was good for murder-look at this!"
His eyes turned toward his breast
his right arm lies stitily across it clotted
with something that must be blood,
and the fingers look like the flesh Of a
dead man.
L think that he understands that am
sorry for him, for before my heart can
jump back to it's right place again, ho
drops the rcins and touches his mangey
cay.
'l've been skulkin' IN these 'ere
woods, miss, nigh onto week, and what
with st,ryin'. and the pain 30 this, Pm
most about dead played out"
eff you will cut across the fields to
that house over there" I say, kindly,
! am sure-for God knows | pity him
from the bottom of my heart-''I will
sec that you got good supper"
VI couldn't crawl there, much less
walk, and my time for suppers is over
for this world, reckon.'
l am so sorry for the poor, misery
ridden creature standing there in tile
summer twilight, with the fragrant
woods all around him, and the birds
chirping sleepily in the trces-so vory
sorry, and tell him 80.
lie totters as l say it, and / am lust
making up my mind that Calico and |
have Il disagreeabe job before us, when
he lays one miserable hand on the
wheel, and, drawing his face near
enough for me to see the CHASTITY seams
that want has scared there, cries i'm
ploringly:-
'"rhere's them that's hunting me to
help me2"
All my life have wanted to be q
man, and now the time has come to
act like one. l am rubbing Calico
down in her stall---pa and being the
only men-I mean pa being the only
man about the place, we do this sort Of
thing ourselYcs-when the dear old fell
low hobbies down the pathway and
puts his head in the door,
sis" he begins, with wide, excited
eyes, "did you meet big fellow down
the road-a dark chap with lots Of
bumps and black, frlZzled wliiskers2n
had not, and said 80.
"Well, he came by here hunting up
some scamp who robbed bank in
Richmond and got down to these parts
with the money in his pocket and a
bullet in his flesh. / started him down
the main road. l wonder you didn't
see him."
IL drove around by the MILL" 1
answered, quietly enough, considering
l feel like tornado; "but he WON'T
catch his scamp tonight, dad"
'"Think not? Why?n
"Because I've got him snug in the
barnP'
Goodness, gracious! then I'll just
Pa Is making his way to warn justice
as fast as his weak legs will let him,
when L steady him against tho stable.
door and take away his cane.
"Dad," cry savagely, 81 adore you, ,
but If you take another step to harm
1.nA