Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1883-08-09
THE LITTLE COWARD.
,i7p q
BY JULIA ALvoRD.

over the treasure so eagerly. 3 ss4i
"Iwo twenties and two tens. Yes.
sir, it is right, - responded the girl, sn;;.
ing in turn.
81 wonder what the boys vii, saw
now,' she thought, as, styino the b;iis III
securely in her handkera anief. .sbe starteJ
for home, refusing e..li invitations to m stav M
for tea. .''o'on' " s'ay
mo, thelksl must walk home to-
nighe' sne said. "The boys are so busy
Wi'i ;ti their hay; and I must hurry, for
4Es hve miles, you know"
mo one had noticed q pair Of evil eyes
which peered through the crack of the
open door, watching every movement of
the weak little hands Us they folded the
money away, nor had they seen form
stealing away on tiptoe as the girl said /:
VI must walk home Tonight"
Lazy and good for nothing, AL Par
IRISH had ever been called at home and
abroad, but no one, not even little Ma
tie Noble, the teacher who feared him
so, would have believed him capable of
the dastardly deed he meditated.
II kin skeer her plum to DEATH" he
muttered, for he knew how cowardly she
was. can, / kin Jest as well have that
$50 as not"
And he crept stealthily ont through
the orchard and across the cornfeld, and
was we'll upon the way toward the woods
before Matte got started.
eff it wasn't for passing that Indian
burying ground" she said to herself, as
she hurried along, sI shouldn't mind
If it was dusk before l reach the
Matte Noble was the only girl in a
family of boys, and though they loved
their little sister, they felt, all of bows
contempt for girls; and when it was an. :
nounced to them that Matte was going
to keep school, inithe parish district,
there was no end to their good -natured
jeers and taunts.
"a brave teacher" said Charlie, one
year her senior. ''She's afraid of her
own shadow" ifE ' $50 ~
Matte returned smiling rejoinders to
all their scoffs, and only one thing re-
NAMED IN her memory, to rankle and
make her afraid. =,
"They bury Iniuns a-settin' straight
up, with their faces to the vest" said
Gus. ftIstEE$ ittf-fF ff{f73'} IN 7
And whenever she passed the burying-
ground, Friday nights and Monday
mornings, his words wers before her.
She thought of them tonight, and as
she neared the strip of heavy timber in
which the dreaded spot lay, her eyes
grew dark, apd her heart throbbed with
terror. n
"To think of. every one OF those dead
and.buried indians sitting bold upright
in their graves, with their dead faces
staring at me-" she thought, and in
stinctively she picked up a stout stick
which lay in her path, though she
smiled little as she imagined what the
boys would say if they should see her.
Sometimes they did come to meet her,
and would hide in the trunk of an old
hollow tree that stood by thejside Of the
road, and which marked the beginning
of the graves. or oTxg FSsr q ! 2
"Oh, II only some one would meet mo
tonight" she whispered, for it being
the last day! school closed late, and it
was nearly dark.
Scarcely were the words spoken when
the shadow of a nuns head for an in
stant protruded from behind the very
tree, and was as quickly withdrawn. 8
"Charlie thinks he's going to frighten
me-" she thought, ssmilingly, while a
glad Ightfahone in the eyes solately full
of i.rroE ttI'll throw away my stick"
shemnrmured, "before he sees il.
And, coming even with the tree, she
peered around it to see which one Of the
boys had come to meet her. '~,st We
s'There's some ono there, sure" she
said, "but-" 1e'iT rl}s
Her sentence. was never finished, for
instead3 of the laughing face of Gus or
Charley, the v;llainous one of All Par
rlsh was turned toward her, and before
she had time to stir be clutched her by
the arm.
"Just hand over that little $780," he
aid, while her grasp upon her arm was
Ike that of a wise. 5t4ffI IAefc
frightened for the moment and
speechless, yet Matte did some rapid
thinking, and the very farthest from
her thoughts was the idea of giving, up
her hard earned money!. spC,
"Come, now, no foolishness, he said,
whileihe glared at her fercely. 4 =
"Oh, if 1 had only kept my stick, she
murmured, then aloud she said:
"Al. Parish, would you rob me be;
cause You are stronger than I?' - ~
She felt sure that the BOYS were some-
where upon the road to meet her even
then. Once she thought she would
scream, but that would only hasten mat
ers aud now to just prolong the inter-
view as long as possible became her
desperate object.
Hestood upon her left. Her pocket
containing the money was upon the
right.
"Comer' said he again, as if deter.
mined to brook no delay, aud at the
same time making move rs if to reach
her pocket. "Give it up peaceable,
Matte Noble, er I'll choke yer blasted
throat till yen be glad ter"
How she trembledl But forcing her.
self to speak calmly she said:
"Al Parrish, if you will rob me, let us
go beyond this burying ground"
He started, and cast o frightened
glance over his shoulder, and in that in
slant Matte withdrew her hand from
her pocket, and withsall her might she
flung her handkerchief, money and all,
as far into the weeds as possible.
''Come along, then," he said "but
make haste"
And Tightening his hold he dragged
her forward. sas-a \ "a G44f{ teffsf.
'.Oh, God in heaven!" she murmured,
'sif the boys would only co.1e"
But no-the last grave was reached,
and no sign of them anywhere.
He halted, and as il anticipating no
resistance, loosened his hold a very lit
tie.
Quick as a fash she was free, and
darting forward, she tried with all the
power of desperation to keep in advance
OF him; but she could not.