The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-12-21

from any Otner mouse. she was alone, eX-
pecting her husband and her pretty daugh-
ter, Janet, every moment. They had driven
to town with some poultry, and were due
home long since.
That kind of u knock was no neighborly
tap. 1t must be a stranger, and Mrs. Greg
ory remembered how tramp had robbed
the house once. and stolen a horse another
time, and instead of saying Come in" or
opening it, she nervously barred the heavy
portal and ran to the window.
Who is there?" demanded her quavering
tones, as she glanced through the panes, her
heart beating violently.
All! you're there. ma 2" spoke gruff
voice; and man, bearded and uncouth
and ragged, came into view, and a new
terror overcame the timid housewife as she
fancied that he looked rough and fierce and
threatening.
What do you want?"
Food, I'm nigh starved: shelter, or the
means of getting it, Don't look so scared,
missus. I'm no thief! Old Jerry the tramp,
am l, and if 1 don't look civil ana gentle it
amt because ain't!"
Mrs. Gregory hesitated; she had reason
to. 1t was Christmas Eve, and she had seen
the time in the happy years agone when.
her heart warming to the festive occasion,
SHO Woulu nave WclCOIn0u u score Oh hungry
tramps to hospitality; but just now hard
lines had come to the Gregorys. and every
mouthtul counted.
She went to the cupboard, however, keep
ing an anxious eye on the window, and made
up liberal lunch of meat and bread; hest
tated again, with tear in her eye, and
added piece of pie-her piece of pie for
the sparse Christmas dinner on the morrow.
Then she approached the window, raised it
slightly, pushed out the package. and said
I'm sorry we are IA trifle short Of pro-
visions. and Mr. Gregory is away, and Ihave
no money"
Hey? Gregory? Is this Gregory's?
heerd tell about your trouble with that old
skeezicks, Marble. I know him. Say,
mlssus. l thank We, and more because
know we can't spare the food, and, bless me,
II gets strength out of it, and drop or two
to warm me up, I'll seek out old Marble
and give him a couple of good licks just for
expressing such good people as you are.
Ho, no! Marble! How hate him!"
He went off shamblng and croaking ere
Mrs. Gregory could say a word. A slight
flush of humiliation crossed her face as,
with sigh, she sat down again by the
hearth.
Everybody knows our trouble, it seems"
she murmured brokenly: even that old
tramp has heard the gos sip. oh, how the
years have brought misfortune and care,
and bleak, cherries Christmas, when we
have tried so hard. oh, so hard, to make
life happy for our darling child Janet"
Yes, pastoral tragedy was being enacted
in the lonely farmhouse, more pathetic than
those of daily fiction. Here were honest
hearts, bleeding and torn and desolate, and
old jerry, the tramp, had struck the key
note of the cause when he spoke that name
Marble!
Marble, miser, hypocrite. usurer!-how
much OF sorrow did the honest Gregorys
owe to him!
Ten years previous the next farmhouse
was owned and occupied by William Tyler.
His wife had died, leaving boy. Cecil,
eleven years of age. He and pretty Janet
had become warm friends and playmates.
The lonely widower was a frequent guest at
the Gregory home. When the children be-
game sixteen they were lovers.
One day the two farmers did foolish
thing. Mr.. Tyler wished ten thousand dol
lars to speculate in wonderful NINE dis
covered some distance to the west. He got
Gregory excited about it. He tried to bor-
row the money, and, going to Upton, met
the misery Gabriel Marble.
Marble agreed to advance the money on
conditions. Tyler was to deed his farm to
him as security give his notes, and obtain
as indorSer to the same his neighbor, John
Gregory. This was done. Tyler went away
to the mines. He wrote frequently of fail
ure, success, failure. success, and finally,
after long lapse of silence, that he was
coming back to the old farm to die. He had
been badly injured by an accident at the
mine, had sold it out and. he wrote Greg
DRY, would pay Marble, and pass the few
years the doctor said he might live on the
farm.
And now came the strange part of it. One
dark night Cecil Tyler was awakened by q
loud knocking at the door. Arising, he
found there Gabriel Marble and his hired
man, Dobbs. A wagon stood at the gate.
Between them they bore an insensible form
that of William Tyler.
I'VE found him on my doorstep" explained
Marble. He had just come to town, and
guess wanted to see me on business, but
his strength failed him, and he tainted dead
away. Doctor said he was very ill, and told
us to get him home"
The next day, at eventide, William TYLER
died. The farmer had scarcely been buried
when Gabriel Marble seized upon the farm
and all its belongings for debt, and notified
John Gregory that, us indorser for Tyler, he
should hold him responsible for any deficit.
Young Tyler took the matter into court.
He affirmed that his father just before his
death had aroused sufficiently to tell him
that he had paid Marble all he owed him. 1t
was proven that Tyler had received suffi-
cient money for that purpose from the sale
of the mine; but when Marble demanded
evidence of a receipt, and exhibited the I'M
Cancelled notes, the jury decided in his favor.
The Tyler farm became Marbles property,
Cecil became homeless pauper. Gregory
was sued for a deficit of So 900, forced to sell
his outside land, mortgage the homestead,
and in three years such misery and mis-