The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1888-12-21

grafton committee was nurryfng TO
wards Prairie City as fast as his horse
could carry him.
"Mebby her boy lives somewers yer
4 abouts, suggested Carl Senter.
I - Have you found himF F,the faint
voice quivered, as the bearded faces
looked into the wagon again. 90
What did you say his name was2"
questioned Jess. "It sortosslipped me. 4"
Paul. and her voice dwelt low
ingly upon the name-'ePaul Emery" +"
The shaggy heads were solemnly
shalsen. No one, knew Paul, Emery.
Puzzled, they withdrew for another
consultation.
'Tm afeard she'll never see her boy,
I I ne h,aint found mighty soon, said
"Wonder if we couldn't sorto find
him, anyhow" said Cal. sMebby she
couldn't tell"-- :. y g
l Twouldn't make her no worse, {"
spoke jess, San it might"--
The others grasped the idea. Again
the bearded faces looked into the
know him at first sighta" oues-
toned Jess; might have changed a
The sick woman babbled on q little
while of how she would know her boy
her Paul Then she produced bat
tered tintypo from beneath her pill
low
THAT is Paul, my boy" she said,
cagerly-"Paulp
The picture dimly revealed q slender
young follow, honest faced and beard
less.
The shaggy heads wero gravely
shaken.
"The scar don't show much in the
picture" the sick woman pipad.
weakly. 'The doctor said it would
always remain there. And Bessie
said she never wanted it. to fade from
his check, because it would always be
q reminder of how he had risked his
life to save hers. Bessie"-- '. "'-"
The committee heard no more. They
had hastily withdrawn. '.+E.
"Iu stay ycre an wait fur jerry"
Cal Sentcr said, after few moments
conference was held. ''Take my hoss.
Wal, reckon"- -.
The rest of tho committeeman were
galloping away, end he was alone be-
side the wagon.
Looks like imposin' on tho pore
woman" he muttered. "But, if we
KANT find tho right son we'vo got to
do the next best thing Ho'll look
something like her Paul when the
boys hev got through with him."
Sinks, the outcast, lay stretched
face downwards in tho shade of a few
scraggy persimmon trees, near the head
of n little draw" two miles beyond
the spot where tho committee had left
him. There was more Gf despair in
his face than any citizen of Prairie
City had ever seen there. But when,
aroused by tho hoof beats, he found
himself again III tho hands of the cmi-
grafton committee, the old and almost
eXpressionless mask fell over his face
again.
He made no comment when ordered
to pile on" to Calls horse, and the
cavalcado took the back track towards |
Prairie City, at q headlong speed. But |
once, Long Jess, close at hand, heard |
him mutter:
Its all right, anyhow. Nobodyn
carc!"
Cal Sentcr, squatting in the shade of
the sick woman's wagon, saw tho little
troop pass, q quarter of milo away,
and grumblcd: BLAMED imposition on
her, but it's the best we kin do"
jerry was passed by the cavalcadc,
'i9n' tei '1trse. ana tTrs.RY P!!iYs or ea III; fretiong w
back to the wagon with several pack
arcs in his hands and pockets. twas
evident that lie comprchcndcd the sit
uation, for he said addressing himself,
Looks like great shame, but mCbby
it's tho best tho boys kin do"
Sinks look Of stolidity changed to
one OF mystitication and astonishment
soon after Prairio City was reached.
Ho was hurried into Tho barber shop
and thrust into q chair, and, IN response
to stern command from Long Jess, the
knight of tho razor trimmed the out |
casts hair and removed his beard with |
a celebrity that threatened TO rob him |
Of his cuticlo at the samo time. While |
this was going on several Of the COM
mittccmcn were rushing about, to the |
intense mystilication OF the unofficial
citizens, who asked huaSSittsT RI at;cs-
tons, and wCro shamcfully snubbcd
each time. When the rushing" re-
suited in the producing Of q misfit suit
of clothes, into which Sinks was
hustled, he WAS III Q state Of open
mouthed wonder.
As all hands wcTo mounting, Sinks
heard Old Man Berry inform neigh
bor, il y mysterious bus very loud
whisper, that it wGs lis belief that the
committee had captured Sinks red
handed i'll some atrocity, and were ar
raging him deccntly that the outcast
might make Q rro3entablo looking
corpse. Tho ncighbor nodded con-
vinccd head, and Sinks, fo. want Of
more pleasant solution to tlo mystery,
was forced to accept the Gireful the
ory.
So great had been tho change in tho
'outcaSt's appearance, resulting from
his experience with the committee
and tho barber, that when the littloo
troop reached the wagon ca profesScd
to believe that they had added q new