Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-09

the children coming home from school
She hastily tied girlish sunbonnet under
her chin, and slipping out of the back
door, swept like lissom shadow along
the line of fence until she seemed to melt
into the umbrage of the woods that
fringed the distant north boundary.
| CHAPTER x.
Meanwhile, unaware of her husband IS
sudden relapse to her old border princi-
Piles and of the visit that had induced it +,
| Mrs. McKinstry was slowly returning
from lugubrious recital of her moods
and feelings at the parson As she
crossed the barren fiat and reached the
wooded uplands midway between the
school-house and the ranch, she saw be-
| fore her the old familiar figure of Seth
| Davis lounging on the trail. In her
habitual loyalty to her husbands feuds
| she would probably have stalked defiant
ly past him, notwithstanding her late re-
| grets at the broken engagement, but
Seth began to advance awkwarlly toward
| her. In fact, he had noticed the tall,
gaunt, plaid shawled and Holland-bon-
netted figure approaching and had waited
for it,.
AS he seemed intent upon getting in
her way she stopped and raised her right
hand warningly before her. In spite of
the shawl and sunbonnet, suffering had
implanted rude Runic dignity to her at
! titude. ''Words that hev to be took
back, Seth Davis she said hastily,
"'hev passed between you and my man.
| Out of my way, then, that 1 may pass
| too
mot much betwixt you and me, Aunt
Rachel, - he said with slouching depreca-
| ton, using the old household title by
which he had Familiarity known her.
"Ive nothin' agin you-and kin prove
it by wot m yer to say. And l ain t
| trucklin TO yer for myself, for ez far ez
me and your'n ez concerned, - he con-
tinued, with a malevoIent glance, "thar
ain t gold enough in Caleforny to make
| the weddin ring that could hitch me and
| Cress together. l want to tell you that
| you re bein' played; that you re bein'
| befOoled and bamboozled and honey
| fOglcd. Thet while you re groanin at
! class meeting and Hiram S quo Hin with
! Dad, and Joe Masters waitin' round to
pick up any bone that IS thowed him, that
! sneakin' hypocritioal Yankee school
master is draggin your daughter to hi
/ with him on the sly
| ''Quit that, Seth Davis, - said Mrs
! McKinstry sternly, cor be man enough
| to tell it to man. That's Hiram'5
business to know
"And what if he knows it well enough
| and winks at it? What if he's wllin
enough to truckle to it to curry favor
with them sneakin Yanks?'' said Seth
Indignantly.
a spasm of savage conviction seized
Mrs. MeKinstry. But it was more from
her jealous fears OF he husbands disloy-
atty than coGcern for her daughters
transgression. Nevertheless, she said
desperately:
"It's lie. Where are your
proofs?'
''Proofs?'' returned Seth. "Who is
it sneaks around the school-house to have
private talks with the schoolmaster, and
edges him on with Cressy afore folks?
Your husband. Who goes sneakin off
every AFTERNOON with that same cantin
hound of a schoolmnster? Your daughter.
Who s been carryin on together? and
hidin thick enough to be ridden out on a
sail together? Your &&ughter and the
schoolmaster Proofs? ask anybody.
Ask the cfildren. Look yar-you Johnny
come here
He had suddenly directed his voice TO
blackberry bush near the trail, from
which the curly head of johnny Filgee
ing infant painfully disengaged himself,
his slate, his books, and his small dinner
pail half filed with fruit as immature as
himself and came toward them sideways.
''1er's dime y Johnny, 10 git some
candy, said Seth, endeayOring TO dis
tort his passion-set face into a smile.
Johnny Filgee's small, berry -stained
palm promptly closed over the coin.
Now don lie--Where s Cressy?'
'Kithin' her DO. -
Good boy. What beau?''
Johnny hesitated. He had once seen
the schoolmaster and Greasy together; he
had heard it whispered by the other chill
dren that they loved each other. But
looking at Seth and Mrs McKinstry he
felt that something more tremendous than
this stupid fact was required of him for
grown up people, and being honest and
imaginative he determined that it should
be worth the money.
"Speak up, Johnny, don't be afeard
to tell
Johnny was not tafeard ''-he was
only thinking. He had it! He remem-
bered that he had just seen his paragon
the brilliant Stacey-coming from the
boundary woods. What more poetical
and startlingly effective than to connect
him with Cressy. He replied promptly
"Mithter Thtathy. He gived her
watch and ring of truly gold. Coin to
be married at Thacramento. -
"You lynn limb said Seth, Selling
him roughly. But Mrs. McKinstry III
terposed.
"Let that brat co., she said with
cleaning eyes. 81 want to talk to
you.' Seth released Johnny. cts a
trick he said, ''he's bin put up to it
by that Ford
But Johnny, after securing a safe
vantage behind the blackberry bush, de- |
terrnined to give them another trial |
with facts.
al know MORN that he called out. |
"Git-you measly pup said Seth
savagely.
81 know Theriff Briggth, he rid over
the boundary with lot O. men and
horthes," said Johnny, with that hur-
ried delivery with which he was able to
estop interruption. 'Theed 'em go by. |
Maur Harrithon theth his dad IS goin to
chuck out ole McKinthtry. Hoorayi"
Mrs. McKinstry turned her dark face
sharply on Seth. "What's that he
sezP''
''Nothin' but children's gassin' {" he
answered, meeting her eyes with an evil
consciousness half loutish, half defiant,
tand eff il war true, it would only sarye |