Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-07-12

Well git inter ufouhfe ioi5
we don't tell. .
Father, I've helped en- stood by
Won. bev'n't I?'' asked the girl,
passionate pleading in every hnea'
ment and accent. !,
"True huff, Mirry; you've helped
me pow'ful but 'twur never murder,
he rejoined, uneasily. Hits no
good a-hopin' murder. "
eNo, mol wouldn't do it neither,
but he SAYS he is innocent, father. .
oInnerccnt? Mayhap he is, en-
likely he hain;t likely he's les' a-fool
in wild YOU, kase he's sartin, your
help him out'n his trouble, shrewd.
" interposed Alb.
Father. he says he didn't murder
he says so, she repeated; zen
don't you tu'n against us. "
1us? He sha mt hey you.
The girl chung to him desperate,
terror stricken violence.
"No, / won't never go with him TIL
you give the say so, father, sheprom-
ised, reeklessly. "But he didn { do IT
he is innocent, en- I'll hold to HIM
till it comes all right.
Alb turned away-his wrinkled
countenance had grown hard ana
stern in aspect. He wished he had
heard il all before they told Miriam,
or before they had come into the
house and the girl had reminded him
6f the time when her vigilance ana
devotion had stood him in good stead
while Guy menters' hunted for the
free distillery.
Angryand disappointed ofthe gains
for which they served justice, the de
| tectiyes came in from their futile
search. They had found the two or
three brush matched outhouscs an
| infinitesimal shred of the premises,
compared with the black rayine, the
dense thickets, the great pine forest
stretching away into untold LADY
rinths.
"See here, old man, threatened
the ferret faced detective, you'd do
well to tell the truth We're sure the
fellow is here, and we're a-goin to
stay till we catch him, SO you might
as well own up at once.
Dunno but might, F" acknowledg-
ed Alb.
"Heathe was here to-day, wasn't
he?" questioned the man, in boiling
transportation.
",Jes' so, capting; he wur here ter
| day"
Thought so. Gimme the truth,
now. He's here now, ain he?"
Alb tore off long leaf of tobacco
from a home grown twist and held it
in tempting proximity to his mouth
"Nat'ral 'nuff, eapting, Of he hain't
guy you the slip he be heah yit.
"Confound the fellow, we might
a-known by their takin it socool that
he had vamosed; curse the whole bust
nessi'' anorily retorted Paxton; but
Alb had slowed the tobacco leaf safe
" into his mouth and lazily dropped
into chair before the fire.
| His talk was over for the time.
The lukewarm sheriff and enraged
detectives had taken themselves of,
down the ridge, sometime before Alb
said. with satisfied chuckle.
"Twan't no lie es | tole EN-, Mirry.
| ] knowed them pow full sharp fellers
| wouldn't believe hit; but mind you,
gal, you hain't got my say so ter
TEX no man commits murder, EN-
you'll never git hit, kase he don't
mean YOU right, en- hits onlucky.
The girl knew her father too wellto
remonstrate. She knew, too, that
Heathe was only safe while she adj
hered to her promise not to marry
him without Abs permission. The
cold winter frightened its grip, and
still an uneasy sense of surveillance
! and danger hung over them. The old
moonshiners family had once been
full of expedients for deluding doubt
full visitors They seemed to come
back to Miriam, along with thou
sands of ingenious devices for the
comfort and safety of her lover. All
the winter long he was neither seen
nor heard of at Abs cabin, but all the
winter long neither rain, nor snow,
nor raging tempest-the tempest
fthemountains- the girls
daily pilgrimage To the hut in the
black ravine. Alb would watch hergo
out in the whirling snow wreaths,
with the basket on her arm, but he
never questioned her errand. So the
winter dragged its ice cold lengths
away The fine frosty flakes of snow
bctokened a fierce storm coming over
the ridge-alrcady it had sifted like
white powder into crack and crevice,
shutting out the rigid wind roaring
savagely among the pines outside,
but passing almost contemptuously
the warm, substantial cabin crouch
ing beneath them. The snow dead
ened all sounds without, the dogs
gave no howln nor warning, when sud
| denly the door WAS thrown open, and
with the sweeping gust and snow two
men came in. They were the sheriff
| and a stranger.
Don't make no stir, Abr shouted
the sheriff. Its all right-t'othe
| feller's confessed. Heathe didn't doit.
This here's his brother-t'other fell
Ter owned up when he's a-dyin."
Alb smiled grimly.
Il wouldn't hey TUX nobody IS VIVID
| for hit but youa'n, shurf. "
Yes; we,vekcm a-puppose ter get
him, tho it cold es llazcs," added
the satisfied sheriff, You see Hcathc
KEN in on EN-, en- folks knowed thar's
bad blood 'twixt 'em so they pitched
oh him, en- wouldn't believe nothin'
else. 'Twur a clear case 'gainst him:
but he's innocent, and men his
brother KEN for him. Hes all right
now"
''Fotch him, Mirry--ii It's my say
So"
You had close call, Young man:
they'd hev hanged you sure, ii they'd
caught YOU" the sheriff said. an hour
later, when explanations had been
| made, and IIcathe stood among
them, beside his brother, free aud
| innocent.
Il must have had an inevitable
aud final call this terrible winter but
| for this true and loving WOMAN
answered Heath, as he looked down
into Miriam's lustrous ewes and
beautiful face, softened and aglow
with Joyous tenderness. "And now.
Alb, there is nothing to hinder-wc
viii be married tomorrow" And
they Were.-Inde in Frank Ieslie's.
Panthers in California.