St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-09-01

well, that speck is buggy contain
ing two constables. They are after me
fOr-never mind what. Now. my man.
il you get me to Kingslow docks in
time to catch boat waiting there for
me. before those men catch US. I'll
give you fifty dollars. II not"
Tho alternative was expressed by a
drawn revolver. pointed threateningly
at Sans blanching face.
He turned the mares head into
Kingslow road The minutes and the
miles sped by In silence. the stranger
watchful, with his fingers closed on
the revolver. Sam silently considering
his chances for escape from the fate he
saw only too plainly hanging over
him; that of arrest and perhaps i'm
prisonment for helping felOn escape
the outstretched srm Of justice.
'.And what woulI Missus sayw Sam
groaned.
They were close upon Kinslow when
he spoke.
'Look'ee hyar. mister" he said.
you've gone about fur 'nuff with this
ere hoss an wagin." And he began
to draw in the nearly-spent horse.
There was a short struggle. then q
pistol report, and Sam fell backward
into the body Of the wagon and lay
motionless.
Slowly and gradually the conscious.
uooo ~ an r<hIv, HhsuNc ho~~u 20 uot,,u,,
10 Sans darkened mind. He made an
effort to turn over and look around
him.
"Wha-whar be II" he queried
weakly.
You're two weeks out at sea. my
hearty. and bound for six months
cruise to China, on the trimmest craft
that sails the blue. said CHEEKY voice
beside him.
"A friend o yourn shipped you,"
continued the voice. afterward prov
ing to belong to the kind-hearted Sec
ond mate. "just after you'd hurt your
self foolin' with your revolver. He
said he'd promised you to. cause you
had q sick relation or something In
China, an seeing your name was on
the books. an he furnishin' plenty O.
money for your nussin'. We had to take
you along as we'd agreed. Now 60 to
sleep. an you'll be well before you
know It."
Sam had plenty Of time to think out
many knotty problems during the
weary weeks that followed.
'.Mebbe scar a trifle shiftin' an on
easy-like fer sech woman as Missus."
he said suddenly aloud one day. "'F
ever git back. I'm blamed T don't
start new count thet'll please her.
But won't the boys open their eyes
when they here about this"
When the clock struck one on the
day Missus watched Sam disappear
down the dusty road. she took up her
dinner and sat grimly down to her
solitary meal. That finished. true to
her word, she cleared away the things
and went on with her work.
Evening came, but brought no signs
OF the absent Sam. When bed time
arrived she rose. shut up the house
and went wrathfully to bed.
She unlocked the door in the morn
ing. smiling to herself as she wondered
where Sam had spent the night after
finding the house securely fastened
against him.
Hell be along in plenty time for
breakfast, with another errant ter do
in town-shinless creetur!' she
thought.
About noon a neighbor drove into the
yard behind the old white mare. They
had caught her, he said. straying alone
over Kingslow downs, but Sam was no
where to be found. The few drops of
blood in the bottom of the wagon. how
ever, limited at a grave explanation Of
his mysterious disappearance. and
when. a week later, the unrecOgnizable
body Of q man was discovered a short
distance from where the horse was
found, no room for doubt was left in
any mind. even in the most reluctant
one of Missus herself. From the day
that the fact of Sans death became
evident to her she withdrew wholly
from the society and sympathy of her
neighbors and shut herself up alone
with her tiresOme and persistent re .
Elections. That one-half wish kept
in her aching ears: LEI he
never cum back; ef he never kum
back!"
And it was wonderful how great the
of things she found herself |
obliged to do during the day that Sam.
she remembered now. had always un-
done and left ready to her
hand.
Day after day dragged themselves
slowly across the burning blue and dis
appeared in weeks and months. The
afternoon sun lay aslant the kitchen
floor. where Missus sat knitting sad re-
grcts into her winters work.
1t was easy to see that these months |
had mellOwed and softened her severe
nature. She was thinking-as she had |
thought many times before. with, per-
haps, a touch more Of self-reproach |
now in the thought: '.Ef hedn't ha' |
ben SO hash with him mebbe things |
would ha gone better. A man can't be |
tied to pots an tubs an one spot fut |
squar, the way = woman kin. an STAY |
l spose. Though 1 never |
thought ont thet way then. Ef he
could only KUN back now, he'd find
things different reckon. An he
might 60 to town now an then-in
Footsteps were heard crunching tteir
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