Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-12-05

Ii
er and purer literature. Iloaned her
books, and we discussed them together.
and thus her dreary girlhood most rap
idly developed into noble womanhood
under little sympathy and care. We
talked of the great world together, and
sometimes of her own sad hone--of
VOLTS cruelty and his secret life, Of
which she knew scarcely more than
his neighbors. but which was growing
to be full of strange interest to me.
I did not love the girl; at least so ]
remember reasoning within myself
when wondering as often did-what
kind of a wife such one might make;
but nevertheless I kept being drawn
closer and closer to her by every word
and act, and by every glimpse I got in
to her mind and heart. She grew
more tender aud thoughtful in those
days; the old angry, defiant light came
more seldom into her brown eyes; but
her home life was terrible, and I grew
to studying moro and more upon the
problem: How can leave her alone
to war with the surroundings?
Thus the months rolled along. until
the children noticed much that was go
ing on, with youthful shrewdness. Per-
haps my landlady noticed it also, for
she observed to a neighbor in strict
confidence ''that it did beat all how
that young man staid out nights"
Possibly she was right, but
it was not upon Barbara I was
calling. although in those long
night vigils often haunted the neigh
borhood of the Wolf shanty, when all
its inmates should have been in bed.
The secret of it lay in little slip cut
from the columns of our nearest news
paper, which read: "Reports from
Washington speak OF very dangerous
counterfeit ten-dollar bill being in cir
culation. 1t is believed to originate
somewhere in the Bald Mountain dts
trict, and the notorious Jack Talcott is
believed to be connected with the gang.
out the officers have thus far been I'M
able to locate them or get on the track
of Talcott" Some way, by what line
of argument I need not stop to show, 1
had become convinced of VOLTS con-
nection with this gang. and from it /
saw faint hope for Barbara's free
dom. watched an opportunity to I'M
mask the man for the sake of saving
the girl.
One night in the early spring. dark,
gloomy night, I had been down to
Edgewood, the nearest railway station.
and was on my way home. 1 was driv-
ing a blooded and spirited colt. the
property of my landlady, and, in spite
of bad roads and cloudy sky, was maxi
ing rapid time. Over the covered
bridge and up the long hill I drove,
the horse in hurry for his comfort
able quarters in the stable at home,
and his driver humming to himself the
words of an old Scotch love song. As
we mounted the hill on a trot noticed
bright light cleaning from an upper
window of the Wolf shanty, and rubbed
my eyes clearer in order to look at it,
muttering, earnestly:
Hello! Can they be at it, at last, to-
night?''
Scarcely had I spoken the words
when, with sudden snort of fear, the
colt was driving sprang to one side
and started on run. With the use OF
all my strength succeeded in holding
the excited animal dancing in the air,
and peered anxiously forward to learn
the cause of his fright
whoa, Tiger! Stand still, sir!" I
spoke to the restless animal; then
called out: "What is there?"
Out of the weeds close beside the
road, as if in answer to me, figure
moved quickly-a figure ghostly in the
darkness, and scarcely more than a
glimmer of something white. The
colt saw it at the same moment and
became unmanageable from fright,
jumping, plunging, rearing and shying
in spite of every effort could make to
hold him in check. Finally, with a
spring of terror, he whirled in the
shafts, and cramping the wheels, hurl-
ed me headlong over them into the
road.
For moment I was stunned by the
shock Of the heavy fall, and lay there
without movement, as the colt and
wagon dashed away; then. as if in q
dream, / felt some one kneel in the dirt
by my side, and q soft hand touched
my face. q. -. ...s -*.-
THANK God, he is not dead!" A
low voice spoke the words, and / knew
its sound.
"Barbara!' cried, looking up into
her clear face as she bent over me, q
white mantle twined about her head
and shoulders. She started back at
my voice.
''Merciful Heaven, was it your" she
exclaimed. 'Oh. I am SO sorry!-and
it was all my fault"
Someway. I hardly know how, I be-
came possessed of ono of her little
hands, and held it tightly.
''Why are you sorry to see me so7''
I asked, looking up eagerly into the
bowed and troubled face
because because it was all