The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-11-08


the crowd dispersed. land Blake ought
to swing for it. II he was back again.
Id be one to help do It.
.And /. - land ]" land l." echoed
. dozen voices.
But Blake was not there, and will
doubtless take good care never to 60
back. II living still, ne is probably 10
he found IN New York. or some other
great city. running some swindling in
siitntion by means OF which he obtains
a living. He may even have amas-cd
= fortune, and If so, should be looked
for, ifwanted, among the presidents Of
savings banks, or managers of some
corporate monopoly, robbing the people
under the shelter Of the lew.
CHAPTER XIV.
OVER THE RANGE.
It was three o'clock on a short Oc-
toaer day when JOIN Parsons left
Phippsburg on his return to the cottage
where his wife aud crippled boy awaited
him.
He did not call it home did not think
of il as such now.
Another held claim against /. for
all 1t was worth in money, and his past
experience led him to expect no mercy.
He had not stopped to ascertain who
held the mortgage, or anything about it.
further than that il existed aud was for
sum greater than he could. by any
possibility, raise.
lie had no hope that it might prove
mistake in any way: that it might
have been paid and not Cancelled. He
accepted it as what he ough; really to
have expected would happen sooner or
later, for he had come To believe that
the poor, those who iaborcl in any way
for a living, were looked upon as legit-
innate pre-, b. 4 set of men who bad by
some means obtained control Of the
courts and Of State and National Le9is-
latures, and who in one way or another
but always under the guise of law =
would rob the people just as men rob
the honey bees. taking the honey, bn,
letting the bees live in order that they
might store mp more honey for the rob
bers when their turn comes for Icing
robbed again. And so from the first
mention Of a mortgage he gave mp all
hope, regarding It as but another Of the
ways-of which experience had taught
him that there were many-of taking
from him and his their little accumula-
tons; and but one thought, one im-
pulse remaincd--to get back to where
his wife and crippled boy were aud die
in their presence and with them.
Ills brain seemed incapable OF
thought. There was numbness about
his whole body that made it difficult
for him to retain his seat in the saddle,
and several persons who saw him pass,
swaying to and fro in his seat thought
that for once he had been drinking and
had taken more LIQUOR than he could
we'll carry.
But he was no. drunk. He was
crushed.
All hope lad led, never to return
again. No ray Of light came to him
from any source.
He paid no heed TO the inluiring
looks of those whom he met as he
passed through the streets of the little
town and took the road leading up into
the mountains; no attention to the
guidance OF the animal which he rode
He had no clearly defined idea of
what he should do or say wien he
reached the spot where his wife and
and Johnny were. or of how they could
bear the terrible news.
He felt isolated from the entire
world: was unconscious OF what was
passing around him or Of the rapidly
gathering storm overhead.
His one dim idea was to get to where
his wife and boy were; and | think he
really expected that once there they
would all GO away out of the cottage
and out OF the world.-that they would
all die together, and ut once.
There seemed to be no place in this
world for them. and yet they were or
dered to "moye on Where else coult
they 60 to except to the other world
and who else but Death was to poin
the way, or be their guide upon tn,
| journey?
And Erastus aud Lucy were to 20
too, and would take the little baby tina
was not yet born. for they We're withou
home also they. too, had been or
dered 10 move on
| Then he wondered If Jennie and he
husband We're to 60 with them, end h
was not quite sure about it. The,
would follow pretty soon, of course; 70
all who tried 10 get their living by worl
would be ordered 10 ''move on soone
or later; but it did not appear that the
were to die ut once, as he and Marth
and Johnny, and Lucy and Erastus an
the baby must do.
When the clouds, which had beef
gathering oil day, broke at las:, an
the rain poured down in torrents. h
did not seem to know 1t. He was we
to the skin in an instant, but be va
not conscious Of it. His rubber Goa
remained tied 10 the back of the saddle
where he had fastened it in tue morn
Ing before starting. The water RAJ
from his person and filled his boots, hi
horse placed his nose close 10 the cart
| and plodded on blindly in face Of tn
storm, but his rider sat the same, on
hand upon the loosened rein and tn,
other hanging idly ut his side; his eye
| fixed upon the ground Just in advance
but seeing nothing, taking no note Q
anything.
Left to his own will, the hors
plodded on through the mud and raj
at walk. Before they were half wa
home night had set in-night as blac
as clouds and falling rain could max
it. Soon the water, still falling in tor
rents, began to fill the gulches wit
floods of the color of clay; floods whic
dubbed, and scethed, and roared the
way down the hillsides and across tn
road, forming frothy line of white, tn
only thing visible in the pitchy dark
| ness.
| And still the horse plodded onward
fording the streams as he came t
them; scrambling up the steep AM
slippery inclines where the road woun
round the mountain side, avoiding
either by instinct or that peculiar powe
of seeing in the dark which some horse
possess, the deep gullies cut by til
rushing water in the clay Of the roat
bed; and still the rider sat motionless-
save as he swayed to and fro with tn
movements of the animal which he roll
and looked straight forward into til
night
Suddenly, when they were about tw.
thirds of the way up the mountain
there came flash of lightning, followe
by clap Of thunder which seemed I
] ,.opd tho vary oarth ,uJ anhoaJ aud -