The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-06-26
'MISSUS.'
BY KATE a. BRADLEY.
From lho petrolt &C rr,ss.


will 20, spite Of oil tibet | kin say. YES she
snapped as an after thought, "you Kin BRING
me a ward of eight cent cotton-unbleache
mind. Now git out, an spend the rest o yer
lnornin' loafn' round some barroom."
Mrs. Loud, or. as she was more generally
called by her husband and few scattered neigh
bors, "Missus," watched him drive slowly off
down the road behind the patient mare without
taking her arms from the suds
"Poor, shiftless creeturv she mutteredi
"nuthin' but nuisance ennyway. Amt no
more use than n last years birds nest. What
ever / kun to marry him fer don't see"
She wiped the suds off either arm with her
thumb and fore-fnger.
"Sam Loud" she called, opening the door
sharply, "ef you amt back hercefer dinner you
don't cit emmy here, that's all.
"Thar" she exclaimed, after few mo
ments of steady rub-rubbing up and down over
tho board, the rhythmic motion keeping time
to con Jordan's Stormy Banks j stand"
which was running through her mind. That
lazy Inortal's clean forgot the pail o water
told him to git half an hour ngo. Ef he never
kun back twould DO 'tarnai marcy"
Sam did not turn his head MS blissus launch
ed after him her parting threat, but logged
slowly on. musing to himself.
EFF Missus 'ud only give fellar cnancel
Sartin tho marc needs shoein' bad an aman's
got to SEQ how things is in town sometimes
though can't never make her sec it that way,
somehow.
"a ward o. eight cent cotton he repeated
aloud, to Tx II more DTilly III ms uiStapio
memory. "An' mebbe / kin find some little
thing to sort O. pacify her, Of so bet as how l
can't get the mare shod afore noon. An l
declar' FORT, CT | didn't furgt that pail O.
water"
4 man, stranger to Sam, was walking
along the road little way ahead At this
noint he stopped AVID looked intently up and
down tho broad, straight highway, stretching
in sight for miles eitherway.
Good day. my man." he said, as Sam came
up to him; "Can you give me asliit, as we both
seem TO be going the same wayY'
"Rcckon kin, eff you amt tew hefty," re-
turned Sam, cheerfully, pulling up his horse,
fur a spell, IS fur 3 60"
The man. from his clothes and manner evil
IDENTIFY a gentleman, climbed to q place beside
Sam end listened silently to that worthy's gar
rulous conversation.
"Thct little red buildin on yer lef' stranger"
he was just saying, "was whar fust larned ter
stick pins in the schoomarsters cheer, an
ter" Here the man broke in suddenly:
"Tcll me, isn't that wagon on tho road
mile or two bac!t?'
'Thet specS way back by Tim Slocumses
place? It's n wagin. sure huff, but it's good
five mile away. You kin see it SO plain kase
thar's n hill thar"
isn't this branch road we are just coming
to, the road to Kngslow?' the stranger asked.
''Spect it be, drawled Sam, regarding him
with slow surprise.
"My man" said his comnanion, hurriedly,
Kmgslow, III give you twenty dollars ii you
get me there III time
Sam made no reply.
IF twenty isn't enough, I'll make il forty"
said the man, watching Sans face anXiously.
ooh, 'taii't the money" said Sam at last,
leisurely, Enough I'll allow tits some indeuse-
ment TO a man who sgot a wife to hum 'Tain't
thet-it's why you're III sech main hurry
all of u suddint. No, stranger, | don't b'leeye
| kin stand the racket The hoss's only got
one shoe on, an promised MisSus to be hum
fer dinner"
"Do you see that speck back on tho road ?"
asked the man, quietly. "Well that speck is
n buggy containing two constables. They are
after mo fOr-neyer mind what Now, my
man. if you get me to l<insow docks in time
TO catch a boat waiting there for me, before
those men catch us, III give you fifty dollars
If not -"
Tho alternative was expressed by n drawn
revolver. pointing threateningly at Sans
blanchng face
He turned tho mares head into Kingslow
road. Tho minutes and the miles sped by in
silence, the stranger watchful with his fin
gers closed on the revolver, Sam silently con-
sidering his chances for escape from the fate
lie saw only too plainly hanging over him;
that of arrest and perhaps imprisonment, for
helping folon escape the outstretched arm of
justice,
And what would Missus say?" Sam
They were close upon Kinslow when he
spoke,
Locke hyar mister" he said. "You've
gone about fur 'nulf with this ere boss an
wagin." And he begun to draw in the nearly
spent horse. There was n short struggle, then
pistol report, and sam fell backward into the
body Of the wagon and lay motionlcss
Slowly and gradually the consciousness of
earthly things began TO return to Sans dark
cned mind. Ito made an effort TO turn over
and look around him
"Wha-whar be ?" he Queried
You re two weeks out at ea,my hearty, and
bound for a six months cruise to China. on
the trimmest craft that sails the blue" said n
CHEEKY voice beside him"
~ friend o yourn shipped YOU" continued
the voice, afterwards proving to belong to the
knd-heart61 second mate, ''iust after you'd
hurt yourself foolin' with your revolver, He
said he'd promised you TO- cause YOU had a
sick relation or something in China, an seeing
your name on the books, an he funiShin'
plenty, o money for your nussin', we had to
take You along as we d agreed to. Now 20 to
sleep, an youll be well before You know it,"
Sam had plenty of timo TO think out many
! knoty problems during the weary weeks that
followed.
"Mebhe I war triAc shittiu' an Uneasy
| ike fer sech Il woman MS Missus. he said sud
/ denly aloud one day: "'F ever git back Pm
| blamed I don't start a new count thet'n
! please her. But won't the bows open their
/ eyes when they hear about this!'
/ When the clock struck one on the day MiSSus
I 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, sho cleared away the things aud went on
! with her work.
Evening came. hut brought do signs of the
! absent sam. When bed time arrived She
/ rose, shut up the house and went wrathfNly
/ 10 bed
She unlocked the door in the morning, smil-
| ing TO herself rs She wondered where sam had
| spent the night after finding tho house Sc
| curely fastened against him.
Hell he along in plenty time for breakfast
| with another Grant ter do IN town--shiiloss
I crooturi" she thought.
/ About noon n neighhor drove into the ward
behind the old white marc. They had caught
her. he said, Strayng alone over Kmssow
| downs, hut sam was nowhere TO he found
! The few drops Of blood i'm the bottom OF the
wagon, however. limited az grave eNplara-
ton Of his mysterious disappearance and
[ when, week later, the uureCoguisahe body
I OF man was discovered u short dis
lance from where the horse was found. no
room for doubt was left I'M any mind. even
in tho most reluctant one Of MisSus herself
From the day that the fact oi SAM death he.
I came evident 10 her she Withdrew wholly from
/ the society and sympathy OF her nei ghb0rs and
/ shat herself up alone with tiresome and PER-
sistcnt reflections. That one halt wish knot