Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-14

her chin, and slipping out of the back
door, swept like 4 lissom shadow along
the line of fence until she seemed to melt
into the umbrage of the woods that
fringed the distant north boundary.
CHAPTER Y.
Meanwhile, unaware of her husband s
sudden relapse to her old border princi-
piles and of the visit that had induced it
Mrs. Mckinstry was slowly returning
from lugubrious recital of her moods
and feelings ut the parson s. As she
crossed the barren fat and reached the
wooded uplands midway between the
school house and the ranch, she saw be-
fore her the old familiar figure of Seth
Davis lounging on the trail. In her
habitual loyalty to her husbands feuds
she would probably have stalked defiant
" pasthim Notwithstanding her late re-
grets at the broken engagement, but
| Seth began to advance awkwardly toward
her. In fact, he had noticed the tail,
gaunt, plaid shawled and Holland bon
netted figure approaching and had waited
for it.
AS he seemed intent upon getting in
her way she stopped and raised her right
hand warningly before her. In spite of
the shawl and sunbonnet, suffering had
implanted rude Runic dignity to her at
titude. "WordS that hev TO be took
back, Seth Davis, - she said hastily,
''hav passed between you and my man.
Out of my way, then, that l may pass
| too.
'Not much betwixt you and me, Aunt
Rachel, - he said with slouching depreca-
ton, using the old household title by
which he had Familiarity known her.
Give nOthin agin you-and l kin prove
it by wot | m yer to say. And | ain t
| trucklin' to yer for myself, for ez far eZ
| me and your II ez concerned, - he con-
tinued, with malevOlent glance, ''thar
ain t gold enough in Caleforny to make
the weddfn ring that could hitch me and
CreSs together. / want to tell you that
you re bein' played: that you re bein
befooled and bamboCzled and honey
fogled. Thet while you re groanin' at
class meeting and Hiram S quo lin with
Dad, and Joe Masters waitin' round to
pick up any bone that s thowed him, that
sneakin', hypocritical Yankee school
master is draggin your daughter to hill
with him on the sly
''Quit that, Seth Davis, - said Mrs.
McKinstry sternly, cor be man enough
to tell it to man. That S Hiram s
business to know -
"And what if he knows it well enough
| and winks at it? What if he's wllin'
enough to trucllle to it to curry favor
with them sneakin Yanks?' said Seth
Indignantly.
a spasm of savage conviction seized
Mrs. McKinstry. But it was more from
her jealous fears of he husband 5 dislOy
atty than concern for her daughters
transgression. Nevertheless, she said
| desperately:
cts lie. Where are your
proofs?''
"Proofs?" returned Seth. "'Who is
it sneaks around the school-hOuse to have
| private talks with the schoolmaster, and
edges him on with Greasy afore folks?
Your husband. Who goes sneakin' of
| every AFTERNOON with that same cantin'
| hound of a schoolmaster? Your daughter.
| Who s been carryin' on together? and
| hidin thick enough to be ridden out on IL
| sail together? Your daughter and the
schoOlmaster. Proofs? ASK anybody.
Ask the children. Look yar-you Johnny
| come here. -
He had suddenly directed his voice to a
| blackberry bush near the trail, from
which the curly head of Johnny Filgee
had just appeared. That home return
ing infant painfully disengaged himself,
| his slate, his books, and his small dinner
pail half filed with fruit as immature as
"Yer's a dime = Johnny, to git some
candy said Seth, endeavoring to dis
tort his passion-set face into smile.
Johnny Filgee's small, berry-stained
| palm promptly closed over the coin.
| ''Now, don t lie-Where IS Cressy?'
"Kithn her DO. -
''Good boy. What beau?''
Johnny hesitated. He had once seen
the Schoolmaster and Greasy together; he
had heard it whispered by the other chill
dren that they loved each other. But
| looking at Seth and Mrs. McKinstry he
| felt that something more tremendous than
| this stupid fact was required of him for
| grown up people, and being honest and
| imaginative he determined that ii should
| be worth the money.
''Speak up, Johnny, don t be afeard
to tell
Johnny was not "afeard he was
only thinking He had it, He remem-
| bered that he had just seen his paragon
| the brilliant Stacey-Coming from the
| boundary woods. What more poetical
and startlingly effective than to connect
him with Cressy. He replied promptly.
"Mithter Thtathy. He gived her
watch and ring of truly gold. Coin to
be married at Thacramento.
"You lyin' limb, - said Seth, Selling
him roughly. But Mrs. McKinstry in
| terposed.
''Let that brat CO., she said with
| cleaning eyes 81 want TO talk to
you'' Seth released Johnny. cts
| trick - he said, che : bin put up to it
| by that Ford -
But Johnny, after securing a safe
vantage behind the black berry bush, de-
| termned to give them another trial
with facts.
~ know NOR IN that, he called out.
"Git-you measly pup said Seth
savagely.
81 know Theriff Briggth, he rid over
the boundary with a lot o men and
horthes,' said Johnny, with that hur
ried delivery with which he was able to
eStop interruption. "Theed 'em 60 by.
| Maur HarrIthon theth his dads goiu to
| chuck out ole Mckinthtry. Hooray!'
Mrs. McKinstry turned her dark face
sharply on Seth. whats that he
| sez?''
'"Nothin but children's gassin' - he
| answered, meeting her eyes with an evil
| consciousness half loutish, half defiant,
land eff it war true, it would only sarve
Hiram McKnstry right.
She laid her hand upon his shoulder
with swift suspicion. ''Out o my way,
Seth Davis she said suddenly, pushing
|