The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-08-15

to catch boat waiting there for me, be-
fore those men catch us, I'll give you
fifty dollars. If not"
The alternative was expressed by
drawn revolver, pointed thTeateningly at
Sans banching face.
lie turned the mare head into Kings
low road. The minutes and the miles
sped by in silence, the stranger watch
full with his fingers closed on the revol-
yer, Sam silenly considering his chances
for escape from the fate lie saw only too
plainly hanging over him. that of arrest
and perh FPS imprisonment for helping a
felon cape the outstretched arm of JUS
ticc.
"And what would Missus sayl" Sam
groaned
They were close upon Kingslow when
he spoke.
"Look'ee hyar, mister" he said,
"You'vc gone about fur huff with this
ere hoss an wagin." And he began to
draw in the nearly spent horse. There
was a short struggle, then a pistol Ie-
port, and Sam fell backward into the
body of the wagon and lay motionIess.
Slowly and gradually the conscious
/ AANoo Vi Nbi wv AlllhBS bNEhu w iNAhA II W
Sans darkened mind. lie made an ef-
fort to turn over and look around him.
"Wha- whar be Il" he queried
weakly.
you're two weeks out at sea, my
hearty, and bound for a 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 proving
to belong to the kind hearted second
mate, 'just 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 was on the books, an
he furnishin' plenty O. money for your
nuss n, we had to take you along as
we'd agreed. Now go 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 | war a trihe shiftin' an on
easy-likc for sech woman as Missus, "
he said suddenly aloud one day. F
ever | git back, I'm blamed f / don't
start new count thet'll please her. But
won't the boys open their eyes when they
hear 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 10 her word, she
cleared away the things and went on
with her work.
Evening came but brought no signs of
the absent Sam. When bedtime ar
rived she rose, shut up the house and
went wrath ully to bed.
She unlocked the door in the morning,
smiling to herself as she wondered where
Sam had spent the night after finding
/ the house securely fastened aga nst him.
"Hell be along in plenty time for
breakfast, with another Grant ter do in
town-shi.iless creetur" she thought.
About noon u 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 grave explanation of his
mysterious disappearance, and when, a
week later, the unacceptable body of a
man was discovered 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 with.
| drew wholly from the society and sym.
pathy of her neighbors, and shut herself
/ up alone with her tiresome and persis-
! 80 raIooK;An1 That ho1 eh l-a,
ringing in her aching ears: 'Ef he never
/ cum back; ef he never cum backn
! And it was wonderful how great the
number of things she found herself
obliged to do during the day that Sam,
| she remembered now, had unassertingly
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-
( grets into her winters work.
1t was easy TO see that these months
/ had mellowcd and softened her severe
nature. She was thinking-as she had
/ thought many times before, with, per-
haps, a touch more Of self-reproaoh 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 on one spot a fut
( squar', the way woman kin, an stay
satisfied, / sposc. Though | never
( thought ont thet way then. Ef he could
only KUN back now, he'd find things
different Ireckon. An he might 90 to
/ town now an then-in reason."
Footsteps were heard crunching their
way up the walk to the kitchen door,
There was a moments hesitation, then
some one knocked, and as Missus rose
uncertainty. filled with vague, underlined
expectation, the door was opened wide
and man stood in the doorway.
| "Sam!" was all she said, as she
! stretched out both trembling hands to-
ward him. but there was look of Low.
ing JOY in her face such a. Sam had
never seen before in all the DAYS of his
married life
"MIssus," he stammered, 'I-I furgot
ter git the water-but brung the eight
cent cotton "-Detr0H Free Press.
Flowers in Icy Prison.