The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-12-22

under his AdVeTshyb enOuou' WIZ
every cub that sets yer, under his cantin'
teacbin, and sees 'em together, knows.
It's wot you'd hev knowed ef he and
Roop Filgee hadn't played ye fer a softy
all the time. And while you've bin
ha6gin' round yer fer a flicker OF Cressy's
gownd as she pIhnccs ont o school, he's
hin lying low and latin at we, and
while he's turned Roop oyerto keep you
here, pretendin' to give ye lessons, he's
hin eallivnntin' round with her and hug
gin and kissin' her in barns and in the
Erusn-and now yOu want to quar'll
wr'h NE"
He stopped, painting for breath, and
stared niaiig uunIly in the grey face OF
his bearer. But Uncle Ben only lifted
his heavy hand mildly with an awkward
gesture OF warning, stepped softly in his
old cautious hesitating manner TO the
omen door closed it, and returned gently.
"a reckon We got in through the wind
or, didn't ye, SethW he sud. with u
iabourcd affection OF Unconditional ease,
kind o one leg over. and one, two,
and then you're in, ell !"
Never you mind hOw ! got in, Ben
Dabpey," returned Seth, his hostility
md insolence increasing with his OPP
ponent's evident weakness, "ez long ez
/ got yer and got--by Cd! what
kTm here fcrI For whites all this was
roin' on and whites the old fool man and
Old fool wOman wns swaiiowrn' VIVA.
they did sec and biinkin' ut what they
didn't, and huggin' themselves that
they'd got high-tOncd kempany fer their
darier, that heightened kempany was
playin' them too, by Cd! Yes, sir!
tnat heightened, cantin' school teacher
was keI pin married woman in Frisco,
all the while he was here honey-foglin'
with Cressy, and I've got tho papers yer
to proveit." He tappGd'his breast.pocket
with coarse laugh and thrust his face
forward into the grey shadow OF his
adversary's.
"An' you sortcr spotted their bein' in
this yer desk aud burSted it?" said
Uncle Ben, graveIy examiningth the broken
lock in the darkness rs il it were the
most important feature ri the incident.
Seth nodded. "You bet your life. l
saw him through the NIndtr only this
afternoon lookin' over 'em alone, and !
rvckOned to lay my hands on 'Gtn II had
TO bust him or his desk. And ! did" he
added with triumphant chuckle.
"And you did-sure pop!" said Uncle
Ben with slow deliberate admiration,
passing his heavy hand along the splin-
tered lid. "And you reckon, Seth, that
this yer shown OF him up will break OIL
enythiu' hetwixt him and this yer-this
yer NIiss-Miss McKinstIy?" he contin-
ued with laboured formality.
~ reckon ef the old fool McKinstry
don't shoot him in his tracks thar'll be
white men enough in 1njin Springs to
ride this heightened pizenous hypocriton
a rail outer the eettlementw
"Thats sol" said Uncle Ben musingly,
after thoughtful pause, in which he
still seemed to be more occupied with
the broken desk than his companions
remark. Then he went on cautiously,
"And ez this orter be worked mighty fine,
Seth, p'raps, on the hull, you'd better
let me have them papers"
"What You?" snarled Seth, drawing
back with n glance OF angry suspicion
"not il know itv
"Selh," said Uncle Ben, resting his ell
bows on the desk confdentially, and
speaking with painful and heavy deliber-
alton, when you first interdoosed this
yer subject you elluded to my hevin', SO
! 10 speak, rights o presumption and inter-
ference with this yer young lady, and
that in your opinion wasn't purtectin'
them rights. 1t pears to me that, allow
in that to be gospel truth, them Their pm.
pprs Orter be in my posession-yon hevin'
30 to speak no rights to purtect, bein' oil
the board with this yer young lady, and
bein' moved gin'rally by free and in
dependent cussedness. And ez | sed
afdrc, this sort O. thing havin' to be
worked mighty fine, and them papers
manniperlated with Judgement, ! rec
kon, Seth, fyou don't obieck, III hev-
hev-to trouble you. -,
Seth started to his feet with rapid
glance at the door, but Uncle Ben had
risen again with the same alarming ex-
preston OF earnestness, filling the dark
eucd school.room, and of shaking the
floor beneath him ut the slightest move
ment. Already he Iancied he saw Uncle
Ben's powerful arm lowering above him
ready to descend. Itsuddenly occurred
to him that if lie left the execution OF
his scheme OF exposure and vengeance
to Uncle Ben, the onuS of stealing the
letters would fall equally upon their
possessor. This advantage seemed more
probable than the danger OF Uncle Ben's
weakly Welding them up to the master.
In the latter case he, Seth, could still
circulate the report OF having seen the
letters which Uncle Ben bad himself
stolen in tit OF jPalousy-a hypothesis
the moreheadily u cepledfrom the latter's
familiar knowledge OF the school-house
and his presumed ambitious jealousy Of
Greasy in his present attitude as man
OF position. With affected reluctance
and hesitation he put his hand to his
breast pocket.
"of course" he said, "if you're kali
kilatin' to take up the quar'll on your
rights, and ez Greasy ain'tanythin' more
to me, you orter hcy the proofs. Only
don't trust them into that hounds hands
Once he vets 'em again hen secure q
warrant agin you for sIeGiin'. thatll be
his game. l q SHOW eiu lOHtT hIsS NoA
We see ?-aRd reckon Of she's old Ma'am
McKinstry's darter, she'll make it lively
for him"
lie handed the letters TO the looming
figure before him. 1t seemed to become
again yielding mortal, and said in n
Eesltating voice, "P'r'aps you'd better
make tracks outer this, Seth, and leave
me yer 10 put things to rights and fix up
that door and tne desk agin tomorrow
mornin'. He'd bettsr not know 1t to
onct, and so start row about bein'
broken into"
The proposition seemed to please
Seth; he even extended his hand in the
darkness. But he met only an irrespon.
siye void. With slight shrug OF bis
shoulders and granting farewell, he
ielt his way to the door and disappeared.
For few mon ents it seemed rs i Uncle
Ben had also deserted the school.houEe,
so profound and quiet was the hush that
fell upon it. But as the eye became accu.
stou,td to the shadow greyisn bulk ap'
peared 10 grow out Of it over the mas
ter's desk and shaped itself into the
broad figure OF Uncle Ben. Later, when
the moon rose and looked in the win
dow, it saw him as the master bad seen
u Il