Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-05-11

an old tattered valise, and rented an
old tumble down cottage. Eph was an
idle, good natured, worthless vaga-
bond; and Eph's wife was hard
working, careful and saving woman.
Mrs. Eph Off the couple had another
name no one ever used it, took in
washing, went out to help in house
work, and in others ways made enough
to support herself and her husband,
who passed his time fishing from the
rickety old pier, shooting stray quail or
duck with rusty old gun he had picked
up, or hugging the stove in the gen.
eral store Of the village. And yet Eph
was favorite, for though he would
not stick steady at any employment,
he was always ready to do any small
odd job, and was perfectly satisfied
with THANK We, Eph, for payment
At last one winter his wife fell sick,
and a hacking cough, the result of ex-
posure, threatened to turn into con-
sumption. Eph tended her as care
fully as a trained nurse, but the slen-
der stock of savings soon went, and
the couple would have been hard put
to it, had it not been for the kindness
of the judges little daughter.
Summer came, and the sick woman
seemed to revive, and in spite of the
doctors orders, insisted on taking up
her work again, while Eph, who dur
ing her illness had actually earned
some money, relapsed into his old
shiftless ways. He was passing the
Judges house in the dusk of a summer
evening, on his return from q days
fishing, and he paused, meditating
whether or not he could slip up to the
kitchen and leave a string of fish with
his ''best respect TO Miss Ella, when
he found himself violently run into by
the judge himself.
''What are you doing around here,
you skulking vagabond2" reared the
judge, whose temper was none OF the
best, and whose pet corn Eph had UNI
willingly trodden on in his effort to
recover his disturbed balance. 'Look
ing round for what you can steal, ehf"
81 begs yer pardon, jedge," said
I amt a skulkin', and I amt never
stole muffin in my life. No, sab. |
may be brack, but Use homes, is. !"
And he strobe Indignantly off, leav-
ing the judge still more enraged from
the consciousness that he had been in
the wrong. But the judge was obsti-
nate, and when he had once commit
ted himself to q statement, he never
changed his mind.
'I'll be bound that was just what
he was after" he muttered to himself,
as he entered the house.
That night the judges house was
broken into and articles of value, in
Guiding some trinkets of Elias, were
taken. When one of the scared SER
wants brought the news to the judge,
the old gentleman said not word,
but with grim smile, as much as to
say, II knew it, / told you So" he
dressed, put on his hat, and stumped
down the village street to Eph's cot
tage. EARLY as it was, he found Mrs.
Eph already bending over the wash
tub. t.,t-
Mornin'," said the judge, abruptly.
go erasmus sake, eff it amt Jedge
Lawton," stammered the astonished
Mrs. Eph. @
"Was your husband home all last
night?" continued the judge. y
'Lemme see," pondered Mrs. Eph.
"W'y, no, jedge, not orl night. He
jes' slipped out to look alter some of
dem ar fishin' lines O his'n. OATS
wheer he's gone jes' now, jedge."
THANK you, my good woman |;
that's all / wanted to Know" said the
Judge, his smile of satisfaction deepen
ing, and he was striding up the street
again, leaving Mrs. Eph staring open
mouthed after him. IN.
When Eph came home to his din
ner he found Mat Raikes, the consta-
BILE, sitting in his cottage, staring COM
passionately at the weeping Mrs. Eph,
and before the unfortunate Eph knew
where he was, he was arrested by Mat
on a warrant sworn out by Judge
Lawton, and an hour later was on his
way to the Jail of tho county town,
vainly protesting his innocence.
For two months Eph lay there
awaiting trial, and it is not unlikely
that he would have been sent to pris
on, so set in his conviction was the
judge that he had in Eph secured the
burglar. - aa
Luckily for Eph, the discovery of
some of Elias jewelry in New York
pawnbroker's shop led to the arrest
and subsequent confession of two
tramps, who had found the judges
parlor window conveniently open, and
had hurriedly helped themselves to
all of value they could carry off with
out attracting notice.
Eph was released, of course, but he
came out Of jail changed man. Not
only did his unjust arrest, and the
consequent degradation of being led
through the street of Shoreport hand
cutfed, weigh upon him, but his wife
had died while be was in prison, and
nothing could convince him that his
misfortune was not the cause of her
death.
His former Light hearted reckless
ness was succeeded by a moody brood
ing over his real and fancied wrongs
Even when the gentle Ella came to
visit him, he turned on her like an en-
ragged lion.
your ladder say I done stole his
old tings, we'en I amt ben nowhar
nigh your house, Miss Ella. He shet
me up in Jail, an killed my ole wo-
man. He's rich, and Use po. Hes
wife an Use brack, but sho's you
bawn, Mis- Ella, Use got to get chen
wifi him. Use got to git chen, suah r
And he turned his head away, and re-
fused to speak another word.
This was all the more Notifying to
poor Ella, as she had pleaded Eph's
cause again and again to her father.
I'm sure it was not Eph, papa" she
said. For one thing, I'm sure Eph
would never have taken my fayorite
silver bracelet, even If he had been
wicked enough to steal the other
things"
"Ah, you're only a gil, my dear,
was the only answer she got; but after
all the girl was right, and the judge
was wrong.
Tho winter was about over, and
Eph, who had had hard time to gel
along, and who had been sinking low.
er and lower, being even suspected Of
helping himself on more than one oc-
casion to other peoples chickens. was
walking along the high road on his
way to Farmer Bellows
The farmer had promised him asack
of potatoes in return for various small
services rendered, and Eph was going