The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-06-04
JAGGS'S WIFE.
BY c. Il. HARDY.

which gave rise to frequent animadver-
sions on her part respecting the unfor-
tunatc choice of the situation of this
necessary outbuilding.
She was in the habit Of attributing to
their noxious influence whatever ills
might befall the family---tbeir state Of
health, or rather unhcalth-if the hens
refused to lay, or if the watchdog ran
about at night instead of staying at home
to guard them from thieves. BY the
same token she once even attempted to
account for the caterpillars which had at
tackled the cotton. Now that a horse
was stolen it was because Mr.. Jobson
had persisted in having the stable and
horse lot right in the back yard, where
nobody else under the sun would have
thought of having them. She hoped he
would learn lesson, now, before he lost
every horse and mule to his name, and
the COWS and pigs thrown in, not to
mention his wife and children.
There had been 4 light rain in the
early part of the night, and the tracks
made by the lost animal and the thief
could be seen very distinctly. Mr.. job
son traced them to the house of Pete
Jaggs, a good-f othing, shiftless fcl-
low, who lived in an abandoned settle
ment a mile or so away. From the signs
it appeared that the horse had been tied
to small pcrsimmon tree at little dis
tance from the house, and number of
tracks were seen about the place, going
back and forth between the house and
the tree.
Pete Jaggs was not at homo. His wife
Said that he had gone away early that
morning to visit relation in an adjoin-
ing county. She knew nothing of the
missing animal, and was sure that her
husband knew nothing of it, or he would
have mentioned it 10 her. She allowed
that some of the tracks around the place
had been made by him, but sh" could not
account for the Others. They had had
nc visitors that night, and she had not
heard or seen any one about the premises
till Mr.. Jobsou and his men Game to in
quire.
Mrs. Jobson quickly rendered the vcr-
dict on Ecaring the evidence in the
case.
II never 'spected nothin' less n that
good: -nothin' Pete Jaggs. Course ne
stole the mare; any fool can see that.
What's a wonder to me is he didn't take
the whole shchang an us into the bar
gain, bein' as the lot is right in the house,
all but, an anybody that's fool ernough
to have one in sich cr outlandish place
needn't 'spect nothin' e.sc, nuther."
No one, not even Daniel Jobson, dis
puted her opinion as to the identity of
the thief, however they might differ in
regard to the balcful influence which the
situation of the horsc-lot was supposed
to exert on that unfortunate individual.
The horse was gone, and so was Pete;
but the tracks OF both were there, and
while no one could say Jaggs was actually
seen to take the horse, the evidence that
he had was plain enough to convince any
jury in the world, not themselves horse
thieves.
Mr.. Jobson went to town to inquire
after the lost mare, and to offer suitable
reward for her return and for the appre-
hens;on of the thief, which, along with
prolific description of the animal writ
ten in his best hand, was tackled up by
the courthouse door and in the postotiice.
Diligent inquiry rewarded him with a
clew, though al uncertain one. At a
wagon yard in the town he had found a
man who had seen the animal Wasn't
she light sorrel mare, biaze-faced, with
left fore-foot white? OF course she was :;
but the man who had her and who traded
her off to farmer for scraggy bay,
blind in one eye, seventeen dollars to
boot, was not "a little old humpback,
sandy haired fellow with a pair of new
black jeans britches and squint in Que
eye, the left one, and home made knit
gallusses and an old wool hat in his shirt
sleeves bill of particulars repre-
sentcd Pete Jaggs as he had left home
that morning, according to the evidence
given by his wife to David Jobson, and
by MIN accordingly set forth in the ad-
yertiScment.
But his most persistent inquiries led to
no better result; no one had seen Pete
Jaggs, either with or without a blaze
faced so.rel mare, and Mr. Jobsou was
forced to return home disconsoate at his
ill-luck.
Daniel Jobson had two men living on
his farm as tenants who had evinced
great interest in the fate of the stolen
mare, and had shown much zeal in the
search for hcrand the thicf-as every one
believed Jaggs to be. They were loud
in their denunciations of the little hunch-
back for the crime of which it was evi-
dent he was guilty.
"Sumpin' oughter be did wild de low
down scoundr'l; nobodys critters safe
wild sich CT rogue gwiac roam at night
an er stealth Nv en-"
They protested against Mr.. Jobsop's
having Pete arrested by the sheriff to be
tried by due form Of law.
"Lawin's too good for i'm. Give i'm
sump'iu watll learn i'm er lesson wat e
won have no chanch ter fergit, with
sinister look and infection conveyinga
dark hint us to the nature Of the intended
lesson.
One day Jaggs unexpectedly returned
home. That night he was aroused by Il
loud knocking at his door. Opening it
to discover his visitors, he found a pair
of rifles pointed at his breast, and heard
n muttered command to "Come erlong.
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