Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1891-10-03


and took out what looked like bundle
of legal papers and turned it over in her
long, yellow, skinny fingers, while her
thin lips moved in an inward mutter, end
ing in low laugh. Suddenly it came over
Ruby like an electric shock what those
papers must be, and just at that moment
old Jane had gathered them MP in her
hand and was holding them over the
lamp chimney. Ruby gave stifed cry
and tried TO rush forward, but Jane had
heard the sound, and cramming the pa
pers back in the box she sped out of the
kitchen door with the swiftness of a
swallow, the long tail of her nightgown
making a white streak in the misty
dawn, and with Crumpet galloping mad
ly at her heels.
Ruby ran after her, leaving all the
doors open, as fast as her weight and
temperamental slowness would permit
shedding shawls and worsted fascinators
all the way between Hannah's house and
her own. She was sadly hampered in
the race by her clumsy worsted slippers,
but these she soon lost, and then she ran
painting in her stocking feet. She had
no feeling of the damp ground and could
but dimly make out the forms of things,
for the first pale rays of dawn had only
just turned the gibbous moon pallid over
her head However, she was no match
for the arrowy Jane, and when she
reached the front door she found it bolt
ed and all the windows securely locked.
Jane had slipped in and out of low
pantry window, but such feats were i'm
possible to the stout Ruby. She knocked
passionately front and back. but old
Jane had gone into bed with her drag
gled shawl and crumpled artifcials, and
was chuckling to herself as she pretend
ed to be fast asleep.
Ruby had the house key in her pocket,
but Jane had pushed the bolt, and she
knew it was useless to try to coax her to
open the door until the whim came for
opening. She wandered about the house
bareheaded and in her wet stockings,
half sobbing ard wringing her hands at
the thought that Jane might have torn
the precious papers into fragments or
otherwise have destroyed them. The
poor woman stood there in the chill
morning air utterly desperate and at her
wits end. But something was rubbing
up against her double gown, something
warm and comfortable, and softly pur-
ring with sympathy at her distress. She
looked down and saw that the great tor
toise shell cat which Jane in her haste
had shut out was trying to show his af-
fection with mute caresses.
49,, Id h hoo cf
his greenish yellow eyes up at Ruby's
face with knowing glance. Then he
mewed loudly, and stepping along the
moist path with his dainty white paws,
led the way down to the end of the old
neglected garden toward the great crook
ed sweeting apple tree that shaded bit
of turf grown up to barberry bushes.
The old tree was rugged and gnarled
and bent, with only thin shell of rufous
bark remaining, yellow with lichen and
green with tree moss, but still crowned
in May with abundant blossoms. Crum-
pet, as he stepped along, kept looking
back to see if he was followed, and Ruby
plodded on after him hardly knowing
why, but feeling that nothing short of
miracle could reveal the papers.
Near the old tree Crumpet stopped and
gazed upin her face, .mewing more pite-
ously than before. The earth had been
'trodden about the roots by fresh foot
steps and the dead weeds broken down,
revealing large, black cavity in the
veterans trunk close to the ground.
Ruby fell on her rheumatic knees in the
wet grass and thrust her hand into the
hole until her fingers came in contact
with smooth, hard object. She pulled
it out, painting and dizzy from her emo
tions. 1t was the tin box she had seen
in James hand, and the papers were all
intact, though yellowed and rumpled and
little torn at the edges. She turned
them over as in dream and read casually,
"Anson Fearing in account with j. Fear
ing" Yes, yes! it was just as she had
thought; the mystery was cleared at last.
A little further examination of old James
hiding place brought to light lace scarf
she had lost the year before, two table
napkins and pair of slippers all molly
from the damp.
AS Crumpet sidled up to her Ruby
seized him in Der arms with hearty
hug. "You blessed old cat!" she cried;
'if it hadn't been for you never, never
should have found the hole"
AT that moment the tootings of the tin
horn We're heard from James bedroom
window proclaiming to the still sleeping
neighbors that she had resumed the
character of the angel Gabriel.
Ruby got back to Hannah's as quickly
as ever she could, picking up the impedi-
menta she had scattered by the way, but
with the cat still in her arms. She found
the kitchen door still wide open and the
lamp burning brightly upon the table.
But the old man had not stirred hand or
foot in her absence. He lay as in sweet
sleep, and the pink dawn coming in at
his window touched his cheek with the
fictitious bloom of health.
Hannah seemed just to have dropped
into fathomless abyss of rest when she
felt something clutch her shoulder. A
sharp shake followed, and then an ex-
cited, fearful voice said in her drowsy
ear: