Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-05-15

your head. l want to be good to you,
if you'll let me, but you mustn't meddle.
Now git to bed, and when you feel like
listenin' agiR wrop up your head in the
blanket; h1t'll be safest for you"
The boy gave his father one haunting
look and hobbled away. After that the
men conversed in low tones for while.
Then the visitors rose to depart.
"Mind now-to-morrow-abort
rise"
That was all Jim heard. 1t did not
still his fears that some wicked thing
was on foot to injure the Magees.
Jim's infrmity had left him almost
alone since his mothers death. He ha''
neither brothers nor sisters, and his
father was absent much of the time.
Moreover. there was not much in COM
mon between him and his father. The
boy loved him in a dumb, independent
way, and the father repaid this love with
pity rather than with affection.
jim spent much of his time wandering
III the mountains. With his one steel
pointed crutch he was singularly active
and his solitary life had bred in him an
unreasoning love of nature.
The next morning after the scene in
his cabin, Huse Turley shouldered his
long rife and went away. He had hardly
spoken to his son, wha, feeling lonely,
wandered of, after he had eaten his mid
day meal, into the woods. He took an
out of the way course, fearing that he
should meet Mr.. Lamb or some one OF
the Magee family.
He was tortured by conflicting sense
of desire and duty. He felt that some
one should be warned Of what his father
and the Others were about to do, and yet
what did he know of it! Was it right
to 60 against his father, or to assume
that he was worse than he knew him to
be-
He was still debating this when the
crack of a rife rang out near by. Then
a gentle faced, tall young man came over
the ridge with two squirrel at his belt
and a gun on his shoulder.
"There," thought jim, "it'll all come
out nowl came this way on purpose
not to meet him, and here he is"
"Why, Jim," said Parson Lamb,
pleasantly, 81 didn't expect to meet you
herew
"Neither did I you" replied Jim.
They spent some time together, while
Mr.. Lamb talked without seeming to
care to hunt any more; but all the while
jim thought, "Shall l tell himl shall l
tell him.
The young minister found jim rather
absent minded, and this, perhaps, in
clined him to leave the boy. When he
had gone, jim, more distressed and un-
decided than ever, wandered still further,
dreading to 90 home. Lettering on thus,
farther and farther, he found himself at
sundown within mile of Wash Magee'S
cabin.
Chow did l get way herel" he asked
himself. Clocks like l must have felt |
ought to come this way, seeing as |
didn't tell the parson. I'm master tired.
Seems like I'll have to rest"
Instead of making his way homeward,
Jim lay down at a spot whence, in the
gathering twilight, he could see through
the open door of Magee's cabin. The
trail passed just below him.
His long mental struggle was growing
painful, yet he could not decide what to
do. Meantime the stars appeared, the
night wind sighed, and many wierd
sounds rose ftfully, aduing to his de-
preston and increasing his sense Of help
lessuess.
"Fatherll wonder what has come of
me, he thought maybe he'll think
I've goue to let 'em know!"
He still waited wearily, fearing now
either to return home or to 90 forward.
The moon rose. jim could soon find his
way-but whither1
After while the silvery light whitened
the opposite mountain-side, so that the
course of the trail was visible. Looking
back once, he noticed line of dark OBJ
jects crawling around bare shoulder of
white cliff, which he knew the road
leading from his fathers cabin must
cross.
Turley and his friends were evidently
coming, and jim understood that their
mysterious threats were soon to be put
in force. Violence of some kind-per-
haps murder-was intended
jim hesitated no lcnger, but set out
tor Magee's cabin. He had nearly
mile the start Of them, and he had but
mile to go. His excitement was 50 great
that he did not notice rocks and thickets.
lie scramblen down the glen and onward
along the trail.
Inside the cabin Wash Magee and his
wife, two small grandchildren, and the
young preacher, Lamb, were sitting by
the fire, when there came a sharp rap
upon the door. Before any one could
rise Cripple jim hobbled into the room,
his pale face paler than ever, his bare
head wet with dew, and in his eyes
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