The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-03-20

shutting in the light and building wal
against the outer darkness.
II dunno who you are, said Cordia'
abductor, making a strenuous effort t.
| appear unconcerned.
Zeb took off the torn felt hat he wor
and bending his head little pulled tn
matted hair away from long scar tina
ran across his temple as he replied:
"P'haps yo' don't call to mind the maj
yo' hit with yer gun up to Lookou
point when he were tryin' tn git his sis
ter what yo'd dun TUX away frum HIM?
81 amt no coward to crawl in hol'
an hide my head when it thunders,
said the man doggedly. AN dom
deny that know you. What 'er yor
goin' to do about it,"
Zeb looked at him long time before
he made answer:
stranger, | cud hev killed yo' eff ri
wanted to, fore yo' ever sot eyes on me
he'd this yere gun drawed on ye long
while fore ! cum through the bushes
yander. cum nigh pullin' the trigger
but | cudn't do it. 1t warn't cause yo
hit me ez cared, but cause yo' TUX Cor.
dia way. But I've looked fer her high
an far fur middlin' long time, an eft I'd
killed yo | dunno ez I'd ever heard bout
her agin, so didn't shoot. don't car
tn TEX yer life. | want to know bout
Cordia."
Zeb spoke very slowly and hesitating-
ly, as though there was upon his heart
such load that he feared to unburden
it all at once lest it break. But when he
said,' i want to know bout Cordia, !"
there were tears in his eyes, and sob
that welled up broke his utterance and
shook the thin frame even as strong
wind bends and makes tremulous the
slender sapling on the storm chastised
hillside His anguish seemed to touch
even the rough man before him, for he
made answer more gently than was his
won't:
"1'll be fair with you, pardner. took
your sister, an she's been with me right
along up to couple of weeks ago.
took good care OF her too. an treated her
as kind as knowed how, but she hank
cred for home all the time, and when we
were at Rolling Fork, coming down
from the upper country. she left me, an
guess she must have got on the train
goin' down to Vicksburg. hung about
there a while looking for her an then
started down in my skiff."
"Yer lynn now. said Zeb. looking him
steadily in th1 eye.
ats the trlstls an hope to be. burne9l
up with the lightning eft it isn't" was
the reply.
"Then how wuz it didn't see yo on
the way?" asked Zeb suspiciously.
81 was camped in among the willows
just across the creek frum you when you
pulled in there" replied the abductor
ian course | didn't want to see you
That night rowed across through the
bayou to the Little Sunfower an came
on down it, thinkin' I'd get out ahead of
YOU"
IL allow dunno how man cud be so
onery ez you've ben" said Zeb. "Yo TUX
a little gal as he'd never dun 20 no harm
way frum her hum an tried to make
her ez bad ez yerself. An now she's out
driftin' bout sumwhar i'll this great
big world, an the Lord only knows what
harms cum to her or where she be-"
1--WE been sorry for what done often
when saw how she took on about 1t
and how she hated me. | thought
p'haps she'd cum to like me after a while,
but she didn't and had to keep away
from the settlement for fear she'd leave
me or give me over to the officers"
Tell me suthin' bout her." said Zeb,
his brother heart yearning to learn of
the child even from the lips of the man
who had done her such grievous wrong
What can tell you" was the re-
Spouse, "'cept that she's growed taller
and purifier? She'd never talk much,
but when she did it was about the things
she'd read in the Scripters or else about
You. She talked about you and hel
home most all the time, an when she
was sick an pretty near dying onct !
promised her if she died I'd tell you all
about it. for she said, EFF yo' tell him ]
,ed to forgive you. Zeh won't do yo' no
HARM
Tibet NJ Jess like Cordia," softly in
corrupted Zeb. pore little critter! she
ned SIGH tender heart she cudn't bear
20 see nothin' suffer. member onct
shot buzzard fer fish bait when she
we're long with me. 1t were long
shot an jess broke its wing. 1t cum
loppin' down inter the bushes an
,udn't fin it fer nigh an hour, an Cordia
lux on orful, an cried an wanted to tie
is wing up SOS it cud fly agin.'
So. standing on opposite sides OF the
ire, the men talked thus for long time
Until Cordia's abductor said:
"rve used you meaner than a dog.
zeb Posey. and there amt nothin you
AN do to get even with me. I've played
ny hand in this world and haven't held
10 trumps. haven't always played fair,
,ut the other fellers always got the
ricks and raked in the stakes ut the end
We're here all alone and you've got yer
run. and if you want to you can kill me,
s'pose, for the hurt I've done You and
Tour'n.r
-P'haps mought kill yo. stranger. an
10 one nd know it. but Zeb Posey nd
NOW il. 1t wudn't do, nohow.
Cordia readin' suthin' frum
he Bible bout he uns mp Their jedg-
us sinful critters. an ] '"' '""'
Mu>., Nerxe ana Liver Pfls