The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-12
8 supper was oyer she Zoos her 5! awl

Somehow she was not surprised to find
the door open. She entered hastily.
Sam was in bed, asleep and breathing
stertorously. He had evidently been
drinking, as his clothes were scattered
about the floor, and Mat, looking out
the back door, could see his pony stand
ing patiently where Sam had left him,
waiting for some one to come and feed
him.
Mat leaned over the sleeping man and
kissed him gently, her eyes full of love.
Then she turned to pick up his clothes
and put them away. The trousers were
heavy, and something jingled in one Of
the pockets. In~stinctively Mat thrust
her hand into it and drew it forth, clasp
ing several gold pieces. AS she did SO
her eyes opened wide, and she stood as
if stunned for a time, her heart chilled
with the same strange fear that had
stricken her awhile ago and impelled her
to hurry home.
She rushed to the bed and shook Sam
roughly. "Sam! Saml wake upr' she
almost screamed.
The man turned over and looked at
her stupidity. "Hlo, M-Matl Yere, be
ye? Gimme kiss" he said in a dull tone.
"Not twell ye tells me whar We done
got these yere things" Mats voice
sounded broken and shrill.
Sam sat up and rubbed his head, look.
ing at her in drunken wonder. "W-w-y,
them-them thar, honeyr
Che choll1 hi-o Go.ao1x, ,-5 1,;1 - I,
lower tone-a tone of earnest force:
"Tell me, Sam Toms, whar ye done
got these yere coins! Quick now"
Her tone partially sobered the man,
whose eyes opened wider as he asked
ENORMOUSLY:
"What N hell ye SO all fired fussy
bout? / hain't done nothin," and he
laughed In a half drunken, half nervous
way.
"Sam, whar did ye git 'em?"
He sat dumbly staring at her.
"Sam"-her voice was full of horror
''did you steal that thar hoss?"
No answer; but Mat saw by his eyes
she had guessed the truth. Slowly the
coins fell from her hand to the floor;
slowly her head bent forward until her
face touched the pillow. For minutes
she did not move-not until Sam, who
had been staring at her wonderingly,
reached out his big hand and laid ii
caressingly on her head. Then she sprang
to her feet, her hot eyes glaring and her
form trembling with anger and horror.
She did not speak, but fixed her gaze on
his face for a few seconds. He did not
meet her look, and presently she turned
and ran out of the door.
Sam, almost sober now, called after
her, but she did not answer. He got out
Of bed slowly and started to dress him.
self. He had almost finished when Mat,
accompanied by her father and the two
strangers, returned.
"Thar he is-an thar's tn money, she
said, and passed on out throughth back
door without looking at Sam.
Il X 4 n
There was a Jail at the crossroads; ii
was a primitive affair, but solid and sub
stantial. It was a dugout in the side hill
and had a heavy oak door and great steel
hinges and lock. It was plenty strong
enough to hold a dozen men, all anxious
to -escape-and Sam Toms did not try tc
escape. He only sat still in the low,
damp, darksome room and tried to IN
derstand how it all happened.
It must be a drunken dream-but, no,
he was almost sober, and knew where
he was and how and why he was there.
But-he could not understand. Had
Mat-was it really Mat who had given
him up? There must be some mistake.
The big, strong man finally began to
realize it all. He lay down on the bunk
and cried himself to sleep like a child.
\ + 4 =
1t must have been about / O'Clock
in the morning when some one silently
entered the house of old Bill Bum, con-
stable. This some one entered by tie
back door, went s~tealthily into the room
where Bill and his wife slept, rummaged
about a few minutes, and then emerged
from the house. 1t was a woman, and
she had something in her hand.
Sam Toms was awakened a little af-
ter this by a ~rattling, Earring sound.
lie sprang up Just as the big oaken
doors swung back and revealed the fig
ures of a woma and two saddle horses.
81 come fir We, SAM" said the woman
with a sob. 81 done bring both ponies
an ou' clo'es. Les go, Sam; we en- git
'crost tn rivah befo' mawnin. Gomez
He clasped her in his arms, and they
chung to each other a little while. Then
Mat said, more steadily:
"Come, Sam. Les go ovah t. Mexico
ar mebbe we en- try an do better ovah
thar"
And they rode forth in the bright, free
moonlight down toward the Rio Grende
Into a new and better life.0
BOARD OF STREET AND WATER COM
MISSI0NERS.
loFFICIAL PRoCEEDINGs.1
Adjourned meeting of the Board of