The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-03-19
md he answered me, looking me full in


"Do you know what he has dOne?'
said nodding to the cottage to indicate
Leonard.
s.Stolen food for his sick wife and been
clapped in prison for it. Broken out after
ward, and half killed a man in getting
away
This last piece of information was news
to me.
''Did he tell you?" asked.
II met him here he answered, ''and he
told me, and l gave him the fowl.
''What are we to do now?" | went on.
just to get at his fuller mind.
You can please yourself, he replied,
gruffiy; Il mean to stop here and keep
the Others off, if they are fools enough to
come"
1 had heard enough to satisfy me, and l
asked no more questions, but began to look
into our position for myself.
We stood at little distance from the
cottage, at the edge of the gully which
dropped steeply and darkly between it and
the Enclosure where the other dwellings
stood 1t was crossed by wooden bridge.
Without this bridge difficult climb down
and up would be necessary to reach the
cottage from the other side We both
looked at the plank, which we felt was our
strong point of defense, but we said moth
ing, and before we spoke again Leonard
came out to us. | noticed at once that he
had pistol in his hand.
Leonard walked to the spot where We
stood, looked at the bridge, and remarked
Il wish you would run round, one of
you, and get me saw
''You needn't bother answered,
''we'll do it for you
ats all right out here said Brown.
"You' better go back to your wife. Hand
me over the pistol first
Leonard hesitated
"Tll use i" said Brown. "You need
not be afraid l won't. I'll shoot one, two
or three of them if they wont take warn
ing and stop on the other side" he ended,
grimly. looked at him with interest,
for knew that he had joined the company
on the condition that capital punishment
should be abolished at once and forever.
Leonard gave him the weapon and went
indoors.
We loosened the plank on the farther
side, and sawed it across on the nearer,
where it was more firmly fastened. Then
we drew it up to the bank, We made
haste at our work, but haste was not neces-
sary, for no one came to interfere with us.
As we looked across the ravine to the
settlement, we saw no sign Of any public
meeting. All things were quiet, and again
the place seemed deserted as when | came
to it We heard the splash of the little
stream among the rocks far below us and
on the beach the sea began to moan rs II
the trouble of the land had at last reached
it. There seemed some hopefulness in the
sound for it had for many days stretched
about the place in Il shining calm, shutting
the people in with their own despair.
For some hours, however, the air had
been cooler Clouds had gathered and
, promised rain, but no rain had fallen. Now
in the grayness that followed the sunset,
. before the rising of the moon, | seemed To
feel the certainty of change, and to see the
f end of the long drought. But it would
: come too late to save LeOnard's settlement.
If he could save his wife it would be
= enough, and he would be content to go
back to the old world and the old laws,
there to struggle for himself and her. He
, had nothing left except his own strength
! wherewith to resist the world or help it.
had strange talk with Joe Brown as
we sat there, and the hours went on, so
that feeling Of security grew upon us.
He told me many things of himself, his
life, and his opinions, which l have never
5 forgotten. He was only workman, with
grist of rugged utteranee, but he had
gone through sad experiences, and these
had left him at the end of his life alone, and
with strange indifference to his own fate.
otis the sins of others as she's suffering
for, he said with nod of his head to-
ward the cottage ''Talk of equal shares,
indeed If she'd had only half her own
!, divided share Of what she and her husband
brought here, there'd have been plenty for
/ her now. But others have wasted, and so
she must starve We can't be equal in
folly and idleness, but we've got to be equal
it seems we agreed to that-in what
comes of them. Nay, we're not equal
there even, for others have kept out of the
trouble that she went into, and so they'r
well while she's sick 1t isn't equality,
this isn't; it's the best suffering for the
worst. | reckon it isso mostly in life, but
| can't see my way to giving hand to
keeping it on. I'm not here for equality,
I'm not. I'm here to help those who mean
, well and try hard, and think of others as
well as themselves. Matthew and his reg
ulations won't get 30 obedience QUITO me,
now he's thrown over them as did most
for US,
, The moon had risen now, and was fight
| ing its way through the clouds; from gap
the Southern Cross shone clear upon US,
and there was silvery patch growing VII
der on the darkness of the sea. laid my
hand on Browns arm and pointed, for the
white sails of yacht had caught the gleam
and | could see that she was rounding a
point toward us.
Neither of us spoke. We waited silent
ly to see what help was coming When
the yacht cast anchor and boat was put
off | arose and scrambled down to the
shore alone, while brown kept watch by
the cottage.
1t was Harry Lloyd who was the FIRST
to spring out of the boat to meet me.
nave uau ueiaJ anu Ddu lucks out
came across friends at last, and have
brought food for a time-but it is for the
women and children and sick only; that is
the condition. The men must look to them
selves
''Put your stores on shore, answered
"Brown aud l will see to them afterward
But Gwendoline and Leonard must 90
away if your friends will take them.
There was no difficulty in carrying out
this arrangement. Lloyd helpedus to take
Gwendoline down to the boat, and neither
she nor her husband made any objection to
the ahandonment of tho sattlaDaant Joon