St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-11-19

keeper, In which lansuaRe the nav
corners had become quite proficient
During the stay Of the Mexican Ii,
| silent partner In the concern ran Il
from the kitchen close BY to get som.
necessary articles for the culinary de
pertment s0d seeing him lounRius
about her fears were excited, and Is sh,
departed TO resume the preparation o.
her evening meal she threw . warning
glance across the counter 1t her hus
band.
The afternoon wore away and thu
sun was sinking into the broad bosom
OF the Pacific, casting lurking shadow,
toward the Sierras across the valley
and spreading . cool mantle over the
bronzed earth. which seemed TO hush
into dreamy reposc the sounds Of life
in the foothills, ere the busy house.
wife began to look for the coming Of
her mate. He seldom varied the time
Of his arrival. being regularly on hand
to draw mp his chair Is soon Is suppes
was placed upon the table. But on
this occasion he failed to appear. and
tho expectant woman felt . strange
fOreboding, and she could hardly re.
frain from running up to the store Ia
see that al was right She went often
to the door, casting anxious glances to-
ward the store, but he came not.
Before taking the evening meal from
the stove she stepped once again to the
door, and asshe paused on the threshold
there came to her straining ears . noise
resembling = hoarse cry in the dis
tance. Instantly she felt the fears Of
the past months returning with re-
newed force, and for . moment her
heart was faint with apprehension.
With her, however. action followed
quickly in the wake Of thought, and
her next move was to secure . large re
vOlvef. kept always within easy reach.
dart out into the road and hurry toward
the store. In = moment she stood upon
the threshold. and there, before her,
was . sight that sent the blood in .
torrent back into her heart, paralyzing
for moment her entire being. In the
back part Of the store her husband
crouched, borne over BY the weight Of
the Mexican, who. while clinging to
his hack, was striving to saw his head
from his body with . huge pruning
knife. such Is are used in the vineyards
Of that land of the grape. With one
swift bound she was beside tho strug-
Cling men, and placing the muzxle Of
her revolver against the Mexican's
back, essayed to discharge it. She
tugged 1t the trigger with all her
strength, but in her haste to rescue
her husband she had only partially
raised the hammer, and thus was un-
able to bring il down. Casting the
weapon aside she seized the wretch
about the neck, and with . mans
hurled him across the store.
Unfortunately for her. he went ia the
direction taken by the discarded
He sprang for it, and. turn
ng. began firing ut her rs he rctreated
backwards from the store. One Of the j!
'ruel bullets pierced her through from
'ack to breast. and laid her low beside |
Ter bleeding and half unconscious hus-
Dand.
They had lain thus but . few
when : wagon stopped before |
he door, and from II descended = |
rancher. who leisurely 4
his team and entered the store.
here being but few apertures for the
Omission Of light, and the sun having
Y this time sunl<en almost from sight
eyond the world of waters to the
rest. objects were growing dim, and
he man did not notice the two nearly
feless forms lying Just beyond some