Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-12-22

"My GodT she faltered. "Am 1
dreamin? Surely it can't bend yet
must believe my own eyes"
Acting under new impulse she turned
and fed along the trail leading to the
still. Arrived there she found the place
silent and deserted. There was no fire
in the furnace and nothing to be heard
but the cries of the whippoorwills upon
the mountain side.
Full Of painful forebodings she re-
traced her steps and once more crouched
beneath the peddler's window. There
she waited until her limbs became
cramped and the night air chilled her to
the bone.
81 might as well lie down again." she
thought. II reckon uncle's gone down
the valley, for he lowed today as he'd
have to go after coffee right away. !
could wake the man up, but somehow /
dassn't. He might think was forward" {"
But a second trial of the bed was no
better than the first. The peddler's
heavy breathing was ever in her ears,
and her thoughts reverted constantly to
the sense of peril that vaguely, yet per-
sistently kept her upon the tenterhooks
of anxiety.
81 wish mornin would come," she
said for the hundredth time. Lord,
what meeting there1l be thenP'
The sound Of stealthy football upon
the gravel without brought her to sit
ting position at once. Her heart beat
loudly as she listened breathlessly. Yes,
it was moving around the house. Now
she heard it no more. Could she have
imagined it all? No; there it was again
in the back porch.
Then-then-she heard gentle creak-
ing sound. Ahl The shedroom doorl
She sprang out of bed, and hasty
bound brought her to the door leading
into the back porch. She wrenched it
open just in time to catch glimpse of q
tall shadow that disappeared within the
shedroom.
"Good Lord, help mer she family
calculated as she sprang forward, nerved
to desperation by this dreadful fulfill
ment of her fears.
She entered the room. There lay the
peddler, slumbering heavily in the white
glow of tho moonlight. His face was
strangely altered, for the heavy beard
had fallen off, leaving exposed clean
shaven, youthful face. But the white
bearded old man bending over the pros
trate form with uplifted knife saw moth
ing distinctly. To his morbid imagin
ings only the form of a hated spy lay
helpless before him. A spy in the serv
ice of the detested "revenoos," who hat
robbed him of his only and well beloved
son.
"Uncler' screamed. Nan, dragging
him back. "Uncle! You shall not
Can't you see? It's John-our john
your Johnr'
The peddler woke and stared upward
in bewildered way. The knife fell K
the floor as Nose, his eyes almost start
ing from his head, stared at his SON
white face. Suddenly he comprehended
and the effect descended upon him like
thunderbolt.
Uttering low, quivering cry he sanl
to his knees by the bedside, and his heat
fell forward. Mans and Johns eyes me
in a mutually recognizing glance; thel
they turned their attention to the oil
man. AS they laid him upon the be-
Aunt Viney, awakened by the noise
came in. She fell as though confronte'
'by'a ghost.
'tJohn!" she exclaimed. "Yet it can
,shorely be!'
dyes, it is, mother. I didn't know
how you'd all take my bein so long il
the pen, so when the governor pardone
me out lowed I'd come home as a ped
dler nd in disguise till / found out
you all cared for me any more"
While John was speaking Nose opene'
his eyes, and tears blinded them as h
gazed.
"My son, my sonr' he murmure
brokenly. "And I might have kille,
himl My minds made up. There'll b
no more 'stillin done in Bear holler afte
this"
"Do you reckon Nan cares for me an
more, father?' asked John, while hi
eyes sought those of Nan.
"Of course she do. Hasn't she bee
grievin herself away ever since you wa
took She never looked at anothe
man."
Mans confusion seemed to sanctio
this.
"There's only one thing to be done,
interrupted Aunt Viney decisively
They've just got to go over to the ecircui
riders next Sunday md gitmarried. Al
ter that's over nd done with, Nose, d
hope you'll behave yourself in futur'"
"Hain't said weren't a-goin to 'stil
whisky any more?" said Nose. "'Stillin'
been at the bottom of all our troubles.
While the old folks talked John too
Mans hand in his, and they steathil
kissed each other.-William Perr
Brown in Philadelphia Times.