The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-12-16

much. but her lips never expressed It.
And Sam gradually grew more and
more useless and shiftless, trusting to
his wife's ready wit and fertility of re-
source to carry them both over the bad
places.
There were lots of bad places, too.
Twice Sam ran iato debt several dol
lars at the saloon, and Mat found some
means to pay the debts-only herself
knew how. But the second time she
informed the saloon man that he must
trust Sam no more. And, besides these
things, to live-how did they do it?
Nobody could guess. Perhaps even
Mat herself could not have told; yet
live they did-or, rather, existed-and,
for the most part, kept out of debt.
Sam sometimes worked. but never
for very long. He always found some
excuse for leaving place within few
days. He could almost always find an
other job easily enough, for he was an
excellent "hand" when he chose to be
but he did not hasten about finding
new job when he had given one up; not
until they were reduced to the very
| last straits could Mat get him to hunt
ing work again.
One day Sam left home for a ranch
about thirty-five miles distant, where
he had heard they wanted help. Two
DAYS passed-three-four no
word came from him. Mat was not
little worried, although Sam had often
been away for two weeks at a time
without sending word to her. But this
time it was different; there was no ex-
cuse for his not sending message, as
the stage came by the ranch he had
gone to three times week. If he had
found work there, as he expected, he
could easily have notified her. So, late
in the afternoon of the fifth day, she
threw her shawl over her head and
went down to her fathers, to find If
they had heard anything of Sam.
The old fellow was standing in the
doorway, talking to a couple of
strangers.
mo" he was saying, ''they hain't
ben no person long yere, las few days,
but what b'longs yere. Mebbe, though,
he mout BEN seed over yere t. Ba-
cons. Ben tharP NoP Wa-al, my
boys comm in f'm thar purity soon, an
he en- tell We. Come in an feed; Jack'n
be yere right soon."
Mat stayed to help her mother with
the supper, and during the course of
the meal learned that the two stran gers
were officers trailing horse thief, who
had stolen valuable horse at a ranch
| forty miles east and sold it at Pickett
Station, and who was believed to have
come this way.
AS she listened to the conversation
sudden nameless fear came upon her,
making her feel faint and ill. As soon
as supper was over she took her shawl
and hurried home.
Somehow she was not surprised to
| find the door open. She entered haSti-
| ly. Sam was in bed asleep and breath
! ing stertorously. He had evidently
been drinking, as his clothes were scat
tered about the floor, and Mat, looking
cut the back door, could see his pony
standing patiently where Sam had left
him, waiting for some one to come and
feed him. Mat leaned over the sleep
ing 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 he avy, and some
thing jingled in one of the pockets.
| Instinctively Mat thrust her hand into
it and drew it forth clasping several
gold pieces. As she did SO her eyes
opened wide and she stood rs If stunned
| for time, her heart chilled with the
same strange fear that had stricken her
awhile ago and impelied her to hurry
home.
She rushed to the bed and shook Sam
roughly. ''Sami Sam!-wake up!' she
almost screa med.
The man turned over and looked at
her stupidity. "H'lo, M-Mat! Yere, be
We? Gimme kiss" he said, in dull
tone.
mot twen We tell me whar ye done
got these yere thingsr' 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, honey?
She shook him fiercely, and said, in
lower toue-a tone of earnest force:
Tell me, Sam Toms. whar We done
got these yere coinsl Quick. nowr'
Her tone partially sobered the man,
whose eyes opened wider as he asked,
querulously:
What We so ALFRED fussy bout? 1
hain't done nothin'" And he laughed
in half-drunken, half-nervous way.
''Sam. schar did We git emp"
He sat dunbly staring at her.
''SamI" her voice was full of horror,
''did yOu steal that thar hossar
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 minntes
she did not move-not until Sam, who
had been staring at her wonderingly,
reached out his big hand and laid it
caressingly on her head. Then she