The Portland daily press., 1892-12-03

I AOulSd M. IOu IOIl hAOW oAAJ o1A>-S
about business, pappy! We're only turn
ing his own blade against Paxton. tie
deserves to fail! He came here year
back honeying around and never saying
he was looking for place to locate. L
was nice to him. / used to talk to him
free as air, never suspicioning he was
aiming 10 do my own father up" Her
voice choked. She had paled under her
coppery skin, and her wet eyes were like
violets that tremble open in swart
March bank.
Finally along toward summer the end
came. Paxton assigned for the good OF
his creditors. A lawyer from Burksvllle
came to take charge of things, and the
steamboat landing was deserted, as men
gathered in Fields store to discuss the
happening. The river was sinking and
traffic was nearly suspended. Cows
grazed on the sunburned pasturage OF
the lower hills. Tan colored hogs idled
about the paveless streets, and children
of corresponding tint of complexion
played shrilly on the perilous river slope.
'Waal, he peared likely young
rooster"
sYaas. Erthough I'm jest ez willin
he busted Kentucky fer Kentuckians,
says 1, I'm a pertectionis' every time
dom keer nothin about the platform.
Fields, listening to this acute philoso-
ply, suddenly cut in, his broad face Gu
riously sunken: "Confound it. say,
far chance fer every one.
He stopped to pad his brow with a
punched red handkerchief; his views
shortened by two circumstances. He
had remembered that Louisa M. was
somewhere in the back of the store, and
Just then, too, the throng of men had
opened to admit a young fellow who
came across the porch at a run, his hat
off.
'Sayr" he painted, the exhilaration of
bad news in his face, "why, sayl-did
any of We hear about Paxton? He's went
to work and shot hisse'f. That Teller
from huntsville was talkin to a raft of
us outside Paxton's store and we heerd
rifle go off up steers in Paxton's room,
and he tore up thar and busted in the
door, and-Lord! wait till | get my
breath!-I got it from Smith, the''--
There was a little sound behind the
huddle Of men-a sound like a sharp
breath, and clatter of tin and heavier
resonance.
In front of the molasses barrel an
overturned quart measure and long
nosed funnel rolled on the bare floor in
lessening arcs. Near by in the gloom OF
the inner apartment something had
fallen, something which looked like a
limp heap of pink calico and which, as
Fields lifted it, trailed faced arms, its
little neck letting the head back in a
sickening way of ifelessness.
Outside the sunshine lacquered the
river with milky CLEAN. A delicious
blueness nlisted distant hills, and near
by Fields store bluejay flashed its
wings, uttering rasping cries. Twome
coming up the road were laughing as
they sauntered along-one, an elderly
person, hopping his face
You scared me out of a years growth,
Just the same! he said. II knew you
were down in the mouth, and when that
shot rang out-I-well, naturally
thought you had done for yourself. I
went up those stairs four steps at time,
shouting to those fellows below to run
for DOCTOR"
Paxton gave rather grim smile.
~ believe y.-l're disappointed that it
was only 81 zen hawk was firing
att" he said. Mrs. Wick had just
called to me from the back yard toshoot
it. She's been missing pullets lately"
$50 you let go. Say, Paxton, some
thing must be the matter down at Fields.
Look! Isn't that Fields crossing the
road! He's carrying-it looks like a
woman!'
Fields lived opposite his store in a
white cottage. Paxton, staring ahead,
caught vanishing glimpse of the old
mans clumsy figure, his arms overflow
ing with the springlike freshness of
Louisa Ms gown.
"Hello!' said fellow on the skirts of
the little group of men at the store steps
as Paxton strobe forward. ''Yeh amt
hurried, then? What's tibet? Oh, about
Fields-why it's Louisa M. She's lit
tie fainty, l believe. Some O. them fool
boys KEN in and blurted out about you
bein-waal the boy unly told what he
heerd-L don't blame him-but Louisa
M, she jest swounded agin the mer-
lasses bari, and Uncle Jimmy he"-
But Paxton was not listening any longer.
He had crossed the road and gone up
the little path to Fields front door, and
he had gone with so vague a premedita-
ton that when Fields himself numbered
toward the threshold, a look of relief on
his stolid face, the younger man could
only stammer at the reason of his pres
ence.
'They were telling me-of her-of
your daughter-I wanted to ask"-after
all he stopped feebly enough and let
Fields fill out the sentence as he might
'She's all right now, thanky, Mr..
Paxton" said Fields. eve got word az
they wasn'tno truth in them reports"
He waved his hand behind him. "She's
in thar"
Paxton had already seen her, the
stern young foiler of his commercial
proves, sitting back in rocking chair,
her lips rather white, her eyelids droop-