The Press., 1893-01-26

the back door. could see his pony sJand- ing patiently where Sam had left him, waiting for some one to come and feed him.
 Mat leaned over the sleeping 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 heavy, and something jingled in one ot the pockets. Instinctively Mat thrust her hand into it and drew it forth, clasp ing several gold pieces. As she did so her eyes opened wide, and she stood as if stunned for time, her heart chilled with the same strange fear that had stricken her awhile ago and impelled her to hurry home.
 She rushed to the bed and shook sam roughly. "Sam! Sam! wake up!' she almost screamed.
 The man turned over and looked at her stupidly. ''H'lo, M-Mat! Yere, be ye? Gimme kiss,'' he said in dull tone.
 ''Not twell ye tells me whar ye done got these yere thingsw Mats voice sounded broken and shrill.
 Sam sat up and rubbed his head, look ing at her in drunken wonder. ''Ww-y, them-them thar, honeyY'
 She shook him fiercely and said in lower tone-a tone of earnest force:
 'sTell me, Sam Toms, whar ye done got these yere coins! Quick nowr
 Her tone partially sobered the man, whose eyes opened wider as he asked querulously:
 "What n he'll ye so all fired fussy bout? I hain't done nothin," and he laughed in half drunken, half nervous way.
 ''Sam, whar did ye git 'em?'
 He sat dumbly staring at her.
 'sSam''-her voice was full of horror "did you steal that thar hoss?'
 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 minutes 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 sprang to her feet, her hot eyes glaring and her form trembling with anger and horror. She did not speak, but fixed her gaze on his face for a few seconds. He did not meet her look, and presently she turned and ran out of the door.
 Sam, almost sober now, called after her, but she did not answer. He got out of bed slowly and started to dress him. self. He had almost finished when Mat, accompanied by her father and the two strangers, returned.
 ''Thar he is-an thar's tn money" she said, and passed on out through the back door without looking at Sam.
 < * x x
 There was q jail at the crossroads; it was primitive affair, but solid and sub- stantial. It was dugout in the side hill, and had 8 heavy oak door and great steel hinges and lock. It was plenty strong enough to hold dozen men, all anxious to escape-and Sam Toms did not try to escape. He only sat still in the low, damp, darksone room and tried to un- derstand how it all happened.
 It must be drunken dream-but, no, he was almost sober, and knew where he was and how and why he was there. But-he could not understand. Had 4AdG--Wto 1b ACd1Ay NhbC WlO utiu gwen him up? There must be some mistake.
 The big, strong man finally began to realize it all. He lay down on the bunk and cried himself to sleep like child.
 * * x \
 It must have been about o'clock in the morning when some one silently entered the house of old Bill Bum, con- stable. This some one entered by the back door, went stealthily into the room where Bill and his wife slept, rummaged about few minutes, and then emerged from the house. t was ? woman, and she had something in her hand,
 Sam Toms was awakened q little af- ter this by rattling, jarring sound. He sprang up just as the big oaken doors swung back and revealed the fig Hres of-a woman and two saddle horses.
 'I come f's ye, 6am," said the woman with a sob. Il done bring both ponies an ou' clo'es. Les go, Sam; we c'n git 'crost tn rivah befo' mawnin. Comew
 He clasped her in his arms, and they clung to each other little while. Then Mat said, more steadily:
 "Colne, Sam, Les go oyah t Mexico an mebbe we c'n try an do better ovah thar"
 And they rode forth in the bright, free moonlight down toward the Rio Grande into new and better life.-R. l.. Ketchum in Argonaut.