Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-01-05


but what b'longs yere. Mebbe, though
he mout a ben seed over yere t Bacon's.
Ben thar? No? Waal, my boys comm
in FIN thar purity soon, an he en- tell ye
Come in an feed; Jack'll be yere right
soon."
Mat staid to help her mother with
the supper, and during the course of the
meal learned that the two strangers
were officers trailing a horse thief, who
had stolen valuable horse at 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 i'll anl faint. 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 hastily.
Sam was i'll bed, asleep ai.d breathing
stertorously. He had evidently been
drinking, as his clothes were scattered
about the floor, and Mat, looking out
the back door, could see his pony stand
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 of
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 a 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 stupidity. "H'lo, M-Mat! Yere, be
ye? Gimme kiss" he said in a dull tone.
mot twell ye tells me whar ye done
got these yere things" Mats voice
sounded broken and shrill
Sam sat up and rubbed his head, look.
ing at her i'll drunken wonder. "W-w-y,
them-them thar, honey?'
She shook him fiercely and said in a
lower tone-a tone of earnest force:
"Tell me, Sam Toms, whar ye done
got these yere coins! Quick now'
Her tone partially sobered the man,
whose eyes opened wider as he asked
querulously:
"What n hell ye so all fired fussy
bout? | hain't done nothin," and he
laughed in half drunken, half nervous
way.
Sam, whar did ye git emp"
He sat dumbly staring at her.
''Sam"-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 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.
There was Jail at the crossroads; it
was primitive affair, but solid and sub
stantial. 1t was dugout in the side hill,
and had heavy oak door and great steel
hinges and lock. 1t was plenty strong
enough to hold Il dozen men, all anxious
to escape-and Sam Toms did not try to
escape. He only sat still in the low,
damp, darksome room and tried to un-
derstand how it all happened.
1t 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
Mat-was it really Mat who had given
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.
1t 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. 1t was a woman, and
she had something in her hand
Sam Toms was awakened little af-
ter this by rattling, jarring sound
tie sprang up just as the big oaken
doors swung back and revealed the fig
ures of woman and two saddle horses.
81 come f'r ye, SAM" said the woman
with sob. II done bring both ponies
an ou' clo'es. Les go, Sam; we c'n git
'crost tn rivah befo' mawnin. Gomez
He clasped her in his arms, and they
clung to each other little while. Then