The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-02-17

had stolen Il valuable horse at ranch
forty miles east and sold it ut Pickett
station. and who was believed 10 have
come this way
As she listened to the conversation g
sudden nameless fear came upon her,
making her feel i'll and 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 hast
lily. 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
out 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 sleeping man
and kissed him gently, her eyes full OF
love. Then she turned to pick up his
clothes and put them away. The trous
ers were heavy, and something 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 Eer 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 homo.
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'llo, M-Mat Yere.
be ye? Gimme kiss, he said in dull
tone.
Not twell We tells me whar We done
got these yere things r Mats voice
sounded broken and shrill
Sam sat up and rubbed his head,
looking at her in drunken wonder.
"W-w-y, them-them thar, honey -
She shook him fercely and said in
lower tone-a tone of earnest force
Tell me, Sam Toms, whar We done
got these yere coins Quick now!''
Her tone partially sobered the man,
whose eyes opened wider us he asked
querulously:
What n HI ye so all fired fussy
bout? l hain't done nothin'," and he
laughed in a half drunken, half ner-
vous way.
Sam, whar did ye git emp
He sat dumhly staring at her.
''Sam"-her voice 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 hel
face touched the pillow. For minute:
she did not move-not until Sam, whc
had been staring at her wonderingly,
reached out his big hand and laid ii
caressingly on her head. Then she
sprang to her feet her hot eyes glarina
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 pres.
entity she turned and ran out of the door.
Sam, almost sober now, called after
her, but she did not answer. He cot
out of bed slowly and started to dress
himself. 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 jail at the crossroads; ii
was primitive affair, but solid and
substantial, 1t was dugout in the
side hill, and had q heavy oak door and
great steel hinges and lock. 1t was
plenty strong enough to hold o 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 understand how it
all happened.
1t must be drunken dream but,
no, he was almost sober and sknew
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 a
child
1t must have been about | O'clock in
the morning when some one silently
entered the house Of old Bill Bum,
constable. This some one entered by
the back door, went stealthily into the
room where Bill and his wife slept,
rummaged about a few minutes, and
then emerged from the house. 1t was
a woman, and she had something in heI
hand.
Sam Toms was awakened a little after
this by o rafting, jarring sound. He
sprang up just as the big oaken doors
swung back and revealed the figures of
q woman and two saddle horses.
Il come frye, Sam, said the woman,
with sob. Il done bring both ponies
an on clo'es. Let's go, Sam; We en-
git 'crost tn rivah befo' mawniu'.
Come =
lie clasped her in his arms, and they
clung to each other little while. Then
Mat said, more steadily:
Come, Sam. Les go oYah t. Mexico
an mebbe we en- try an do better
oyah thar. -
And they rode forth in the bright,
free moonlight down towards the Ric
Grande-into new and better life
X. l.. ketchum, in Argonaut.
The Inevitable.
"Have You finished that address of
mine on Modern Progress q" asked
The great man Of his private secretary.
~