The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-04-04

anything of Sam.
The old fellow was standing in the
doorway talking toa couple of strangers.
"No," he was saying, ''they hain't
ben no person long yer las few days
but what b'longs yers. Mebbe, though,
he mont "a BEN seed over yere T. Bacon's.
Ben thar? No? WAL, my boys comm
i'm FIN thar purity soon, an he en- tell We.
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 a 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 Il the conversation o
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 hastily.
Sam was in bed, asleep and 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 n of
the pockets. Instinctively Mat thrust
her hand into it and drewi it forth, clasp
ing several gold pieces. AS she did SC
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
We? Gimme kiss" he said in a dull tone.
"Not twell We tells me whar We done
got these yere things!' 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 fiercsly and said In q
lower tone-a tone of earnest force:
.sTell me, Sam Toms, whar We done
got these we're coins! Quick now!'
Her tone partially sobered the man,
whose eyes opened wider as he asked
querulously:
What n hell We so all fired fussy
bout? | hain't done nothin," and he
laughed in a half drunken, half nervous
way.
'Sam, whar did We git emf"
He sat dumbly staring at her.
sSam"-her voice was full of horror
Ibid you steal that than hossT'
No answer; but Mat saw by his eyes
she had guessed the truth. Slowly the
coins fell from her hand TO tie 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 glazing 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.
n y
There was a Jail at the crossroads; it
was a primitive affair, but solid and sub.
stantial. 1t was a dugout in the side hill
and had a heavy oak door and great steel
hinges and lock. 1t was plenty strong
enough to hold a dozen men, all anxious
to escape--and Sam Toms did not try te
escape. He only sat still in the low
damp, darksome room and tried to un.
derstand how it all happened.
1t must be a drunken dream-bnt, no
he was almost sober, and knew where
he was and how and why he vas there
But-he could not understand. Had
Mat-was it really Mat who had giver
him up? There must be some mistake.
The big, strong man finally began K
realize it all. He lay down on the bunl
and cried himself t sleep like a child.
n y
1t must have been about / O'Clock
in the morning when some n silently
entered the house of old Bill Bum, con
stable. This some n entered by tn,
back door, went stealthily into the roon
where Bill and his wife slept, rummaget
about a few minutes, and then emerged
|, from the house. 1t was a woman, ant
che bad something in her hand.
Sam Toms was awakened a little af
: ter this by a rafting, Earring sound
t He sprang up just as the big oakel
doors swung back and revealed the fig
ures of a woman and two saddle horses
81 comE FIR We. Sam - said the wona1