Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1894-04-06
MisCellaMenMs.
GOOD FOR EVIL.

sist in your friendship for our boarder,
Hayes, when you know | don't like
him ? I've warned you often enough.
When man is ashamed to tell his bust
ness, it doesn't take much discernment
to see that something is wrong, He has
been in our house now about five weeks
and during the whole time has not
limited a word as to the meaning Of his
trips into the woods. Yesterday | saw
him prowling about the old quarry, but
when | asked him what he was after he
said he was looking for game. A likely
place indeed to find anything to shoot !"
Father" said the daugher, "Mr
Hayes has always treated me like gen.
tleman, and as there is no other COM
pany here | don't see what harm can
come from talking with him"
81 know that it is lonesome here,
Jessie, with no one but me for company,
and when we can afford it we shall go
where you can have better advantages,
but that fellow Hayes is not the right
kind, and | don't want you to have any
thing at all to do with him. I've
left word with Dick to have his horse
ready when he gets back. for he has got
to leave this place to-day. Of course
I've got no proof that he is bad one,
but it is easy enough to see. Look at
his brace of pistols. tell you rife
is good enough here against anything
but the sheriff's posse But must go |;
remember what | say and don't look
for me back before night /" and Mosby
turned away
Anton Mosby's occupation was to
protect large section Of pine timber
owned by an eastern company from en-
croaehments by rival firms and necessi-
tated long tramps along the boundaries
of the great forest estate. His home
was located in a small clearing not large
enough to escape the shadows of the
trees for more than half of the day.
The nearest village was numbering
town about Is miles distant. From this
village ran narrow, scraggy road out
into the forest, past Mosby's house, and
then at the distance of a mile or so d.
vided, one branch turning south and
leading somewhere in the direction of
civilization, the other running several
miles northward and ending in an old
quarry which was dug in the side of a
rocky ledge.
After Mosby's departure Jessie went
on with her work indoors with heavy
heart. Her fathers suspicion that the
man Hayes, who had been sojourning
with them, was only refugee from JUS
tice, panied her He had always been
very obliging about the house, had books
in his saddlebags and sometimes read
aloud to her. which was a matter Of real
entertainment, and while she did not
care for him she felt extremely sorry for
the treatment he received at her fathers
hands, She had to confess, however,
on thinking it over, that it was queer
place for man to come whose only oc-
cupation was pleasure.
Her father had an idea that some day
an officer of the law would ride into their
little clearing and demand prisoner I;
that scene would follow, and the pris-
oner, escaping, would seek safety in the
Shiny caves which penetrated the sides
of the limestone ledge. He even dream
ed about it and awoke one night imbued
with the idea that the house was sur
rounded by mounted borsemen. Day
by day his suspicious increased, until
finally from fear of Jessie's falling in
love with villain he decided to drive
him away.
Hayes was an ordinary looking man
Of about S feet 10, hair brown, eyes
blue and rather quick and nervous in
his speech 1t was suspicion Of en-
barrassment in the latter respect when
questioned as to his business that first
led Mosby to observe his actions, and
his preference for the old quarry road,
which was rough and swampy and led
tangled growth Of UNDER
brush, seemed evident enough that he
belonged to those who prefer darkness
rather than light.
These suspicious made Mosby, natur-
ally hospitable man, cold and satirical,
and many an arrow of sarcasm was
plumed for his victims breast, but Hayes
usually seemed perfectly oblivious Of
their meaning, u fact which only further
determined Mosby in the belief that he
was bad one.
The season had been exceedingly dry.
For nearly month not drop Of rain
had fallen. The sand lay in drifts in
the middle of the road and blew away
from the roots of the trees. During the
previous weeks great fire bad been
raging to the northward, several towns
being rozed to the ground and wide
stretch of timber ruined. The ledge Of
rocks referred to ran in crescent aud
acted as barrier to the flames, 80 that
the country over which Mosby presided
was left unframed
This great northern section, however,
where the fires had been so destructive,
was inhabited by wolves, which now
goaded by fire and hunger, sought safety
to the southwark. Mosby saw them fire.
quently, and their baying could be heard
at night while prowling through the
woods in search OF food
When Mosby went on the tramp, he
invariably took his rife with him, hoping
to obtain enough pelts during the season
for robe.
Evolves" he used to say TO Hayes,
fare about all the game you will find
about these quarters, but If you want &c
kill any you'd better throw away your
six shooters and get rife, for all the
things are good for is to kill men, and ]
reckon the people around here are a
peaceable lot. Of course, it might be
good thing if one wanted 10 escape
from a constable, but we are presumiDe
that you want to kill animals" But biz
arguments as 20 the relative merits and
uses Of the two weapons had little effec
on Hayes, who still continued to carr,
the pistols and make excursions not int
! A. r,oaI. .-a... Mol.