People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-05-11
BLIND JUSTICE.
CHAPTER XIII-CoNrNrED
BY HELEN Il. MhTHERs.

y - 0NSHo peculiar W Iuc
fsher:Olk, zee can bide bit. Iseed
'ee war stranger when ZEE coined
over top O. the cliff, m'appen ZEE be
tn chap fro Trevenick as is Twin to
Smuggler's Hole9" she added with a
sudden change of tone as she set
bread and fish on the table.
"Yes, I'm the chap from Treven-
lex" said, land to all appearances
you haven't heard much in my favor -
NAV" she said coldly, Il ha'nt
heard much to you'm credit. Why
couldn't ee' let poor sawl be, stead
@ doiu' constable's work when, as
hear tell, zee be rich emo to do nothin'
TO livin'? But laws, little perky
folks is allus up to mischief"
She stood with her magnificent
arms akimbO, looking as if for two
pins she would have taken and
shaken me. like a rat.
But | was hungry and | was happy,
SO | ate and drank diligently, answer
ing her not a word.
"lss, she went on, with a grand
disregard Of the laws of hospitality,
Kiss, you'm rich, and Judith's poor,
zee We got the best o un, but if liver
a Sawl went inn'cent to her crool
death that sawl be Judith Croft. "
She spoke the last word defantly
as if inviting contradiction, and |
said to myself, judith is richer
than she thinks, for she possesses
one friend in the world besides
Stephen.
Aloud | said,
You are the first woman | have
heard express any doubt of Judith's
guilt.
The fsherman's wife laughed
angrily.
''DOes EN- knaw her so well as |
knSw her?" she said; 'she niver
made but wan fren' 'mongst the wo-
men, and | war that wan, an
knawed her inside an out as well as
a page O. thicky bible upo' that
shelf
And yet you have never been near
her" | said, 81 have heard her say
that she had not one friend in the
world save Stephen Croft"
''Awh," said the woman, sadly.
"'tis true huff, if friens is reckoned
by frienly actions. but my baw, he
be terrible masterful, an when
Judith war took. him ses to me, i
fOrbids ZEE t go anighst her; how
somedever friens ZEE was, her baint
fit for a honest woman to stand by
naw.' An could niver make 'un
blew her warn't t. blame. 'Pison be
pison,' ses he, an who wanted 'uu
cut O. tn way so bad as her did?"
An livery baw i tn village blinkit at
his wife, as if so be her moight ha
got tn same notion in her head
toward 'un."
"If she did not kill him." l said,
chow then did he die?"
"How can | tell 'ee?n she said
scOrnfullY. "God a'mighty's got
his own way O. takin' of folks, an
praps God almighty war angry wi
Seth for coming home an meddlin
in what he'd spoilt enuff Already.
niver could abide meddlers myself
why we're all the women so hard
on her?" said, pushing back my
chair from the table; Judging by
what have heard, she never tried
to take lover away from any one Of
them.
"Do ZEE think herd any need t
try" said the woman contemptuously
WHEREVER she war, thar war the one
woman, tn rest O. 'em was pale shad.
ders, an tn men could as fie' deny
tn sun war shtnin' as keep thei.
eyes fro strayin' TO she. Laws.
always makes lowance TO handsome
folks-seems as if 'em warnt meant
70 jest wan sawls happiness. but
Judith niver wanted no 'lowance
made for she. Her war made fo' luv'.
but somethin' in her KEEP her straight,
an luv' she ntver took. an niver
knawed, till Steve coined t. Trevenicz,
an years upo' years they passed wan
snither by wi only their eyes to
speak TIL warld o luv' atween EN-.
An tn CYCLES was all as mad as mad.
COS he wOuldna look at EN-, an tn
baws was bitter an wild COS Judith
preferred he, an so it was that she'd
marry frien' EN- all but me, an It's
little huff good Use been to she. If
20 see her" (the woman's voice
softened, and tears stood in her eyes)
twill ZEE tell her that Elizabeth ha e
carried sair heart pom her account
but she daurna diso6ey her man, an
her liant huff book larniu' to write
her letter"
Eyes" l said. "I'll tell her, but
you will be able to do it yourself be.
fore long"
NAV" she said, that can niver
be. An do her find it in her heart
to forgive 'ee?" she added bitterly
"but the lamb allus looks up piteous
like 20 the butcher, an praps hel
spirits that broke, her blood be
turned to waiter"
"Her spirit is not broken yet, "
said. stephen Croft is the more
downcast of the two"
can ther'll be tn little 'un," wen
on the woman sadly, and now the
tears fell heavily Oh her breast