Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-08-15

her fathers to find If they had heard
anything of Sam.
The old fellow was standing in the
doorway talking to "a couple of strangers.
"No," he was saying, "they hain't
ben no person long yer las few days
but what b'longs yere. Mebbe, though,
he mout "a ben seed over yere t Bacon's.
Ben thar? No? WAL, 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 horse thief, who
had stolen a 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 ill 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
| b;,,, ,rop+Ix, hor ovac fI111 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 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! Saml wake up!' she
almost screamed.
The man turned over and looked at
her stupidity. "H'lo, MMat! Yere, be
We? Gimme kiss" he said in dull tone.
"Not twell ye tells me whar We done
got these yere thingsy" Mats voice
sounded broken and shrill.
Sam sat up and rubbed his head, look
ing at her in drunken wonder. "Ww-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 as he asked
querulously:
"What n hell ye 30 all fired fussy
bout? l hain't done nothin," and he
laughed in half drunken, half nervous
way.
"Sam, whar did ye git 'em?"
He sat dumbly staring at her.
"Sam"-her voice was full Of horror
"did you steal that thar hossf"
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 a dozen men, all anxious
to escape-and Sam Toms did not try to
escape. He only sat still in the low,
odh dui hoOiiO AOOill anu lllCu W
derstand how it all happened.
1t must be a drunken dream-but, no,
he was almost sober, and knew where
he was and how and why he was there.
Bnt-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 1 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 woman, and
she had something in her hand.
Sam Toms was awakened little af
ter this by a rafting, Earring sound.