Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-10-14

scribe its contents. He simply held
it before his eyes in his trembling
hangs and scanned again and again
the quavering, uncertain handwriting
that he knew SO well-his mothers.
Awakened by the voice of his compan-
ion, he tore it open and hurriedly
perused the contents. The letter was
dated three months before. Twice he
read it; then he buried his face in his
hands.
"What yer blubberin' about, SON.
N.Y." asked Tooker, anxiously, his
voice softening little as he gazed
with astonishment on his young part
ner in crime.
cts from the old folks, Pete" !"
came the broken reply. "They wrote
to me to come home when my time
was up, and they sold the old farm
and moved over the mountains, SO l
wouldn't have to go back where the
people were all down on me. The
old man has relented, and mother says
they don't think no more that shot
Jim Andrews for spite, and"
He could say no more. He saw it
all now. They had changed their
home to save him from shame; they
had written to him, and his father,
forgetful old man, had stuck the letter
beneath the buggy cushion, where it
had laid all these months. Was it n
wonder that he had felt strangely at
home in that old vehicle? 1t was the
same worn harness, for there was the
B on the bride buttons. Even the
blanket about his legs he recognized
now. How foolish had he been that
IN all his planning to escape with the
booty it had never occurred to him to
whom the property belonged. 1t was
three months since the gates of the
penitentiary had closed behind him,
and he had stepped into the world
with no vocation, no character, and
having had no news from his home
and believing in the 1mplacableness of
his stern old fathers temper, he had
joined in the perilous ventures of
Pete Tooker, the horse thief, whose
acquaintance he had made in prison.
Three times had those ventures been
successful. This was the fourth, the
most profitable in Pete's estimation,
for the pair was worth at least $500.
His father had always loved good
horse better than anything else on
earth, except his family. Rudd laughed
ironically for moment, and then he
further increased the amazement of
his com npanion by burying his face in
his hand and groaning.
"They amt nothin' pertickler to
kerry on about. We've only got three
milo more to the mountain; then
wore safe," exclaimed Tooker, nudg-
ing the young man with his elbow, and
venting upon the horses, through the
medium of the wisp, his disgust at this
last show of weakness.
Rudd stihed his emotion, threw him
self back in the seat and began to re-
volve the situation over and over
again In his mind. He must devise
some plan to thwart the avariciousness
of his pal and to restore to his father
the stolen animals. TO accomplish the
latter he had simply to tie the team to
a tree and take to the woods; but it
would require more than mere argu-
ment or sympathy to induce his crude
pal to part with his share in a booty
so hardly won, especially as they were
penuiless. His meditations were in
terrupted by startled exclamation
from Tooker, who for several minutes
had had his eyes fastened at the small
window in the back of the curtain.
"Here they come 70
G,,o Ibora WAC n
Just over the brow of the hill, scarcely
half mile behind them, Rudd saw
blackboard drawn by two horses, near
ing at rapid rate.
"We must look as though we amt
expecting to be followed" he said,
taking the reins.
Two miles ahead the mountains lay.
Once there they would be safe For
the horses he did not care; his sole
thought now was to escape. He
whipped the tagging animals into
sharp trot, but fatigued as they were
by long travel their efforts were short
lived.
"They're gainin," cried Tooker,
whose eyes were at the glass pane.
"They're drivin' hard au' tryin' to
sneak in on us. Them horses is beau
ties, an fresh too. They must have
changed, for thet pair is lookin' too
lively to hev ben follerin' us all this
time. Now kin see the men-two of
'em. We're caught if these nags don't
move up"
A mile and half of level road lay
between the iugitives and the protec-
tion of the woods.
81 kin see tho men now. There is
q young feller' and an old man with q
gray beard. He knows we're onto 'em,
fer he's whippin' up. Lick 'em up!
lick 'em up!"
The bays sprang forward desper-
ately beneath the lash that Rudd mer-
cilessly applied.
can old man with gray beard, I"
the young thief mutttered. Then he
added quickly, "And is he heavy set ?"
"Heavy set," was the laconic reply.