The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-07-09

one, that one, and the lawyers!"
Annie was sitting with ono foot curled
up under her, hemming a dish towel.
Mrs. Hart watched her refectively for
some time before she spoke.
Annie she said, finally, did you
hear what Mr.. Nordsen said?"
Annie pushed her hair hack over her
ear and looked up. About the water?"
she asked.
Yes" said Mrs. Hart.
THAT we are taking it without Mr..
Seymour's knowing about it?"
Yes"
But, aunty, that means we've
been" she nesitated.
"Yes, that we've been stealing it!
There's no orher word for it."
Annie looked awestr Lck. But
aunty," she said, earnestly. I'VE didn't
know it,"
Il ought 10 have known ~" said Mrs.
Hart, rocking gently, IF IL stopped to
think"
when you steal without knowing it"
said Annie, softly, lis it stealing just
the same?"
Yes, it's virtually stealing; that is
taking without the consent of the own
er what does not belong to you," said
Mrs. Hart. "A person ought to know"
But the water just came and ran into
the ground. We didn't fetch it, and we
couldn't give it back"
But we ought to have told the owner
"a r.. h
boris hens Rad been laying in our shed
and we'd kept the eggs"
but, aunty," said Annie, suddenly
sitting up and pulling her little ging-
ham skirt down over her Iare feet, Mr..
Seymore should keep his fume mended
if he tidn't Y ant us to have the water"
Just because Mr.. Seymore's too lazy
to mend his ditch is no excuse to US for
stesling his water" said Mrs. Hart, re-
lentlessly. 'Nobody's going to let off
horsethief just because ne stole moth
ing but stray horses"
There was pause of a few moments,
broken only by the creaking of Mrs.
Harris rockingham.
"Aunty," said Annie, finally, what
ere you going to do about il? We can't
give him back the water"
NO, but we can give back all the
good the water did us. The beets, she
explained, in answer to Armies puzzled
look.
But, aunty," she said, family, you
don't mean TO give him rack all our
beets?'
"They amt ours at all, child" said
Mrs. Hart, its his water, that he paid
fer, that made 'em grow, and he has Z
right to every blessed one of 'em. And
I'm gcin' to take EN- to tim the min
ute they're out of the ground"
But we bought the seed, aunty," pro
tested Annie, land it was our land, and
wetook care of 'em, anyou re washing
for Mr.. Nordsen because he's going K
help us with EN-, ard lend us his team
YES" said Mrs. Hart, "and the seed
would have been no good, nor the land
either. if it wasn't for thu water
1t was well nigh half of Rife Greek
that went slipping quietly around the
hillside in John Seymore's big fume
Streams about tie roous 'oi ms myrlac
peach trees. SeymUre had paid good
ly sum in establishing and defending
the right to call + his, AID was natu.
rally not disposed to part y it'll it on any
light terms.
Hence he had the name, both in the
town and among the raHChers, of be
ing rather 'close" at a bargain, and :
hard man to deal with. The re were but
few people, however, who really knew
him or were qualified to speak with au,
thority of his character.
Mrs. Hart and Annie drove in silence
along the dusty road from the mouth OF
the canyon 10 the busy little town OF
| Rifle Creek. Both were thinking with
vain regret of the things they were
to have brought back with them, pur-
chased with the money paid for those
| beets, and each knew well what the
other was thinking of. AZ they drew
! up before the new brick office building
that bore Mr.. Sevmore's name, Mrs
Hart handed Annie the rcins.
You sit right still, Arnie," she said,
''and I'll be out just as soon as l can tell
him about it, and find out where he
wants 'em put. And heaven knows -
she added, CROPPING under the seat for a
hitching strap, that l shall be glad
enough when it's all over" Annie sat
in maze of childish fancies set in mo-
ton by the ever-changlng crowd be-
fore her, until her aunt 'eappeared.
Mrs. Hart knocked timidly at an oak
door bearing on it's ground glass panel
the legend:
RIFLE CREEK RESERVOIR AND
IRRIGATION COMPANY.
JOHN ID. SEYMORE, President
She waited long IN a luxurious ante
room, and was at last admitted to the
private office. She stood anXiously
canning the face OF Mr.. Seymore. He
did not look like a hard man, she
thought; on the contrary there was
something about the mouth that made
one think he might at any time be con-
cealing a smile beneath the dropping
mustache.
'My name is Hart she found herself
saying after he hal motioned her to