The Mena weekly star., 1896-12-09

said Mrs. Brush, in half-whlsper.
 "Vhy, mol" Mir. Brush answered, blankly. He looked down the columns of the county paper without compre- hending a word of what they held. lie shared his wife's unspoken, increas- ing conviction that so long as Ed ard entirely safe.
 Upstairs in his bedroom Ed'ard lay broad awake, with wide-open eyes. The white moonlight streamed in at the east window and brought out the gay colors in the patchwork guilt. and gleamed on the watcr-pitcher and on the picture of some far relatives of the Brushes, in an oval black frame on the wall
 He could not sleep. His senses were alert He did not know how the time passed. He seemed to have lain there in his silent misery for hours, when he heard Mrs. Brush's heavy, slow tread on the stairs. She came in.
 i've brought you some hot ginger tea, Ed'ard," she said, "and a hot flat iron for your feet. l didn't know but | eat your supper. You drink it down, now. Therel"
 It was duty perfunctorily per- formed; but she tucked the iron against his feet and waited until he had swallowed the drink before she left him.
 Ed'ard lay as she had left him. He heard the peaceful, quiet country sounds-the slow passing of wagon, fine barking of far-away dog, the spas modic. faint jingle of COW bell in the barn. He knew not what strange thoughts and feelings were stirring within him. He had never felt such before. He had never known any re- pentance nor regret, nor any pang of self-conviction, and now he was bewil- dered
 He pulled the bedclothes close up to his chin he was afraid. The moon- light shone in upon his small, cold, rigid face and staring eyes. At last he moved. He crawled out of bed. He shivered, and his teeth chat tered, not with cold, but with dread of what he was going 10 do. And yet an irresistible something within him bore him on.
 He went to the closet. fumbled with in it and brought forth, one by one, the miserable garments in which he had come to the Brushes. Mrs. Brush had put them there, looking forward to a possible cleansing and mending. He put them on, and buttoned the ragged coat and laced the broken shoes. Then he felt his way down the stairs to the sItting-room.
 Mir. Brush sat with his shoes off, and his feet on the warm stove-hearth; Mrs. Brush was winding the clock. They turned and stared at the appar- i;ion.
 Ed'ard stocd in the middle of the room I'm a-going back" he said.
 Hey, sonny" Mir Brush gasped.
 "I killed the calf" sad Edard. "I chased him round, and he tumbed through the fence and fell dcwnhill and broke his neck and killed himself. was scart, and 1 went and got the rope and took him off to the woods. knew you'd go and look at him, and thought mebbe you'd think his neck got broke hauling him off with the rope. didn't want you to know I'd killed him. thought you'd send me back to Gene"
 He stood stiff. his arms hanging at his sides-a little. thin. forlorn speci- men of humanity.
 "So I'm a-going," he ended. He gulped, and winked hard he would not cry. live killed the calf. 1 ain't taking the clothes you give me. I've got on my old ones"
 There followed deep and solemn stiffness, except that the clock ticked with unnatural loudness.
 Where are you goingY said Mir. Brush. His voice was husky.
 Back to Gene"
 You going now, tonight? It's past nine o'clock"
 Ed'ard nodded.
 What put it into your head to tell us you killed the calf?" said Mrs. Brush. She looked oown upon him. To the child she loomed large and stern. and he raised his eyes to her in new terror. But he spoke up, when he had searched himself for the answer, and found it.
 Cause you treated me so good" he said, tremulously. He moved toward the door.
 Mrs. Brush got in front of him. She | swept him 10 her with one strong l hand, and sat down on the cushioned | settee. She held him close. so that his little, pitifuliy working face was hid fl. l.