The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-10-03

mo, wasn't mistaken" said Joe.
81 just lied, that was all. l did it for
Bills sake. If May goes the way sent
her, she'll not get to Round Timbers
this mornin' "
After they had ridden few moments
in silence Joe began again.
Jim, old fellow, for Gods sake
don't let on that you've seen or heard
nothing this morningl It'll be plenty
tough on Bill anyway.
81 shore WON'T" said Jim.
There was quite crowd assembled
around the door of the little log school
house when these two men rode up.
The groom was there, and so was the
preacher; so also were the people. The
house was decorated within and without
with flowers and leaves and other orna-
ments more or less appropriate to the
occasion. However, there was one orna-
ment generally considered necessary on
wedding occasions which was still miss
ing-namely, the bride.
"Seen anything of May lately?" asked
Bill, stepping to the front as the new
corners rode up There was just trace
of anxiety in his voice as he spoke
Nav" answered Joe promptly. His
face looked perfectly unconcerned as he
spoke, but in very few moments a
cloud began to rest upon it. l suspect
though, that instead of grieving over
the lie he had tobias of course he
should have been-he was merely Won
he irr1,+ h.
modification which public discovery
of the real facts in regard to May might
occasion. He was now sitting with one
leg thrown over the horn of his saddle.
Suddenly his face lighted up with its
old sickly smile, and, in voice that
trembled little i'll spite Of the bravadO
he tried to throw into it, he began:
"Say, Bill, that was the devil Of a
lie I told you about May just now
saw her not over half an hour ago"
"You did, did you? When will she
be here?"
"She won't be here at all "
Bills face grew stern and white.
"Why won't she?" he demanded.
because I directed her i'll the wrong
road. Jim tried to tell her right, and
wouldn' It let him Amt that so, Jim?''
Jim nodded grimly. With faces that
now began to grow drawn and anxious,
the spectators glanced from one speaker
| to the other in turn Bills face was
fairly livid with rage, and his voice
trembled with the awfulnoss Of repress-
ed fury as he asked the next question;
"What did you do it for?"
The expectant silence that followed
was deathlike, but even then JOe's voice
| was hardly audible as he answered with
the same sicl1ly smile still lowering
about his white lips:
Because l useter court her myself
and you cut me Out!'
Before the words were fairly out of
his mouth Bill sprang at him with the
fury of wild beast. With all the force
of his mighty arm he struck, and the
| blow descended upon the arm-the Grip
Pied knotted arn-which ice had in
terposed to ward it off Some say it de-
scended upon the very knot itself. He
fell from his pony as if he had been
shot, and lay for several moments on
the turf where he had fallen
(Which way did you send her?' ask
ed Bill i'll the same awful tones he had
used before.
81 won't tell, gasped Joe.
"Then get up off that ground.
Joe meekly obeyed
sect Oh your pony-no, l see it's got
away from you. Then saddle up mine
yonder and go after May and bring her
back at once, sir! Do you hear?"
Joe meekly took the huge Texas sad
die. in his left hand and carried it to
where the pony stood grazing, tied by a
limp by his side. After some Intellectual
efforts to throw the saddle ON with his
left arm he gave up the attempt.
81 can't get the thing on, he said
| "Use your right arm, sirl" called
his brother.
81 think you've broke his game arm
Bill, said Jim Smith.
Its a lie!" shouted Joe. "That
arm S as good as it ever was. -
To prove the truth Of this assertion
he made mighty effort and managed
to lift his arm to his shoulder, though
the wrist still dangled loosely from his
elbow. Even then he could not restrain
his face from wincing and his teeth
from clinching with the pain Drop
ping the saddle, he turned abruptly and
limped off into the woods without a
word
Jim Smith afterward said that only
his solemn promise to Joe kept him
from telling the whole truth at this
juncture just as he knew it to be, and
that he had to grit his teeth hard and
say cuss words under his breath to do it
then. AS to the rest of the crowd, it
} must be remembered that they knew