Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-11-25

at the head of Ii ruVk-uuuco. a.. ulr
studded and viue-laced ravine. The
county road that led over the mouutalt
was not far away, and many a tim,
in the dark nights before he final down
fall came the girl had often listened in
her bed to hear the enemy's horse beat
ing upon the hard pike" and had
looked up to see her father sitting near
the door with his gun lying across his
knees.
Let me weave now. mother" said
the girl You are worn out"
You attend to the fire" the woman
replied, looking round with sigh.
That's hard enough. And, besides,
you cant weave"
But l can try"
"Yes, and while you are trying the
work will be going to waste. If you
would only do as beg of you"
An appealing look from the girl
checked her. You know what / mean"
she said.
Yes" the girl replied, II know"
Then you know what l want you to
do"
"Yes."
Then why don't you do it?"
Because l can't"
The woman frowned. But you can
see me kill myself at work"
Il am compelled to see it, but it
grieves me nearly to death"
"If it did, you would seek a remedy,
arI one is at hand. What have done
for you? | have, stolen the time to give
YOU all the education | had-we have
hidden our books in the woods, because
your father thought they were fool
ish-"
Il know all that, mother"
But you don't think of it,"
"Yes, do, when you are asleep. But
to save my life can't marry that man"
The woman turned from her loom.
81 suppose you are going to be foolish
enough to say that you don't love him"
81 don't love him"
"Ah, thought so. But you could re-
spcct him"
Il might, but l couldn't respect my
self"
Your father must have been right.
Our books were silly, to put such no.
tons in your head. l married for love,
Ella, and what did it mean? A life of
drudgery. And that is what love mar
riage generally amounts to for wom-
an. You will at least promise me to
think over it,"
"Ges, ! will promise that"
The girl went TO bed and she kept her
. NM ,ira 10, l,s l.. a
was soon asleep, and the girl could hear
her sigh in her troubled dreams. But
the more she thought the more she dis
liked old Lige Coster. He was the loud
est man that had ever ridden through
the neighborhood. 1t was his business
to ride about, buying steers. He looked
like a red steer, His red hair Che was
bald except on the sides of his head)
stuck up like the horns of steer. He
had a laugh that sounded like the low
of steer. Once he had a fight with
man and did not use his hands at all.
He kicked like a steer. But he made
money, he had a house painted green.
with sunfiowers in the yard, but with
steers lowing in the back lot. lie had
said that his wife would not have to
work, and this statement found Gre
dence eevenamong women who knew that
his first wife had almost killed herself
with hard labor. AS the neighbors ex-
/ pressed it, he had made dead set at
Ella. He had laughed, or lowed, when
she had kindly told him to go his way.
lie said that he would but that he
would come back again; and he did,
not only once, but many times. lie had
thought that Sam Mayfeld, the wag-
gish school-teacher, stood in his way.
And it was a fact, stronger fact than
he supposed, but Mayfield could
promise her nothing better than a life
of hard work.
Early the next morning the teacher
stopped at the Towson house on his
way to school. The girl met him at the
/ fence. Looking back she caught sight
/ of her mothers angry face.
THE postmaster says that you are
writing letters to the governments"
said the girl. What are you doing that
/ for?"
"ln the interest of your father" he
answered.
"But that won't do any good"
at may. l have told them what a.
brave union soldier he was during thel
war. That will have a good effect If
it is properly presented. And l am
working on it like man writing book.
! find that he saved the flag more than
/ once; and | also find that there is CON
siderable doubt as to his killing the
4 deputy"
He declared that he didn't" Ella re-
/ Piled.
"Ies and melody ever knew him to
tell lie. have been poking around