The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-05-13

N--"'T W. @ASSASS VA
their presence.
did you huah wkut sed?" he demands
moro cUmmandiEgly.
I'd Ike ter know whut consarn that Is
ny your'A:' she replies, turning to him
dlGauuy.
'Ain't cr body got good right ter go
whar they please thout bein stopped in
tEcr road AN pcstcrcd ter death bout hit
by en- lot NV big, cowardly men? Eff you
uir CrLligcd ter Know, though, I'm er goin
down to Bob Blackmore's ter help his
mother. She air sick in bed an helpless"
did you mean ter ride Bob's boss down
thar? I low ef my eyesight ain It er failin
me that that air is his critter. Whar's
Boo now?' he continued coaxingly.
81 don't know nothin bout him. Eff
you uns want ter find him, you'd better
look fer him.
Wizard you git his cri ter them"
breaks in ono impatiently.
81 stopped him in thcr road, right heah,
es l come down Their path thar. The crit
ter wuz comm lopin up, when run out
al headed him off"
After parieying few moments the
spokesman again turns to her.
Eve ms think thot moron likely you
WIZ tellin Their truth jcs' now," no VEN
lures. ''Spccully es you air a member Nv
tier church, TN your daddy wuz, too, an err
elder besides. Sissy" he insinuates, mo
body ever heerd NY your tellin no lie afore.
Which way did you say ther critter wuZ
kulnmin from?" She looks him steadily
in the face.
''That way" she says, indicating with
q wave Of her hand the opposite direction.
ether Lord forgive me" she mentally
pleaded, ''fer tellin er lie fer him."
''TLat WON'T do, Sissy. We uns jes kun
that air way ourselves right after him.
We uEs had better look fer him right
around heah reckon. I hear tell he
said for the girls benefit, THAT whar
thar's emmy petticoats GROUND Bob Black
more ain fur erway."
"You better look out fer yerself, she
scornfully replies. "He I'm is mighty
handy with his wcepins an with his fists
too. 1 reckin you know that, too, don't
you, Jim Wooten? hcv heerd tell that
you IN him had er fight ter wunce, an Bob
didn't kun out no little end Nv Their horn,
neither
1--WE uns will fix all that thar CT we ever
get our hands on Their on ny, good for moth
in scoundrel ergin. He uns amt fit ter
live noways."
Hes er sight mo- fifteen than you air."
hardworllin, sober man, an taken keer
Nv his NANNY; sumpin you never done
Sides that, he's er gentleman, an allus
minded his own business. Do you uns call
this wah?' she demands, with rising We
hemenCe. "Too Cowardly ter go away
frum homo an fight ycrselyCs, but lay
round heah an take everything ennybody's
got left. An soon's somobody-that's Bob
l., H. A.
heahs his Enaw's sick an slips off ter KUN
ON see her, ter houn him like er dog an
try ter kill him. Hits jes' cause he's bet
teri you air."
The faint winding of a horn down tho
road arrests their attention, and hurriedly
mounting their horses they ride off, calling
back to her:
'Wc've got him, Sissy. That's Tom
WinbUrn. l tolo him ter kun up ther
road sos so head him 81 an meet we un5
henh.''
The pur6ucrs proceeded down the right
hand road beyond the forks, from whence
the sound seemed to have come, where the
road makes sudden dip into dry ravine.
Down these a man lies still in death. his
check pressed heavily against the delicate
ferns that grow luxuriantly out of the cool
shadows. Tho trees meeting overhead al
most exclude the light, but now and then
q recreant Dough, straying from its place
through bidding of the gentle morning
breeze, lets in ID feeble ray of sunshine that
touches up the dead mans face with
pallid coloring. The nodding ferns caress
his pale check in vain. Thomorning song
stcrs sing their lays to unhearing cars.
IhC pines and hCmlOcES, mlngllng their
foliage with the poplars and bowling
their good mornings to the beeches and
young hiclzorics, sought in vain to arouse
or soothe the sleeper He will never again
take coSnizance of earthly things nor in
hale tho beauty and vitality Of his native
mountainS-his spirit has gone before tho
last tribunal. A round hole in the center
of his forehead shows where the messenger
of death has entered, bringing it's inevi-
table summons His SLOUGH hat lies where
it had fallen, q few feet away, his right
hand still clutches pistol, his finger with
in the guard and graSping tho trigger.
His garb Is tho same as they wear who lind
him.
lie had sought unfairly to take human
life, and with his own had paid the PEN
city. Coming from farther down the noun
tain to meet his comrades and seeing the
fugitive, he had ridden aside into tho IA
vine, intending to Stay him unawares as
| and was prepared, and as the other fired ut
| him going By, he, too, had fired in return
and slew him. 1t was but moments
| work to exchange his steed for tho fresher
| one of the dead man and ride furiously
| forward again. The horse deserted, fright
| encd at the realization CT something wrong
| and scared at sight of the dead man, gal
| lops back to be met and caught by the girl.
But now, htartbroken, overwhelmed
| and frightened at sight of the inanimate
| body they shortly bring up the road to-
/ ward her, she fees stricken and crushed,
| thinking it to DO the other one. And thus
| it is for days and long, weary days, until
| by chance she learns the truth.
The wars over. Another bright morn
! ing A man rides leisurely up the road.
! Where it forks he catches sight of wom-
| ans form sitting on a fallen tree, where
she has evidently stopped to rest
"Mawnin, Miss Sissy" he says. At the
| sound of her name the girl looks up quick
| ly, and then as quickly down again,
| flush surmounting her usually colorless
| cheeks.
| "Mawnin, Bob" she quietly responds.
| ave lowed up ter our house es how maybe
you uns had forgot us. How's your naw?"
! quickly changing the subject.
! "Hit did look bad in my not erkummin
ter see you al afore now," he rejoins, ig-
| noring the last question. But had ter
| kinder straighten up around homo bit
| afore got out much.
81 thaut you Yuz killed wunoe, Bob, "
| she ventures by way of further converse
| ton. Instantly he dismounts, leaving his
| horse standing in the road, and goes up
| and sits down beside her.
"Why did you uns think that?" he asks.
! ~ wuz er goin down ter your maw's an
! STONED your critter in Their road up thar
! that time an then they brought he I'm that
| wuz killed, an-an''- She could go no
further at recollection of her misery.
IAN did you keer, sissy" he asks, lean
| ing eagerly forward.
''You warn't dead" she protests.
''Well, then, Nv thcr fact that you thaut
l wuz dead?"
She answers him nothing. A few dry
| leaves lutter in the autumn air and fail ut
| thcir feet. A wild grapevine mods its ap-
| prevail and swings in the breeze and the
| branches Of the trees overhead rustic with
the gambols Of n young fox squirrel. y
| fame crested woodpecker flies to dead
pine and begins plugging unmolestedly
| .rgyay. lie puts his arm around her and
3!raws her to him.
'Who writ that thar note, then, Sissy,
daatwuz showed under Their door that night
ayr warn me? You will tell me that, won t
| gou? An who tuck kecr Nv my NANNY
when she WIZ sick? Sissy, honey
| asm draws tighter" won't you marry
Rac?" Sho hides her face against his
IGeast.
| 1GNO,, OF SEorn crnod Mt ayin Questions