The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-03-17

tA~J W NAN ~ PSI w ~ S'SSiChs fNAOAi
all the eagerness that youth and zeal
could supply he had done his best to
raise his people, and he had failed, and
he knew it. He saw his miners, at first
shamefacedly and then openly, stay
away from his little church, and his
heartwas sick within him. He was Won
dering if it were worth while stay
ing on when his door was suddenly
opened and a woman, disheveled and
wild-eyed, rushed in.
"Oh, parson, save my boyl" she
gasped, and sank on to chair, breath
less with her haste.
"Why, Mrs. Mace, what on earth is
the matter?-is your son iIl?" he asked,
eagerly.
NO, sir, he amt i'll, but he's worse
nor that; the men are going to hang
him"
What for? Surely he hasn't been
tried. What has he doDe?"
well, sir" walled the woman, ''he's
got into bad company lately, and a
man accused him of horse stealing, and
and" looking fearfully around, its
true, sir"
Young and inexperienced as he was
in the ways of frontier camp, the par
son knew that horse stealing was one
of the deadly sins, and his face grew
pale as death.
I'm afraid Mrs. Mace, that if the
men have decided to hang your son no
word of mine would STAY them"
And you, minister, to say that to
me, a mother-why, it's none the less
murder, and you know it. Oh, sir!" she
pleaded, there's yet time to catch
them up-for Gods sake, whose word
you preach, try and save my boy Will
no one help poor mother?" She wept
bitterly. whilst the parson, in imag-
nation, felt himself defying the mob,
and also in imagination saw the CHASTITY
tragedy that would ensue on his inter
ference.
Come, Mrs. Mace, let us go and hur-
ry, and perhaps we may do some good"
Selling his hat, he ran from the room
and followed the crowd OF miners whom
he saw were making for some trees
about half a mile out of the town.
When he finally caught them up all the
grim preparations were made for the
execution. The rope was around the
shivering youths neck. Six stalwart
men held the loose end ready at a sig
nal to launch the criminal into eternity.
With his boyish face flushed with ex-
element the parson pressed to the
front and stood side by side with the
throng, broken by Texas Joe, who said:
Now, parson, this amt no place for
you. Judge Lynch have had his say,
and Jim Mace is going to be hanged,
and that's So"
"And who are you to take upon your
scowl at me and finger your gun, for
I'm an unarmed man, and you know it.
Have not you enough blood on your
hands already without killing this boy
who has broken your laws? Give him
one more chance, and you may be glad
yourself of it one day"
The Berseker fury that occasionally
comes over men of quite meek DISPOSE
tions was on the little man who stood
defying the whole mob. His look
seemed to daunt even the men who held
the rope, and it hung loose about Mace's
neck.
Joe saw his authority trembling in
the balance, and, with pistol raised,
said: Clear him out of the way, boys,
or I'll shoot him where he stands"
mo, you won't, joe" said the par
son, undauntedly. "You know that
would be murder, and they don't love
you too much, even here, to stand
that"
No one spoke for moment; then tn
Cornishman, Treleavan, shouted out:
"a life for life! If the parson wants
Mace to live, let him be hanged in
stead"
The mob shrank from this cold-bIood.
ed proposal, and, Selling the psyche
logical moment, the parson slipped the
halter from Mace's neck, placed Il
round his own and said: GO, my lad,
turn over a new leaf and leave this
Io"H' 30 anu pou DleSS you!
The crowd opened and Mace stun.
bled away, looking neither to the right
nor left, leaving his rescuer standing
with moving lips in his place.
Then Texas Joe said, with an ode
break in his voice for which he could
not account: Say, boys-there ainr
going to be no funeral to-day, you
bet! Take off that necktie, parson, anG
I calculate South City will have to dc
without you in the future. We wrote tc
Frisco for strong parson, and may
the Almighty strike me dead if yor
amt bit too strong for us. Give III
yer fist, parson, and"-signifcantly-
,"Good-by."-St. Paul's.