The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-14

smallest child which had eSSayed to
take refuge in the folds of her scant
skirt. My name is Marthy Leach she
added. as an afterthought. I've stayed
here ever since the children's mother
went and sort o. looked after en-
Again Tatman hesitated.
You understand my errand here.
I'm quite sure. Miss Leach he said.
You have undoubtedly heard the ru-
mors that have been current for weeks
past concerning your brother. have a
duty 70 perform l must search your
house
The woman's thin. hatchet-like face
grew more peaked and haggard. For c.
moment a look of defiance glowed in
her eyes When that died away she
lifted the smallest child into her arms
and started toward the house.
" Come on she said. He's in here
'Tatman and l followed her into a
long. low room, and the children and
dogs crowded in at our heels. A man
sat at one corner of the fireplace. He
was coughing violently when We en-
tered, and / noticed that the hand he
held up to his lips was almost trans
parent. in its thinness. The woman
stood silently before him until his pa
roxysn of coughing had ended. Then
she spoke:
HI she said. heres two men come
to see YOU
AC man ldlcCQ HIS lOiON-
eyes and shook back his thick. dark
hair. Tatman looked at me appealing
~. but could give him no encourage
ment.
They have a duty to perform. the
woman went on. bitterly. This man.
and she pointed to Tatman. is the sher-
IN He is going to arrest you for steal
ing sack of potatoes, bag OF corn.
and slice Of pickle-pork from Peter
Fagin night before last. The whole
thing weighed 100 pounds. mebbe. Pc
ter Fagin lives three miles from here
There was an awful heavy rain al
that night, and the mud was knee deep.
but for anybody we'll an strong Ike
you are. Hi. rain an mud DON'T count
Says She's the Thief.
There was sneer in the woman
voice that contrasted painfully with -
shrunken, wIthered face and hg1 <.
The man laid his face in the hollow 60
his skeleton-like hands and groans
The woman turned toward Tarman an
me.
II s'pose.' she said. grimly, y5a'G
like to search the house?'
'Tatman's face was flushed and
whole figure seemed to cry out -
apology for our being there.
L believe 1 shall have to- he sad
The law requires it. you know
The woman Strengthened up stiff IS
rod.
Well she said. I won't put you 20
much trouble. 1t amt worth while Tor
you to go pokin' around into unneces-
sary corners. Here's what there is lee--
of the last haul The potatoes is
She stepped to the cupboard in tee
corner and threw back the door.
Martial! the man called or,
sharply.
That's all right, Ill., she said. =
knew ito have to come sooner or lSte-
an it's no use to beat about the bCsl4
now that the officers is here. There's
the potatoes she repeated. down there
in that box. The meal is in that lar
wrapped up in that towel. The stuff
is almost gone already for we've got
a good many mouths to feed here.
countin' in the dogs. It's a good thing
you come when you did. for like as not
there'd have been another haul tonight
or the night after
The woman sat down on a stool op-
posite her brother. and motioned Tat
man and me to chairs in front of the
fireplace. / took the seat, but Tatman
remained standing
I'm very sorry to find things as
they are he said. L came, of course,
to arrest Mr.. Leach. should 1 find him
guilty. He is evidently a very sick
man. / do not see how I can take him
into custody today, yet-if he is guilty.
as you say
The woman sprang to her feet like q
wounded animal.
Who said he was guilty?' she broke
in I said we got the stuff from Peter
Fagin's, but 1 didn't say Hi took it.
He didn't. Why. man, where are your
eyes and YOUR common sense2 Can't
you see? Can't you understand. Don't
you know that those weak arms
couldn't carry that load a hundred
yards, let alone three miles,? No. il
you are goin' to arrest anybody, you'll
have to arrest me. i did the Stealin'
I've been dom it all along. p
There was a catch in her voice then.
The woman sank back on the stool
again and gathered the youngest child
into her arms and began to rock her
body to and fro nervously. Tatman
took the vacant chair beside me and
mopped his streaming forehead
Hi never did have the knack Of
gettin' on very WELL she said. 1t was
this little fellow that set me goin'-
hungry for two days an nights. He
cried an cried till | couldn't stand it
any longer, an then I-well. l hustled.
took from Peter Fagin the first night.
You'll say, of course, 1 ought to have
asked for help. Well. mebbe / haT
done any good. Folks was all down or
u.s. Somehow they don't seem to IN
derstand that His sick. an has been
ailin' for months. They still think
he's sufferin' from lack of ability TO
get on. But it amt that now. If I'd
begged. the best they could have done
would be TO send us to the pOorhouse
an there's so much red tape TO be IN
wound before a BODY can get in even
there. that the chances are we'd STAYED
to death before the business could be
settled. 8 That's the way it was with
the Dolan family.
''Tatman remembered the Dolan fam
lily. and nodded an acquaintance.
You may think it's strange that =
a woman as old as 1 am could get
around as lively as I've been doin' this
winter. 1t is funny. 1 can't under
stand il myself, but somehow when I
was out-stealin'-I was spry as
felt afraid, either. I guess that's the
reason l never got caught But now
that you've got me, suppose I'll have
to give in. Do you want TO take me
along with you now2 1t won't take me
long to get ready. Clothes don't cut
much of a figure with US. All / wish
is that you'd kind of look after Hi and
the children when I'm gone
THE old man in the corner sobbed
aloud. Tatman arose and stalked over
to the small window and scood looking
at the snow dimmed glass. BY and By
he came back TO the fireplace. he
reached out and grabbed old Martha's
hand, and when he spoke / saw that
his hand and voice were both IN
steady.
e I think he said, that you can tale
better care of these children than 1