The golden rule., 1900-01-27

ever saw.
My first impulse was to run and hide, |
my second to face the matter out.
"What do you want?" asked, open
Ing the window d little way. who
are your" /
IL am q belated traveller. / need
food-rest-rags to bind up my hurt
foot. Seel' And then l saw that one
of his feet was bleeding.
/ hesitated an instant. He perceived
my doubt,
YOU are afraid to let the vagrant
in," he said, bitterly. "Well, l don't
wonder much. But there's no danger.
Let me in, rs you have dear father
or brother of your own. Give me but
a crust of bread, d drink Of milk. l
will go on my way with the earliest
dawn of morning"
MY decision was taken at once. His
pale face, his blood-stained foot, his
piteous voice, so Unlike the profess
sional whine of the regular inendica1t,
all appealed to my womanly pity.
remembered my brothers caution, but
| also remembered that there was an
unused oTe-story wing, on the north
end of the house, fitted up in d rude
sort Of way for the occasional sleep
! ing place of the additional farm hands
that we needed in the height Of the
season of harvest.
Go around to the father door," said
1. 81 will let you in"
/ admitted him accordingly. Gaunt,
pale and limping, he came in.
There is a bed" said 1. "And here
Is food. While you eat I will get salve
and a bandage for your foot"
When returned he was eatihg as
greedily as If he had not tasted food
for week, and drinking long draughts
of coffee.
you are hungry" said 1, kneeling
to my task.
81 hope you never may be as hear
starvation as have been this day." he
responded, in a low, thrilling voice.
Thank you, young woman-the foot
feels easier now."
So left him.
l had meant to slip across the bolt
on the outside Of the door that led tC
the other portion Of the house; but
now perceived, for the first time, that
the bolt was not there. Bob must have
taken 1t out, to use In the stables.
A thrill, half of apprehension, passed
through me at this unwclcome discov
cry.
mo matter" said I, vallantly, to my
self, 81 must risk it. dare say W.
: are all as safe as if there were a score
of bolts on the door. Only I'm gla'
Aunt Jemima sleeps so soundly."
So went to bed and fell fast aSleel
, in less that fifteen minutes.
The sound of the old wooden clocl
striking three-or something else
reused me, and, opening my eyes,
saw the shrouded light Of dark lar
, tern in the room, and by its gimme
three men were searching the content
of the old hair trunk that stood under
q meath the window
: l started up with scream-probaDi
: the most imprudent thing l could haV
=, donc-but did not stop at that lnstaI
? of terror to measure consequences.
stop that gals squeaching pipe,
= muttered a low, threatening tone, an
the next instant an iron nand was III
>, on my throat; my eyeballs SCENE
starting from their sockets, and no
- rible death by suffocation seemed clio
4 ing around me.
In the salf-same second, however,
saw the deadly white face or the ma
= 1 had so recently succored and FED,
r. the doorway; l heard the click Oh
pistol being cooked. My first lmpre
, sion was that he belonged to the gar
:. that he had made an entrance in
- the house through my weak pity, III
= afterward admitted his comrades; d
" oh. how unjustly judged him.
n, LET 60 that girls throat, or l
ID send a brace of bullets through yo
TO brainr' he shouted; and instantaneou
" was free Now, then, get out
,g this! Drop everything. Quick!
k. YOU see this pistol? 1t carries charg
enough to send everyone of you
70 Kingdom Come quicker than Hgl
a, ming"
lie His eloquence was of a most persr
TO siye nature. One of the men dropp
a red leather pocketbook of papers IL
h. I recognized as Bob's; another let
a calico bag containing Aunt Jemimi
nv six silver teaspoons and all thl
st tumbled out of the door in hot mas
or NV unknown friend calmly examln
RS the fastenings.
THE bolt has been pried back, 81
I'm he. '.but l can fix it in minute. A
even if / did not l hardly think IL
will be likely to come again .a1ter
w, lesson l have read them"
TX, How can l ever thank your cri
re almost hysterically, in my mingled
Ow ror and gratitude.
81 was thinking tonight as watcl
int you bind up my foot that l would
Yep to do something for you," he said
Ter a low tone, land have done it. u
night"
did Early the next morning l carried
tray of breakfast in to him, Dut