The free state., 1900-01-20

SAAAAOoos 4AO hOnah ohON~N
before him until the paroxysm of
coughing had ended. Then she
spoke:
Hi she said, 'here's two men
come to see you
''The man raised his hollow dark
eyes and shook back his thick dark
hair. Tatman looked at me appeal
ingly, but could give him no encour-
agement.
" They have a duty to perform, "
the woman went on, bitterly. II is
man, and she pointed to Tatman, is
the sheriff. He is going to arrest you
for stealing a sack of potatoes, bag
of corn aud slice of picklepork from
Peter Fagin night before last. The
whole thing weighed a hundred
pounds, mebbe. Peter Fagin lives
three miles from here. There was an
awful heavy rain al that night, and
the mud was knee deep, but for any
body we'll an strong like you are, Hi,
rain an mud don't count.
There was O sneer in the woman's
voice that contrsstel painfully with
her shrunken, withered face and fig
ure. The man laid his face in the
hollow of his skeleton-like hands and
groaned. The woman turned toward
Tatman and me.
4" 4 s'pose, she said, grimly, you'd
like to search the house.
"Tatman's face was flushed, and his
whole figure seemed to cry out an
apology for our being there.
L believe 1 shall have to-, he
said. The law requires it, you
know
Tho woman Strengthened up stiff
as rod.
We'll, she said, I won't put you
to much trouble. It amt worth while
for you to 60 pokin' around into un-
necessary corners. Here's what there
is left of the last haul. The potatoes
is She stepped to the cupboard in
the corner and threw back the door.
Martha! the man called out
sharply.
That's all right, Hi, she said. 4
knew it'd have to come sooner or later,
an it's no use to beat about the bush
now that the officers is here. There's
the potatoes, she repeated, down
there in that box. The meal is in that
jar on the second shelf The meat is
wrapped up in that towel The stuff
is almost gone already, for we've got
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
"Tbe woman sat down on a stool
opposite her brother, and motioned
Tatman 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 very sick
man. 1 do not see how l can take him
into custody today, yet-if he is guilty,
as you say
'The woman sprang to her feet like
wounded animal.
" Who said he was guiltyY she
broke in. 4 said we got the stuff
from Peter Fagin's, but I didn't
say Hi took it. He didn't. Why,
man, where are your eyes and
your common sense? Can't you
see? Can't you understand? Dom
you know that those weak arms
couldn't carry half that load Il hundre
yards, let alone three miles? No, il
you are goin' to arrest anybody, you Il
have to arrest me. did the stealin'
I've been doin' it all along. l.
There was a catch in her voice
then. The woman sank back on the
stool again and gathered the young
est child into her arms and began tc
rock her body to and fro nervously.
Tatman took the vacant chair be
side me and mopped his streaming
forehead.
You wouldn't think I'd be able tc
do it, either, would you?' she re-
sumed, pitching her voice in its high
keyed monotone once more. I'm II
years old, but I've still got heaps oi
strength. I've always been strong al
an OK. I've had need to be, too, fol
I've had to work like one most of my
life. I've had all my brothers to dc
for. There was six of them. Some.
how, their wives all died when the
children was little tots, and I've
brought 'em all up the best 1 knowed
how. His is the last I'll have to dC
for I liked His wife better than any
of the rest Of the women folks, and
like her children best. If she'd beer
my own sister l couldn't have though
more of her, and if the children was
my own 1 couldn't think more o.
them. At least, it seems that way
Anyhow, I wouldn't have stole fol
anybody but them. 1 promised theil
mother when she was drawing hel
very last breath that they shouldn'
want for anything if could help it
an L guess they never have, so far.
"'Hi never did have the knack o
gettin' on very we'll, she said. Il
was this little fellow that set me goin
this one here in my arms. He wa
hungry for two days an nights. 81,
cried and cried till couldn't stand i
any longer and then well, 1 hustled
1 took from Peter Fagin the frs
night. You'll say, of course, I ough
to have asked for help. Well, mebb,
I had, but 1 don't know as it would
have done any good. Folks was al
down on US. Somehow, they don
seem to understand that HIS sick an
has been ailin' for months. The,
still think he's sufferin' from lack o