Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-07-06


ice on the morrow. The nearest bell
was rung. The night fell like threat
Of coming terror.
He had another vision of the dead
man. This time sgd lay covered with
white sheet in the sitting-room OF
his own home. Round the walls of
the room sat the neighbors discuss
ing his many manly virtues and his
untimely end. He saw white-haired
mother, and old man Hart, from whom
sgd had inherited his intrepid, turbu-
lent spirit.
"Some men," shuddered our hero,
"could justify themselves in such
case as this, but l shall never be able
10 forget. My ideal mantle Master
of the World-would have found way
to avoid what did. If only l had Of
fered no resistance. sgd Hart would
have been alive, and land Evelyn,
There his agony overwhelmed him
and he threw himself on his bed again
and pressed his hands over his eyes.
The strains of an organ swelled up
from the nearer church and stole into
his room; voices began to sing. The
singers broke down and merry laugh
tcr-the laughter of free, hopeful peo-
ple-rolled after the fleeing strains Of
music.
Suddenly there was q sound of key
being pushed into the lock and the big
door swung open. The voice of the
jailer cried:
wake up thar, Mr.. Fanshaw. I've
fetched yore brother up to see you'll"
Dave came in with a candle which
the jailer had given him, and he stood
with it in his hand, awkwardly shift
ing his big feet in their new shoes, till
| the jailer had locked the door and
had gone.
II come on, Ron," he said, ms soon
rs l could after got home, and Miss
llasbrooke had drove up the second
time to tell me what you'd said. She
lowed che had took you to the sher-
ifs house. She was a-cryin' MS If 'er
heart I'D break-she could hardly talk.
She begged me to come on an offered
me money to buy anything that might
be needed"
II hope you didn't take 1t, Dave"
burst from the prisoners lips.
mo, didn't take it; somehow 1
didn't think you would want help from
a woman-you are not that sort"
"What do people think about 1t,
Dave?" Ronald took the candle from
the poor fellows quivering hand and
placed it on a little shelf on the WALL
"sSmpathy's always with the dead,
at first" answered Dave. Il never
have heerd as many good things said
about George Washington as l have
about sgd Hart in the last three
hours"
Ronald sighed despondcntly.
II presume that they blame me?"
"Some few lowed that you ort not
a-bucked ngin i'm that night at the
swamp"
| But the boy was innocent" said
our hero.
That's fact, Ron; but mountain
folks don't reason that way; they only
remember how mad you made i'm
when you turned his cake to dough.
They don't admit that you was right,
kase they don't want to know how
nigh they come to murder that night
The Niger that did the deed has long
ago met his God, but some of 'ein
try to believe he was innocent. Lei
4 body have even n spindlin' excuse
and he'll clear his own skirts. Do you
reckon they will let you out on bail?'
"Alr. Ratcliff is going to help me
try for it," replied the prisoner. 1--WE
shall not know what can be done till
after the trial Monday"
Dave moved towards the door, as if
he were ready to go, but he fingered
II reckon" he said, as his eyes
roved about the bare room, that you
feel little lonesome heer." Receiv-
ing Il nod from his brother, he went
on: You needn't look to pa for help.
Bill Tygh limited to i'm this cvenin'
that folks would naturally expect him
to sign yorc bond, an it made i'm as
mad as Il wet hen. He swore like rips
fur fully five minutes on stretch. an
said somc'n about yorc bein' no son
o. his'n. Mn run out TO him an
slapped or hand smack dab over his
mouth, an toll i'm to shct up nr she'd
make i'm regret it to his dyin' day.
They both went off In the smokehousc,
jowcrin' like cats a-fightin' ] slid up
ngin the wall o. the smokchouse to see
eff could make out what was wrong.
Thar they had it up an down fur half
an hour, but l couldn't catch head nrr
tail of it. But it seemed like pa had
committed some crime or other durin'
the war, up in Tennessee. an she was
threatenin' to give him away. They
kept bringing yore name into the
fuss, but couldn't tell why they did
it. You was too little durin' the wal
to n done anything wrong"
Ronald made no comment on these
remarks; indeed he had caught only
about half of what his brother was
saying, so far away were his thoughts
from any row between his mother and
father.
i Noting his inattention. Dave shook
the iron door, the signal agreed on
between him and the jailer TO indicate
his readiness to go. i've got a long
ride before me-" he explained. I'll
he in Monday sure"
| And when the jailer and Dave had
departed with the candle, Ronald lay
down on his bed to spend his first
night utter killing man.
| ITO be continued
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