Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-03
recede so much as a hairs breadth.
With the others, however, It was DIFF.

recede so much as hairs breadth.
With the others, however, it was diff
ferent.
lord. reckon Jim Thorn is shore
right" Hicks said, breaking the pause.
Yes, street Come to think Of 1t, had
q sort Of sneakin notion while that
Teller was here that he want Jest ex-
actly plumb straight"
II noticed" observed another, .'that
he had a sort of an uneasy look about
the eye. like he was skeered that he
mought be overlook an ketched up.
Didn't none Of you uns notice that?'
Lord. reckon did," another re-
piled, ian mind most distinctly that
he didn't appear to act n BIT nat'ral. II
flashed over me In minute that thar
was somethin wrong about him some
way"
"Shucksw exclaimed third. II seed
through that Teller the very minute I
clapped my eyes on him, an knowed
as well as II he'd told me that he was
hidin from the law. wouldn't never
a-mentioned 1t, though, II somebody
else hadn't a-mentioned 1t fust."
Jim Thorn listened In silence to all
these men, a cold, incredulous smile on
his face and look of contempt shining
In his eyes. He knew that every one
Of them was uttering positive false
hood and that not one of them had
thought OF Jim Melvin as a rascal and
q fugitive from Justice until he had
suggested It.
wonder what that chaps been up to
now" some one said after pause,
that he's had to take to hidin out this
a-wayr'
"Lord, hope he amt been an killed
nobody" Hicks remarked. with shud-
der. .but like enough that's jest what
he's DONE"
"Or It may be that he's stoled a boss
or somethin." another added. II reck-
on he's most mean enough to do any
thing. judgin by his looks"
"Or he mought "a robbed bank, for
all we know. Land. like as not he's
got q bushel Of money hid about him
somewhat"
These We're all merely surmises on
the part Of the speakers, for none Of
them knew thing on earth about
James Melvin. 1t is strange, however,
how near to the truth mere surmise
may sometimes draw. That James
Melvin was Q fugitive from the law
was fact and that some Of the other
surmises smacked strongly OF the truth
were also facts.
All at once at this point the attention
OF the villagers was drawn away from
james Melvin and fixed on another
subject Mrs. Sparks had come dash
ing in among them, her face pale and
haggard and her eyes wet with tears.
"WhaTs my old MANI" che cried.
''Whar's Ebenezerf Hain't\ none Of
you uns seed nothin Of him7s Oh, my
Lorf."
Not until this moment had, any one
noticed that Ebenezer Sparks.was alb
sent and consequently nobody was in
position to enlightent his other half
as to his whereabouts. Mrs. Sparks
looked eagerly from facc,to face, then
broke forth IN heaztrendingt lamenta-
lions.
'Oh. my Door. brave, foolhardy Ebe-
ne7er!' she walled. TIL never git to
see him no more, never in all this
world! He'll be killed! He's shore to
be killed. Jest know helwill,~
Why, great granny, Mrs. lSparks,"
Hicks exclaimed, whatever MAS got
into you to make you talk that away
Who or what Is goin to kill Ebenezer,
doyou sposer
"Oh. my Lord, Jake. the, warll kill
him! IFS Jest shore to, an I,won't new
or git to lay my eyes on HIM ag'in."
why, land Of Goshen, Mrs. Sparks,
how do you go bout figg9in that OUT
How's the war gwine to kill Ebenezer
when he amt got nothin.to do with 1t,
I'd like to know r
"But he's a-goin to have ,somethin to
do with II. Don't you all know that
them cannons an them guns has done
sot him plumb crazy an made him SO
wild to fight that he's jest put out over
thar to jine the WARP
Some of the little group laughed out
right, while some Of them only smiled.
Hicks did neither, although he was
strongly tempted to laugh. He saw
that Mrs. Sparks was intensely in ear
nest and sorely troubled, and he pitied
her. Everybody knew Ebenezer Sparks
was a braggart and coward-every-
body except his wife, the one person
who should have known 1t better than
any one else on earth