The Newtown bee., 1901-12-06


 soon as he had been broke to the sad. dle and had been bridle-wise, she had adopted him as her own. She petted him, fed him at the the front porch, gave him salt from her hand. He was as gentle to her as a kitten.
 She tossed restlessly that night and could not sleep. Suppose those raid ing cavalrymen should take a fancy to her pet. She had heard that they were in search of guns, pistols and horses, that these things were much needed by people all unprepared fol war.
 The thought was torturing. After midnight she arose and dressed her self. What could she do? Why she could hide Pet in the Fern Swamp down on the creek, where an Indian scarcely, no stranger, would ever find him. She went to his crib and took He was not there. To her surprise every animal was gone, the stable was empty.
 High up near the zenith the moon hung golden ball of light and illu- mined the Stable-lot with brilliancy.
 She could follow the recent tracks of several animals out of the barn and down the road. The girl was both timid and brave. She hesita ted at every shadow, at every rattling fall of leaf or nut through the twigs; but her course was firmly on.
 Traces of several animals and two men were easily followed. Pap and Nose must have shared like apprehen- sions with hers, and must have deter mined to get the farm stock, the crit ters, to place of hiding.
 OThis was very reasSuring. Yet cuios ity and devotion to the col led her on: : she would make sure, and then they might need the corn she carried. Be- sides, after the lovers quarrel with Nose, she yearned for the colts affec- tion. This was true and constant: this never changed into reproaches bitter as gall and wOrmwOod; this never stung, hornet-like, and, as the hornet aims at the cen ver of the eye, aimed to pierce the most sensitive part of her mind; this animals affection was sure and loyal and tender and responsive. under her hand, of his mane brushing her forehead.
 When a women's heart has cause to doubt where it would love confidently y she turns other wheres for simple ex- pressions of kindness and sympathy.
 AS Annie moved along large spec tral form suddenly loomed right at her side from the fence corner She near lyshrieked with alarm, her nerves were so tense. And then she laughed a lit tie hysterical, futtering laugh at her own discontinue: it was ''Old Gray," the mule ashen and stiff with the plOw- ing, hauling and suns and frosts of many honorable years of toll; to think that she should be so frightened by dear, innocent, long-eared, blear-eyed old Gray, the mule.
 Her heart was humping painfully under her homespun jacket. the huge animal seemed to mock at her excite. ment; his hanging lips quivered, either in lazy effort to whinny or to laugh; his face seemed to be deriding her, to understand the fun of her causeleSs fright.
 Sudden tears,' jostled out of their spring by the clash of conflicting fear and humor, glistened in her eyes.
 '.Whoa! old Gray. Whoa, mule! I'll see where you want to go."
 And Annie divided the cora in her sack so that part would be on one side of the mules back, and part on the other, like a pillon. She knotted her bonnet strings into a halter round his nose, and climbing on the rail fence, mounted him easily. Under gentle urging he took up the trail of the other animals and moved like a spec tral dromedary, suggesting the flight of some unhappy Oriental woman flee ing lonesomely across deserted waste.
 
 Alone with strong, passionate, de- sireful, supernaturally powerful temp tation! Oh, the struggles of mortal life! Jacob wrestled all night with his sturdy antagonist. Man contends for empire or for the honor of a football team; the spirit of man battles with itself: Shakespeare can make the vast armies of two kingdoms, the last souls of Lear and Hamlet, fight out the drear issues of mortal lines upon the cockpit stage of the Globe theatre: it is not space, nor size, nor empire, nor greatness of worldly position that gives us interest; it is intensity, reality, which draws our hearts to mortal man writhing in that suffering that shall make him strong.
 Nose Martin is now upon the very crest of fortune. What fate so cruel as to thrust him down?
 Five hundred lie at his feet to be picked up. Half of it will make him rich. To secure it, to enlist for three months in the Confederate cavalry, to return and claim Annie as his wife(no one can suSpect): to settle on the little farm Annie had pictured; Annie rid ing her pet to mill, to the store, to Marysville, to camp-meeting; these rapid touches made the picture for his imagination. Fate seemed to have pro- vided a quick answer to his heart $ de- sires. What more could he want?
 There kept flashing into his mind piercing words, yet transitory as if