Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-04-27
BY THOMAS
p. MONTFORT

ferent.
Lord, reckon Jim Thorn is shore
right! Hicks said, breaking the pause.
Yes, street Come to think of It. 1 had
a sort of sneakin notion while that
Teller was here that he want jest ex-
actly plumb straight"
Il noticed" observed another, chat
he had 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 l did" another re-
piled, IAN l mind most distinctly that
he didn't appear to act a bit nat'ral. 1t
flashed over me in a minute that thar
was somethin wrong about him some
way"
"Shucksw exclaimed third. 81 seed
through that Teller the very minute |
clapped my eyes on him, an knowed
as well as if he'd told me that he was
hidin from the law. l wouldn't never
a-mentioned it, though, if somebody
else hadn't a-mentioned it fust."
Jim Thorn listened in silence to all
these men, 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 Him Melvin as a rascal and
fugitive from justice until he had
suggested 1t.
wonder what that chaps been up to
now" some one said after a pause,
that he's had to take to hidin out this
a-way?"
lord, l hope he amt been an killed
nobody" Hicks remarked, with a shud-
der, ''but like enough that's Jest what
he's done"
"Or 1t may be that he's stoled a boss
or somethin," another added. "I reck-
on he's most mean enough to do any
thing, judgin by his looks"
"Or he mought "a robbed a bank, for
all we know. Land, like as not he's
got a bushel OF money hid about him
somewhat"
These were all merely surmises on
the part OF the speakers, for none Of
them knew a thing on earth about
James Melvin. 1t is strange, however,
how near to the truth n mere surmise
may sometimes draw. That James
Melvin was a 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.
"Whar's my old mann" she cried.
"Whar's Ebenezer7 Hain't none of
you uns seed nothin OF him? Oh, my
Lordw
Not until this moment had any one
noticed that Ebenezer Sparks was abb
sent, and consequently nobody was In
a position to enlighten his other half
as to his whereabouts. Mrs. Sparks
looked eagerly from face to face, then
broke forth in heartrending lamenta-
tons.
"Oh, my poor, brave, foolhardy Ebe-
nezer!" she walled. 'T'n never git to
see him no more, never IN all this
world! He'll be killed. He's shore to
be killed! jest know he willw
"Why, great granny, Mrs. Sparks"
Hicks exclaimed, whatever has got
into you TO make you talk that away?
Who or what Is goin to kill Ebenezer,
do you s'pose?'
"Oh, my Lord, Jake, the war'u kill
himl It's jest shore to, an won't nev-
or git to lay my eyes on him ag'in."
why, land of Goshen, Mrs. Sparks.
how do you so bout figgerin that out g?
How's the war gwine to kill Ebenezer
when he amt got nothin to do with it,
I'd like to known
"But he's a-goin to have somethin to
do with 1t. 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 braggart and a coward-every-
body except his wife, the one person
who should have known it better than
any one else on earth.
The blind, unreasoning faith some
wives repose in their husbands would
be ridiculous were 1t not so pathetic,
and Mrs. Sparks was of that class.
- guess you amt got no call to be
skeered about Ebenezer, Mrs. Sparks"
Hicks remarked presently. "You can
jest bet he amt gone to jine no war
an that he'll turn up here the fust
thing you know"
The woman shook her head.
"You can't fool me-" she replied.
"You uns all don't know Ebenezer like
do. If you uns had ever heard him
talk as have, a-tellin about the times
when he fit into the war an whipped
the battles, you uns would know whar
he Is now. Time an ag'in I've heard
him a-sighin an a-hopin for a war to
git started, SOS he could git chanst
to jine it an fight like he ulster. He
was shy, an he wouldn't tell you all
them things, but he told 'em to me-"
Even Hicks smiled at this. He could
not help it when he remembered how
often Ebenezer, sitting by the store
so -, q.