The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-28

aid and Its owner; there were arrests, and
In the course of time there was a trial. Every
prisoner proved an alibi. could have proved
dozen but the editor of the Herald, after
virtually conducting the prosecution, went
upon the stand and swoye to nans safter man.
Eight men went to the penitentiary on his
evidence, five Of Them for twenty years The
Plattville brass band serenaded the editor of
the Herald again.
There were no more raids, and the Six
Cross-Men who were left kept to their novels,
appalled, and shaken. but, as time went by
and left them unmolested. they recovered
measure of their hardness and began to
think on what they should do to the man
who had brought misfortune and terror upon
them, For a long time he had been pub
fishing their threatening letters and warn
ings in a column which he headed: "Humor
Of the Day 5sf5
.'Harkless don't understand the Cross
Roads," Briscoe said to Miss Sherwood as
they left the Windy farm behind; "and then
he's like most of us; hardly any OF us real
ICES that harms ever going to come to- US.
Harkless was anxious enough about other
The young lady interrupted him, touching
his arm. "Look!'' she said, Didn't you see
a child, a little girl ahead Of us on the
road?" ,.,@ f. - - j.
II noticed one minute ago.. but she's not
| there now," answered Briscoe. g,~- Is. sf
There was child walking along the road
just ahead, but she turned and saw us COM
ing, and she disappeared in the most curious
way; she seemed to melt into the weeds rat
the roadside, across from, the elder-bush
yonder'' -~r ..s.@ - .,4ss iss s.
The Judge pulled in the horses by the elder
| bush. ''No child here now," he said, 'but
you're right; there certainly was one just
| before you spoke" The young corn was
low in the fields, and there was no hiding
place in sight. .> = .:-,. 49,.
I'm very superstitious; am sure 1t was
an imp" Miss Sherwood said. IAN imp
a very large chameleon; she was exactly the
| color of the road 49,.
"A CROSSROADS imp said the judge, lift
ing the reins, .'and in that case we might
as well give up. I never. set up to Ibe a
| match for those people, and the children are
| as mean as their fathers, and smarter. -
When the blackboard had ratified on a
hundred yards 50, little figure, clad In a
| tattered cotton gown up from the weeds,
not ten feet from where the judge had drawn
rein, and continued its march down the road
| toward Plattville, capering in the dust and
pursuing the blackboard with malignant ges-
lures till the clatter of the horses was out
| of hearing, the vehicle out of sight. 3 "a. 49,
Something over two hours later, as Mr..
| Martin was putting things to rights in his
domain, the Dry Goods Emporium, previous
to his departure for the evenings gossip and
|
something soft, lying on the floor behind a
counter. The thing rose, and would have
evaded him, but he put out his hands and
pnioned it and dragged it to the show window
where the light Of the fading day defined his
capture. The capture shrieked and squirmed
and fought earnestly. Grasped by the
shoulder he held lean, fierce.eye under
sized girl of IA. clad In one ragged cotton
garment, unless the coat of dust she wore
! over all may be esteemed another. Her
| cheeks were sailow, and her brow was already
shrewdly lined and her eyes were as hypo-
critical as they were savage. She was very
thin and little, but Toms brown face grew
shade nearer white when the light fell
upon her.
You're no Plattville GIRL he said sharply.
| "You lie!" cried the child. -"You lie!
an! You leave me go, will you? I'm look
in fer pap and you're liar!'
You crawled in here to sleep. after your
seven-mile walk, didn't you?" Martin went
| on.
YOU'RE liar" she screamed again.
Look here'' said Martin, slowly, "you
go back to Six Cross Roads and tell your
folks that if anything happens to hair of
Mr.. Harkless head every shanty In your
| town will burn, and your: grandfather .ano
i YOUR father and your uncles and your brothers
and your cousins and your third cousins VII
never have the good luck to see the peniten-
tiary. Reckon you can remember that mes.
sage? But before let you go to carry It
| guess you might as well hand out the paper
they sent you over here with
His prisoner fell into a paroxysm OF rage
and struck at him. - 49, ~ - -: ,
"IIl get pap to kill ye," she shrieked. .,
DON know nothin' bout yer Six-Cross- Roads
ner no papers, ner yer dam Mister Harkel
neither, ner you, ye razor-backed old devil
Pap'H kill ye; leave me go-leave me go!-
Pap'n kill ye; I'll git him to kill ye!" Sud
denly her struggles ceased; her eyes closed
. her tense little muscles relaxed and sh
dropped toward the floor; the old men shifte
his grip to support her, and in an instant sb
twisted out OF his hands and sprang out b
reach, her eyes shining with triumph ant
, venom.
"Ya-hay, Mister Razor-back!" she shrilled
"How's that fer hi? Papll kill ye. Sunday