Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-24

Presently he said family. Where
where am L? Oh, my head.'
| I'm Blackstead Kitchen 1 said. ''Bu
keep quite quiet and you'll soon feel bet
| ter
| He shut his eyes obediently, and
went to the dinins-room and wheeled a
| light sofa into the kitchen. 1 helped him
| on to it, and covered him with rugs. In
| five minutes he was sleeping heavily, and
| went up to Tom During the next two
hours / kept coming down to my new pa
tent; but he slept on, and began to look
better, and at last. tired out, / went to
sleep myself on my sofa in Toms room.
l slept heavily, and only awakened at
half-past five. 1 went down at once to
see how the Helper was, and to my sur
prise and dismay, found the sofa empty.
he had gone. | put on my cloak and hat
and hurried down the road and througl,
the village halfway to Swyre, expecting
every moment to find him lying bv the
roadside. Two miles from Swyre | met
couple of laborers coming from it; they
had met and seen no one. / came home
anxious enough, but assuring myself that
he had been less hurt than l thought AMI
had reached Swyre safely. At nine thu.
night, and again at ten l went down TO
the gates in the hope that he might como
to go poaching. He did not come; and |
went to bed very anxious.
The next morning there came a letter
bearing the Swyre postmark. 1t ram
Dear Miss Chute,-I am sorry that be-
haved so badly last night; deserved the
penalty l paid for it. My head is only
just beginning to Join onto my shoul
ders. L hope that in consideration of
having nearly killed me, you will forgive
l shall come round at nine this evening
to help, but chiefly to deprecate your
just RECOMMENDATIONS sincerely
]. HUBERTSON.
The letter cleared away my last anx-
icty; but it gave me the freedom to grow
angry. | saw plainly that | ought new.
er to have accepted such situation. and
| made up my mind that he should hen
me no more. l went down to the gates
at a few minutes to nine ana locked
them. Presently the Helper came strid-
ing up, greeted me in a shamc-faced way
and began to apologize. 1 accepted his
apologies, and told him that he was new
begged me not to punish him so cruelty.
promised never to offend again, ana at
last lost his temper as ! knew he would.
and stormed furiously. Then he made a
dash at the gates, tried to open them.
and failing, shook and shook them.
said, You see how right | was. Good
bye" And l turned and went up the
drive, never turning my head for all his
entreaties that | would stay and talk to
him, if only for two minutes
For some days | never went out of the
grounds, and kept the gates locked after
midday Twice | saw him leaning dis
consolately against them. But | missed
our expeditions very much; so much that
| wished, for all that they were pleasant
to look back on that 1 had never shared
that wretched hare that had been to
blame for them. Sometimes I wondered
whether, when Tom was better the Help
er would find way of meeting me again;
but l was still very angry with him.
At last | had to so out and seek more
food. L was bent on getting pheasants,
and L took the boys old muzzle-loader.
and charged it with very little pow
der and a full charge of shot. l did not
think that the report would be heard
hundred yards off. AT eleven that night
l set out for the fir plantation. 1t
seemed Il much longer walk than when /
went with the Helper Once in it | soon
found a brace of pheasants roosting at Il
convenient height, and getting them
against patch of the Milky Way, fired.
They both came tumbling down; | thrust
them quickly into my pockets, and hur-
ried through the plantation towards the
road. 1 had not gone twenty yards when
a man jumped from between the frs and
gripped my arm, crying i've got you,
my slad!'
For a moment | tried to shake myself
free, but on his heels came another man.
and caught my arm and | said
Don't tear my cloak to pieces, my
good men; I'll go quietly"
Good Lord, its woman.'' cried one
of them; and they began to discuss what
they had better do with me.
They decided to take me to the Hail.
Continued on page 12)