Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-27

put the main trouble is that we can't
make him understand he ought to be
more afraid of them II he'd lived here
all his life he would be. If they got
MIN there'll be trouble of an Illegal ma
ture.' He broke off suddenly and nod.
ded to little old man in a bucl,-
BOARD turning off from the road into n
iarm lane which led up to a trim cot
taSe with honeysuckle vine by the
door. That's Mrs. Wimby's husband =,
SAID the judge in an undertone.
Miss Sherwood observed that Mrs
Wimby's husband was remarkable for
tue exceeding plaintveness Of ais ex
preston. He was a weazeze6. blsnk.
pale eyed little man. with a thin white
mist or neck whisker, and he was
dressed in clothes much too large for
MIN. No more inoffensive figure than
this feeble little old man could be i'm
agined, yet his was the distinction of
having received a hostile visit from his
Deighbors of the Crossroads. yapa-
Donulng tinker, he had married the one
respectable person Of the section, a
widow, who had refused several gen
tiemen at the Crossroads. and so com.
plete was the bridegroom's insi.nifi-
canoe that to all the world his own
name was lost. The bride continued to
De known by her former name as Mrs.
Windy" and her spouse was usually
called ''Widder Woman Wimby's hus-
band" or "Mr. Windy" The bride SIM
piled his wardrobe with the garments
or her former husband, and. alleging
this proceeding as the cause of their
anger, the White Caps broke into the
FARMHOUSE one night. tore the old man
from his bed and before his wife's eyes
dashed him with sapling shoots till he
was near to death. A little yellow cur
that had followed his master on his
wanderings was found licking the old
mans wounds, and they deluged the
dog with kerosene and then threw the
poor animal upon a bonfire they had
made and danced around in heartiest
enjoyment
The man recovered, but that was no
palliation of the offense to the mind of
hot eyed young man from the east
VINO was besieging the county authori-
Ties for redress and writing birthstone
and saltpeter for his paper. The DOW
ers or the county proving either lack
,adaisical or timorous, he appealed to
those Of the state, and he went every
night to sleep at farmhouse the own.
er OF which had received warning
from the White Caps, and one night IL
befell that he was rewarded, for the
raiders attempted an entrance. He and
the farmer and the farmers sons beat
Off the marauders and did a satisfacto-
ry amount of damage in return. Two
OF the White Caps they captured and
bound, and others they recognized.
Then the state authorities hearkened to
the voice of the Herald and its owner.
There were arrests, and i'm the course
or time there was n trial. Every pris-
oner proved an alibi-could have proved
dozen-but the editor of the Heral Id.
after virtually conducting the prosecu-
ton, went upon the stand and swore to
man after man. Eight men went to
the penitentiary ON his evidence, five
Of them for twenty years. The Platt-
Vile brass band serenaded the editor of
the Herald again.
There were no more raids, and the
Six Crossroads men who were left kept
TO their novels, appalled, and shaken,
but as time went by and left them un.
molested they recovered measure Of
their hardness and began to think on
what they should do to the man who
had brought misfortune and terror up
ON them. For a long time he had been
publishing their threatening letters and
warnings in column which he headed
"Humor Of the Day"
When the Briscoe blackboard had left
the Crossroads far behind and had
come in sight Of Plattville Mr.. Bris-
GOES visitor turned to Fisbee with q
repetition OF the shiver that the laugh
ter of Mr.. Skillet had caused her and
said half under her breath, AZ wish-I
half wish-that we had not driven
through there" She clasped Mr.. Fis-
bees hand gently. His eyes shone. He
touched her fingers with a strange, shy
reverence.
you will meet him tomorrow" he
said softly.
She laughed and pressed his hand.
I'm afraid not. ] was almost at his
side last night when Minnie asked him
to call on me. He wasn't even inter
ested enough to look at me-
Something over two hours later, as
Mr.. Tom Martin was putting things to
rights in his domain. the Dry Goods
Emporium, previous to his departure
for the evenings gossip and checkers
at the drug store. he stumbled over
something soft lying on the floor be-
hind counter. The thing rose and
would have evaded him, but he put out
his hands and pinioned it and dragged
1t to the show window, where the light
of the 1ading day defined his capture.
The capture shrieked and squirmed
and fought earnestly. Grasped by the
shoulder, he held lean, fierce eyed.
understood girl Of fourteen clad in one
ragged cotton garment. unless the coat
OF dust she wore over all might be es-
teemed another. Her cheeks were sal
low, and her brow was already shrewd
nd ha-