The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1904-12-07


should ring in that u. Ia ana in
no other, just at that particular time
and that no one should ever catch sight
of the mysterious ringer, was enough
TO cause excitement, even in q place
wherc sensations were more common
than they were in that little back.
woods settlement.
Clark's Crossing had been named
after the wealthy owner of the largest
jfarm in the township. 1t is doubtful
af this name would have been chosen
If the man who had first applied il
TO the cluster Of houses that stood
near the spot where the railway
crossed the main road had supposed
that the neighbOrs would adopt the
name. for Mr.. Clark was not popular
lRmong them. They disrusted and dis
IQiked him.
He was an ignorant man, but no one
could say he was positively dishonest
Ole was too acute to be caught in any
IOf the petty meannesses of which they
tfelt sure he had been guilty; therefore
fhey could only watch him closely in
AL their dealings, and probably be,
aieved him guilty OF many things he
never thought ot doing.
! Feeling thus toward him, it was not
strange that when Widow Garrett
cow was run over on the track just
below the crossing, where the railway
ran through n portion OF Mr.. Clark $
farm, that there should be number
ready TO say that he had let down the
fence and driven the animal on TO the
track; else how did she get there?
Not from the road; the cattle guards
prevented that, and the railway itself
WAS well fenced.
The COW was known to have broken
into The whcat-1eld in the afternoon
She wore n heavy, cracked, peculiar
sounding bell that was we'll known to
all Two OF the neighbors had after
ward said that, returning home late
from the village, three miles away,
they had heard the cow there again.
Later still, when the express train
went by. several had been aroused
from sleep by its short, sharp danger
whistle; but the train had gone on,
and afterward the COW had been found
Dy the section men beside the track,
dead. They notified Mrs. Garret, and
ito save her any trouble or expense,
buried the carcass where it was found
Tommy Garrett. freckled under
sized, bigcyed Tommy-Mrs. Gar
retts dull commonplace, fourteen
year-old and only son-went over and
watched them, and Mrs. Garrett
Grioycd, for the COW had been n help
to her, and she could not afford to
replace it.
; Did they take the bell off Brindlc?'
she asked Tommy that evening, as he
sat staring soIidly into the fire.
"No' he replied, thought it wasn't
worth it. It's buried, but not deep
though"
"Well, VIC can't get 1t, even if ii
isn't deep" answered his mother. but
I'm sorry it wasn't taken off. The
bell and strap would have been worth
something at the junkshop in town
even if no one here wanted them
Fifty cents, maybe"
Tommy's dull face frightened some
what, and his wiry figure Strengthened
for moment
The old bell worth fifty cents.
n pity he had not known it!
This was the way the matter stood
when the second night after the COW
had been buried. Mr.. Clark heard a
Cow-Dell in his wheat-feld
! He dressed hastily, grumbling mean.
while about people who allowed their
stock to run in the road-although he
twas one of them-lit his lantern and
hastened out to the field.
All the way from the house to the
Wheatield fence he could hear the
short "clink, clink" made by the bell
of an animal feeding.
"Get out, YOU brute" he shouted
as he set his lantern on fence-post
and began to climb stimy into the field
1t was still night Every sound
could be heard distinctly. There was
n sharp "clank" OF the bell, as If the
animal had passed. startled by his
voice, and raised its head suddenly to
rlisten, and presently the steady, half
muffied "clink, clink. clink," began
again.
Mr. Clark went out few yards into
The wheat, and, holding his lantern as
high as he could, peered into the
eemi-darkness.
"Clink. clink, clink," sounded the
bell-only few yards away, it seemed
TO him, but he could see nothing.
Get out, you trespasslng beast!' he
shouted again, stamping angrily.
nen to the tune OF one MILTON dol /
arg nnl ono hnnk closed iEa doors |