The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-05-21

q team Of horses. drawing a waEoa
wh.sh bounded up and down cYeT ght
rough road. threatening each second to
turn over Williams fsst lus'irtt vas
10 S,aHd In safety A. one side ard let
! the frightened team pass Thor ~ TO-
. t.gsA that a little Firl was elluE.nE Ia
vhire-faced terror 20 the seat Of tie
wag9n
For 5 znmoaf he htslta'sd To try
10 stop the ftau ass 20 glsk bis life
Then The tramp gave = seg0rS glance
a. the frightened child. little more thas
q baby. o. the seat - the wagon. lie
fraE a I0uE breath aHd rsn 10 the a.
Fsetisa o. the team CaleSs they we've
stopped before ghsy reached the carve
'ss usgoa vOald he hurled int ihs
5.sah
WSeE a trW yards distant from the
rur2saF tsam william whirtel arognd
Azd bezaa rAsiue With them As the
AaTsFs gzugh, 80 to him, te hurled hfs
hsly forward bs hAads shot cur. he
stripped tie rs,nE hru15y, He vas
d-2egfd from BIS feet
Rue row ths long and varied expert.
frre * the tramp In catching fas,
!rt.EAts stood HIN In good stead As
the sa-ses plunged forward Be only
chung the lighter Nearer and nearer
20 ,ae curve irew the team But even
tTr.s horses cannot ran With IT8
pounds % s.gr5y humanity A~suEirE
from .hl bits Little by Hrue they
SLOWED taHr until az last, with a tsw
final fierce tugs, william brought them
to = s'aaisilii little more than a yard
from the .lfgh az the curve az the read.
And now that the danger wss over.
tho httle gill who had been clInEing
TO the seat. broke into fearful s0bs.
The owner Of the farmhouse from
which William had just beer ~scornfully
had seen the ~gallopIng team and
was running to Williams assistance.
His wife. who had just turned William
away was hurryiug behind him. The
farmers face grev a little pale as he
saw hoR near the ditch the team had
been halted.
IT'S our Minnie. he said to his wife
u never could have got there In time.
She woaid have been killed II this
brave man hadn't stopped the horses
AZ the risk ot his own life"
And / lust refused him something To
aat, replied the woman with a big
In her voice as she helped The child
down from the wagon
The farmer looked hard at william
He had a deep-rooleJ dislike to traups.
1ut this one seemed different from the
Cant you leave the life you're lead
Hg and come on my farm?' he in
In tones far more cordial than
vas accustomed to hearing.
IN give you good wages. and the
viii be a permanent one. It won't
long before a young man like you
viii have a home Of his own, and per-
a wife and child Ike the one you
.ayed to-day. You're too good a man
o be on the road. And you will find
{ grows harder and harder each year.
By and by your strength will be gone,
" you will miss your grip catching q
some night, and then all that
viii be left for you will be the poor
or the morgue."
William, the tramp. could feel his
leart beating quicker. The vision OF
he little cottage with a wife and home
II his own was drawing very close TO
i'm Perhaps, after all Then he
ooked down the long highway, border
d by green, arching trees in which the
'irds we're singing. The smoke from
distant freight train fioated lazily
Iyer the tree tops. At the sight a vague
Of unrest stirred his pulse. The
owe Of the careless. wandering. reck-
life. hanished for a moment, re-
urned with renewed force. Already was
her child, and the underlined call
drilled his hearistrings. William, the
ramp, shook his head with a sigh.
mo, | can't do t." said he. Some
the love OF the road Is In my bones
nd I'm bound to go back to Il, even II
does mean what you say In the end"
And turning away, William. the
ramp walked rapidly in the direction
I the drifting smoke. He had heard
be call OF Already and answered II.
or though the end thereof was death,
be path was very pl~easant-N. Y.
lines,