Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-08-29
CHAPTER |.

grown severe and eloquent in Uroin.
conviction. The jary had remained il,
retirement all the morning and at las,
had filed in and rendered their YER
diet. David Buckley. the prisoner n,
the bar. Was found guilty of having
deliberately and in the night stolen a
bale Of cotton from a neighbor's ba ru
branded it as his own and taken it ia
market tLe next day
He was a short. thickset man pea,
the age Of sixty gray. stiff haired and
beard stayed itself in It's downward
progress
Eyes. that's final. Mr.. HilIyer wish
could help you, but cant. I'll settle
Buckley's hash in about two minutes
after give him a sound lecture. Right
now the old devil would cut the throat Is
Of several OF the states witnesses il
he was at liberty"
'"rhen III go back to the store an
tell the boy Hillyer sighed as be
moved to the door. dead look of dis
appointment in bis eye.
AS Hillyer was making his way
through the courtroom 10 the o,,tel
door the Wife OF the condemned mae,
reached out her hand and stopped him.
She had clutched the tail of hss lna.
frOck coat
Il want TO speak to you,' she said
"Go ahead. ia :oin' outside" lse
led tie way down tie stairs to the y..:
below and lhc:1 Paused 10 Ee.r wh:..
she had 10 say
II seed yoi! invite the judge cut" Sc
began. Il snspicioned you aXeu i'm
to make it Il fine
"Yes, that's what called i'm out fer.
Mrs RIir.;. 10y. the merchant said,
looking down cC.llniseIaieiy on her fat
figure clothed in dincy black caiieo.
but it wash Il bl O use. He's made
up his mind to send tie Old man off
for five years.
The woman nodded slowly. "N'ell.
reckon it's as good as we kin expect"
she said. "Ef it had been Il fine. George
would "a had TO pay it, an i'm a1in
that proposition. Hes worked hard
to make his little start. AN it amt
right fer i'm to have to give it up wien
Mr.. Hillyer, I've heard that pore boy
beg an beg his pa to change. an ef
he's predicted this thing, once he has
fifty times
Il knew that. too. replied the mer-
chant. with dark frown. "l,ut
George is Jest so situated right now.
Mrs Buckley. that he'd sacrifice all he
expects to mako in the next ten years
to avoid the disgrace O the sentence.
He holds his own with the biggest
folks in town, an this is simply aw fnl.
You know how some o these blue
blooded families look on a thing like
this"
"Jest about as sensible as they look
on most things" retorted Mrs. Buck
ley philosophically. AN l don't see no
use in humorin en-. They may know
a mans thief, but eff he hain't pub
licly branded they don't care. Rnt
David has broke the law; thar amt no
change to be made in i'm. an I'm agin
lettin' 1t hamper George, no matter
what these shallow minded aristocrats
think What's bothern' me is another
thing"
you say it is. Mrs. Buckley" And
the merchant stared expectanti.
"Yes. Mr.. Hil;yer George hain't got
but one weakness. an thai is. once in
a long while, when he is in DESPAIR.
he Will take a drink to drown his tron-
BILE. reckon he haint fetched a drap
but once since he's been with you.
"An' that was the time they threat
ened to jail yore husband fer pennin'
up Wilson's hogs. an we succeeded in
squashin' the charge"
eyes. that was the time"-the old wo-
man pushed bacl; her gingham poke
bonnet and looked raiant into Hill
yer's eyeS-"an ! am anxious to find
ont eff this thing has made him
Not yet. Mrs Buckley" Hillyer's
voice had fallen very low: it was al
most husky. But I've been that afeard
it would start i'm off that hain't been
able to sleep at night He's in a awful
state o mind, Mrs. Buckley. an when
l go back an tell i'm the jnu.-e's de-
cision l don't know what he'll do A
line piece O metal will bend jest so
far an then it'll break"
The old woman nodded again slowly
and then said: We'll. I'll go back in
slde This is a new wrinkle on me-
It's considered right an proper fer
tolks to go to the grave with the'r kin,
an l reckon thar nd be talk eff l shirk-
ed hearin' the sentence. but tell George
IL come down to the store after
Rwhile''
All right. Mrs. Buckley I'll tell
im."
AS Hillyer turned toward the gate
reach the little street which stretch
out, lined with cottages and brick
offices. to the red brick freight de-
ot at the far eod. one of the loungers
the grass rose and slouched toward
I'M.
have they sentenced Buckley yet?"
asked. I'm witness on that barn
rnin' case. an ef 1t amt a-goin' to
called tonight I'm n a-gnin' homo