The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-06-01

4 PACK q seoundrels. | would have swor
n YOU'D have found II In tina. drawer. WI
d Il is 10, there. know no moro than 20
do"
4 s5mobody's bound TO know Hodge
Q said, sullenly, "fer somebody's bound !
q hkvS took ii--who, we'll mighty quick DO
/ out. DoHn-sts'sis, Cap'n Jacky Lsl'
> sit s.hold OF them women.folks tore the
4 cit chance to light out. ! lay lheyl
+ tell"
J. III they toh's, we won's leave 'sm sroo
, 70 cover EN-,
. Down they went a. run, TO fad III
: three somsn huddl 10 terror upon ib
! frort rifax,, with the impatient sentrie
Outside eatieg and swearing by turns. A
: sight ef soper and Hodges they rushed L
A the ,zzl sters. Soper waved them bacl
anarlly, but they did not move.
CIyeiing The trembling women with |
| eocked revolver, be demanded the money
Th ir faces Of blsrk innocence astoundet
, him, but he thouad at them, "You needn Y
try no1e o, your put-on with mt Hand
out them seven thousand dollsrs-ard hand
1t cut quick -
sbuddering ard whiie-fseed, they ar-
| swertd that they knew nothing OF its
Whereabouts Il had been left In the draw.
,r, ard none Of them had touched II, Swear
to bs C,rtsinly-siuee Ii VAS the truth.
|, Sapor growled GU. oath after cath, but
without fleet.
He turned to his man, saying, "l see 1t
all nog-how they've trieked us. Thar's
another gal. Cap'n Allison, whar's that
spihre Pegg,i Ireckon when we fad her
we'll iad something wuth whlla.
\ Piggy told me she was going out In the
pasture to lock for guinea nests; she hasn Z
come back yet" Mary Allison said.
Soper snufed d,hantly, and shook his
finger In Captain Allison's face, saving, ~
az ye sgir, fer the last time, whar-is--
Peggy ?"
Here's Peggy--and here's me along on
her" a deep voice, drawlirg, yet breath
less, cried from the hail Soper's mother
came tbrough the doorwsy-slx feet Of
spare bone and Drawn. Bartfooted, bare
headed, with gay silken scarf Haunting
anonymously against her copperss home
spun gown, she strode to her son, caught
him, shook him as terrier shakes rat,
and went on
~ wouldn't believe hit until seen bit,
Jscky at evtr you'd lift finger again
any one namtd d Allison. Have you forgot
how csp'n sot by you day an night, after
all the doctors bad Gin you up, an saved
ycu from the f.vtiy DOME you recollect
the time on times him an bis wife has saw
ed you an m and all on us from starva.
tioI? Allson fed us, clothed US, KEEP US
warm all time yer daddy was away In the
penitentiary. lost hope O. yea long time
ago, but II lit ttem my 4 .,b ard elood
could ever be SO mean as this"
Don't you try to talk to me. Go back
homes' Soper said, sullenly. You got no
call to say anything; you're a-wa'arin'
stolen goods. That thar riga ma.fig you
got on come out OF Rlggs's store that we
plundered last week "
81 cant stop yer plunderin'-I shat try
to-only here" Mrs. Soper said. "Try 1t
II you dasr. Oiless you 90 away, right
straight tff,-onless you keep away,-I'll
kneel on this q Dor and call down on ye,
every one, the terrible CURSE indness,
palsy, wastin'."
Sopsr covered, hiding bis eyes with bis
hands. He was blindly superstitlous-so
were the most Of his band. His mother
watched him intently, although covertly.
Captain Allison studied the faces Of the
other men. Peggy had slipped to his side,
and was fondlipg bis one hand.
Suddenly, afar and faint, a drum beat
sounded. II meant no more than forage.
train passing with Its guard down the turn
pike two miles c i,' but 1t gave S,per the
pretext bis obstinacy needed to save his
waning courage.
'Hear that, boys' Wen light out
soon as we've Get fire to this old house?'
he shouted.
Then bis mother rose to the height OF
maternal privilege. She had a keen cow
hide concealed In the folds Of her tow-clotb
apron It came out with wide flourish and
fell, stroke after stroke, upon Jacky's mar
row shoulders. With a snarling howl be
darted away to bis horse, his men trooping
after him pell-mell, laughing as u they
would split their sides. As they galloped
away, Kicks said, with exaggerated defer
ence:
"Cap'n Jscky Soper, next lime we 60
a-money. y.huntin' let's take keer It amt
among your friends
Peggy told only as much OF her story as
pleased her--perhaps because there was no
severe cross-questloning. She had over
heard the guerilla talk, she said, and run
straight for Mrs. Soper, believing she could
and would keep Jacky 10 bonds. They
knew all the rest. Yes, 1t was fun ny that
the money had disappeared, but In war
times almost anything might happen.
50 there the matter was left. Captain
Allison and bis wife were almost too glad to
be relieved Of the burden Of wealth to look
very closely in the matter. Jscky Soper
wss not the only guerrilla captain; but no
captain Of thtm all was likely to come
whore there was little to tempt him to rob-
berry.
But the next summer, after Appomattox,
when some smolabce Of law again prevail
Il, ,Pesgy went to her fsther one doe morn.