Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-11-23

something Of a contempt for her fance
when she remembered that the only
adventure of his life was in being run
over by a yoke of oxen. Reuben
went about trying to whistle and sing
and make out that he did not care
while Betty was so quiet that her
mother had cause to charge her with
sulking. She made the apple dump
lings that day, and she helped wipe
the dinner dishes and get custard
under way for supper, but after that
she went off down to the barn to be
alone and think.
The NOW had been filed with new
hay, and she climbed the ladder and
found a nest back against the end Of
the barn. There in the semi-twi-
light she not only thought all kinds
of thoughts, mostly about Reuben,
but sometimes she sighed and some
times she gritted her teeth, In this
way she succeeded in getting up con-
siderable emotion and in firing her.
self out and by and by she fell asleep.
One of her last thoughts was that
Reuben Was no chevalier, but only an
old poke who would live and die with
out even falling down a well. When
she awoke it was dark, and there was
a grumbling of voices on the floor be-
low.
Miss Betty had sulked and slept
for hours. When she did not appear
at the supper table she was supposed
to be at a neighbor's, and night fell
without any one being alarmed about
her. At 8 o'clock Reuben started
out to see her home but stopped first
at the barn to see to the horses. Ten
minutes before he left the house the
girl on the haymow carefully dragged
herself forward until she could hear
what was being said below, and she
made out that gang of four or five
tramps had slipped into the barn and
were plotting robbery.
Her heart began to beat in way
to choke her, and she couldn't have
cried out to save her life. She heard
Reuben shut the kitchen door after
him and whistle as he came down the
path. and she heard the trsmps get
ting ready to attack him az he opened
the door. 1t was only when the door
swung open and a match was struck
to light lantern that Betty rolled
over and over on the hay and man
aged TO shrek out :
"Oh, Reuben, look out-there are
robbers here I"
There was rush for the hired man.
There were shouts and oaths and
blows from below, and shrieks and
screams and calls for help from above.
but the battle was over before Farm
er Spooner and his wife got there.
Reuben had found neckyoke at
hand and had gone in to break heads,
and FIVE tramps who had sought to
find him an easy prey had gone down
under his reign of blows and were
doing a good deal of groaning and
begging.
Land o'masseY, what was it2" ask
ed the farmer and his wife in a cho-
1us.
Il i guess BettY's up there" re-
piled Reuben as he looked upward.
Yves, I'm here" humbly replied
the girl.
"And what have you been doin'
up there ?" replied the mother.
Getting over the sulks."
"And have you got over EN- ?"
81 guess So
"Then you come down here and
quit actin like a goslin. That fence
man may have captured fifteen can
mons in the last war, as he Dragged
about, but Reuben has licked FIVE
monstrous big tramps without goin'
away from home or rufHin up bis
hair. If that don't make him one of
them shevaliers you are always talk
in about then I don't know pumpkin
pie from gooseberry bushes"
Adam, Adam" repeated st. Pc