News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1906-08-22

were flowers growing on IL ara that
1t was being cared for 1t told me what
you were. She was very brave wo-
man. Dannie. You know that was an
awful thing about Sharp
Dan turned toward him quickly.
"Why do you speak Of it? It's all
past now"
ara sort of like to tell. you about it,"
There was long pause, and he con-
tinued:
"Sharp and | had been enemies for
long time. 1t started back before the
war, when he wanted to marry your
mother. We both enlisted in the same
regiment, and somehow the trouble
kept alive. He was q bit Of bully,
| and / was counted handy man with
| my fists too. The regiment was al
ways trying to get us into the ring to
| gether, but we knew it was danger
| Gus. We had sense enough for that.
won't say he would have done it. but
never felt safe when there was fight
on in all those four years. It's easy
enough to shoot the man in front Of
you and no one be the wiser. Many
scores been settled that way. When
we got home again we didn't get along
any better. He was a drinking man
and had no control over himself when
LIQUOR got the best of him. | did my
share in keeping the feud alive. What
he said of nae and what l said Of him
generally reached both of us in time,
as you can fancy.
SAT last, when l joined the church,
l concluded it wasn't right to hate
man the way l. hated Sharp, for, you
see. he'd never really done anything to
me.
zone day I stopped in at the smi Thy
he was a blacksmith-to have a talk
with him and see if we couldn't patch
it up somehow and be friends. 1t was
a Saturday afternoon, and he'd been
drinking more than was good for him.
81 hadn't hardly got the first words
out when he came at me with big
sledge in his hand, all in a rage and
swearing he'd have my life. l pushed
him off and started for the door. | saw
it was no use to try to reason with
him, but he came at nae again. and this
time he struck me with his sedge. 1t
did no harm, though it hurt, and l
pushed him out of my way and backed
off toward the door. The lock was
caught, and before l could open it he
was within striking distance again
and I had to turn to defend myself. l
snatched up a bar of iron perhaps a
foot long | had kept my temper down
until then, but the moment l had q
weapon in my hand it got clean away
from me, and in an instant was fight
ing-just as he was fighting-to kill"
Roger Oakley had told the story of
the murder in a hard, emotionless
voice, but Dan saw in the half light
that his face was pale and drawn.
Dan found it difficult to associate the
thought of violence with the man at
his side, whose whole manner spoke Of
an unusual restraint and control. ThF
he had killed a man, even in self do
Tense, seemed preposterous and inco1
ceivable.
There was a part of the story Roger |
Oakley could not tell and which his
son had no desire to hear.
People said afterward that I'd gone
there purposely to pick quarrel with
Sharp, and his helper, who, it seems,
was in the yard back of the smithy
setting wagon tire, swore he saw me
through a window as l entered and
that | struck the first blow. He may
have seen only the end of it and really
believed l did begin it, but that's a
sample of how things got twisted. No |
body believed my motive was what |
said it was. The jury found me guilty |
of murder, and the judge gave me a |
life sentence A good deal of fuss |
was made over what | did at the fire |
last winter Hart told me he'd sent |
you the papers,"
Dan nodded, and his father contin-
ued
"Some ladies who were interested in |
mission work at the prison took the
matter up and got me my pardon. It's |
fearful and Il wicked thing for a
man to lose his temper, Dannie. At |
first l was bitter against every one
who had a hand in sending me to
prison, but I've put that all from my
heart. 1t was right l should be pun
ished."
He rose from his chair, striking the
ashes from his pipe.
'Ain't it very late, Dannie? I'll just
put away my things, and then we can
go to bed. l didn't mean to keep yol
up"
Oakley watched his precise and Of
derby arrangement of his few belong
ings. He could see that it was part
of the prison discipline under which he
had lived for almost a quarter of a
century. When the contents of his
bundle were disposed of to his salts
faction he put on a pair of steel
trimmed spectacles with large, round
glasses and took up a we'll thumbed
Bible, which he had placed at one side.
81 hope you haven't forgotten this
book, Dannie," tapping it softly with a
heavy forefinger.
ITO BE Continued
T. -
THE EVn M THEE, xEnnUun