Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-09-06
# coumtenance calculated to deceive

Of comtenance calculated to deceive
the cat.
Now, why did father lnger be-
hind!' asked Jennie of herself as she
went upstairs. and. poking her head
out of Il front window. she saw him
engaged in some ncfarious business on
the path-something that she investi-
gated fifteen minutes later and
dragged TO one side ON the lawn.
The merchant had been detained. He
had also forgotten that farmers re-
tired TO their beds when the hens went
to roost. II was 10 o'clock when he
came driving out Jennie heard him
coming and walked down the road to
meet him. Knowing her father as she
did, she knew that Il present Of a
dozen new hoes that night would NOT
suffice to soothe his injured feelings.
1t would be best TO notify Mr.. Barlow
OF this fact and turn him back and say
good night
AT about the hour mentioned above
Uncle Peter reused up out of a doze
with n new theory. 1t was to the eff
feet that some lightning rod men
might come along in the night and
seek to arouse the house for lodgings
and step into that waiting bear trap.
He was about to get up when he re-
membered that Il man of lightning had
cheated him ont of $40 five years be-
fore, and he therefore decided not to
bulge. He had just come 10 this de-
cision when old Mrs. Davis said:
Andrew, I'm goln' to get up and go
over to Scots"
what fur" he d"camily asked
1--WE got II theory that Uncle Peter
has hung himself in the wood she'd"
Nonsense
Don't say nonsense TO Inc. ! never
had Il theory yet that didn't turn out
right. I'm goin' right over there, and
If you hear me yen out you'n know
what has happened
She partly dressed and left the house.
Jennie ana Mr.. Barlow and the horse
and buggy were not so far away that
she could not have made them out had
she been less occupied with her theory,
but as it was they escaped her notice.
The wood shed to every well regulated
house lis In the rear II was 60 in the
case of the Scott home. To reach it
old Mrs Davis had To leave the straight
path, and she hadn't made above ten
steps when there WAS Il scream and a
long drawn yell to freeze the blood or
all hearers Uncle Peter heard it as he
Il. l..
handles ami fat molcs, and he jumped
out of bed.
Old Mr.. Davis heard it as he dozed
and wondered about theories, and out
of bed he came with his hair trying to
stand on end. Jennie and Mr.. Barlow
heard it and started forward with ex-
carnations of alarm, and thus it hap
pened that the four reached old Mrs
Davis at about the same time. She
had been caught in the bear trap, of
course. In leaving the path she had
stepped fairly into 1t. AMI as the jaws
aftcrward, that the last day had come
and she was ready to sail away.
There was an exciting time for the
next ten minutes. The poor old woman
was frightened half to death, and a
good deal bruised by the teeth OF the
trap, and while she was being carried
across the road her husband was an
nouncng his determination TO have sat
isfaction under the law. Uncle Peter
realized that his theory had failed and
Jennie and Mr.. Barlow had been dis
covered conspiring. as it were. 1t
wasn't until the victim had been put
to bed. her hurts attended to by doc
tor and her husband Gained down by
a promise that the right thing should
be done that Uncle Peter turned ON the
young folks and demanded:
well, what You got to say about all
ahis?'
Nothing. father" answered Jennie.
Nothing. Mr. Scott" added the mer-
chant
"Wall. dunno as | have, either" OBJ
served the mole killer as he logged into
the house ana left the others at the
gate to talk things over