Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-08-06
Ole !.
ll>>ogl 5



drank from her tender hand and never
said word.
But when this was over he took that
hand IN his. and SO they sat as 1t
seemed for hours in thin rain of fill
tered moonshine Still his eyes were
steadily downcast the whole time.
Thus they missed the happy tears in
hers.
AT last he spoke. and it was terrible,
for She could not understand 4: word.
Then he cougled and tried again and
said. God bless you. peggy-only there
isn't ono IN New South Walcs!, And
that left them both silent and the girl
grievins openly for almost as long
again.
Then he said quite quietly:
"You know I've been In the con-
demned cell. Peggy. But 1t was moth
ing to this. My God, it was nothing to
this"
Peggy pressed his hand.
"The condemned cell at Newgate."
he went on. ~ was there up to the
very last night and heard the people
taking their places to see me swing.
Well. that night was nothing to this.
And Ii they had hanged me in the
morning 1t would have been nothing
nothlns-lt would have been nothing
The hoarse voice broke. sob after sob
shook the tortured body. and the girl
glowed with shame to find herself the
useless witness of an agony so SUI
preme. But his tears dried hers and
bound their fount 1t froze her heart
to hear and see him. She was afraid
to speak to him, to touch his hand.
She withdrew a llttle and her bare
foot pressed Il cold oasis on the warm
ground. She stopped and picked I'D
coin.
"Ha" cried Tom.
His voice was very bitter now, but
under control in moment.
"Where did it come from?" asked
Peggy, with the coin to shining
crevice.
Il am ashamed to tell you" and he
ground his teeth. "But you will never
guess. From a greater brute than Ell
Their of the Sullivans. He came to look
at me just afterward. was steaming
like horse in this blanket, and he
came and gloatcd over me and flung
me a farthing-a farthing-the very
beast who ordered me the lashes and
pretended to be SO kind"
"a farth'n'!"
Eyes. God helm him il ever get his
yellow throat between these ten fin.
gers" And they were clutching MUIR
derously in the air. and there was
murder in every vibration of the husky
voice.
.sure, an it isn't a farth'n' 1t is at
ALL"
"What Is 1t, thena"
IA sov'rin!''
And the soft Irish brogue was rich
with honest satisfaction. She showed
him the coin in triumph. He regarded
1t with leaden eye.
"a soy'rinw repeated Peggy, with
enthusiasm. "Stick 1t In your pockut
an be grateful liver afther to Peggy's
bare fut.''
He shook his head.
''You wont?"
Another shake.
""Tis sinful pride call It," remon-
strated the girl. "The kind man meant
well''-
1.-THE kind man."
can isn't hep
IT owe him q bit already" replied
Tom. let me settle that first.''
"But this he meant well, man. This
is no farth'n'"-
$50 much the worse. He thought to
heal the wounds owe him with SOW
ereign, did he? His conscience and
my wounds! May they lie open and
sting and throb and tickle all at once
As they're doing now till | have my
fingers at his throat!' The girl looked
so frightened that lie gulped at his pas
sion and saidi "You keep it yourself,
Peggy, like good girl. You deserve
purse of them for all you've done for
ME this night. Why, what nowi"
He sat alono in the lookup. The girl
had stolen swiftly out. In the uncon-
scious egotism of his grief and shame
this simply puzzled him. So he sat in
The moonbeans, blinking at the moon,
intil she returned and once more closed
| the door.
"AlIs safe," she told him cheerfully.
II heard the TRAPS snorin in their
slape.",
Had you heard something elseg"
| II had not,
Then what was wrongH
SIS 1t why I went out?s said Peggy,
fixing him with an eye that was cheer
full too. ::.To ahrop that sov'rin to the
very BOTTOM Of their well. AM it's we
will dhrop 1t, too, If you phase"
Tom held out his hand:
"I've offended you, Peggy. God
knows ! didn't mean to. But I'm ca
pable Of all that's brutal tonight. You
see what they've made Of me already.
Forgive me, Peggy. I'll never forgive
them. I'll be even with every one of
them, curse them, curse them, and then
I'll swing as should have done year
ago. I'm sorry l didn't keep that
lpound-to give 1t him back for his cof-
fn!'
1t was terrible to hear him. His
voice was very low and full of fresh
tears that made it all sound worse.
Peggy asked him what he meant to do
He meant to die, but not of the lash
the rope. He meant to hang as he
should have hung the year before. II
only he had! If only he had! But at
last he recognized the fate reserved for
! him by Providence he blasphemed, SO
now he would meet It halfway. He
| was sorry he had not done SO long ago.