The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-07-25


| and it's broke under me-
"Eskew. Eskew-' demonstrated Pc
ter Bradbury. you'd oughtn't to talk
hathaway! You only kind of over
done a little-heat O. the day, too
pnd"-
Peter" interrupted the sick man,
with feeble asperity, "did you ever
manage to fool me in your life?'
"No. Eskew."
"Well, you're not dofn' it now"'
Two tears suddenly loosed them
selves from Squire Buckalew's eye.ids
despite his hard endeavor to wink them
away, and he turned from the bed too
late to conceal what had happened.
''There amt any call to feel bad" said
Eskew. "It might have happened any
time-in the night, maybe-at my
house-and all alone-but here's Airie
Tabor brought me to her own home
and takin' care of me. l couldn't ask
any better way to CO. could ~
81 don't know what We'll do" STAN
mered the colonel, "if you-you talk
about gon' away from us, Eskew. We
! we Couldn't t get along
"Well, sir, I'm almost kind of glad
to Think" Mr.. Arp murmured. between
short struggles for breath, "that it'll
be-Quieter-on the - National House
corner"
A moment later he called the doctor
family and asked for a restorative.
"There," he said in a stronger voice
and with gleam of satisfaction in the
| vindication of his belief that he was
dying. 81 was almost gone then.
know" He lay painting for moment,
then spoke the name Of Joe Louden.
Joe came quickly to the bedside.
Il want you to shake hands with the
colonel and Peter and Buckalew"
1--WE did," answered the colonel, in
6nitely surprised and troubled. "We
shook hands outside before we came
in"
"Do it again." said Eskew. II want
to see YOU
And Joe, making shift to smile, was
suddenly blinded, SO that he could not
see the wrinkled hands extended to
him and was fain to grope for them.
"God knows why we didn't all take
his hand long ago" said Eskew Arp.
'T didn't because ! was stubborn. l
hated to admit that the argument was
against me- l acknowledge it now be-
fore him and before you-and I want
the word of it carriedw
ITS all right, Mr.. Arp" began Joe
TREMENDOUSLY. you mustn't
"Hark to me-" The old mans voice
lifted higher eff you'd ever whim-
pered or give back talk or broke out
| the wrong way it would of been diff
ferent, but you never did. I've watch
ed you, and 1 know. And you've just
| gone your own way alone, with the
town against you because you got a
bad name as boy. and once we'd
given you that, everything you did or
didn't do we had to give you blacker
| one. Now it's time some one stood by
you. Airie Tabor III do that with all
her soul and body. She told me once
l thought a good deal of you. She
knew. But l want these three old
| friends of mine to do it too. / was
boys with them, and they'll do it,
think. They've even stood up fer you
| against me sometimes, but mostly fer
the sake of the argument, I reckon,
but now they must do it when there's
more to stand against than just my
talk. They saw it all today-the mean
est thing I ever knew! 1 could of
stood it all except that" Before they
could prevent him he had struggled
half upright in bed, lifting a clinched
| fist at the town beyond the windows.
"But, by God, when they got so low
down they tried to kill your dog
He fell back, choking, in JOe's arms,
and the physician bent over him, but
Eskew was not gone, and Ariel, upon
| the other side of the room, could hear
him whispering again for the restora-
tive She brought it, and when he had
taken it went quickly out of doors to
the side yard.
She sat upon a workman's bench un-
| der the big trees, hidden from the
street shrubbery, and, breathing deep
ly of the shaded air, began to cry quiet
| ly. Through the windows came the
quavering voice of the old man, lifted
again, insistent, little querulous, but
| determined. Responses sounded inter-
mittently from the colonel, from Peter
and from Buckalew, and now and then
sorrowful, yet almost humorous pro-
test from Joe; and so she made OUT
| that the veteran swore his three COM
rades to friendship with Joseph Lou
den, to lend him their countenance in
all matters, to stand by him in veal
| and woe, to speak only good of him
J and defend him in the town of Canaan.
Thus did Eskew Arp on the verge of
parting this life render justice.
The gate clicked, and Ariel saw Eu-
gene approaching through the shrub
berry. One of his hands was bandaged,
thin strip Of courtplaster crossed his
forehead from his left eyebrow to his
hair and his thin and agitated face
showed several light scratches.
'T saw you come out" he said. 'I've
been waiting to speak to you"
1.-The doctor told us to let him have
his way in whatever he might ask. !"
Ariel wiped her eyes. "I'm afraid that
means
Il didn't come to talk about Eskew
Arp" interrupted Eugene. 'Tm not
laboring under any anxiety about him