Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-05-30

Was it n horse outside against the
brushwoOd fence? The sound was the
first Tom seemed to have heard for
many years. In his blaCkened brain 1t
struck Il first inapprecabe spark of in
tcrest. He listened. Then came an
other and a nearer sound rs of some
thing torn. He listened eagerly. What
could it be? Minutes passed. There
were no more sounds until the paddock
was tried and q hand went feeling for
the key. Tom raised his head for the
first time as the moon Streamed in
through the open door. when he per-
ceived that it was reggy's bare feet
which had made no noise. With that
he lowered his head again. for there
was no place in it even for surprise.
But unconSCiously he gave moan.
She went upon her knees beside him
and flung out her arms. but drew them
back. with a shiver, from that loose
spread blanket. Tom she whisper
ed Speak to me, darlin'. It's Peggy
come to see how v are
He never spoke. never looked up nor
gave any sign that he heard her words,
unless it was that his bowed head
hung more heavily than before.
Its Peggy O'Brine." the girl pur-
sued. with sob in her throat. .Sure
an we've not forgotten Peggy the
| cook? It's to comfort We I've come.
dearie, an haven't ! the right? All,
| then. an wasn't it all through me 1t
was?'
The sob got loose. and she was
| wringing her hands and gazing at Tom
through her tears as though her heart
| would break for him. In return he
stared heavily at her. but shook his
head as her meaning came home to
him.
Indeed an it was" persisted Peggy.
"Only for me you niver would have
struck IN at all. An to think it was
mesclf that warned We in the beginning
an went an drove ye to it in the ind
| If only you had let IN strike me dead
at his feet! 1t d have been betthsr
| than that-an' this"
Still he looked at her without word,
| and still there was no light, no life, no
| feeling in the look. but only dumb and
| dead despair.
You thought liked 'im"' exclaimed
| Peggy wildly. They've been telIin'
| We their black lies in the huts. It's
| little they know how it's been between
| us from the sthart. I'll tell We this.
! Tom. betther n hundred times he the
man he's a spite agin than the girl
he's his wicked eye upon. That's Mr..
Nat for We. an l hate im-I loathe
| im-'tis Gods truth I'm telling We.
| Tom. dear. he cot me ont there last
| night niVer wint out wild i'm. He
cot me prowlin' about, as he said. an
that's the truth, too. though he tould it
| CoIldn't sleep for thinllin' o the two
o ycz. It's we'll knew he was up to
some divil'S work at last. I'd seen i'm
talkin'-an what do you suppose he's
up to now" asked Peggy. going off al
a tangent. What 40 you suppose
he's doin at this moment? Lynn
dhrunk on his bed-lyin' de'd dhrunb
for the shame of it. You knocked N
down. You knocked IN down. He
won't get over t till his dyin' day. No
body ilse liver so much as lifted G
han aGin i'm on the farm. But glory
be to God. you knocked i'm down.
There was more than unthinking ex
ultatiOn in her tone; there was n very
singular sort of pride also. and this n:
unthinkinG as the other, it was so in
genuous and plain. But Tom saw moth
ing with those dreadful eyes anC
heard but little beyond her soothin.
brogue. And then she did think anC
saw a mark on the blanket I'm rod o
moonlight for she had shut the door
and cried out to God to forgive tn,
most selfish woman in all the world
She had thought of herself and no
of Tom. She had talked about hersel
and not about Tom. In her selfishnes
she had forgotten what she had brough
J him, and a medicine bottle of pilfere,
milk and rum was at his parched lip
| in an instant. She made him drink o
it, and drink deep, and mutton sand
witches. deliciouSly cut and sailed. sh
put between his.' teeth with her owl
| fingers. bite after bite, as though h
had been her infant. And all the tim
she was railing at herself for forget
: ting this and being the most selfis
woman in the world, while he ate an
/ drank from her tender hand and neve
said word
/ But when this was over he took tina
hand in his, and so they sat as !
seemed for hours in thin rain of Fl
tered mOonshine. Still his eyes wer
steadily downcast the whole tim,
Thus they missed the happy tears i
hers.
II At last he spoke, and 1t was terrbl,
for she could not understand a wore
Then he coughed and tried again an
said, "God bless you, Peggy-only ther
isn't one in New South Walesr' An
that left them both silent and the gil
grieving openly for almost as Ion
ii again.
II Then he said quite quietly:
you know I've been in the col
demned cell, Peggy. But it was notl
ing to this. My God, it was nothing I
thisv'
u Peggy pressed his hand.
'The condemned cell at Newgate