Evening journal., 1907-08-28
Aunt SaIly's PeddIer.

him o.go on.
One day a peddler came by whom
she looked in the face and said:
''You are the only honest peddief
have seen In ten years. You can bring
me In six milk pans"
but how do you know that am
honestT' queried the man, wondering
IL she was making game OF him.
by your looks"
All tin peddiers buy sheepskins.
Aunt Sally had one nailed up on the I
barn door, and after bit OF chafrering /
about the price she went out to get II, /
leaving the man on the piazza. When |
she returned the exchange was effected |
and the peddler departed. He thanked
her for her compliments and conf
dence, and he was told to call again |
If be came that way. There was no
ruction until about sundown. Then
Aunt Sally discovered that sllverware.
cutlery and other things were missing.
II had taken her about fifteen min
utes to get the sheepskin, during which
time the peddler was alone on the
piazza. She figured 1t out in her own
mind that no one else could have taken
the stun, and she vowed to have him
pursued to the ends Of the earth. New
ertheless when the hired man agreed
with her and said It was a straight
case she bristied up and replied;
"Jim Davis, you are a fooil That
peddier never took 'em. I'll wager my
life he's an honest man. Some one
must have climbed into a window and
robbed the house"
The hired man smiled pityingiy and
disdainfuIly. but had nothing further
to say. That night, however. without
a hint to Aunt Sally, he set a country
constable on the trail. Next morning,
without a word TO him, the widow went
to the village to consult the authori-
ties. The justice OF the peace and the
prosecuting attorney agreed with the
hired man. They pointed out the fnct
that It would have been utterly Inn
possible for any one else to commit
the crime In her heart she thought
So too. but her reputation as a physi-
ognomist was at stake, and she turned
on them with:
"You are a couple Of Idiots to talk as
you do. The peddier is as innocent as
babe. What you want to do is to
look for a beetle browed man with a
straight nose and a weak chin"
They looked for the peddler fnstead,
and they found him. He was brought
back in tears. They didn't fnd the
/ goods on him, but be almost confessed
to the crime. He would have quite
confessed but for Aunt Sally. She re-
fused TO prosecute. She insisted that
he couldn't be guilty, and she wasn't
going to have him bulldozed into max
ing a confession. The fellow would
have been discharged on the spot, so
far as she was concerned, but the au-
thorities had a suspicion that he was
mixed up In another case. and 1t was
decided to hold him for a few days.
Aunt Sally went home with her jaw
''sot" She had said the peddler was
honest. She had passed her word to
stand by him. The fact that the hired
man went around with a grin on his
face angered her and made her more
determined than ever. She slept not
at all that night. She turned from
side to side and made plans and per-
fected them.
During the next day Aunt Sally hunt
cd out files from the tool box In the
barn and made certain other prepara-
tions, and at night, as soon as the
hired man went to bed, she hitched
up a horse and drove into the village.
She had passed the jail many times.
and she reached 1t without being seen.
So far as she knew there was only
one prisoner there. She couldn't tell
what cell he occupied, but she slanted
a board against the wall and climbed
up to one Of the barred windows. 1t
was summer. and the sash was raised.
AS she softly called out a prisoner
came to the window, and she put the
files in his hand and said:
'T am not the woman to leave an
honest man to langulsh in prison. Get
70 work with these tools and make
your way out OF this"
Woman, I'll never forget your
whispered the man.
"No bIarney, but make things hum"
Aunt Sally returned home without
discovery. She got up with a smile on
her face and a song In her heart, but
that benign state didn't last long. First
came a constable with the news that
he had recovered the plunder. 1t had
been found In the hay NOW of the
farmers barn where the peddler had
lodged the night Of the robbery. He
was followed by a messenger from the
justice OF the peace that the honest
peddler had made a confession. A
third party called to announce that a
prisoner charged with horse stealing
and lodged In Jail the night before had
fled Off the bars Of his cell and regain.
ed his liberty. leaving the files behind
There was one more announcement
1t came from Jim Davis, the hired
man. He had been down to the pas.
ture to salt the sheep and came back
to exclaim:
Aunt Sally, some one stole our bay
horse during last night 1t was prob
ably the fellow who broke out OF JailF
Aunt Sally went into her bedroom
and sat down for an hour TO think
things over. At the end of that time
she rose up and said to herself:
'I'n never give up that I was wrong