Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-08-06

oNSitWC u tue IDTlSUucT, llttu
cursed and cuffed him for sulky dog,
and SO taken leave of him for the
night. Not a word had Erickson utter
ed In all these hours He had an
swered 10 question. replied to no taunt
nor yet once raised his eyes from the
ground. There he sat with damp
blanket about his torn body and his
rough yellow head between his hands.
Food had been put before him ana re-
manned there still. a pannikln of tea
stood cold and sour and black with
drowned flies upon the ground. The
flies were the worst of all his outward
Ills. But the shocking torments of
brain cruelty cleared by pain and eak
ness were worse than the flies
And now he was alone for the night,
The key had been turned In the pad
lock and put IN It's place on the beam
above. The sergeant's buster had
died away, and the sergeant's foot.
steps followed suit Across the yard
there came a laugh, an oath. a good
night ironically shouted. then throw.
ing off of boots that jingled and a.
shutting of doors. Now all was still,
and in the lookup the stiffness was as
uEbroken as elsewhere. He never stir.
red but to shrug away a fly. Tho moon
shcne In through holes in the tin lid
roof. through crevices in the match.
wood walls, and In the soft sifted light
he sat immovable. 1t was such a
prison ms a man Of spirit could have
broken with pteposterous case. Eut
this one had no spirit left. He was no
longer man. His precious manhood
had been beaten out of him like dust
from carpet. And the sense OF that
irrevocable loss bit deeper than the
glutted flies.
Was 1t 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 first inappreciable spark of in
terest. He listened. Then came an
other and a nearer sound as of some
thing torn. He listened eagerly. What
could 1t be? Minutes passed. There
we're no more sounds until the paddock
vas tried and 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.
eeived that It was Peggy'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 SILVER, from that loose
Z spread blanket. "Tomr' she whisper.
ed. Speak to me, darlin'. It's Peggy
come to see how y 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.
nIt's Peggy Q'Brine," the girl pur.
sued, with a sob in her throat. HSure
an ye've not forgotten Peggy the
cook? It's to comfort we I've come,
dearie. an haven't | the right? All.
then, nm wasn't 1t all through me 1t
wasp
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 m at all. An to think it was
meself that warned We in the beginning
an went an drove ye to 1t in the ind!
# only you had let m strike me dead
1T his feef1 1t d have been hetthet
Than that-an' this!'
Still lie looked at her without a word,
md still there was no light.Sno life, no
feeling In the look. but only dumb and
dead despair.
You thought liked 'lm!' exclaimed
Peggy wildly. They've been tellin
ye their black lies in the huts. It's
ilittlc they know how it's been between
us from the sthart. I'll tell We this,
Tom, betther hundred times be the
man he's spite agin than the girl
he's his wicked eye upon. That's Mr..
Nat for We, an l hate 'im--I loathe
limits Gods truth I'm telling ye.
Tom, dear, he cot me out there last
night niver wint out wild i'm. He
cot me prowlin' about. as he said, nm
that's the truth, too. though lie tould IT.
couldn't sleep for thinkin' O. the two
o. veg. Its well knew he was up to
some diyil's work at last. I'd seen I'm
talkin'-aa' what do you suppose he's
up to now::" asked Peggy, going off at
tangent .What 40 you suppose
he's dom at this moment9 Lynn
drunk on his bed--lyin' de'd dhrunk
for the shame of It'll You knocked IN
down. You Knocked IN down. lie
won't get over It till his dyin' day. No
body ilse jyer so much as lifted a
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 very
singular sort of pride also, and this as
unthinking as the other, 1t was SO in
genuous and plain. But Tom saw moth
ing with those dreadful eyes and
heard but little beyond her soothing
brogue And then she did think and
saw a mark on the blanket III airod of
moonlight for she had Shut the DOOR
and cried out to God to forgive Tho
most selfish woman in all the world.
She had thought of herself and moi
OF Tom. She had talked about herself
and not about Tom. In her selfishness
she had forgotten what she had brought
him, and medicine bottle OF pilfered
milk md rum was at his parched lips
In an instant. She made him drink OF