Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1911-05-18

\ energy NTH which ne applied himself
| 10 his tasks you had need OF but one
eve TO see that he was up to his neck,
| in poverty. Yet he had asked credit OF
no one, nor had he ever been known
/ To ask an abatement in the price OF an
article in his life. Nevertheless, hh~
| poverty was objectionable. rendered al
most criminal by the profound indif-
/ ference with which he seemed TO ig-
rgore the matter, not even going so
| far as to attempt TO hide 1t from his
| neigAboTS.
This poverty had not always tor
mented him, In the early part OF his
career indeed a kind of artificial pros
perity had deluded those who wished
| to be cheated into belief that it was
| going to continue.
Meanwhile there was preparing a de-
| huge OF misfortunes which were des-
tined to tnundate him. First, bad crops
| followed one another for several years
| in succession, and some of the best
| horses which he had bought, died from
| accidents OF various kinds, always I'M
avoidable.
1t could hardly be expected that the
most rigid economy beforehand would
enable him to withstand these Grip
ping blows to his finances, and those
who had no idea what his resources
| might be beyond what their eyes told
| them began to hazard conjectures. AL
ready their exaggerated imaginations
had pictured the sheriff selling off the
| farm under q chattel mortgage, and
certain gossipy tongues had even hint
ed that such had been the case, while
oters averred that the horses in his
stable had nothing to live upon but pine
needles and might be expected to drop
down with the mails at any minute.
These troubles and prosecutions COW
cred series OF years, and amid all OF
them the same undaunted demeanor
IN Rhornnfnrf1a he viz
who, to judge from his appearance,
might be a man of marble or iron, in
stead OF flesh and blood.
1t was evident that he was in fear
fully straitened circumstances, and yet
his heartlessness was a theme of con-
slant comment. A lawyer from Lewis
ton was eventually seen in the act Of
taking a memorandum of the farming
implements and one of the two horses
left to him turned up incurably lame.
Still he seemed determined to fight
it out to the bitter end, and without
moving a muscle; his stoicism was i'm
pregnable.
But what was surmised and limited at
by the busybodies bore only thin re-
semblance to the actual and terrible
facts: BY careful calculation he had
found that upon the eigth day of the
succeeding month he would have ar
rived at the limit of his resources.
BY careful driving, his one remaining
horse might be relied upon to stand the
strain of double duty until then, but
on that date a crisis was inevitable.
The outraged bosoms of all Passa-
quodmush, burdened with long accu-
mulating surplus of sympathy and
commiseration. were waiting to dis
charge their spontaneous tribute.
There was almost a feeling of silent
exultation over the fact that the VIC
tim who had so long eluded them was
at last to be delivered into their hands.
1t was the morning OF the long-ex-
pected eighth, and ii had been record
breaking morning for Miss Stotts. The
glow in her cheeks radiated health and
pleasure as she pulled up her horse at
the top. of Fiddler's hill. She heard the
familiar sound of the mail-buggy just
behind, and waited to let it pass down
the hill before her. 1t came along with
what she fancied was an undue degree
Of speed, and ratified on downward, but
she noticed with reinsurance that the
imperturbable driver managed to slack
en- his pace before he was half way to
the foot of the sharp incline. But her
reinsurance was temporary Only, for.
when the buggy reached the bottom.
the driver, either through wilful inten-
ton or some sudden paralysis let his
horse deliberately describe a slanting
course toward the outer side of the
curve that carried the continuation of
the level roadway out of view; her
obvious finish of the horses course
must be the tossing of the buggy over
the cliff that here bordered the road
way.
The horse, proceeding unchecked, mad
by this time drawn the buggy about
haly way, in an oblique line, to the
cliffs edge-in few seconds the horse,
driver and vehicle would be tumbIing
two hundred feet into the limekilns be-
low! A horrible sensation, physical
and mental, seized Miss Stotts she
could not move, she could not cry out
the tragedy would occur before her eyes
without her being able to lift a finger
to prevent 1t! . She heard or
thought she heard, strangely familiar
| sound coming from the direction of the
| fatal curve. 1t was the very sound
she had come to Passaquodmush pur-
posely TO avoid-a sound that had al
ways offended her ears; never before
had she heard ii on these remote roads
/ Of Maine wilderness =. There was
no mistaking it--yet she listened to IL
now as a starving, besieged garrison
listens to the CHEEKY bugle call OF re-
/ lieying army! There was indeed!
no mistaking tilt was the measured
throb-thrOb of motor carl In an in
slant more the car had rounded the
curve and came clear into yiew-the
horse in the mail-buggv startled at the
unaccustomed apparition, backed vio-
/ lently, abandoning it's fatal career ga
inch or two from the cliff, and, finally
running one hind wheel into the ditch
/ on the inner side Of the road, over
turned the buggy with a crash and lay.
struggling and painting, but safe now,
In the tangled harness.
$50 you'll admit that a motor car
may serve very useful purpose after
| alI2"
II was "Jack" StebbIns who spoke
He had one arm around Miss Stotte
| Waist--a seemingly guperfiuous atter-
ton just now, seeing that 1t was full
five minutes since she had recovered
from her fafnting fit. With the other
hand he was holding her horse by the
bride. And think what would have
happened II the auto hadn't brought
me here I'm the nick If time"
TO save me from falling Off my
horse, and the mail driver from falling
over the cliff
The color was returning to her cheeks.
and there was a mischievous twinkle
IN her eyes.
sY1s, Jack" she said, land better
sfill, you have shown me way to end
the troubles Of that unfortunate mail