The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-02

WI his voice: Head them on on
 G the south. boys! Fire from the
 southr' e, --
 AS he had hoped. Jack and wessner
 1nRtantIy plunged into the swaIe. A
 storm of lead spaftered after them.
 They cro%as.d the swale. running low.
 with not even one backward Glance.
 and entered the wood beyond the cor
 dnroy.
 Then the little party gathered at the
 tree.
 -'rd better nx this saw so they can't
 be using 1t if they come back" said
 Freckies. taking out his hatchet and
 making the ga " teeth fly.
 ''NOw we nave to, get out of here with! out being seen.' said the Bird Woman to the angel. "II won't do for me to make eaeEnies of these men, for 1 am liable to meet them about my work any day" &'r e.t
 ''YOu can do # by driving straight north on tiIis roaJl.'' said Freckles. '-I will go ahead and cut the wires for you. The NwaIe. Is almost dry. You will only be s3DkinR q few inches at most. In c few rods you will strike cOrnE3eld. will take down the fence and let you into thHt. Follow the fur rOws and drive straight across 1t until you come 10 the other side. Be follow fnR the fence AOuth until you come to a rOad through the woods east of it. Then take that road and follow east until you reach the pike. You will come out on your way back to town and fSvo miles north of anywhere they are likely to be. Don't for your lives eyer let It out that you did this" he earnestly cn ntioned. ..for frs black en- 0n1Gea you. would be making
 Fr~rkles snapped the wireH. and they the carriage and held ont his revolver. Freckips looked into her face and lost llie hrPath- Her eyes were black and her fare a deeper rose than usual. He felt that his own wae white as death.
 ''Dld shoot high enough ' she ask ed sweerly. ''I really forgot about iy- n@ down" &
 Freckies winred. Did the child knOw how near she had eone7 Surely ahe could not. 'Or was it possible that sno had the nerve and skill Co fire like that pugposely?
 ''l will send the frst reliable man I meet for Mclean" said the Bird Wo- man: gathering up the IineA elf don't meet one when we reach town we will send a messenger. If 4lt wasn't for having the gang see me l would go myself"
 Round eyed. FFeckles watched the Bird Woman and the angel drive away. Alter they were out of sight and he Mkg aefely hidden among the br9neh@6 or q small tree he CemerA- beEed that he had nelthar ehanked them nor said &OOdby. Would the Bird Woman and fhe angel come .agalnf No other women that he had ever known would. But were they like any other women he had ever known? He thought of the Bird woman'a unruned face and the angels revolver practice. and presently he was not so sure that they would not come back.
 What were the people out in the big world like? His knowledge was so very limited. There had been people at the home who exchanged a suited. perfunctoFy sort of Kindness for their The visitors that called on days he had divided into three clnsses-the, kind that came with . tear in the eye and hypocrisy in ev- cry feature of their faces:> the kind that came in silks and jewels and handed out to those poor. little mother hungry souls worn toys that their ctil- dren ,ncs longer cared for. in exactly the same spirit In which they pitched biscuits to the monkeys af the ''zoO." and for the same reason-tO see how they would take them and be amused l by what they would do; and the third | class. that he considered real people. 1 who made him feel they cared that | be was there and would have been | glad to see him elsewhere. |
 Now, here wns another class that | had met him as a son and brother. 1 With, them he could for the only time | In his life forget the lost hand that l every day tortured him with a new | pang. What sort Of people were they | and where did they belong among the classes be knew? He had to give 1t up | oecause he had never known others Ike them. but how he loved them:
 Out in the world where he was soon EOing were the majority like them or were they of the hypocrite and bun throwing classes: Frpckles did not 1now. but he reached the ultimate .oncIuEion that people like the Bird W Woman. the angel. Mclean and the Ouncans were very rare. hence their | exceeding preciousneSs.
 He had forgotten the excitement of he morning and the passing of time when distant voices aroused him. anc le softly lifted his head. Nearer ana learer they came. and aS the heavy wagons rumbled down the east trail le could hear them plainly. The gang were shouting themselves hoarSe for he LimberIosl guard. F'recxIes didn't eel that he deserved 1t. He would lave given much to be sble to go out 0 the men and explain how tt was.