Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-02-27
THJRMONT FREDERICK COUNTY, MD: THURSDAY, FEBRUAR

worries every year tell you, Mr..
Robbins. l thought 1t would kill me,
once, to come on the county. Id "a
said Id starve first; but you can't see
your wife and children starve. / went
in last winter, and asked for relief.
in last winter, and asked for relief
1T was awful hard on you, Wesley"
said Robbins gently.
81 suppose 1t wasn't nothing to what
some men have suffered. There was
poor Tommy Walker, give up his farm
when it was oreclOsed-thought he
had to--and went off tramping to
Kansas City, and after he'd tramped
week there, looking for job, give
it up and jumped into the river. And
you know how old man Osgood killed
himself, honest old man as ever
lived; always kept his machines un-
der cover too; he couldn't stand It,
They found it harder-and lots more,
too; but I've found 1t hard enough.
And | know Id shoot that sneaking,
sneering young Shylock, and not mind
it near so much as / minded killing
poor Sport
81 don't know but we'd all better
quit" said the younger man with
sigh This isn't living country.
Three years of drought would break
any country up. It's not meant to live
in. We had fair crop this year, but
it's so low; and freights. though
they're lower, are pretty high. ] don't
see any way out of It, And ! declare
I think If we run this young fellow
off we'll only get bad name for the
place"
81 don't care for bad Names" said
the other sullenly. II got wife and
three children; / was foreclosed a
year ago--sos you, SOS lot of the
boys; we're at the end Of our string
now-legally. So what did we say?
We said we didn't care, was 1t legal
or illegal; that laws was made to skin
the poor man; and we elected sheriff
we could depend on not to enforce
the laws, and we druv Off the bloCd-
suckers they sent out here. They say
one feller was killed. | don't know.
Guess that's one Of Doc Russell's
stories.
My father was with John Brown;
he helped kill man. He never lost
no sleep about It; shan't neither.
Look here, Mr. Robbins. got lots Of
time to think, winters-lots Remorse
and all them fine feelings you read
Of they don't belong to folks that are
way down in the dirt. You got to have
something to eat and wear, and not
have your stomach sassing you, and
you half froze most OF the time; when
your body is in sech fix it's keeping
your mind so full there amt any show
for any other feelings. And look a
lere, there's worse"--his voice sank.
Why. you git to that pass you amt
able to feed your own wife and babies.
When this morning Peggy kept hush
ing the baby, and she was fretting and
moaning, and Peggy says to me,
couldn't ! git little crackers in town;
maybe the baby could eat them? |
didn't feel nothing 'cept numb ach.
ing. | kept saying, I'd "a felt that,
once! But | didn't feel it now And,
all of a sudden, it come to me twas
because | was Citing past feeling
like you do when you're froze, jest be-
fore you die. | read story once,
when was little shaver, that kept
mo awake nights many time. 1t was
about Russian nobleman out sleigh
riding with his children, three of EN-,
On one Of them steppes; and the
wolves chased them. The father had
a pistol, and he would shoot one of the
wolves, and then the cowardly cusses
would stop to tear the wounded critter
to pieces and eat him, giving the folks
in the sleigh little more time; but
every time the distance between the
wolves and them when they stopped
was a little smaller; but they We're get.
ting closer to the town, and they could
see the lights. So the father, he kept
on shooting, until the wolves were
jumping up and grabbing at the sleigh,
and the last time he shot a wolf he
used up his last cartridge: then,
when they came after him again,
knew If he could stop 'em once
more he could escape, he-he throwed
out one of the children; because 1t
was this way: If he jumped out him.
self the children were so little the,
couldn't drive, and they'd be tipped
up, and all three Of them lost, SO he
throwed out the child he loved the
best, and they got to town safely; but
he went raving crazy Well, thought
of him, and | said, if baby died there'd
be the more chance for the others"
Look here, Wesley" his companion
interrupted, quit it! You're getting
light.headed. Get rid of such fool
thoughts as those or you'll be going
off to the insane asylum; and mighty
little use your family will have of you
there!"
Orr gave him no answer. Robbins
watched his impassive face and
frowned.
He's not bad-hearted, but he's des-
perate. You can't appeal to desper-
ate man. he thought, "and the other
boys are the same way. There'll be
wild work there tonight, unless that
young fool has the papers with him
and will give them up. You're fool,
George Robbins, to mix yourself up In
it on the chance of getting few dol
lars from a Kansas City paper for a
telegram!"
Silently the two men looked at the
u
ed and swayed and, ratified over the
road.
I'VE got to save the lantern to 60