The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-01-22
THE HAND OF.
GOD '@<
. - , -..,.t.B ~.
By IA. QUAD
By N. QUAD
Copyright 1914. Dy the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

drowned before | was u year Ola. u
after being passed from One person t.
another | was at last sent tO u pau.
pers home. At the age of ten I ran
away from the institution. hoping to
better my condition. out instead Ut that
fell into the hands Ut this and that
farmer. and In every instance ! was
overworked and ground down. The
name generally given me was "Pau.
per-" and | was clothed In the cheapest
and poorest garments n fed with the
dogs. II I bOre It patiently | was an
object for further abuse. II ! rebelled
| was kicked out to lind another place.
used to wonder and speculate rs to
why | was treated In this manner
why there was never u klnd WORD FOR
me. why Z women and children de-
sired to humiliate nle and add to my
burdens. | wasn't malfOrInrO ana 1
wasn't sulky or ,mpndent Had any
human being interested himself ~ ne
| should have come up IT, give the
world an honest tight III an n"r,.>t
way l vas sixteen years nid rs near
as l can make it when ! was HnSt klrK-
ed ont. J had worked tOr tnat farinel
scarecrOw and fed me like b dog. Sim
ply because I broke the handle OF a
hoe 10y accident l was beaten until /
fell unconscious. In the small hours
of the night. grooming at ever. step.
but fearful OF my life. l TOOK to the
highway. and Il carter gave me n lift
which carried me many miles before
light. I was determined to try the
city this time. My rags. my ignorance
and my general appearance a always
frightened TIE away from the towns
and kept Tie among the AgriculturistS.
had scarcely descended from the cart
when ! encountered an old man. VINO
looked NE over and then accUsteu me.
He seemed to nave a KIND face. and be
spoke pleasantly. and 1t was so0n
agreed that l should 60 With him.
As | was q pauper and u una way,
too. I cOuld expect no mOre than
clothes and board in exchange for my
services. The man was nauDed SaDtn.
BE Kept u secondhand furniture shop.
and as he "a all alone In the world
he lived in u miserable way In y room
0ver the shop. In q day Or two be got
me to sign a paper binding myself to
him until Of age. and the ink was hard
~ dry On the *" mark before ! found
a change In MIN. ae was BY nature
cruel. stingy and selfish. ae worked
me without STINT and during the two
years I was with him I q always
hungry and tired.
One night when l bad been With Mr..
Sabin about two years and Just after
be had beaten me for some tribe ana
laughed over his work \ strange
thought came to me. For the trst tune
in nv life a feeling OF revenge crept
into my heart. and It made the shake
abuses beyond plumber and never
thirsted for reparat1on. In u quarter
of an hour there was more change IN
me than the last ten years ha0
wrought | called mp all my wrongs.
Ny heart filled with bitterness against
the whole world wanted to strike
men dead for what they had made IN.
suffer The old man found y change
in me the next morning. I mao spent
the whole night thinking. and when ne
called me bis dog and threw me u
morsel Of food l stood up and cursed
him. When he laid mis- bands on me
threw him to the floor, de was
dumfounded. Out be ut MS teeth
together and looked ut me With bali
shut eyes and said that he would nave
my life. W. were both sulleD n 81
lent that day. out ! reasoned II on,
that his plan was to come DOWNSTAIRS
that night as ! slept and bind rue ras,
and then torture me to his hearts con
tent Yes. l reasoned 1t out that this
would be his way. and while ! was
wondering how ! could hattie him Sa
tan came to my aid.
Go and kill him." whispered thu
tempter. Go and kill him and take
all his money and nee far away. HI
deserves killing for the way he q a
treated you. and all the money you car
find should be yours by right!
The more I thought It over the iesi
murder aud robbery seemed u crime
and BY and by | had neither fear mol
pity In NY heart. At midnight. witt
an iron bar IN my hand. ! crept up
stairs and softly pushed the old mans
door open. He had just got out Of bed
de had Il candle In n band ana .
rope in the other. and there was u dsv
ilish smile On his face rs he thought
how ne would trap and get revenge VI
me. My face must have told him tina
was there to do murder. for his Jaw
dropped. and I saw terror in mis- eyes
| had raised the bar and was about Il
spring forward. neither Of us navfni
uttered n word. when there was Z
crashing and n spltntertng. and a grea'
heap Of junk which was stored in tn
room above mn, came down. h!E{t,,,
It was morning before any n fount
us He was dead broken. battered
bruised and crushed out OF all sem
blance- while I was little better %
No a suspected that = there t