Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-07-09
A
CONVERSION
By DONALD CHAMBERLIN


asked a man met on the street If he
could tell me where ! could find lodg
ing in a private house.
Reckon kin, stranger" he said.
''Come right along with me-
He took me to his own house and
introduced me to his wife, a woman
with as honest countenance as ever
! saw in man or woman. Several pref
ty children were playing about who
evidently had the care Of good moth
er. / was given a fine supper, and
when the wife took the children up
stairs to bed the husband and I sat
smoking and chatting together.
81 believe" | remarked, that you
people out here have settled down and
become more like those in the east
than you used to be-"
Reckon we have. When | drifted
into these parts we was all bad except
a sprinklin', and they was mostly vim
men and children"
Surely you were not one of the bad
ones" l objected.
He took his pipe out Of his mouth
and looked at me, apparently wonder
ing If he had better trust me with a
confession. knew his thoughts and
by my expression invited confidence.
stranger" he said, Il was one O.
the goldurnedest, meanest, snivelin',
low down critters in the territory I
was mean enough to rob a graveyard
of old bones. But l wasn't afraid O
nothin', and when it come to fight
was thar. Fact is, l was regarded so
desp'rit that nobody dast interfere
with me. Two sheriffs tried it and
failed, and after that | was let alone
till got so bad that the people couldn't
stand me, and the committee got after
me. That ended my career as des-
perado."
Evidently" l put in, "they didn't
hang you or you wouldn't be here tell
ing the story now"
my story hasn't begun. One day
when l was about 80 bad as could git
/ went into house for meal. which
intended to pay for by takin' any
thing valuable l could lay my hands
on. run across young woman and
asked her If she could give me meal
O. vittels. You just come right in
here she said and make yersef at
home 49, ~
"Waal, that gal cooked me as fine a
meal as ever eat in my life. Anyway,
1t tasted as good for was hungry,
and there was somepin about the gal
as cooked 1t that | liked, and when /
was eatin' 1t she was sittin' right OPP
pOsite me and askin' me all sorts o.
questions as innocent-like as II she was
talkin' to respectable party. When
u got through with the meal what do
you suppose did? Just told her
that l was Bill Hathaway, the noted
desperate, and l wanted her to hand
cut any valuables there might be In
the house without troublin' me to
find 'em.
Somehow she didn't look frightened,
as most wimmen would look under the
circumstances. She got up without
sayin' word went upstairs and come
down with a wooden sock with some
coins In the toe and put 1t on the table
before me- Then she looked at me, not
with that hateful look had been used
to from wlmmen I'd robbed, but with
a sorryful look, as much as to say,
Poor Teller what an awful life you're
ieadin' and how uncomfortable youn
be some day danglin' from the end of a
roper go.
Somehow | couldn't stummick that
sort O thing. jist opened the stockin',
and instead o takin' anything out |
put my hand In my pocket TUX out
fist full O. loose change and some bills,
showed 1t toward her, tellin' her that
shed given me bangup good meal
and deserved to be we'll paid for it.
"She turned the stOckin' over, dump
ed all the money in it ON the table,
counted out what she'd had in it be.
fore put in anything and showed my
amount back to me.
1--we don't take pay from strangers
here" she said, land if we did we
wouldn't take money that had been
gained by robbery
I'D had all sorts o. things said to
me, but somehow I'd never had any
thing like that. They was all either
afraid of me and cringed or hated me
and spitfred at me. | got up from my
. chair and went out O. that house like
a whipped cur.
when the men folks come home
and found that Bill Hathaway had
been there they organized committee
to run me down. 1t was a long chase,
but they finally cornered me. was
full o. tricks, and since none O. those
that TUX me knowed me by sight !
tole 'em they'd got the wrong man.
SO they talked together and agreed to
take me to the gal I've been telin' you
about for Identification.
"They brought me before the house
with my arms tied behind my back
and rope around my neck. The gal
came out, and they asked her If l was
the man that had been to the house
before. When she saw the rope she
paled bit and, pretendin' that she
wanted to git the dust outer her eyes
to see better, drew her apron across
fem. But knowed it was to get rid
Of moisture. She looked at me pitiful,
and at last she said:
NO; that amt the one. The other
was villain. This one is good man.
If he's ever done anything I'm sure
he has repented.'
"Histp' he said, putting finger to
his lips. "She's comm downstairs"