The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1916-07-13

a neighbor to whom lie owed the
money to come for It the next day.
1t was just at dusk that Huldah, in the
kitchen, caught the echo OF the
CHEEKY Get up there!" of her father
in front of the house. She fastened
the preparations for the evening neal
Then she failed to hear her father al
usual bustling about the stable.
"That is strange!" she murmured.
as she did not see any lantern light
at the rear of the house. Then she
went out to the front. The horse and
wagon were standing near the hitch
ing post. Just then Seth came in from
the fields.
why, I wonder what can have be-
come Of father!" spoke Huldah. "Oh,
Seth! There he is lying in the road!'
The old man had fallen, or had been
knocked from the wagon-the latter.
it seemed, for there was a mark near
the temple suggesting blow from
some blunt instrument. His pockets
were turned inside out, his watch and
the old purse he always carried were
gone. They carried him into. the
house.
L. became known all over the dis
trict the next day that two thieves
had followed Mr.. Bingham from town,
in some way aware that he carried q
large amount of money around with
him, and had robbed him of the mort
gage money-$2,O00.
Jared was dazed when he came back
to consciousness. He recalled being
assaulted by two men just as he left
the wagon to secure the horse to the
hitching post.
II had the money from the bank in
two one-thousand-dollar bills" he
said. I'D put them in an old snuff box
and kept that in my coat pocket,
where could constantly feel it. They
must have got it, yet-yet-" and he
tried to think hard-"it seems to me
that their coming at me warned me,
and clutched the box, and-and-no;
it's no use, I can't remember! It's
four years more hard work to make 1t
up, but I'm thankful they spared my
life."
They never discovered any trace
of the thieves. It broke up the old
man considerably to realize the tre'
mendous loss with which he had met.
II hope his mind is going to be all
right" spoke Huldah anxiously to her
husband one day.
"Why should you think otherwise7"
asked Seth.
"Why, every once in while father
stops work and goes out to the spot
where he was knocked from the wag-
on by those men. He will stand star
ing there for a full quarter of an hour
at the hitching post, as If it were
sort of an oracle he was consulting"
"Woll, it was a great shock, the
robbery" said Seth, "but it will wear
off with father after time
Seth had bought new horse, q
great powerful animal, and he hitched
him up one morning to go to town.
The rig was all ready in front Of the
house while the family were eating
breakfast. Suddenly, glancing out Of
the side window, old Jared sprang
quickly TO MS 1eeL dllu ldA OoI VI IAo
house.
''That road roller is coming" h
shouted, land I'll bet it scared the new
horse. Too late! Too late! Slam
etty-bang! The animals gone, hitch
ing post and ALL"
The announcement was true. The
new horse had pulled the hollow post
up and was speeding down the turn
pike with it swinging behind him.
Seth started in pursuit. Father and
daughter stood staring after. Sudden
ly Jared uttered strange cry. He
stopped over and from the scattered
dirt where the post had been pulled
from place picked up-his old snuff
box.
"Why, remember, clear as day,
now" he shouted. "Huldah!" and
he opened the box and the two $1,000
bills were safe and sound.
It was true, and just then the con-
Meeting link in the mystery flashed
into the old mans mind. When the
robbers had attacked him he had
slipped the box over the edge into the
hollow tube, and time and circum-
stances had proven it to be safe