The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-17


mans face was haggaru. There were
dark rings around his eyes, and his
hands shook nerEously.
81 see you beat me-" Abner said in
an effort at 1ightness. t'You seem to
believe that the early mornin' is the
best time fer brain work
"Any occupation is better than none
right now" Howard said wistfully,
''but there are times when brain work
is next to impossible. Have you seen
Pole Baker this morning.
Abner nodded, and Howard went on
hurried'y:
':Then you know that I'm under sur
veilIance?''
Abner nodded again. 'That don't
make any difference he answered.
Its o1Iy a form that has to be got
through with in-rin sech matters. A
t0ing like this has to be saddIed on
somebody, an the authorities are
afeesfd they won't. earn their wages eff
they don't make some sort O. pretense
G bein' on the job. At the proper time
We'll show 'em a thing or two. The
idea of accusin' a man o. yore stand
in -
: ''Stopl Let's get down to facts
his table into the old face bending to-
ward him. you know I read law for
awhile, Uncle Alb. Well, read enough
and associated enough with lawyers
and judges in my newspaper work in
writing up various criminal cases to
know that am in mighty tight hole.
am bound hand and foot by circum-
staRtiaI evidence. I'm afraid that no
lawyer in the world could free me. 1
c9n see conviction Of my guilt writ
ten in every face meet on the street.
I see it in the way they all blink and
shrink from me as i pass along How
ard put his pencil down and raised
both his hands to his head and sat still
for moment; then, as Abner was
about to speak, he went on blunt1y:
81 am innocent, and yet my conscience
is not .elear-not wholly clear. If it
were think could face it better. 1
did not kill Craig, but would have
done it if I had had the chance two
hours after my fight with him. Now he
IS dead I feel different I wonder how
I could have been SO enraged by any
thing such a drunken, irresponsible
creature could have said or done. But
my conduct and furious threats will be
held against me. This is my punish
L
put up with it''
Abner was so wrought up by this
blunt utteranee that he was speeches..
His kindly mouth was drawn downzat
the corners, and his lips twitched. He
hung his hat up on its nail against the
wall that he might have an excuse for
turning his face away. He was longer
about 1t than was necessary and vert
on slowly to the water pail on an in
verted box near by and drank from the
rusty tin dipper, although he was not
thirsty. He felt Towards gaze follow
ing him and was hardly prepared for
what he said when they faced each
other again.
81 don't feel so badly about having
TO go to JAIL" Howard said, pIunging
into the subject impulsively. II don't
care if they refuse me bail-and they
viii. Of course T don't care so much
for the fact that all this. town and sur.
rounding country consider me guilty.
It isn't that that I'm thinking about
that thought about as I lay awake
last night. I'm thinking about you,
sir. You put yourself out to buy this
paper simply to help me. You gave
me good advice all along, but paid
no attention to it. Now, what has
"
county lookup your investment will go
to ruin; with me on the gallows or in
prison for life, people will sneer at
your Judgment Ia backing "a wild,
harum scarum fool that you ought to
have turned down long ago and would
if you hadn't been the best man in the
world. . u S.yf 9f
Almost with a. rush Abner stepped
forward. He put his hands on How
ards shoulders. He looked into the
young mans face while, his own filed
with emotion. Don't, 3don,t!', he all
but sobbed. tsYou are too young to
comprehend the most beautiful of all
Gods vast spiritual laws. I must talk
plain. Eve never had son, Howard.
Ever since I was a young man some'n'
in me has been screamin' out fer ia
therhood, te1lin' me that to be a father
was the hottest, highest height man
kin reach on earth. Some'n' else be
longs to the law o. fatherhood. an that
is sufferin' through love o. the child.
I've had experiences of many sorts In
my life, but right now, my boy Iovin'
you as I do an g1oryin' in yore beauti
full young manhood an chance to con-
quer difficulties an as see you bowed
an broken under this thing I have a
realization of my Immortality sort o.
grip. on THAT / never had before.
This trouble O. yore'n seems to lift me
right out O. my body and dissolve me
into the very spirit O. God. It seems to
me that all will end right somehow eff
fight hard enough an trust enough.
cat present I'm more like God in
nature than I ever was, an, befn' SO,
know, as God knows, you see, that
wrong cannot last forever. / know an
other thing, an that is that all Goddess
folks sooner or later have to acknoNvl-
edge a great, all peryadin' spiritual
law and bow under it in abject humil-
fty. I've watched hundreds of rebel
nous folks stagger on in defiance. with
light Jokes about Deity and the like, but
in every case I've seed sem stricken by
grief, loss of fortune, disgrace or