The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-17
Copyright. 1914. by Harper &
Brothers
CONTINUED from page 12.l

Riding home that night after his hui
initiating encounter with Howard, his
bloated face smarting from the blows
the younger man had dealt, his brain
tnh&med with whisky, his mind fun
Of iplans for revenge. he gave no
Thought to the nam with whom he had
quarreled earlier in the day. At mo-
meAt like that a low hireling that de-
pended upon him for living was not
TO be thought of. Howard was promi-
nent; Howard was educated; Howard
was a man who bore the reputation of
being afraid of no one and never TAX
ing an insult The public would wait
for the outcome. Tomorrow, Craig
told himself. he would go to town.
meet his antagonist on the street and
settle the whole matter It would be
duel to death. He would shoot
the young upstart down as he would
d dog. While these thoughts were
,huftlfng through his !befuddled brain,
his horse was bearing him up to the
front gate of his house. There was d
cIurnp OF mulberry trees on the oppo-
site side of this road, and out of the
shadow of this into the moonlight
calmly stepped Abe Fulton, a revolver
aimed steadily.
Hold up yore hands, he snarled.
Prepare to meet yore God, eff you got
one, fer yore day is shore at a. endl''
Too much startled to move, Craig sat
helpless in his saddle, but his mount,
with q quicker sense of danger, reared
up and started to run. AZ this instant
abe fred with the deliberat ton of a
man. W no mad W aited long and patient
II for his moment. Craig felt a sharp
sting over the region of his heart he
made an effort to thrust his heels into
the tanks of the horse to keep from
falling, but his muscles failed to re
spond to the demand, He had the feel
ing OF floating in the air, and then all
became dark He slid from his pIung
ing horse as Imply as a blanket and
lay in heap on the ground4
Stepping farther into the moonlight
Abe saw the horse galloping off down
the road and turned to hook at Craig.
Cne glance seonxiuced him that the
nan vas dead. permentaIly he
pfodded the body with his rough shod.
foot, then turned and staIked into the
woods.
It7Tas a rugged way over which he
passed, and Ia a lonely spot where the
thick branches of the trees met over
head end uesatsyeaat tlaeg Faeenlight her
paused to CONCEAL the weapon. which
still had the faint odor of freshly
burnt powder about IT. Raising fiat
stone. be dug out q little receptacle in
the earth and, depositfng the revolver
in IL he replaced the stone. Then, UNI
der the growing sense of vague tiers
ror which he had never experienced
befoFey he trudged on 10 ward his cabin
at the foot Of, the mountain. It was
past fafdn3gElt he was seldom SO late
IN returning. and vet he had not
thought of what his. wife might ask or
what he might say IN the way Of ex-
planation Somehow the deed, Justifi-
able as it had seemed before accom-
Dlistment, now was demanding an his
Thoughts
As he approached the lonely log cab
in. such - are given rent free TO. the
lowest class OF shiftIess mountaineerss
by landowners and which are no whit
better than the average stable, he saw
thai fire was Burning ia the chimney
aid knew that his wife was still ups st
Fhar on earth We you been all this
tIne2. she asked eomplainingly. Lord,
lord, I lowed yon never would come.
He hesitated for q second, then re
Piled:
Had to go to town. - &
What did you have to go to town
ferY'
He was trying to invent a plausible
reason, perp1exed by her unexpected
demand. as he ducked his head to
enter the low doorway, but his dull
brain seemed unusually unproductive
They faced each other IN the red fire.
light, the bare logs with their mud filed
cracks behindl them as background,
the plain split reofi boards between
them and the sky She was a gaunt.
drab creature, with scant hair and
sunken cheeks She repeated her cues
ton, and an excuse finally lifted into
his mind. ~
II was Iookin' fer work. he said,
averting his rowing, eyes. I'VE can't
live on nofnin I'm hungry half the
time, and 50 are you. I've got to, quit,
Craig. tool see that plain enough.
He's full all the time, an spends ever
cent he gifts on liquor an never has
none left to pay of hands with"
Didn't he give you some today?. she
asked, Indignantly.
Not cent-not red cent. That's
why. III say that
You didn't ak i'm, TIL be bound
you are too slow about seeh things.
Others git Their money from i'm, even
niggers that pick cotton an plant corn,
but you let i'm tran1ple roughshod over
you- Let me go to see I'M He won't
put me off--the scamp. I'll tell the
fine gentleman thing or two about
hisse'f. They say he had a fight in
town today with Howard Finsley, an
Howard beat i'm up purity bad. Did
fou see it p
s, didnst happen to be on hand ?
-1e said, bis lip hanging loose, his
stare reaching through the doorway
cot into rhe shadows of the young
pines. But / heard they had a row o
some sort at the postoface. They've
been at outs for some time
Did you git you another Job?7 she
asked. anxiously
What do you want to know that