The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-17
Gcontanued.l


az sta Jed IN town." Pole answered.
81 sat up with Howard In his room
TIL after midnight"
'.I'm glad you kept i'm company, y
Abner said, plaintively.
Il had to- stay Pole said eft looks
yAke everybody In town is actually
afeard Of i'm, an he's noticed it.
Frank Raymond and some other boys
dropped In. but they had little to say,
an all but Frank looked as IL they be
lieved Howard was lynn. What's
friendship in time o. real trouble? Not
with ashin o. BEANS
Abner leaned on the bars, sliding his
/ strong THUMB nail under q splinter,
/ slowly prying it of and putting it be-
/ tween his tobacco stained and blunted
teeth. Eve been bothered about the
/ grand jury" he said II wonder eff
! It will act. Eff an actual arrest is
made it viii go hard with the poor
boy.;'
ut is sure to Scome an, early today"
Pole replied n
/ s.You think sop Abner said despon-
/ IDENTIFY A
mot the slightest doubt of it, Pole
! went on I'm fact, Howard was
watched close,an last night. The front
and back doors of the hotel was guard
ed by the sheriff and his deputy =
How do you know that?" Abner
asked
tsI seed sem; so did Howard We
took little walk, an they followed
u.s. Howard looked pale, an thought
the fresh air would do i'm good. As
come away this mornin' met the
sheriff on the back porch. I. know i'm.
Z Irrr r. aInx
am he would do me favor eff it come
/ his way He knows how like How
ard, too, an stopped am told i'm,
t / was sure Howard wasn't the man,
an both him an the deputy seemed
astonished
= What do you take me fer? the
sheriff axed. Didn't hear Howard
threaten to do it? An wasn't he on
the spot half an hour before the shot
was fred with a loaded gun in his
/ pocket?'''
'sThat's what they all say Abner
sighed. "His own father come over last
night about bedtime to see me. told
i'm Howard was innocent, but it went
in at one ear and out at the Other
We'll, must go home an git my
breakfast" Pole said, ssthen IN meet
you in town. Howard tried to git me
to wait an eat at the hotel, but they
i hadn't made the fire in the. kitchen,
stove when got up, an I'm hungry.
Besides, like home cookin' an cot
fee that's just right. Tharss another
/ thing that is odd bout me, too. Uncle
Alb, am that is mat never feel right
eff start a day without seem my chill
dren: I want to see 'em all in a bunch
at the table eatin' Their ill. Another
odd thing about me is that L hate to
come home late at night an ind 'em
all asleep. I want 'em to be awake,
ef it is jest fer minute. 1t seems
like something awful has happened eff
they don't crawl over my lap an hug
me an say good night. I don't know
I reckon I'm a womanish Teller Sally,
nay first wife, used to make 'eIn say
Their prayers up to the day she died.
They 'u'd kneeI down on the floor an
say EN- out loud, an I swear it was as
purity sight as a man would care to
I see. But Jane comes Of hard thinkin'
Dutch stock, an never had any sort
o. religion, an, while she is pure gold
In many ways, she don't seem to be-
lieve thar is sech thing as a God or q
hereafter"
When Baker was trudging away.
and Abner was turning toward the
+ house, Mary came from the kitchen, a
pan Of meal dough in her hands with
which she was feeding the ducks and
chickens
Il don't think i slept wink last
night" she said, as she emptied the
Z pan and turned to meet him. +sHow-
ard and have been such close friends
! for so long that a calamity like this is
] almost unbearable You will want to
get to town early, I'm sure, and so
I'm going to ger your breakfast
They went into the quaint old kitch
en- Seeing nice strip of bacon
! on table eAbner cut several slices,
and, holding them over the embers on
! a fork, he broiIed them.
Let me fry you some fresh eggs, .
she suggested. 1.-The pan is hot, and
it won't take minute
THANK you,T he said. 'You are a
{ good gal Mary-as good as ever
knowed"
s'I only wish 1 were,' she faltered.
.-Then maybe God would hear my pray
ers. Uncle AbneT'- She hesitated.
ST know what it was" he said.
You needn't tell me, fer 1 know. At
sech a time, little girl you an me
could only pray fer one thing"
But I've been wondering'-Mary
fixed her eyes on his melting face as
she moved a small table forward for
his plate and cup and saucer-'Tve
Ueen wondering If there is not some
great spiritual law at the bottom of
what Jesus kept emphasizing
only prayers made in perfect faith are
answered And as 1 kept pra ying last
!; night began to wonder If my prayers
were not actually hindered by my doubt
and fears"
Il catch yore point" Abner had fix
ed his eyes on her grief swept face
That's one of the biggest thoughts in
the world. I have tuck notice that
when pray fer a thing an know it
is comm that it always does come, an
er doubt at all the whole thing falls
nat.