The Holly chieftain., 1919-03-13

OF the maple grove at the fields end,
just ahead. with lantern.
Then heard the voice of the school
master saying:
as it you, my ladY'
"Yes," 1 answered, as came up to
him and Mary. in condition of
breathless excitement.
/ told theh of the curious adventure
had had.
ter. Let's go back and find the man
in the stuhble."
I remembered that / had struck the
path in my flight just before stopping
to swing the fail. The man must have
fallen very near 1t. Soon we found
where he had been lying and drops of
fresh blood on the stubble.
"Hush." said the schoolmaster.
We listened and heard a wagon rat
tling at wild pace down the road
toward the river.
"There he goes" said Mr.. Hacket.
His companions have carried him
away. Ye'd be riding in that wagon
now, yerself, my brave lad, If We hadn't
"a made lucky hit with the fail
God bless vel"
"What would they "a done with
me?" l asked.
"Oh, reckon they'd "a took ye OF,
lad, and KEEP We for year or SO until
Amos was out O. danger" said Mr..
Hacket. Maybe they'd drowned We in
the river down there an left yer
clothes on the bank to make 1t look
like an honest drowning. The devil
knows what they'd "a done with We,
lsddie buck. Wen have to keep an
eye on ye now, every day until the
trial Is over-sure we will. Come, Wen
go up to the barn and see if Kate is
there"
Just then we heard the receding
wagon 60 roaring over the bridge on
Little river. Mary shuddered with
fright. The schoolmaster reassured us
by saying:
Don't be afraid. brought my gun
in case we'd meet painter. But the
danger is past"
He drew long pistol from his coat
pocket and held it IL the light of the
lantern.
The loaded cart stood in the middle
Of the barn floor, where had left It.
but old Kate had gone. We closed
the barn. drawing the cart along with
us, When we came into the edge Of
the village began to reflect upon the
strange peril out of which / had so
luckily escaped. 1t gave me heavy
sense Of responsibility and of the
wickedness of men.
thought of old Kate and her broken
silence. For once had heard her
speak. I could feel my flesh tingle
when l thought of her quick words
and her hoarse, passionate whisper.
/ knew, or thought 1 knew, why she
took such care of me. She was In
league with the gallows and could not
bear to see 1t cheated of Its prey. For
some reason she hated the Grimshaws
| had seen the hate in her eyes the
day she logged along behind the old
money lender through the streets Of
the village when her pointing finger
had seemed to say to me: "There,
there Is the man who has brought me
to this. He has put these rags upon
my back, this fire in my heart, this
wild look In my eyes. Wait and you
will see what I will put upon him."
l knew that old Kate was not the
irresponsible, witless creature that
people thought her to be. had begun
to think Of her with kind of awe as
one gifted above all others. One by
one the things she had said Of the
future seemed to be coming true.
AS we were going into the house the
schoolmaster said:
"Now, Mary, you take this lantern
and go across the street to the house
O. Deacon Binks, the constable. You'll
find him asleep by the kitchen stove.
Arrest his slumbers, but not rudely.
and, when he has come to, tell him
that I have news O. the devil"
Deacon Binks arrived, fnt man
with big, round body and very
wise and serious countenance between
side whiskers bending from his temple
to his neck and suggesting parentheses
OF hair, as If his head and its acces-
sories were in the nature of side
ISSUE He and the schoolmaster went
out of doors and must have talked to-
gether while l was eating bowl of
bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket had
brought to me.