The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-04-03

now. yerself, my brave lad, if ye hadn'
a made a lucky hit with the fail
God bless yer
"what would they "a done witt
me?" 1 asked.
"Oh, reckon they'd "a took ye on
Lad, and KEEP ye for a year or so unit
Amos was out O. danger" said Mr.
Hacket. Maybe they'd drowned We In
the river down there an left vel
clothes on the bank to make II IooL
ike an honest drowning. The devil
knows what they'd "a done with We
laddie buck. Wen have to keep an
eye on ye now. every day until the
trial is Over-sure we will. Come, well
go up to the barn and see If Kate is
there
Just then we heard the recedIng
wagon go roaring over the bridge on
Little river Mary -shuddered with
fright. The schooImaster treasured US
| by saying:
Don't be afraid 1 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 in the light of the
lantern.
The loaded cart stood in the middle
of the barn floor, where had left 1t,
but old Kate had gone. We closed
the barn, drawing the cart along with
u.s. When we came into the edge of
the village I began to reflect upon the
strange peril out of which I had so
luckily escaped It gave me a heavy
sense of responsibility and of the
wfckedness of men.
1 thought of old Kate and her broken
silence. For once I had heard her
speak. I could feel my flesh Jingle
when I 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 it cheated of its prey For
some reason she hated the GrimShaws.
L 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
mad 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
VIII see what 1 viii put upon him.
I 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
end 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 have news O. the devil
Deacon Binks arrived, a fat man
with a big, round body and a 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 Access
sories were in the nature OF a side
issue. he and the schooImaster went
out Of doors and must have talked to-
gether while I was eating a bowl OF
bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket had
brought to me.
When 1 went to bed, by and by.
heard somebody snoring on the little
porch under my window. The first
sound that reached my ear at the
break of dawn was the snoring of
some sleeper. I dressed and went be-
low and found the constable in his
coonskin oVercOat asleep on the porch
with a long-barre1ed gun at his side,
While 1 stood there the schoolmaster
came around the corner of the house
from the garden. He put his hand on
the deacOn's shoulder and gave him
a little shake.
Awake, ye limb o. the law" he de-
manded. Prayer is better than
sleep"
The deacon arose and stretched
himself and cleared his throat and as
sumed an air Of alertness and said IL
was fine morning. which il was not,
the sky being overcast and the air
dark and chilly. Mr.. Hacket removed
his greatcoat and threw it on the stoou
saying:
Deacon, you lay there. From now
on I'm constable and ready for any act
that may be necessary to maintain the
law. 1 can be as severe as Napoleon
BOnnparte and as cunning as Satan, If
I have to be-"
While was milking the deacon sat
on a bucket in the doorway of the
stable and snored until I had finished.
BE awoke when lOosed the COW and
the constable went back to the pasture |
with me, yawning with his hand over
lis mouth much of the way. The dea-
con leaned his elbow on the top OF |
the pen and snored again, lightly, |
while 1 mixed the feed for the pigs. |
Mr.. Hacket met US at the kitchen |
door. where Deacon Binks said to him:
eff you'll look after the boy today |
I'll go home and get a little rest"
God bless yer soul, ye had a busy |
night" said the schOolmaster with a |
smile.
He added as he went into the house:
81 never knew a man to rest with |
more energy and persistence It was |
a perfect food O. rest 1t kept me
awake until long after midnight"