The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-08-02

der the ak. Another man stopped be-
yond the reach of my fail and, after
a seconds hesitation, turned and ran
away in the darkness.
could hear or see no other motion
in the field. I turned and ran on
down the slope toward the village. In
moment / saw someone coming out
Of the maple grove at the fields end,
just ahead, with lantern.
Then heard the yUfce of the school
master saying:
"Is it you, my lad?'
"Yes," I answered, as I came up to
him and Mary, in a condition Of
GREATNESS excitement.
told them of the curious adventure
I had had.
"Come quick" said the schoolmas-
ter. Lets go back and find the man
in the stuhble."
I remembered that I had struck the
path in my fight 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
ting at wild pace down the road
toward the river.
"There he goes" said Mr.. Hacket.
Ellis 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
meT l asked.
"Oh, I reckon they'd "a took ye off,
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,
laddie buck. Well have to keep an
eye on ye now, every day until the
trial is over-sure we will. Come, wen
60 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 schoolmaster treasured bis
by saying:
"Don't be afraid. I brought my ghn
in case we'd meet a painter. But the
t95nIP9ls $50 s
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
us, When we came into the edge OF
the village began to reflect upon the
strange peril out Of which I had SO
luckily escaped. 1t gave me a heavy
sense Of responsibility and OF the
wickedness Of, men.
thought of old Kate and her broken
silence. For once 1 had heard her
speak. I could feel my flesh Jingle
when thought of her quick words
and her hoarse, passionate whisper.
knew, or thought 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.
I 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 lock in my eyes. Wait and you
will see what I will put upon him."
knew that old Kate was not The
irresponsible, witless creature that
people thought her to be. I had begun
to think Of her with a kind of awe al
one gifted above all others. One b.
one the things she had said Of tht
future seemed to be coming true.
AS we were going into the house tht
schoolmaster said:
"Now, Mary, you take this Lantern
and go across the street to the hous'
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 hin
that have news O. the devil" #
| Deacon Binks arrived, a fat mai
with a big, round body and yer.
wise and serious countenance between
side whiskers bending from his tempt
to his neck and suggesting parenthese
Of hair, as If his head and its acces
series were in the nature Of sid
issue. He and the schoolmaster wen
out of doors and must have talked to
gether while I was eating a bowl o
bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket ha,
brought to me.
| When / went to bed, by and by,
heard somebody snoring on the littl
porch under my window. The frs
sound that reached my ear at th
break of dawn was the snoring 0
| some sleeper. I dressed and went be
low and found the constable in hi
coonskin overcoat asleep on the pore
with a long-barreled gun at his side
|, While I stood there the schoolmaste
came around the corner of the hous