American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-03-14

III lU0 HCIus Il civ "a ~
down the slope toward the village. In
a moment 1 saw omeone coming out
OF the maple grove at the fields end,
lust ahead, with a lantern.
Then / heard the voice of the school
master saying:
as It you, my ladT"
Eyes" l answered, as l came up to
him and Mary, in a condition OF
breathless excitement.
I told them of the curious adventure
l 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 flight just before stopping
to swing the fail. The man must have
| fallen very near II. 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 a wild pace down the road
toward the river.
"There he goes" said Mr.. Hacket.
Ills companions have carried him
away. Ye'd be riding in that wagon
new, yerself, my brave lad, If We hadn't
"a made a lucky hit with the fail
God bless ye"
'What would they "a done with
me?" / asked.
"Oh, 1 reckon they'd IA took ye off,
lad, and KEEP We for a 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. Wen have to keep an
eye on We now, every day until the
trial is over-sure we will. Come, We'll
20 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 us
? by saying:
r "Don't be afraid. I brought my gun
in case we'd meet a painter. But the
f danger is past"
S He drew a long pistol from his coat
g pocket and held it in he light of the
lantern.
e The loaded cart stood in the middle
{ of the barr floor, where I had left 1t,
e but old Kate had gone. We closed
y the barn, drawing the cart along WITT
us. When we came into the edge oil
h the village / began to reflect upon the
strange peril out Of which / had SC
I luckily escaped. 1t gave me a heavy
sense of responsibility and of the
Y wickedness of men.
thought of old Kate and her broker
silence. For once l had heard he
y speak. 1 could feel my flesh tngl'
g when I thought of her quick words
and her hoarse, passionate whisper.
/ knew, or thought l knew, why sh'
d took such care of me. She was II
l league with the gallows and could no
bear to see 1t cheated of its prey. TO
some reason she hated the Grimshaws
lie l had seen the hate in her eyes tn
s. day she logged along behind the oil
money lender through the streets o
the village when her pointing hnge
had seemed to say to me: "Ther'
there is the man who has brought m
to this. He has put these rags upo
my back, this fire In my heart, thi
wild look in my eyes. Wait and 70
. will see what l will put upon him."
= / knew that old Kate was not tn
irresponsible, witless creature this
people thought her to be. / had begu
to think of her with a kind of W @
nna nfftaH ohaua oil pfhnrg Ono II
one the things she had said of til
future seemed to be coming true.
AS we were going into the house ii
schoolmaster said:
"Now, Mary, you take this lantel
\ ond go across the street to the houi
y o. Deacon Binks, the constable. You
find him asleep by the kitchen STOW
Arrest his slumbers, but not rudel
and, when he has come to, tell hi
that | have news o. the devil"
Deacon Binks arrived, a fat ms
with a big, round body and a We
u wise and serious countenance betwe'
: side whiskers bending from his temp
- to his neck and suggesting %parenthes
OF hair, as If his head and its acce
series were In the nature of a si'
issue. He and the schoolmaster we
out of doors and must have talked I
gether while / was eating a bowl
bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket b
" brought to me.
When l went to bed, by and by,
ing heard somebody snoring on the litt
porch under my window. The fiji
lis sound that reached my a at [
an. break of dawn was the snoring
some sleeper. l dressed and went
will low and found the constable In !
coonskin overcoat asleep on the por
oy with a long-barreled gun at his slC
me While / stood there the schoolmast
and came around the corner Of the hou
from the garden. He put his hand
bile the deacon's shoulder and gave b
a little shake.
hey awake. ye limb o. the law" he (
i manded. Prayer Is better tn
a.. uIur-U