The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-03-13

yond the reach OF my fail and, after
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
Os the maple grove at the fields end,
just ahead. with lantern.
Then 1 heard the voice of the school
master saying:
as it you, my ladT
EYES," answered, as came up to
him and Mary. in condition of
breathless excitement.
told them of the curious adventure
I had had.
"Come quick" said the schoolmas-
ter. "Let's go back and find the man
in the stubble."
1 remembered that I had strucY 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 wagon rat
Ting ut 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 a lucky hit with the fail
God bless vel"
"What would they "a done with
me?" I asked.
"Oh, I reckon they'd "a took We 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 it 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
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 schoolmaster treasured 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 1t 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 heavy
sense of responsibility and OF the
wickedness Of men.
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 / 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 will 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 q 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:
snow, 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, fat man
with 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
series were In the nature of side
issue. He and the schoolmaster went
out Of doors and must have talked to-
gether while 1 was eating bowl of
bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket had
brought to me.
When I went to bed, by and by, I
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. dressed and went be-
low and found the constable In his
coonskin overcoat asleep on the porch
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