The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-04-05

IL Il
God bless We"
What would they "A done with |
sne?" | asked.
"Oh. | reckon they'd "A took We off, /
lad. and KEEP We for Il year or so until /
Amos was out q danger" said Mr.. /
Hacket. Maybe they'd drowned We in !,
the river down there an left yer /
clothes on the bank Ia make il lock /
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 recedlng
wagon go roaring over the bridge on
Little river Mary shuddered with
fright. The schOOlmaSter reaSSured us
by saying:
"lpon't be afraid. I brought my gun
in case we'd meet a painter. But the
danger is past"
He drew a 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 IL,
but old Kate had gone. We closed
the barn. drawing the cart along with
us When we came into the edge OF
the village I began to reflect upon the
strange peril out of which l had so
luckily escaped. 1t gave me heavy
sense of responsibility and of the
wick edness of men.
| thought of old Kate and her broken
silence. For once / had heard her
sneak. | could feel my flesh tngle
when I thought of her quick words
and her hOarse, passionate whisper.
| I 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.
| had seen the hate in her eyes the
day she logged along behind the old
money lender through the streets or
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.
/ 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
/ IL, n Ono
one the things she had said of the
future seemed to be coming true.
, AS we were going into the house the
schoolmaster said:
, Nov, 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 rudSy
| and, when he has come to, tell him
that have news o the devil"
Deacon Binks arrived, a fat man
with big, round body and a very
] wise and serious cOuntenance between
side whiskers bending from his temple
2 TO his neck and suggesting parentheses
, of hair, as if his head and its acceS
y series were in the nature of a side
L issue. He and the schOOlmaster wen
I out of doors and must have talked to
: gether while l was eating a bowl o.
/ bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket haC
: brought to me.
+ When | went to bed, by and by,
heard somebody snoring on the littl'
porch under my window. The frs
n sound that reached my ear at thu
D break of dawn was the snoring o
II some sleeper. | dressed and went be
II low and found the constable in hi
l. coonskin Overcoat asleep on the pOrcl
with a long baTTeled gun at his side
i While / stood there the schOolmaste
came around the corner of the hOus
from the garden. He put his hand o.
. the deacon's shoulder and gave hiT
u a little shake.
Awake, We limb O. the law" he de
T manded. Prayer is better tina
sleep"
> The deacon arose and stretche
u himself and cleared his throat and as
suned an air of alertness and said
WIS al me lllDI HlIS, NiiOI IL WIS uo
Y the sky being overcast and the al
dark and chilly. Mr.. Hacket remove
his greatcoat and threw il on the stoo
saying:
4 Deacon. you lay there. From no.
l on I'm constable and ready for any az
that may be necessary To maintain tn
law. l can be as severe as NapOleo
. Bonaparte and as cunning as Satan,
| have to be-"
While | was milking the deacon Sc
on bucket in the doorway of III
stable and snored until | had finishes
He awOke when | lOOsed the COW an
the constable went back to the pastul
with me. yawning with his hand ov'
Lis mouth much of the way. The de-
con leaned his elbow on the top
the pen and SnOred again, light
4 while / mixed the feed for the pig
Mr.. Hacket met us ut the kitcht
door, where Deacon Binks said to hin
IF you'll look after the boy tod;
I'll go home and get n little rest"
God bless yer soul, We had blu.
night" said the schOolmaster with
10 smile.
He added as he went into the hOuS,
? 81 never knew n man to rest wi
= more energy and persistence. 1t WI
perfect flood o rest. 1t kept u
auoEa until long after midniph."