Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-01-31
The Liqht in the Clearing
CONTINUED from Page Two

down the slope toward the village. In
q moment | saw someone coming out
OF the maple grove at the fields end,
Just ahead with lantern.
Then I heard the voice of the school
master saying!
SIS it you, my ladT
"Yes,' I answered, as | came up to
him and Mary, in a condition OF
breathless excitement.
told them of the curious adventure
l had had.
"C0me quick" said the schoolmas-
ter Lets 90 back and find the man
In the stuhble."
I remembered that l had struck the
path in my flight just before stopping
to swing the fail The man must have
fallen very near it. 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 at a 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 lucky hit with the fail
God bless ye"
"What would they "a done With
me?" l asked.
"Oh, j reckon they'd "a took We off,
lad, and KEEP We for year or so until
Amos was out O. danger" said Mr..
Hacket. Maybe they'd drowrfed 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, Wen
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 s4luddered with
fright. The schoolmaster treasured US
by saying:
Don't he afraid. I brought my gun
In case we'd meet punter. But the
danger is past
He drew long pistol from his coat
pocket and held it il the light of the
lantern.
The loa1eH car; God in the middle
of thc harm Aoor. where I had left 1t,
but old Kate had gone. We closed
the harm. drawing the cart along with
us WAer We came into the edge OF
the Village began to reflect upon the
sirargp :,oril ont of which ! had so
lu,fi,y escaped. 1t gave me a heavy
sense of responsibility and of the
wickcdnesS of men.
thought of old Kate and her broken
silence. For once | had heard her
speak. I could feel my flesh tingle
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'
had seen the hate in her eyes the
day she dogged 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 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:
NOM, MARY, NOu tuhc lIlS IdhtOiL
and 60 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 hin
that / have news O. the devil"
t Deacon Binks arrived, fat mar
. with a big, round body and very
wise and serious countenance between
. side whskers bending from his temple
to his neck and suggesting parenthese'
of hair as if his head and its acces
sories were in the nature Of side
issue. He and the schoOlmaster wen
out of doors and must have talked to
/ gether while | was eating a bowl Of
bread and milk which Mrs. Hacket haC
5 brought to me.
When l went to bed, by and by,
heard somebody snoring on the little
|, porch under my window. The frs
sound that reached my ear at thu
break of dawn was the snoring o.
some sleeper. dressed and went be
low and found the constable In hi
p coonskin overcOat asleep on the porcl
' with long-barreled gun at his side
( While l stood there the schOolmastel
"a n. L.