Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1922-05-04

ter be the one ter do 1t, cause I'm goin'
ter be the dead one, an"
Harriet"
"There, there, please, Thaddeus
I've got ter see Jehiel and Hannah
Jane fore die!"
"But-they-they'll come If"
mo, they won't come. We've tried
1t over an over again; you know we
have. Hannah Jane herself said that
If anythin' Serious came up it would
be difr'rent. Well, I'm goin' ter have
somethin' serious come upl"
"But, Harriet"
snow, Thaddeus," begged the woman
almost crying, 'you must help me, dear
I've thought 1t all out, an it's easy as
can be. shan't tell any lies, of course,
l cut my finger today, didn't II"
"Why-yes-1 believe So" he &C.
knowleged dazedly; "but what has
that to do"
THAT'S the accident Thaddeus,
You're ter send two kilograms at once
-one ter Jehiel, an one ter Hannah
Jane. The kilograms will say: Acct.
dent to your mother. Funeral Satur-
day afternoon. Come at once.' That's
jest ten words"
"Now, that's all true, amt IT." she
asked anxiously. 1.-THE accident is this
cut. The 'fun'ral' is old Mis- Went.
worth's. heard terday that they
couldn't have it until Saturday, so
that'll give us plenty of time ter get
the folks here. I needn't say whose
fun'ral 1t is that's goin' ter, be on Sat
urday, Thaddeus! want yer ter hitch
up an drive over ter Hopkinsville ter
send the kilograms. The mans new
over there, an won't know yer. You
couldn't send 'em from here, of
course"
Thaddeus Clayton never knew Just
how he allowed himself to be per.
suaded to take his part in this "crazy
scheme" as he termed it, but per-
suaded he certainly was.
1t was miserable time for Thad.
deus, then. First, there was that hur.
ried drive to Hopkinsville. Though
the day was warm he fairly shivered
as he handed those two fateful tele-
grams to the man behind the counter.
Then there was the homeward trip,
during which, like the guilty thing he
was. he cast furtivs glancss from side
to side.
Even home itself came to be mis-
cry, for the sweeping and the busting
and the baking and the brewing which
he encountered there left him no place
to call his own, SO that he lost his pa
thence at last and moaned:
Seems ter me, Harriet, you're a
pretty lively corpse!"
His wife smiled, and flushed little.
'There, there, dear! Don't fret.
Jest think how glad we'll be ter see
'em!" she exclaimed.
Harriet was blissfully. happy. Both
the children had promptly responded
to the kilograms, and were now on
their way. Hannah Jane, with her
husband and two children. were ex-
pected on Friday evening; but Jehiel
and his wife and boy could not possibly
get in until early on the following
morning.
AL this brought scant Joy to Thad.
deus. There was always hanging over
him the dread horror of what he had
done, and the fearful questioning as
to how it was all going to end.
Friday came, but telegram at the
last moment told of trains delayed and
connections missed. Hannah would
not reach home until 9:4O the next
morning. So it was with four-seated
carryall that Thaddeus Clayton started
for the station on Saturday morning to
meet both of his children and their
families.
The ride home was a silent one !;
but once inside the house, Jehiel and
Hannah Jane, amid storm Of sobs
and cries, besieged their father with
questions.
The family were all in the darkened
sitting room-all, indeed, save Harriet,
who sat in solitary state in the cham
Der above, her face pale and her heart
beating almost to suffocation. 1t had
been arranged that she was not to be
seen until some sort Of explanation
had been given.
"Father, what was it?" sobbed Han.
nah Jane. "How did 1t happen?"
ut must have been so sudden" fall.
tered Jehiel. 1T cut me up COM
pletely."
II can't ever forgive myself"
moaned Hannah Jane Historically.
"She wanted us to come East, and I
wouldn't. Twas my twas
easier to stay where was; and now
now"
"We.be been brutes, rather" cut in
Jehiel, with shake in his voice; "all
of us. I never thought never
dreamed-father, can-can we see
her?''
In the chamber above, woman
sprang to her feet. Harriet had quito
forgotten the stove-pipe hole to the