"MISSUS."

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8516, 9 November 1889, Page 6

"MISSUS."

" Lnok'co iiyar, mister,', he said. " You've gone about far 'nufr with Una 'ere hoaa an' wagiu." And he began to draw in the nearly pent horse. There was a short struggle, then a pistol report and Sam fell backward into the body of the wagon and lay motionless. Slowly and gradually the consciousness of earlhly thing 3 began to return to Sam's darkened mind. He made an effort to turn over and look around him.

"Wha— whar be I?" be queried weakly.

" You're two weeks out at sea, my be-irly. and bound for a six months' cruise to Chins, on the trimmest craft that saila the blue," said a cheery voice beside him.

■' A friend o' yourn shipped you," continued the voice, afterwards proving to belong to the kind-hearted second mate, "just after you'd hurt yourself focliti' with your revolver. He said lied promised you to, 'cause you had a sick relation or something in China, an' seeing your namo was on the books, an'

he furnishin' plenty o' money for your nussiu', we had to take you along as we'd agreed. Now go to sleep, on' you'll be well before you know it."

Sam had plenty of time to think out many knotty problems during the weary weeks that followed.

" Mpbbe I war a trifle shiftin' and an' onea»y-like fer aeoh a woman as Missus," fie said suddenly aloud one day. "F ever I git back, I'm blamed 'f I don't start a new count thet'll please her. But won't the boys open their eyes when they hear about this !" ####### When the clock struck one on the day Missus watched Sara disappear down the dusty road, she took up her dinner and sat grimly down to her solitary meal. That finished, true to her word, she cleared away the things and went on with her woik.

Evening came, but brought no signs of the absent Sam. When bed-time arrived she rose, shut up the house, and went wrathfully to bed.

She unlocked the door in the moming, smiling to herself as she wondered where Sam had spent the night after Qnding the house securely fastened against him. " He'll be along in plenty time for breakfast, with another errant ter do in t own — sbiffless creetur !" she thpught.

About noon a neighbor drove into the yard behind the old white mare. They had caught her, he said, straying alone over Klugslow downs, but Sam was nowhere to be found. The few drops of blood in the bottom of the waggon, however, hinted at a grave explanation of his mysterious disappearance, and when, a week later, the unrecognisable body of a man was discovered a short distance from where the horse waa found, no room for doubt was left in any mind, even in the nmst reluctant one of Missus herself. From the day that the fact of Sam'a death became evident to her she withdrew wholly from the soeiely and sympathy of her ne'ghbors and shut herselF up alone with her tiresome and peraistent reflections. That one half-wish kept ringing in her uching ears ; "Ef l;e neyer cum back ; ef he never kum back ! '

And it was wonde-ful how great the number of thinga she found hersflf obliged to do during tbe day that Saul, she remembered now, had always uuaiserlingly done and left ready to her hand.

Day after day dragged themselves slowly across the burning blue and disappeared in weeko and months. The afternoon sun lay aslant the kitchen floor, where Missus sat knitting sad regrets into her winter's work. It was easy to soo that these months had mellowed, and softened her severe nature. She'Vas thinking — a3 she had thought many times beioi'e, with, perhaps, a touch more of self-reproach now in the thought. "Ef I hedn't ha' ben so ha'ch with him mebbe thinuß wouid hi.' -Qnp better. A man can't be tied to pots an/ tubs a^' ono jpot v fut squar' the way a woman Kin, anstay satisfied, I spose. Though I noser thought on't thet way then. EF he could only kiim back now, he'd find thinga different I reckon. An" he might go to town now an : then — in reason."

Footsteps were heard orunchiuff their way up the wp,lk to the kitchen door. There was s 1 moments hesitation, thon somo one knocked, and eh Mis'suu rose uncertainly, filled with vague, undefined expectation, the door was npenen widp Qtjtl a mau stood in the doorway. " Sam ! " was all she said, and eh& stretched out both trembling hands towards him, but there wag a look of losing joy jn her face such as Sam had ;;ever seen bpfoi.tt in i)JI the days of hia married life. " Missus," ho stammered, " I— l furgot tei' get the wr v ter— but I brung the eight cent cotton i "

By Kate A. Beadley,

"I say, Missus d'ye wnut onythin' from the store ! I'm goin' to town to git th' mare utaod agin the ploughin temorrer." " Miasus " looked scornfully over the wa3h-tub at tlie shifty, uneasy figure in the doorway. "Tbe mare! She ; s gono with_ only ono Bhoo a good three monllis, an' now must be shod agin the ptoughiu' ! But thet'a only au excuse to git with yerlow cronies in town an' ye muiifiht as well taka thet as anuther, fcr ye will go, spite fjf all thet I kin Bay. ' Yes,' she snapped us an nHer- thought, "yon kin bring me a y;<nl ■ f > ifflit c nt cotton - unbleached mind. Now git out, an' spend the vest o' yer raornin' loafin' round poms bar-room."

Mrs Jjiufl, or, as ebe was more generally called by her husband and few scattered neighbours, " Missus, 1 ' watched him drive slowly off down the road behind the patient mare without takiug her arms from the suds.

"Poor, shiftless creeliir!" she mutt, red ; "nulliin' but a imiannee ennyway. Ain't no more u?e tlmn a laet year'? bird's neat. Whatever I kam to. marry him for 1 don't see.'' She wiped the sods off either arm with her t'liumb and fore-liugor. " Sam Loud !" sho called, opening the door ?harply, "ef you ain't back for yer dinner von don't git enny here, that's ell.'" " „ L " Thar !'' sho exclaimed utter c favr inomentß of shady rnb-rubbiag up and down over the board, the rhythmic icotion Icpeping time to "On Jordan's Stormy ' iie.ni.Cs I Stand," which was running through ncr mipd, " That lazy mortal's clean forgot the pail o ? waier I told him to git half an hour ago. Ef he nave- 1 kiim back 'twould be a 'tarnal marey !" Sam did nut turn his Kiel cs Missus launched after him liar parting threat, but j-g,.'cd slowly on. nni>ing to himself. " Tsf IVliseus 'ud only si v 0 a fellar a chaiice i Sartln the maro needs ehoein' bad ; an' a maa'a «o? to nee how things is in town eometimea— (bough T cau't never make her see it that way, some-

di,W. "A jar.s o' eipht cent cotton, he repeated "aloud, to 'hi. it room firmly in his unstable memory. "In 1 iyeiibo I kin find some little thing to sort o' pas'fy her, ef so be'fc <v how I can't t>ifc th<; nmra short afore noon. An' I declur' fort, ef I didn't furgit thet palo o' water !"

A man, a stranger to Sam, was walking alone; the road a little way ahead. At this point ho stepped and looked intently up and down the broad, straight highway, stretnhing in bight for miles either way. "Good d.'.y, uay man," ho said, as Sam came up to him ; " can you give me a lift, a« we bsth seem to bo going the saoif w-_y ?" " lieokon I Ma, of you am t tew befty," returned Sara, cueerfully, pulling up his horse, " fur a spell, 'jii'ur'is I go," The man, from his clothes and manner ovidently a gentleman, climbed to a place beside Sam and listened oilently to that worthy's garrulous conversation. " 'Diet little red bniidln' <>» yer lef, stranger," he was just saying, " was wliar I fnat lamed ter stick pins in the schooliuaratei-'s cheer, an' ter " Here the man broko in suddenly, " T«U me, isn't that a waggou on the i-oad a mile or two back ?" "Thot speck Vay back by Tun biooumses' place? It's a vragein, sure 'n'uß, but it's a good five mile away. You kin see it a.o plain kaae that's a hill thar." "Isn't this branch road wo are just coming to, the road to Kingslow ? "' the stranger asked. '■Spect it bi," drawled Sam, regarding him with slow surprise. "My man," said hia companion, hurriedly, "if you will drive with all your might to Kingslow, I'll give you twenty dollars i£ you get me tbero in time." , Sara mn'le no reply. "If twenty isn't ennua", I'll make it forty," said the Kan, watching Sam's face anxiously.

" Oh, 'taint the money," said bam at last, leisurely, "though I'll allow 'tis some inducement to a man who's got a wife to hum. 'T.'in't tbct-it's why you're in seek a 'niazin' hurry all of a sudJiut— . No, stranp;er,l don't b'leeve I kin staid tie ruckct. The hoss's only got one shoe on, au' I promised Missus ter bo hem fer dinner."

"Do you nee tbiit spec*! back there on the road ?" ashed tha wsp< quietly. " We' 1 . tiiix f . speck is a budgy c<iniain;n|; two consl:ib!e3. They are after me for nevfr mind what. Now, my man, if yon get me to Kineslow docks in time to caio'.i a boat wtiti".a tl-^ro for me, beforo thnso men caieli us I'll r(wo you fifty dollii-s. If not :•"

The alternative wa3 expressed by a drawn revolver, pointed threateningly at Sam's blancbinc. face. Ua turned the mare's head into Kingulow road. The minutes and the milca sped by in eilence, the stranger WPtflhfjl, with his finders closed on the rovolver, Sam silently considering his ohances for escape from the fate he saw only too plainly hanfiigg over him ; that of arrest and perhaps imprisonment for helping a felon escape the outstretched arm of iuatiio. ' " And what would Missus say i Sam were close upon Ktngsjuw when he spoke.