Show SUSYS BEAU It was a favorite jest upon Old Farmer Collingwoods farm to call Joe Ellison Susys admirer And Susy when she heard the halftaunting joke only smiled softly and at their next meeting only gave a kinder word or a sweeter smile She was the orphaned daughter of a country clergyman whose sole legacy to her had been the best education his own profound learning enabled him to give her When she was but a little girl her mother died and she had been her fathers housekeeper scholar and companion until her nineteenth birthday birth-day when Rev Stephen Coyle was likewise like-wise taken from the child to his last long rest The good people of the parish par-ish knowing Susys advantages of study had put her at the head of the district school and her old home h ing the parsonage she had removed her personal possessions and taken up her abode at Farmer Collingwoods he having for years boarded the school maam I It was a merry happy farmers household I house-hold where Susy lived Julia and Molly Collingwood were strongarmed blooming damsels full of coquettish grace and with loud voices and active habits Charlie and James the sons were fine specimens of young farmers and the old man and his wfe were kindhearted homely country folks But the young girl brought up in her I fathers study his companion for years I had developed more inenal than phisi cal strength was shy in manner reserved re-served in spetch and craved intellectual intellect-ual food entirely out of her power to ootain She was slight in figure with large black eyes delicate features a pure colorless complexion and masse of nutbrown hair The parsonage having always had a servant Susys little hands were unspoiled by rough work and beside the rosycheeked blue eyed Jollmgwood girls she looked like a pal nun her deep mourning contrasting con-trasting strongly with their gay attire with all the colors of the rainbow struggling for supremacy She had been but a little time in her position as instructress to the towheaded tow-headed youngsters of Brent Hill when coming up the road from school late on I a summer afternoon she heard groan and wailings in one of the cottages where often oefore she heard the same sounds I Poor Joe she whispered pitifully For she knew a deformed idiot wa being beaten by a cruel taskmaster But on that afternoon us she drew near the cottage the door suddenly flew open ana the idiot limped howling and speeding as fast as his infirmities allowed out at the opemii while following fol-lowing him a strong brutal man half drank flourished an immense cowhide cow-hide The man cursing and swearing held the whip over the cowering nurmkm lad but when it fell it struck not Joe but Susy who bent over him one arm raised to ward off the blow Brute as i he was the halfdrunken wretch stood aghast when the heavy lash cut across Susvs slender shoulders and arms I eg pardon maam he said I did not see you was in the way 10 How can you she cried her pale cheeks crimson with womanly indignation indigna-tion how can you a strong man strike a poor trembling boy like that a boy whose infirmities should appeal ap-peal for protection to any man who was not an arrant coward Well come now thats pratt strong II said the man Dont I feed and lodge him for what he does and aint I got a right to beat him if he doe anything wrong He dont earn his salt he dont Dont keep him then II I guess youre right I wont Joe you may go to the mischief but don come here again So saying the idiots tormentor turned on his heel and reentered his house shutting and noisily bolting his door Susy stood halfterrified at the result of her wellmeant interference Joe was a waif from the alia bouse lame deformed idiotic and she had deprived Him of his only refuge Oh Joe she said crying I am so sorry What will you do But Joe was only able to realize that his brutal taskmaster had ceased to neat him and that a long red welt across Susys hand had fallen there on I its way to his cowering shoulder He only pointed to the mark halfcrying It was better for me to taKe it as you he said whimpering the pretty white hand Oh Joe is sorry you got before him I Joe dont mind beating I All the chivalry in the poor dull brain asserted itself in that speech for Joe did mind B beating very much You cant stay here in the road all night said Susy Come with me and I will ask Mr Collingwood to give you a place to sleep II The good people of the farm looked rather astonished when Susy appeared followed by the stooping limping figure of the village idiot But the farmer broke intohearty laughter when she told of her interference and begged shelterfor the boy Stay here Of course he can stay here he said Well find something fur the poor beggar to do But to think of your spunking up to Bob Carter in that fashion Id ha given my best cow to see it A little white bantam pecking amad bull would be nothing to it And he ran off Well Well Here Charl e show Jon the room over the barn He can sleep there and he Fill soon learn where to come to meals So the idiot found his hard bed on the floor replaced by a cosy barn chamber his scanty food changed for generous plenty i and for blows kicks and curses Kurd worK ana overiasKine brain he had kind words and light labor suited to his comprehension Under this treatment he brightened visibly performing his simple task cheerfully willingly and will When winter came Susy herself altered a suit and overcoat of her fathers to clothe the boy comfortably for the cold weather and knit him scarf cap and mittens She never passed without a word of enCouragement enCourage-ment and kindness and in his darkened mind the fair sweet face stood for a religion something to be worshipped I poor Joes special providence He never forgot the falling of the cruel lash upon her slender figure bent to protect him and he understood per fectly that fcusys intercession had procured pro-cured for him his happy comfortable offerings as were within nis reach I bouquets of wild flowers clusters of delicate ferns he knew she loved baskets of wild cherries or nuts an eager offer to lift any obstacle from her path And the goodnatured jesting country folks called poor Joe Susys admirer But while winter snows were yet upon the ground there came to Brent Hill a new clergyman one Cyrus Port man who had been a pupil of Susys father when he was a youth of 19 she a child of 12 Having fitted himself for college under Rev tephen Coyles instructions he had gone to Harvard had studied for the pulpit and having preached in Boston had accepted a call to Brent Hill It was quite natural that he should seek Susy and the old servant at thr parsonage was warm in her praises He was a wealthy man having inherited a fortune from his father and he was eager to help the poor of his parish Susy having the children under her control was able to point out to him many avenues for his charity and thus added another link to the associations that bound them together He was a grave studious man refined in his taste and quiet of manner and he shrank a little from the noisy demonstrations demon-strations of the country people around him It rested him after a round of calls or tho services of the Sabbath to talk with Susy to hear her low sweet voice and see her quiet refined movt iiients He heard of the gentle charities chari-ties she performed whenever he was in the cottages ot the very poor and memory told him what a little household house-hold fairy she had been even when a child So in the winter evenings in the spring walks he let his heart go out to Susy and gathered its image into the deepest recesses while the unconscious uncon-scious of her own secret fell that there was no happiness so profound as Cyrus brought by his mere presence It wa a quiet uneventful courting for six mouths but it bound two hearts firmly together for life And Joe looking ou understood vaguely that Susy was happy when Cyrus was near and that a service performed for Cyrus pleased Susy as well And as events progressed he understood that Cyrus would one day take Susy to the parsonage as his wife and that Susy would be happy there All this was firmly roottd in poor Joes clouded brain and he knew that trouble to Cyrus would be sore grief to Susy So with an allegiance that was touching touch-ing Joe transferred some of his devotion devo-tion to the young clergyman and when he was at the farm would inutttr often Susy likes himbecause Susy likes him himHe He was grateful for the kindly words of Cyrus his many gifts of clothing and money but the great claim that beheld over Joe was the fact that to please him was to give Susy pleasure Summer sunshine was ripening the grain and the berries were in ripest clusters when Susy had an entire month of leisure for the school holiday and Cyrus won from her a promise to resign her place and be nis wife in September Sep-tember Her simple outfit became her daily task and the Collingwoods le twilling t-willing hands to preparE tor the wedding wed-ding Joe was made entirely happy by a promise of the parsonage and the long summer days seemed tco snort for the happiness that filled them It was nearly two miles from the parsonage to the Collingwood farmbut there were lew evenings when Uyrus failed to walk from his own house to Susys for an hour or two of the sweet companionship beloved And his way led him through a lonely stretch of country where the houses were scat terod far apart for Mr Colhngwood hue bought some distance from the village By what instinct Joe knew there might be danger lurking in the wood I cannot explain but it became his habit solely of his own will to follow Cyrus Portman out of sight himself till he saw him safely in his own house and then limp back again to his own bar chamber It may have been that the talk of the farm nands about some of the crim s perpetrated by tramps conveyed con-veyed a warning to his weakened mind But whatever the motive he was constant con-stant in his unsuspected attendance Rev Cyrus Portinan secure of his peace in the love of his congregation thinking his village home ever secure from dangerotrobbery or fear of theft was careless of the fact that it was known carried about him large sum of money He drew his income quarterly quart-erly from a Boston < baak and was lip to carry large rolls of bank notes in his pocket book ready for his own expenses ex-penses ad charities He wore diamuu studs and finger ring and a heavy gold watch and chain All these facts becoming known to Bob Carter Joes old tormentor led to the fact that proved tbe idiots deepest devotion to busy One of the irinp seeking employment at Brent Hill proving a genial companion for Bfb Carter in his drinking frolics and idle life became a guestand the two under the influence of liquor resolved to rob the parson Hes hound to have a pocket loll of money acid Bob and were half starved Well make it more equal likeSo So it befell that one August night when there was no moon Joe faithfully faith-fully trudging upon his selfappointed task of seeing Susys lover safe in his own homo saw two men spring upon him as ho passed a high hedge Taken entirely by surprise Cyrus Portman turned to his assailants and fought for his possessions with the courage of a truly brave man But they were two to one and had thrown him down when Bob Carter lifting a formidable club of wood ordered him to give up his money and watch Instead In-stead of complying he struggled more fiercely to free himself from the grasp of the otnerruffian You will have it then growled Bob lifting the club and surely there would have been an end to all Susys dreams of happiness had not Joe with a cry utterly indescribable flung him tlf between the heavy murderous w apon and Cyrus Portman Down came the wood with a sicken fog crash upon the idiots back and head and Cyrus Portman with a sudden sud-den wrench freed himself as the tramp dodged back to avoid the blows At his moment the voices of a party of village merrymakers were heard coming com-ing up the road and the wouldbe robbers rob-bers and assassins turned and fled The calls o the clergyman hurried the steps of the farmer lads coming home and the wellknown voices of the Collingwood boys were soon heard in eager exclamations In hurried words the young clergyman explained tho situation Poor Joe said he looking up as he knelt to examine the prostrate body I am afraid his devotion has cost him his life I cannot feel his heart beat Well carry him home Charlie Col ngwood said Come boys j its not insenible fiiiure and tenderly poor Joe was carried to the farm again Susy sitting stiil upon the wide porch thinking think-ing of her lover saw the procession enter en-ter the gate and ran Quickly down the path Her tears fell fast as Cyrus told her his sad tale but she opened the door of the spare room on the lower floor awakened Mrs Collingwood and brought lights waer and bandages while James saddled a horse and rode back to the village for the doctor But doctors could not help poor Joe the blow was a deathblow and before morning there was only a cold stiff form where the poor idiots life had existed ex-isted But before he died he was brought to consciousness to know that Susy was bending over him her tears dropping fast upon his white death stricken face i Dont cry he whispered faintly It was because yon loved him I dont forget he said while a smile brightened bright-ened his poor face Joe did not forget when you took a lashing for him Joe remembered And he put his head under un-der Bob Carters club to save the parson par-son Is the parson here Yes Joe I am here1 All alive and Joe dd it Joe did it for Susy And so with Susys name upon his lips poor Joe died |