| Show A loval love bu VICTOR REDCLIFFE copyright 1916 by W 0 chapman chapm n reuben waite walte was just about to thrust liis lits pitchfork into a winnow of hay when he espied a human toot foot hey wake up here I 1 he shouted in hll customary stentorian tones As lie spoke lie tapped an extending boot sole with the ianes of tile the fork The Tho foot drew in the hay rose up 46 n a cascade and a little lithe well fea aured young man was revealed I 1 HP le brushed dust and seed from hair and clothing and rather shamefacedly confronted fron teil the farmer tramp eh gruffly suggested old I 1 reuben 1 I 1 look it dout dont I 1 propounded the stranger with a little bitter laugh you do for a fact I 1 say where did you bod get those togs tags 1 I found folind them over on a rubbish heap backlog ciack of the barn they we were re la in fact an utterly discarded suit reuben had thrown away as unfit the day previous hm I 1 your own must have been pretty bad t to 0 change for these observed the f farmer armer they ware we re for ri a fact ansy answered pred ered the stranger and his face grew stern and cold pin to tom m lee ee im a tramp im hungry give me work well I 1 need help spoke Re belben liben after a critical inspection of the ap p you look likely i and if youre y oure honest as well we may hitch tor for harvest ill try to suit said tom lee those togs wont do though declared reuben and they were indeed J I 1 1111 V A striped suit tatters come into the barn had and ill provide something better within a few minutes tom lee looked somewhat more respectable in a homespun suit worn but whole and a yellowed prototype of the great straw hat bat the farmer wore ile he wits was glyen given a good meal in the kitchen furnished with a pitchfork by the farmer andrut and put in the day so diligently that reuben ca commended him ampro approvingly ill show you your q quarters barters in the attic said the farmer after supper theres a cool sheltered nook in that old summer house in the garden disse dissented nied tom lee if let me have a hay cover and dont mind ill bunk in the open air just as you like said reuben ali ah theres nellie my daughter been visiting s since ince yesterday put up bp tile the rig will you tom lee braced himself and stood like a statue at the hitching block as a you young ng lady drove into the yard and waving her hand gayly to her father rounded the house and came to the barn she alighted grAce graceful fut as some nymph then stood rooted staring with strangely questioning eyes at tom lee you she gasped and her face became bloodless tom simply bowed he hid folded his arms and stood like a man awaiting anger disdain censure why did you come here she he s faltered for a purpose you need not reca recognize me you must not betray me you yon will know in a few days old reuben was coming towards her now and the brief colloquy was suspended tom lee did not seek to 0 meet nellie walte waite again he went about its his work inea dily it if old reuben walte waite had been watchful however he would have noticed th that atthe the eyes 05 cs of the blew new farmhand farmland far followed him everywhere and that lie he sought to be near him whenever lie he could it was three days afterwards ards when farmer walte waite came upon tom mee lee mending a hay bay rale rake ills his face was stern and forb foreboding boding you will have to go nt at the end or of the be week lee he said why sir questioned tom lee because I 1 found the clothes you changed tor for my old S suit you threw them behind some brush A striped atilt tom lees ato sank A convicts sulu r that condemns me it inquired tom lee in a crushed tone do you blame me met if the woman bowan falknor fol folks knor the neighbors know ow what you have been you can imagine thelt their fears fenig oh ob im not going to tell on you comlee To tom mLee lee of course cours eyou you are an 1111 escaped convict but I 1 shant tell anybody 1 I burned your old suit safely that night naghi I 1 gayour Go your way when saturday night tombs comes and goodluck good luck to you for you are a faithful worker thank you sir said tom let lc humbly saturday morning early ill reuben euben time carne around the barn to halt stock still aud and stare and then pitchfork in fit hand start on ar a rapid run there carrying a great armful ot of barley straw to the thy pig pens was tom lee and sneaking toward him just einer emerged ged from behind a stack was as a lurking evil faced felloe carrying a big alg short but heavy hickory cudgel ile he raised it and swung out a fearful blow tom lee went down like a shot ills assailant drew back to repeat the blow when the bli big straw hat the prototype of that worn by reuben rauben fell off the ITlie wrong matil man 1 shouted the rut flan am I 1 the right one announced reuben stir an inch and J I 1 will NAIL split jou you with the fork ha jim devlin I 1 see I 1 seel see I 1 march to the house hands linnUs up ortia or ill riall nail you good stay quiet lad idd youre in good hands in truly genial almost affectionate tones spoke runner walt to comlee tom lee an hour afterward the latter stared hard lie ile was lying in a bed in the beffi spare room la in the house ills head was bandaged banaag e it T the he farmer sat beside him what has happen happened ed questioned tom lee faintly you saved my life haats what came the sturdy reply you looked like we me in my old suit and hat A man named jim devlin did it A fellow I 1 sent over the road five years ago for stealing horses lie ile swore then that lie he would have my life when lie got out he must have ave escaped for he got a twenty year term yes lie he escaped and I 1 with him was the surprising sing statement of tom lee 1 I had only a week to serve bui bu the opportunity came adf and because I 1 knew he was aimed for you I 1 joined him slipped him and came here to guard you against his revenge why uttered the bewildered reuben because I 1 loved your daughter stay do not get angry I 1 was sent to td the penitentiary an innocent man the world wilt will yet know it I 1 had met your daughter dau liter when she was visiting a friend yes father broke in nn an impressive voice and nellie walte waite appear appeared eI at the doorway he Is an innocent man he saved you help him you have wondered why I 1 have refused to marry it Is because of elston deane deanc whom you know as tom lee the only man I 1 shall ever love elston deano deane went back to prison to serve out the few reina remaining lulng days of his sentence but the law remitted it jim devlin had ten years added to his former sentence farmer waite took up the cudgel in behalf of theman who had saved his life and whom ills daughter so loyally loved it was no easy dusy task digging up the burled buried past but persistence and money unearthed the real criminals for whose misdoings mis doings elston deane had so unjustly suffered truth will pr prevail evall observed old reuben the day that the complete of tom lee was publicly announced and love will inspire the darkest darkas t like life with hope and courage added elston deane fervently as lie he wound ills his arm affectionately about his wife that was to be |
