Stories by American Authors VI.
THE MISFORTUNES OF BRO' THOMAS WHEATLEY.
BROTHER SEBASTIAN'S FRIENDSHIP.
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1891
THE VILLAGE CONVICT.
BY C.H. WHITE.
"Wonder 'f Eph's got back; they say his sentence run out yisterday."
The speaker, John Doane, was a sunburnt fisherman, one of a circle ofwell-salted individuals who sat, some on chairs, some on boxes andbarrels, around the stove in a country store.
"Yes," said Captain Seth, a middle-aged little man with earrings; "hecome on the stage to-noon. Wouldn't hardly speak a word, Jim says.Looked kind o' sot and sober."
"Wall," said the first speaker, "I only hope he won't go to burnin' usout of house and home, same as he burnt up Eliphalet's barn. I wasruther in hopes he'd 'a' made off West. Seems to me I should, in hisplace, hevin' ben in State's-prison."
"Now, I allers bed quite a parcel o' sympathy for Eph," said a short,thickset coasting captain, who sat tilted back in a three-legged chair,smoking lazily. "You see, he wa'n't but about twenty-one or two then,and he was allus a mighty high-strung boy; and then Eliphalet did actputty ha'sh, foreclosin' on Eph's mother, and turnin' her out o' thefarm, in winter, when everybody knew she could ha' pulled through bywaitin'. Eph sot great store by the old lady, and I expect he was puttymad with Eliphalet that night."
"I allers," said Doane, "approved o' his plan o' leadin' out all thecritters, 'fore he touched off the barn. 'Taint everybody 't would hevtaken pains to do that. But all the same, I tell Sarai't I feel kind o'skittish, nights, to hev to turn in, feelin' 't there's a convict in theplace."
"I hain't got no barn to burn," said Captain Seth; "but if he allots myhenhouse to the flames, I hope he'll lead out the hens, and hitch 'em tothe apple trees, same's he did Eliphalet's critters. Think he ought todeal ekally by all."
A mild general chuckle greeted this sally, cheered by which the speakeradded:
"Thought some o' takin' out a policy o' insurance on my cockerel."
"Trade's lookin' up, William," said Captain Seth to the storekeeper, assome one was heard to kick the snow off his boots on the door-step."Somebody's found he's got to hev a shoestring 'fore mornin'."
The door opened, and closed behind a strongly made fellow of twenty-sixor seven, of homely features, with black hair, in clothes which he hadoutgrown. It was a bitter night, but he had no coat over his flanneljacket. He walked straight down the store, between the dry-goodscounters, to the snug corner at the rear, where the knot of talkers sat;nodded, without a smile, to each of them, and then asked the storekeeperfor some simple articles of food, which he wished to buy. It was Eph.
While the purchases were being put up, an awkward silence prevailed,which the oil-suits hanging on the walls, broadly displaying their armsand legs, seemed to mock, in dumb show.
Nothing was changed, to Eph