Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 6.djvu/136

 nS

��THE GRANITE MONTHLY.

��The old man was completely broken up. He trembled like a leaf in the wind, was as. pale as a corpse, and all the time declaring his innocence before God and man. More than one of the neighbors shed bitter tears, and all were unmistakably indignant."

" But the parting came with Polly, and then stout hearts broke down. Said old Steve ! 'I aint afered ter die, and now that disgrace has come I aint got no wish to live. These folks do n't know Stephen Waldron. They aint got no idea that a man of my pride an record would come ter do a dirty thing. I did n't fight at Trenton and Monmouth, at Brandywine and York- town, an in mor'n a dozen other battles wi' Washington and Lafayette, an live all the rest of my life in pride because of it, ter murder a schoolmaster for a few hundred dollars. But its all right. Do as you please wi' me ! ' And then he broke down in tears and sobs, and Polly, who had been trying to cheer him up by telling him it would come out all right in the end, and to be brave, fainted away and was carried into the house in a helpless condition. Only one of his children — and she is my wife now — was about here then, and bless me if I did n't think she would go mad. It was terrible trouble and no mistake. The officers finally drove off. and then the sorrow was a great deal worse than before. But somehow we lived through it all."

" At the shire town the old man had some sort of a hearing. The village men who claimed the honor of catch- ing the murderer, gave in their evidence against him, and the constable that arrested the wicked old wretch swelled around like a big man. He was mak- ing himself out a hero. Well, we feed the oldest and most learned lawyer in the county, and gave him a first- rate character, but it did n't help his case any. Being a decent man, an old soldier and a good neighbor and citizen, was n't of the slightest conse- quence. No ; the blood of the mis- sing man was on his garments and the money and watch in his possession,

��and consequently it was a hopeless task to make any one believe in his innocence. The squire remarked that the case looked pretty dark against him, and ordered his commitment to await the pleasure of the high court. Then we all came home and sorrow- fully settled down to our spring work."

" Those were very blue days for the people around here, I can assure you. Somehow we could n't keep old Steve out of mind nor forget what had hap- pened. We were nervous and excita- ble, we were down-hearted and misera- ble. But we were all the time hoping for the best. We made ourselves believe old Steve was a victim of cir- cumstances, and we resolved to stand by him like men. So we held a meet- ing at the school-house and raised money to defend him. It was n't no easy matter in those days to raise money for any purpose, but we got it all the same, and I may as well add that we looked pretty black and was mighty uncivil to the crowd of village and back country folks who continued to come around to see where the school- master was murdered and to ask ques- tions. They could n't get their horses bated for love nor money, and what had never happened before and has never happened Mnce in this com- munity, they could n't get a mouthful of victuals to keep them from starving. You see we were honest in our indigna- tion."

" But I must tell you about poor Polly. The women folks did their best to cheer and comfort her, but it did n't seem to do any good. Nothing that any body could say mended her grief or consoled her. She took sick ; took to her bed and moaned and cried day and night. In fact she had no desire to live, not even on account of her two sons who had gone West. I tell you what it is, friends, you have n't got any idea of how such trouble takes hold of old people who have journeyed together in sunshine and adversity, but always in peace, contentment and happiness for nearly half a century. You may as well kill such people out-

�� �