The Tragedy of Wild River Valley

nd one afternoon the old man informed his wife that "a young feller was comin'

I s'pose," she said

e table. He'll be here to supper to-night if he's a man o' his word," was the nonchalant rep

riated to the use of the hired man, when they had one. They had now been without one for some time, and she was i

p-not that of her husband, yet strangely familiar-crossed the threshold. She turned to see whose it was, then uttered a low cry f

nto each other's eyes, hers dilating with fear,

t have ye to say fer yersilf, false, desa

ck and dropping into a chair, but never taking her eyes from his face; "shot

th a mocking laugh. "An' ye soon comforted yersi

care for me," she sobbed, covering her face with her hands; "and he said he'd be so good to me-I should have

an' farm an' all?" he queried, drawing a step nearer and bending toward her with an

nny sooner than him with all the gold of Californy." And her

aping fond caresses upon her. "It's an evil fate that's come atween us; but him that's robb

and kill you if he finds you here!" she cried, h

foight wid the loikes o' him?" he asked, with a scornful laugh. "But yees needn'

e must behave cautious, Phelim-mustn't let him sus

without, moved quickly to the farther side of the room, and as the master of the house came

r the fire, stirring som

sight of the new-comer, "Ah! so you're here, O'Rourke! Well, set

e for their common interest. He accordingly spent several weeks in the employ of Farmer Himes, felling trees and cutting wood all day in company with the old man, and

, to let this one talk to her in the old lover-like way; that was proper enough while she was free to bestow her heart and hand

sion for her and wish to obtain the money paid him for his wo

d help me wid, me jewel," he said to Belinda

king up from her sewing in so

intleman as wants to foind out, fer some raison o' his own, if yer ould man's got a mar

d. "He never tells me nothin' about his bu

use at all at all to take," he explained; "not till me nor the gintleman I

know it if

l, but ye wad; ye

I don't know what s

e farm, an' if it ain't paid by sich a toime, the feller w

could do that, couldn't he?" sh

wid the roight name ontil it. He'll be afther buyin' it, I belave, whin he foinds out a

de him think

somethin' put it intil her head as it moight be he wuz a

e an examination of her husband's papers if she could in any way manage to get possession of the key to the strong box in which they were kept. This key he carr

orn his coat, he brou

one till it's done. I can't chop wood in that, so I'll just step over t

ront window and watched him stealthily as he crossed the yard and went ou

ish than prying into whatever he particularly desired to keep secret from her. First satisfying herself that

ral minutes over rolls of bank-notes and piles of gold and silver coin, feeling strongly tempted to help herself; but deterred by the almost cer

the first stitch in the garment when the old man rushe

she asked, her bl

e demanded, shaking the key in her face

ly wish I'd knowed it was there. But if you jerk my wor

f sight, she threw a shawl over her head and ran to the wood, where Phelim's axe w

ye come til me fer purtectio

cornful laugh, "he hasn't go

ce opportunity; how she had improved

th satisfaction and with greed. "But ye're s

You'll not get me in

where the ould divil kapes his money, is

d care I don't never get hold o' that key again. You may count on

e her husband's return, lest his suspicions should be aroused. She had just completed he

e strong-box was. He had been thinking on his homeward walk that perhaps she had f

cious store were missing, he would demand its instant return. For

nation. What if she had unwittingly disarranged the papers!

oney. How glad she was that she had resisted the temptation to take a little!

urned to Prairieville, the time of his