326 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
Watkins, but beaming on Scudder with great apparent 
friendliness. “ How did you find yourself last night, 
Scudder, when you stopped to look ? Bless me, how you 
did scud ! 
“ When a Scudder is scudding 
He scuds like the wind ! Ha, ha, ha! ” 
roared Tom. 
“ Shut up your mouth,” cried Scudder, angrily. 
“ Shut up yourself, Scudder,” said Watkins, good- 
naturedly. Then turning to Tom, with a twinkle of fun 
in his eye, he asked, as if in joke, ‘‘See here, Tom ; what 
have you done with those two wolfskin robes you stole 
from my place last night ? ” 
“Took them over to Easton and sold them this morn¬ 
ing,” replied Tom with his accustomed readiness. “You 
didn’t suppose I should keep them and use them before 
your face, or sell them here in the village where everybody 
knows me, did you ? ” 
“ Well, I hadn’t thought much about it,” returned Mr. 
Watkins, with a queer laugh. “ So you haven’t seen the 
steers ? ” 
“ No, but if they’ve run away just send Scudder after 
them. There is no doubt he could overtake them. I’d 
match him against a trotting-horse any day!” And 
Tom laughed again. Scudder gave him an ugly look, 
but made no reply, and the two men went on. 
Before night Tom Ingalls was arrested and taken to 
jail on charge of having stolen a pair of valuable sleigh- 
robes from Mr. Watkins. A more completely surprised 
fellow than Tom could not have been found, and it was 
not until his trial came on, and evidence began to accu¬ 
mulate against him that he could realize that the affair 
was anything but a most preposterous joke. Every cir¬ 
cumstance was against him. Mr. Watkins testified that 
Tom had confessed the theft to him, and Scudder was 
witness to the confession. The robes were actually 
traced to Easton, and the man who bought them, though 
unable to swear to Tom’s identity as the one from whom 
he purchased them, admitted that he looked like the one. 
Unfortunately for Tom, he had gone to Easton that 
morning, and although his presence there was accounted 
for by other business, no one could prove that he did not 
also take the robes there. His mother reluctantly ad¬ 
mitted that he was absent from home until eleven o’clock 
on the evening of the theft, and Scudder testified to hav¬ 
ing seen him on the premises after ten o’clock. The 
case went against Tom, and he was sentenced to three 
years in State prison. He was taken back to the jail to 
pass the night, and was to be removed to prison the next 
day. Tom was buoyant and undismayed. He sent word 
to his mother to keep up her courage and the farm, and 
to Aunt Martha that she must excuse him for not calling 
to bid her good-bye, as he was too busy “reaping the 
whirlwind ” to have time for such formalities. In the 
morning, when the jailor brought his breakfast to the 
cell, the inmate had flown. On the wall, in great 
letters that could be read afar off, were scrawled, with 
a coal, the words: “Ye shall seek me, but ye shall not 
find me!” 
j> When Lizzie Watkins knew that Tom had been con¬ 
victed and sentenced her indignation knew no bounds. 
That Tom was innocent and that her father and Scudder 
had wilfully ruined him she felt sure, but had no proof. 
If anything was needed to ripen and mature her budding 
love for Tom, this had supplied it. But her love and in¬ 
dignation were alike too deep for words. 
After the Watkins household had settled into quiet that 
night, Lizzie stole softly out and went over to Mrs. Ingalls. 
Aunt Martha had gone to bed, but Mrs. Ingalls, as Lizzie 
had expected, was still up, and nearly crushed with sor¬ 
row and disgrace. Lizzie went down on her knees to 
Tom’s mother, and, clasped in each other’s arms, the two 
mingled their tears of sorrow and indignation. Midnight 
came, and they had scarcely moved when a face appeared 
at the window behind them; after looking a minute it 
disappeared, the door softly opened, and the next moment 
Tom had his mother and Lizzie both in his arms. There 
were low cries of joy and ejaculations of surprise, and 
rapid questions and answers, and then Mrs. Ingalls hast¬ 
ened to put up some food and a small bundle of clothing 
for her son. Meanwhile Tom, still holding Lizzie to his 
breast, said: 
“ I never thought of finding you here, Lizzie.” 
“ Who should comfort your mother if not my father’s 
daughter ? Oh, Tom ! I wonder you do not hate me ! ” 
was Lizzie’s answer. 
“ But I don’t; I love you to distraction! You are very 
young, Lizzie, and I will not ask you to wait for me, but 
if ever this theft is cleared up I shall come back for you, 
and if not, I shall send for you when I have made my 
fortune somewhere else ; and if no one else wins you in 
the meantime you will be mine, will you not? ” 
“ Tom,” said Lizzie, solemnly, “young as I am, I know 
my own heart; I shall wait for you until you come or 
send for me, if I wait my whole life ! ” 
There was no time for more. Tom took the bundle 
his mother had prepared and there were more tender 
words and tearful kisses and good-byes, and the two 
women—for Lizzie had left her girlhood forever behind 
during these few hours—were left to their lonely vigil. 
They could not sleep for anxiety, and toward morning 
Lizzie stole softly into her father’s house, from which she 
had not been missed. 
Years passed on and nothing had been heard from 
Tom Ingalls. When he had been gone five or six years, 
Aunt Martha died and Mrs. Ingalls was left alone. She 
was not an old woman, but she had never been very 
strong, had always overworked, and now she was laid up 
with rheumatism. The Kents came over for a day at a 
time and did for her what they could, but she needed to 
have some one with her constantly. When Lizzie Wat¬ 
kins heard of her helpless condition she went to her 
father and began : 
“ Father, I was twenty-one last spring. I have worked 
faithfully and been obedient, but now I am my own mis¬ 
tress, am I not ? ” 
“Why, yes, I suppose so,” replied her father, “but 
what do you want to do ? Aren’t you well enough off ? 
I’ve never found any fault with you since you gave up 
about Tom Ingalls, and your stepmother treats you well, 
and I’m sure you have every thing you want.” 
“ You’ve been very kind in most things, father,” replied 
