, 1873-12-20

nware that eyory oyo but ono waB fixed upon him.
His quick nervous apprehension at oncu leapod
to tho truth.
HIS MISERABLE aEcnET WAS orr
and abroad in tho worry air about him. IA n last
resort le glanced doarniringly at 11onrY York,
hut his flushed facs wns tnrl,od toward tho viii
dowH.
No word WAS Bpolkon. An t1lo bar-koepor
ho took orackor from dsll md m,!mblcd It
With affected unconcorl,. lie liDgorod over llia
liquor until ita poloncy BtiffenoA hls relaxed
HlnswB. and tlnlled tho norvonH edgo Of his mp
prellonson. aud thon lc suddenly faced around.
It don't look III II wo wero toln to hoy any rain
much aforo Christmas" l,o eaid, with defiant
eaAo.
No one nude my rarly.
."Just like this III % and ngaln in GO. It's
always bccn my opluion that tlloBo dry seasons
lt's jist as sad about going homo you lnow,"
he added with desperate reoklaBsneHH.
"Tlar'a mail. said Abner Dean, lazlly, "oz
aez you neyor wont homo. Thar's 1nat, or BOZ
n,an oz 500 you haint socn your wifo and
daughter since 10. Thnr's mai ~ soz you've
beon p1ayinf this camp for slx mo,tha."
There was dead silence. Then voice satd,
quito as quietly; .;r,.r ,,., r,r.."
It was not the old mans voice. Evorybody
out ll!H Elk fcet OF longtl, aud. brushing away
the ashcs that had fallen from bis pipe upon Ills
talt, % and apSss faeod liz otors. peps A'''' '''
"That man amt here" continued Abnor
Doar, with liBtleas indifference Of voice nnd u
gcntlo prooccupation Of manuor as he carolcssly
allowed hia right hand 10 rent on hia hip 'rar g,
called upon to mako good what l,o aAyH, why I'm
OIL lnnd."
All roso "a tho two mon,--perhapa tho least
oxtornally agitatod Of thcm all approached each
$s1 i,nl 4tsutr1
"perhapa thore's soino 1nistaho. here. York.
do you kno,o that tho old man has been home ?"
II How do you know it?''
York turned his clear,, honeat, frank eyes on
hia qucstionor sud without q trcnor told tho
only diroct aud unmitigated lio of his life:
nEoAusE I'VE SEEN HIM TuEnE."
The answer waB conclusive. It was known
TINT York Ind been whiting In the East during
tho old mans absence. Tho colloquy had di-
bteatl4less. waa staring Mt big unexpected de-
]iyorcr. As ho turnod again towards his tor
mentors tl,oro was something In tho expression
Of his eye tint caused thoao TINT woro nearest
to him t9 iall baek. and !.o, y, sent ~, u
boldost mud mont reckless. XB ho
mado step forward tho pllysican almost uucon-
scionsly raiscd lis hand with warning gesture,
md old man plunkott, with Ills eyes liked upon
the redhot stove, and a, odd anilo playing about
His mouth, began:
"Yos--of course you did. Who saya you
dil'n'? said was goin' home, and
I'VE nEEN HONE.
Haven't l? Ny God! | hayo. WHO gays Two
-whv don't you speak? II is trio after ali.
You say you saw me thcro, why don't you speak
agaln sayl say!-is it tr,o5 Its going now,
Omy God-it's going again. 1ta going low:
Save mol" and with fierce cry, 4e fell forward
In lit upon tho ifpor. -.
When tho old man regainetl his eeuseB lie found
hmsof in Iorls's cabin+ a iliekering iiro OF pine
boughB lit up tho rldo raftors and lell upon pho
toeraph tastofully framed with fir cones and hung
above tho brush wlereon Le lay. It was tho
10 moot the Old man m : gezo, and ii brought Sith
1t q flush OF such painful consciousness, that ho
started and glanced quickly around. But his
oyoB only encountered those Of Iork--cicar,
gray, critical, aud patient anl tloy foil again;
but with the Same cold, cloar tono in Ills voice
that llia oye betrayed q moment ago, "toil me,
Is THAT 4 LIE roo?"
md ho pointed to the picture.
Tho old man closed llis eyos and did not reply.
Two hours bororo tho question would haya
stung him Into eomo ovaalon or brayadu. But
the revelation contained in tile question, ~ we'll
ny the tone OF York'a voice, was to him now, in
his piiiablo condition, . relief, Il WAS plain
whom lie Ind endorsed his story n tue bar.room,
it was clear TO him now that ho hAd not been
homo-that ho IVES not, III Lo had begun to four,
going mad. It WIS such rolief thnt with
characteristic weakneBH his former reckleHsncss
and exlravaganco rctu,nol. l1o began to
ol,uckle-hnally to laugh upronriouRly.
York, with Ills eyes stili ilxol on tho old man,
Withdrew tho hand with which ho lad tsken lis:
"Didn't Nc fool 'cm nicely, eh, Yorky? Lie!
iii I. es eamo Ds's sxhHg ns ssa {s paysd py em IN
rLAyEp 'EM ron s1x MONTHS.
Amt 1t ricl-ain't 1t tho richest thing you ever
seed 7 Did you SEQ Abncr'e face when ho spoke
good I'D the minstrols7 Q it'H too much y and
Striking lis log with tho pam OF his huud hc al
most thtew himsolf from the bod in paroxyam
OF laughter-a paroxyBm that nevertheless up
peared to DO half real aud half affcetea:
"ls that photograph ]lot's p saad York in u low
"Hcr's? MOI! Its one Of tLc San Francisco
Actresses, he! he! Don't YOU see-l bought ii
for Two bits IN one Of the book stored. I never
thought they'd swallar that too! but thay did !
le-ehs :" and he poarcd curlouHly in YorA's
"YeH, and
HE PLAYED NE TOO"
said York. looking steadily in the old mau's cyo.
'Ycs, Of course" interpoaed plunkatt, hasti-
we'll You've sold 'en too. Wose both got
'cm on STING now,-you and mo,-got to stick
together now. You did it we'll, Iorky. you did
It vol. Why when you said you'd aeou mo in
s.Didn't whnt2 2" aaid York, gently, for tile old
man had stopped with pale face aud wandering
%s'oh2"
"iou say when Ha!l had seen you In Now
York sou thought
said tho old man llo,esly. ~ diaat soy I
thought anything. What aro you trying to go