Democratic messenger., 1881-11-05

drowning man would clutch a straw.
"While yet there is life there are
many chances"
Eyes. know; but you don't think So
1 can tell by your looks"
"Death comes TO all men some day,
and what matters it whether it be now
or at some more convenient time?"
"Oh. / cannot die now. never
thought of it before, but I'm not ready
now and never have been. I cannot
leave the world, with all its sorrows and
troubles, to go away into some other
place / know not of. But ] know
must. for / feel it coming on me. lean
feel the cold, clammy touch and see the
darkness and hear the drip and gurgle
of water. Oh. dare not go down into
the valley of the shadow and have the
cold and darkness shut me out forever
from the world.
He shuddered and grasped my hand
with despairing strength, and a great
nameless horror and fear had crept over
his face and left the grim, CHASTITY mark
of death shining out of his dilated eyes.
At length he gained the mastery over
his feelings and faced the inevitable re-
sult with bravery born of desperation.
'Ah, well; what's the use of shrink
ing? No man ever accused me Of being
a coward and [ won't go back on myself
now, and if / must die / will die just as
I lived. My life has profited me nothing
and 1 guess my death will be just the
same. Perhaps / wasn't to blame but,
oh, don't know-I cannot tell, and it
makes not one iota of difference now, !"
and he turned his eyes down over the
range of hills to the crimson clouds in
the western sky.
"But, stranger" he continued, turn
ing from the picture slowly. ''you must
want to know why / talk like this.
Come closer and wave that shingle that
/ Tom has made into q fan and I'll tell
you. A few years ago L came to the oil
country from as good home rs any
young fellow could wish and started In
business with bright prospects of success.
l was quiet and steady-going and took q
strongly of getting married and was
making favorable progress to that end
with the daughter of well-known oil
producer who had drilled wildcat wells
until he was in debt from bed rock to
crown pulley. There was absolutely no
hope of his ever making another cent as
producer, and to earn bread and butter
for his family he was forced to act as
superintendent of leases for a company
of oil men. / was not the only young
man by any means who paid attention
to the young lady, but il was pretty
generally conceded that I had the best
chance. l loved her as | never thought
it possible for man to love woman,
and | was confident that she returned
the affection. My strongest rival was a
young oil producer who had a larger
purse than /, and who was nearly with
out scruples so long as he accomplished
his end. / don't believe that money
had any weight IN the young lady's eyes,
but it had in her fathers, and he did his
best to influence her, arguing that
money would help him make a fortune
again in oil wells.
"Ihen I was resolved on desperate
step. l determined to stake the largest
share of my property on one single throw
and work the oil market for what it was
worth. My rival knew of my intention,
and he resolved on still more desperate
plan to bankrupt me and win the brown
haired, blue-eyed prize valued above
all things on earth. On certain day ]
went long on the market thousands of
barrels, fully confident that prices would
go upward at least fifteen cents barrel
The next day rumors came from the
backwoods that a two hundred barrel
well had been struck miles away from
any development, and so sensitive was
the market that prices fell away five
cents during the forenoon session of the
Exchange. Spectators scouts immedi-
ately started for the mysterious well, but
as it would take them two days to reach
it through the almost unbroken forest
no positive information was looked for
inside four or five days. What hours of
suspense those were. | seemed to grow
old in a day, and the agony l suffered
was terrible. The second day report
came in that the well was larger than at
first supposed, and before the deliveries
were made that afternoon prices had
weakened another five cent notch.
'I rushed from the Exchange almost
delirious for / knew / was ruined and
would lose the only treasure held dear
in life. For week I lay sick in hotel,
and when / was able to be about L met
the young lady on the street, and, mer-
ciful Heaven, would you believe it, she
would not recognize me! That drove
me wild, and thought her as false as
sin and just as fair. l didn't know then
what a great wrong had been done me
and all the good that was in me seemed
to go out, with no prospect of return.
don't clearly remember what did or
where / went for the next six months,
but one morning picked up paper and
read of the marriage of my rival to the
only girl ever loved. Oh, can't tell
you the feeling that swept through me,
as / sat and felt the sunlight and beauty
and every worthy impulse float ont
through the window beyond hope of
human recall. / learned then that my
rival had started the story of the new
strike Just on purpose to ruin me and
further his own schemes. There was no
new well and as soon as the brokers found
it out prices went up again with a rush.
Then he, curse him, who bought up all
my oil when the crash came, unloaded
at high figure and made heap of
money. He told her / had lost all my
money in gambling and she believed
him.
Revenge is sweet Oh, SO sweet"
he continued. raising himself on a pill
low of old boots and half-burnt coats,
''and I've drank my fill, until the
draught has become bitter sweet yes,