Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-06

from the hurried degluntlon or Wand
and sentiment. "lou're white
man, Patterson, any way be re-
sumed. am take your horse, and put it
down In our account. at your own figure.
AS som as this cursed thing is blown
over. IN be back here and see You through.
you bet. / don't desert my friends, how
ever rough things 80 with me-"
Il see you DON'T returned Patterson,
with an unconscious and serious stmplicf-
" that had the effect Of the most exquis-
tie irony. Il was only just saying
70 the Sheriff that il there was anything
could have done for you, you wouldn't
have cut away without letting me know"
Tucker glanced uueasily at Patterson,
who continued. aye amt wanting any
thing elseyF Then observing that his
former patron was roughly but newly
clothed, and betrayed no trace Of his last
escapade. he added, Il see you've got a
fresh harness.
THAT id Chinaman bought me these
az the landing; they're not much in style
or Mt" he continued. trying 70 get NOON
light view Of himself in the mirror behind
the bar. "but that don't matter here" He
filed another glass OF spirits, jauntily
settled himself back in his chair, and
added, 81 don't suppose there are any
girls around anyway"
srCept your wife: she was down here
this afternoon" said Patterson medita-
lively.
Mr.. Tucker paused with the pie in his
hand. "Ah. yesr' He essayed a reckless
laugh, but that evident stimulation failed
before Patterson's melancholy. With an
assumption Of falling in with his friends
manner. rather than from any personal
anxiety, he continued. ''Wellf"
That man POindexter was down here
with her. Put her in the hacienda to hold
possession afore the news came out"
impossible" said Tucker, rising has
tily. 1T don't belong-that is" he
hesitated.
Eyer thinking the creditors III get il,
mebbe," returned Patterson, gazing at
the door. "Not as long as she's in it: no,
sir, Whether it's really hers, or she's
only keeping house for Poindexter, she's a
fixture, you bet. They're a team when
they pull together, they are,'
The smile slowly faded from fuckers
face, that now looked quite rigid in the
moonlight. He put down his glass and
walked 10 the window as Patterson
glOomily continued, "But that's nothing
and had your revenge by going OF with
the gal. That's what l said all along.
When f0lks-specially women folks
wondered how You could leave a woman
like your wife, and 80 Off with a scalliwag
like that gal. i alters said they'd ind out
there was a reason. And vixen your wife
came Haunting down here with PoindeN-
ter before she'd qaite got quit Of you, l
reckon they began TO see the whole little
game. No. sir, ! knew it wasn't on ac-
count Of the galy Why, when YOU came
here tonight and told me quite nat'ral-
like and easy how she went on in the ship,
and then calmly ate your pie and drank
your whisky after it, / knew you didn't
care for her. There's my hand, Spence;
you're a trump, even if you are little
l0oney, chs Why, what's ups'
Shallow and sefsh as Tucker was, Pat
terson's words seemed like a revelation
that shocked him as profoundly as it
might have shocked, a nobler nature. The
simple vanity and selfishness that made
him unable 10 conceive any higher rea-
son for his wife's loyalty than his own
personal popularity and success, now
that he no longer possessed that ecldt,
made him equally capable Of the lowest
suspicious. He was diSS0nOred fugitive,
broken in fortune and reputation-why
should she not desert him? He hal been
untaithful to her from wildness, freso1
caprice, from the effect of those
fascinating qualities; it seemed to
him natural that she should be
disloyal from mOEe deliberate mo-
tiyes, and he Rugged himself with
that belief. Yet there was enough doubt,
enough Of haunting suspicion that ne had
lost or ahenated a powerful affection to
make him thoroughly miserable. He re-
turned his friends grasp conyulsiyely and
buried his face upon his shoulder. Bat
he was not above feeling a certain eXul-
tatiOn in the effect Of his misery upon the
dOg-like, unreasoning affection of Patter-
son, nor could he entirely refrain from
slightly posing his affection before that
sympathetic but melancholy man. sud
u h., 81 is h,, j
thrust his hand into bis bosom with a
theatrical gesture.
w hats 20 keep me from killing Poin-
dexter in his tfacksE' he said wildly.
"NOthen' but his shooting first" re-
turned Patterson, with dismal practi-
cality. Hes mighty quick, like all them
army men. It's about even. l reckon.
that he don't get nlG first" he added in an
OminOus voice.
''No!" returned Tucker, grasping his
hand again. This is not your affair,
Patterson; leave him to me when l come
back"
III he ever gets the drop on me, reck-
on he won't wait, continued Patterson lu-
gubriOusly. He seems to object to my
passin' criticism on your wife, as if she
was a queen or an angel"
The blood came TO Spencer's cheek, and
he turned uneasily to the window. Its
dark enough now for a start" he said
hurriedly. ''and if 1 could get across the
mountain without lying over at the sum-
nit, it would be day gained"
Patterson arose without word, filed a
flask Of spirits, handed il to his friend. and
silently led the way through the slowly
falling rain and the now settled da~'-''---
.ne mustang was quickly secured and
saddled: a heavy pORcbO afforded Tucker
Il ral a
the rain. With a few hurried, dIscon-
nected words, and an distracted air, he
once more shook his friends hand and
issued cautiously from the corral. When
out of earshOt from the house. he put
spurs TO the mustang, and dashed into
gallOp.
To intersect the mountain road he was
Obliged to traverse part Of the highway
his wife had walked that afternoon. and
TO pass within a mile Of the casa where
she was. Long before be reached that
point his ewes were straining the dark
ness in that direction for some indication
Of the house which was TO him familiar.
Becoming now accustomed TO the even
obscurity. less trying 10 the vision than
the alternate light and shadow Of cloud or
the fun glare of the moonlight, he fancied
he could distinguish its low walls over
the mOnOtOnous level. One of those i'm
pulses which had so often taken the place
Of resolution in his character, suddenly
possessed him to diverge from his
course and approach the house. Why.
he could not have explained. 1t was
not from any feeling Of jealous sus-
picion or contemplated revenge-that had
passed with the presence of Patterson; it
was not from any vague, lingering Sentl-
ment for the woman he had wrOnged-he
would have shrunk from meeting her at
that moment. But it was full Of these and
more possibilities by which he might or
might not be guided, and was at least
movement toward some vague end, and
distraction from certain thoughts he
dared not entertain and could not entire
" dismiss. IneOnceiYable and inexplica-
bic 10 human reason, ii might have been
acceptable to the Divine Omniseience for
its predestined result.
He left the road at a point where the
marsh encroached upon the meadow, IA
miliar TO him already as near the spot
where he had debarked from the China
mans boat the day before. He remem-
bered that the walls Of the hacienda were
distinctly visible from the tales where he
had hidden all day, and he now knew
that the figures he had observed near the
building. which had deferred his first at
tempts at landing, must have been his
wife and his friend. he knew that a long
tongue of the slough filed by the rising
tide followed the marsh, and lay between
him and the hacienda. The sinking Of
hss bo-rs-S hoof in fhn Sy,on 1rv soil 1a4ar-