The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-11-04
SEMI WEEKLY MINER BUTTE. MONTANA NOVEMBER 4,lo9o

waa a sensible fellow, who was not GONG ~
make bad matters worse by vengeanGe III III
breaking laws on account o. nck.0 SL.i;
The impression given was .naS ~ I;m's
n%artner. Il was regarded as strange, nov.
a1ar that stein would not take q penny
tam Mackrin. This wal thought TO % q"
odd way OF taking revenge. ,4 18th
In genial May, Mackrin drove u Wild
! y . bride to view their new home: Ine
door OF the cabin was nailed up q deep
into q panel was cut the word RAISE: a..
'Bah!" said Mackrin, contemporary,
little putty and paint Will memo Gna
Over this spiteiui expression o. an sIsi )"
fellow W. might put the 70 sensible.
Rnt for Annetta the word False was
written on her door. She was aiready
Ion rning that il she had not shown mucn
heart or principle she had y conscience.
Within q few days they took possession
and b.qan their household life. Men came
from the village, and the small stable when
Stein had built was enlarged, and seed was
nut into the cleared land, but Annette's
Cheeks grew pale. Everything without. ana
especially everything within, remlnoeo ner
of the wronged a Whichever way ner
ewes turned they encountered an ACCUSING
object. After all, what did she practically
possess but what Stein would have given
her as his right as well as her own? NOW
she felt that all was stolen. She could
never enter her door, never even look at 1t
without seeing the word "False."
Her husbands manner added to her
sense of humiliation and disquietude. He
was kind enough in his way, but it was q
cold, business-like way. She had made her
bargain and must abide by it. His cool,
off-handed department told her a hundred
times that she had sold herself, but the
equivalent no longer seemed what her own
and her mothers fancy had painted it. In
the solemn forest, with the pines perpetu-
ally signing, as it were, for the home OF love
and truth that might have been, she entered
on that saddest phase OF life, useless, hope
less, yet inevitable regret.
The place began to grow hateful to her.
and she never lost an opportunity to rid
away with her husband; but he soon
checked this tendency with the assurance
| that some one must remain to care Tor the
| place. Then she wished to visit her mother,
who might revive her old philosophy OF life,
but he secuted the idea of living alone and
| cooking for himself, thus reminding her OF
one who had lived alone for her sake. Her
| pride led to the utmost effort to appear
| cheerful. She succeeded only in forced,
| spasmodic gayety. There was one who
sometimes heard her laughter, and his loo
| of gloomy purpose grew darker. Mean
while, her husband was too preoccupied
| and Indifferent to note any changes. In
deed, she gradually obtained the impress
| sion that he would not care much If she
| died. for then the entire property would be
his.
As a boarderin her fathers house he had
| appeared very talkative and sociable; now
he was equally capable of long s~ilences, his
mind dwelling on his plans for numbering
| during the coming fall and winter.
She grew more and more lonely. Her
father rarely came to see her, for he had a
horror OF the place and a morbid fear OF
| the woods. He would never tell what
passed himself and Stein, but she had not
forgotten the expression OF his face when he
I returned, nor had she failed to note how
fast he was growing haggard and gray. Her
mother grumbled over it all, and now her
| refrain was, "People did so lack common
sense!"
One morni lg early in August there was
the sound of an exc a little to the north of
the cabin, and it had a strong, familiar
| echo. Mackrin said:
II will go and see how our new neighbor
is, also that he is not ~trespassing."
He soon returned with a white and some
what frightened face and said, angrily:
Its that cursed Weldon. He says he
owns the tract north OF this. l offered to
pay and make up with him and to give
him employment. for he has been working
on farms a few miles away, but he ordered
me off his claim. He showed me a b)azed
line OF trees and told me to cross it again
| at my peril. Good heavens! What makes
you so white and faint? If I can't cross
his line he can't cross mine. That's a
game two can play at"
Something in STEMS words and manner
prevented further overtures on the part of
Mackrin, but as the axe to the north
swung steadily day after day he, too, was
away, he tool his wife with him. By some
tacit understanding they never spoke OF
their %neighbor, yet they knew he was the
subject of their mutual thoughts. Annette's
increasing pallor and apprehensive looks
were noted and Mackrin chafed in impotent
anger. He now wished that he had not To-
Gated there, but he had invested too much
money to think readily OF removal. Many
schemes to get rid of Stein were considered,
but either they were not feasible or else
they involved crime. The fiercely host lie
neighbor would soon look down upon them
day and night from the superior height of
his tract.
To Annette, the immediate presence of
the stern, lonely man was like an oppres-
sive nightmare yet occasionally, so un-
happy vas her life, she was frightened at
her wild impulse to fly to him. Once, when
her husband was away for a brief time,
she heard his axe near the line. She would
speak to him she would entreat that he
either be reconciled or else go far away.
She would-she knew not what.
Running toward, she held out her hand,
and her voice was all appeal as she said:
"Steinv"
The blows OF his axe ceased, he regarded
her frowningly for a moment, then, with an
imperious gesture, warned her back and
strobe away. She returned to the cabin
so desperate and despairing that life was a
burden.
Indeed, life was a burden to both hus-
band and wife. His heart, however, was
full of wrath OF bitterness she was sor-
rowing without hope.
Her mothers influence had been taken
away, the promised happiness of prosper
ity had not been received. All too late,
her her heart, the woman within her. had
been awakened. Conscience, an element
she had not calculated upon, had spoiled
everything; the lover who would have re-
manned such through life, had become q
stern, accusing presence.
Late one afternoon she was feeling this in
a vague, dunk way, when she not ID that
the sun was suddenly darkening. There
was a distant roaring in the west. Then
her husband came running from the clear
ing and said, with something like terror in
his face as he shut the door, that q storm
was coming.
The roar increased until it was a contin.
uous and ever increasing roll of thunder. A
minute later and it was mingled with sharp
cracks like the reports of firearms. Then
there was an awful crash and she knew no
more.
A tall candle was burning in a little hut
and it's glimmer fell on the face of an I'M I
conscious woman. Bending over her were |
two rude, shaggy looking men, applying
such restoratives as their limited knowledoe |
suggested. One OF these men was Stein and
the other wa his friend, the lumberman.
"Oh, Jim, JIM" groaned Stein, this is
awful. Wrath and bitterness were in nv |
heart, but | wished for nothing like this.
10 think OF it-both dead in a minute"
"Mackrin is d~ead-dead as a mackere].,
said the literal Jim, but his wife amt. Her
heart beats. Gosh! Stein, she amt his wife
no longer"
No, nor mine" was the mournful re-.