Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-11-28

must kSlON her name, ana II IL were not
Blanche, what occasion would there De for
his cuncealing it. 81, then, it was Blanche.
But Blanche may have gwen hIa a false
ram2 There was hopa. Bat what if she
has! Is she not Blanche SAIL! l was getting
in that state where my mind Refused 10
work in proper fashion II kept ol in this
way, should soon argus that a man hid but
to change his name 10 chang, his Identity,
and That when Charlotte Brown called her
sell Julia Smith she became julia Smith.
This alarmed Inc little Theu the r.:icu-
louSness Of my condition came over ine, and
laughed aloud
What are you laughing at'~ said BrUener.
"At a fool | saw yesterday, when looked
in the glass who took Strol!inr a. srcssS for
a girl ne knew in the states" 1 said, in a
mood made up of petulsnce and vexation
Broener turned half round and gave ne a
look, apparently half surprise, half anger.
had broken out in new spot for him,
and in the remark he had possibly re2og-
niZed an attempt of mine in his own fashion
10 throw him of his guard. 1t WIS not.
the words were born of the mood was IN,
and had flown out of my lips rs Of their own
yCLtinn Suddenly | re 'olltct,l that The
term ''Strolling actress" had used wa, not
one indicative of the highest respect Tor Jha
lady in question, and that under the circL'
stances IL could not havc fallen arrecIhly,
Br Sener's ears. I apologized for having
uS.d such expression
He received nv apology in silence. saw
b. this he meant to punish ma, and OF course
my feelings against him were not at all
lessened.
Meantime tile other cloud on Bull Bar was
darkening foc me. Pratt became worse.
The physician talked OF brain fever and
looked grave. He added beside that some
secret was on Pratt'S mind. He inferred
there must have been quarrel and much
i'll will bctwixt Pratt and some one previous
to Northumberland" Pratt raved CON
tinually about the young un," who thought
h. owned the whole mountain" He was
ever being logged about the chaPparal by
him, =" and so on
Mr. William Setter drank In with his
cosby greedy ears Pratt'S utteranCeS and
the doctors opinions. He visited Pratts
cabin ON his way to work in the morning,
lroppel in at noon and again at night. He
made himself an assistant nurse to Pratt,
brought him choice dishes and brOthS Of his
own making. and he could make them well
He WAS really useful. Besides, he carried
from Pratt'S house mcSSeS of gossip, which
he distributed as labor of love all over Bull
Bar Mr.. Settlers forte aS a suspicion
breeder Law in differences. He had no direct
charge against any one. But he said it was
queer piece of business" Pratt, poor man,
had been trying to get along AMI earn an
honest living He as good as supported Hill
year. who hadn't much gumption anyway.
Young Holder, " he added. found Pratt with
those hurts on his head Pratt couldn't bear
the sight Of Holder Always set him to run
min on about shootin' and rowin'. Holder
was up the mountain that dav. He saw him
at least it looked like his shirt in the
bushes Well, it was queer business
Such is a sample of the applications made
bv Mr. Setter for individuals Singly and in
dividualS in groups for eight or ten days.
He was in this work earnest and perSevcring,
in season and ont of season. He set people
to thinking" He educated them, In fact, 10
think S,lspiciouSlv of me in connection with
Pratt Ordinarily on Bull Bar "shootin
scrap" between two men. even if one was
killed, might not get any farther than the
local Justices court; might not get even
there The community tacitly acknowledged
the pistol as the main arbit2r in all manner
| of disputes Smith Jumped" Jones claim.
Jones shot Smith dead Nobody had time 20
inquire closely into the matter. The affair
was two days sensation. In a week 1t was
quite forgotten.
But in this case here was Mr. Settlers
poor sick man and his partner devotinS
his whole time to him. and |, John Holder,
i'm some mysterious way miXed mp with them.
Mr. Setter plaved several chords on the
various human hearts of a thousand strings
he handled First sympathy, next mystery
ami beyond that something dark-he would
not saw what-only something resembling
myself or my rel shirt on Scrub mountain
could in the many views presented by him TO
his audiences he vaguely made out in the
| general mdiStinCtneSs.
80 this busy man went on poisoning the
| Bull Bar mind against me.
Broencr left for Marysville on the dav
| Pratt was pronounced worse His interest
| in the Bank" seemed now secondary to
another elsewhere.
After his'departure | went down to Ran
! kin'S. 1t was noon. | arrived at the store
Just after the fifteen or twenty boarderS had
finished their dinner, and were now conGre-
| gated for a smoke and a talk, preparatory +"
! the long afternoons work in their claims
! along the river bank.
Just before entering heard Settlers tongue
| rattlng on at u livehcr pace than ever The
gravity of Pratt'S case seemed to act as 4
stimulant upon him, exciting his imagination
and touching up his suspicious differences re
garding this queer business" in more pro
uOuuCfl cOlOriuvs than ever
"And why don't he come out and tell the
| whole storyT said he.
As entered that hush enSued so peculiar
10 the uucx pected advent of the party talked
| about.
knew they were talking Of me in connec
ton with Pratt--or rather felt it, hal
felt it for some days-felt it in a certain cool
ness. in averted looks, and hints and inuen
does, whose full import and meaning now
burst upon me-
The silence was finally broken by ono
Long Macs" asking mo if "lnew how
Pratt was"
Il hear he is worse" was my reply, and |
felt my face redden and burn as spoke Ac
tually did feel then like PrattS murderer,
and on trial before jury prejudiced against
me, without favorable witness or extenuat-
urI, ClICulllSLtllCt III NY OClAll 81 SNltilS
seemed the effect of the predominant thought
from the group in that store to make me feel
IS they beiiered.
There was another silence. A great deal
of renewed and possibly unnecessary pipe
filing and cleaning of stems with broom
straws went on; possibly as mental relief
to the more sensitive, and consequently EN-
barraSSed, Of the party.
WAS you coming down Scrub mountain
when you found Pratt!' asked another
No" replied. II went up to him"
Il wonder how he came by two bullets in
his head, asked Long Mac.
II don't know that he has any bullets in
his head" replied
You don't" was the rejoinder from Long
Mac. The cnPhaair tho TSOHI''ttu -ar
peculiar l did not mistake its meaning, but
made no reply.
Meantime Mr. Setter was silent. Perhaps,
for the first time, a sense of the TeSponSi
biity Of his lOquacity had come over him.
He did not like talking III face of the
accused. The matter was now in sterner
hands.