Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-09-01

realize more and more his inherent gift Of
command-command first Of himself, next
of his fellows-command not ostentatiously
asserted with pomp and bluster, but COM
mand based on tact, the art of saying the
right word and doing the right thing at the
right time and place. Brocner seemed to
know where lay the door to every persons
good will; more he knew how to open it.
This reflection seemed to germinate a more
disagreeabe idea, that despite. all Broener
had done for me, was but his creature He
was ruling and influencing me as he did
Others land this last thought smote me
hard) stood to him as Hillyear had to Pratt
when Pratt was himself.
So the cloud, the cloud 1 alone made out
of my thought, came between us and grew
darker and darker, and more and more chilly.
Yet our external intercourse was much the
same as ever-at least we attempted to make
it So though the very attempts served but to
reveal the change more clearly.
resolved at last to have the secret out of
him. If he would not speak Blanche Sefton's
name would. So, one day, as we were COM
ing down from the 'Bank" laden each with
forty pounds Of rich quartz, I said in as in
different tone as could assume: "That
girl who played looks to me like one knew
home named Blanche Seton"
"Your friend has reason to be proud of the
resemblance" replied Broener, in a careless
way. Then he added, in lower tone: 1--WE
mustn't talk loud here. Bill Sefter's crowd
are working but hundred feet below us,
and Setter is an artistic and accomplished
busybody, with one ear always open for
other peoples business"
No sooner were the words out of my mouth
than saw that had now laid myself fully
open to Broener That he had my secret, if
secret there was, without any exchange in
return. He now knew the cause of my
changed manner. In nautical language,
had given him all the marks and bearings Of
the channel and the course he should steer
Then hated and admired him at the same
time for the readiness with which, I saw, he
had parried my question. That readiness,
after few moments reflection, only made
me more miserable. Because, I thought, he
must know her name, ard If it were not
Blanche, what occasion would there be for
his concealing it9 So, then, it was Blanche.
But Blanche may have given him a false
name There was hope. But what if she
has? Is she not Blanche still2 was getting
in that state where my mind refused to
work in proper fashion. If I kept on in this
way, should soon argue that man had but
to change his name to change his identity,
and that when Charlotte Brown called her
self Julia Smith she became Julia Smith.
This alarmed me little Then the ridicu-
lousness of my condition came over me, and
laughed aloud
"What are you laughing atp' said Broener.
"At fool saw yesterday, when I looked
in the glass, who took strolling actress for
girl he knew in the states" I said, in q
mood made up of petulance and vexation.
Broener turned half round and gave me q
look, apparently half surprise, half anger.
had "broken out in a new spot" for him,
and in the remark he had possibly recog-
nized an attempt Of mine in his own fashion
to throw him Off his guard. 1t was not
The words were born Of the mood was in,
and had flown out Of my lips as Of their own
volition. Suddenly recollected that the
term "strolling actress" I had used was not
one Indicative Of the highest respect for the
lady in question, and that under the circum-
stances it could not have fallen agreeably on
Broener's ears I apologized for having
used such expression.
He received my apology in silence saw
by this he meant to punish me, and OF course
my feelings against him were not at all
lessened.
Meantime the other cloud on Bull Bar was
darkening for 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 a quarrel and much
ill will betwixt Pratt and some one previous
to the-ahem-accident." Pratt raved con-
tinually about the ''young un," who thought
he "owned the whole mountain" He was
ever being 'dogged about the chapparal by
him" and so on.
Mr.. William Setter drank in with his
gossipy, greedy ears Pratt's utterances and
the doctors opinions. He visited Pratt's
cabin on his way to work in the morning,
dropped 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 Pratts house messes Of gossip, which
he distributed as labor of love all over Bull!
Bar. Mr.. Sefter's forte as q suspicion
breeder lay in inferences. He had no direct
charge against any one. But he said it was a
"queer piece of business" Pratt, poor man,
had been trying to get along and 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 day. 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
by Mr.. Setter for individuals singly and in
dividuals in groups for eight or ten days
He was in this work earnest and persevering,
in season and out of season He 'set people
to thinking" He educated them, in fact, to
think suspiciously Of me in connection with
Pratt. Ordinarily on Bull Bar a 'shootin'
scrape" 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 arbiter in all manner
of disputes Smith Jumped" Jones' claim.
inquire closely into the matter. The affair
was a two days sensation. In week it was
quite forgotten.
But in this case here was Mr. Sefter's
"poor sick man" and his partner devoting
his whole time to him, and /, John Holder,
in some mysterious way mixed up with them.
Mr.. Setter played several chords on the
various human hearts Of thousand strings
he handled. First sympathy, next mystery
and beyond that something dark-he would
not say what-only something resembling
myself or my red shirt on Scrub mountain
could in tho many views presented by him to
his audiences be vaguely made out in the
general indistinctness.
So this busy man went on poisoning the
Bull Bar mind against ME.
Broener left for Marysville on the day
Pratt was pronounced worse. His interest
in the "Bank" seemed now secondary to
another elsewhere.
After his departure l went down to Ran
kins. 1t was noon. I arrived at the store
just after the fifteen or twenty boarders had
finished their dinner, and were now congre-
gated for smoke and talk, preparatory to
the long afternoons work in their claims
along the river bank.
Just before entering heard Settlers tongue
rattling on at livelier pace than ever. The
gravity of Pratt's case seemed to act as a
stimulant upon him, exciting his imagination
and touching up his suspicious differences re-
garding this queer business" in more pro-
nounced colorings than ever.
"And why don't he come out and tell the