The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-14

|
, hgurc2 The first train for Earrviie loft
at HIS. II was now 1880.
lie applied 10 the president OF the bank for
leave 81 absence. He showed tho president
the outside of the dispatch That gentleman
inferred, from the cashiers pale face, that II
was probably death in the family; and, rs
hc always associated such events IA his mind
with hcqucsts ~ property, ho said readily
that he guessed they could get along without
him for few days Half an hour later, Mr.
Street was ON the train speeding along
toward Earrville,
In that six hours ride Mr. Street lived q
month OF suspense The ears were no sooner
in motion than he wished no had never
started If MIR. Hammond was convicted,
let IL bc upon other evidence than his. He
would never have resting upon him the
| responsibility of sealing the doom of u man
| who might, for all he knew, be honestly try
ing to blot out the past and lead an upright
life. He called To mind every little net Of
kindness that Mr. Hammond had ever eX-
tended 10 him. His excited Imagination
| magnilied them TO boundless obligations.
And this was his return for them! Mr..
Street would have given years salary to be
back at his desk.
At every station he went out and stood on
the platform with wild desire to get oir and
go-anywhere away from Barrville. The
people in the car began TO look mt him
strangely and suspiciously. And in the
midst OF his agonizing reflections the brake
man dashed open the door and sang out
| "Barrville.n
How he Z Off from the train and over the
distance from the depot to the court house,
Mr. Street never knew, He spoke to several
persons on the way, but he couldn't have
told, for his life what he said to them. The
first realization of his surroundings was
when he found himself ascending the broad
steps of the court house-with green baize
door in front of him and all hope behind
him
He hcstated moment. That moment
was decisive The green baize door was sud
denly opened from within, and lie had no
choice but to enter The room into which he
came was the court room, Court was in Sos
sion and the room was filed to overlooking
Mr. Streets entrance was scarcely noted;
every eye WAS strained toward the witness
stand
A man near the door made room for Mr.
Street ON the bench beside him. The cashier
sank into the prolrersd seat. The buzz Of
distinct murmurs, like sounds great dis
lance away. And, all the time, the man at
his side kept talking on in IA dcsultory fashion.
"Ihe fellows up for larceny" he said.
Queer You hadn't heard about it. You're
a stranger here, amt your He's the same
one that robbed the Kerrin Savings bank in
| 20 Praps you recoIectl He owned up to
it when lac found they knowed it. He's been
! Ill La.
| Il waiting for him now"
The loquacious stranger crancd his neck
around TO get better view. Mr.. Street felt
that he should faint or shrek if something
didn't happen.
Something did happen.
There he is!' exclaimed the stranger:
'thnts him on the witness stand, He's
holding up his hand to be sworn guess
you have to stand up to see him.
The cashier staggered to his feet. He
looked ut the people, the ceiling, the clock
it was just 5l5-the jury, the lawyers, the
| judge. Then, with an effort, he raised his
eyes to the prlsoner-and saw
Not Mr.. Hammond-but a man as like him
as his reflection in glass Like him, but not
he. There were the same piercing eyes, the
same strongly marked features; but this
mans face bore the impress of a hard and
reckless life. II needed not his confession of
the crime; for Mr.. Street knew, now, beyond
peradventure, that this was the man with
whom he had grappled on that eventful night,
six years ago and that Mr. Hammond was as
innocent of the crime as the cashier himself
For one moment Mr.. Street stood staring
blankly at the prisoner. Then as the whole
force of the revelation dawned upon him,
with an indeScrbable look of horror and re-
morse, he seized his hat and dashed frantic
ally from the building.
The night train bore away from Barrville
man who sat bolt upright in the corner of
the seat with his hat crushed down over his
eyes. He neither spoke nor stirred. He had
seen the phantom which had pursued him for
the past year, until it had come to seem a
living reality, dissolve and vanish before his
very eyes And it had left him dazed and
bowidered. He no longer tried to reason it
out He doubted his very senses and grasped
the arm of the seat firmly, to make sure he
was not dreaming. The romance Of his life
had departed He was no longer the mys-
terous emissary who carried in his breast
consuming secret, but a commonplace bust
hess man. whose thoughts any one might
read.
But commonplace people sleep soundly.
That night not dream disturbed his slum
hers, and the next morning he went to his
desk, matter Of fact cashier.
Mr.. Hammond married Miss Wilson. Mr..
Street never told her his secret She asked
him about it, once, but he evaded her ques
ton When Mr.. Street congratulated Mr.
Hammond the latter said
"Do you know, Street, | used to fancy you
had something against me. You seemed al
most suspicious of me- IL made me posi-.
lively uneasy at times"
But the cashier drew himself up with dig
nifty, and said
"Do you take mo for fool. sirf'-IIermn-
ius Cobb in The Epoch.
Big Price for n Tree.
Curly walnut is highly valued by veneer