The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-04-21
TOM
BRYSON'S CRIME.
BY THE MAJOR"
CHAPTER ".

Inere was an AWKWARD pause Tor q
moment. Mr.. Belmont appeared rest
i've and uneasy under the others steady
gaze, and soon broke the silence.
"See here, my man-it was under
stood before | came in here that | was
to pay for what [ had, and, poor as it
is, you might have spared me the exhi-
bition of your boorishness with it. I
can't undertake to get to Aylesworth at
this time of night, over a strange road,
and | am compelled to remain here all
night. But there is one thing | can do,
that will, perhaps, take some of the
surliness out of you. | viii pay my
bill in advance. How much is it?"
Byron said nothing.
"Come-your charge, | sayl Let me
get to bed, and forget the miserias OF
this day"
My account against you, Mason Bel
mont, is larger than l make out in a
few minutes; larger than you can easily
paw"
Belmont started at the mention of his
name, and the altered tone of Bryson.
Fellow, what do mean? Where did
you learn my name?"
on offer to pay me-" said the
other, not needing the interruption.
"There-are some debts that never can
be paid. | was rich, honored, and
prosperous; | was your peer, the peer
of any merchant in the city where we
lived. The passion of gaming seized
me; | was ruined. \ charge of forgery
to a large amount was brought against
me l was perfectly innocent, but APP
pearances were strong that | was
guilty. The eloquence of my counsel
on the trial and some remnant of sym
pathy IN the jury saved me, after a
fashion; they failed to agree, and after
long detention IL Jail [ was dis
charged. | came out branded man
Everybody believed me guilty. l was
Cain where | had been almost a
prince. Yet [ had not lost heart l
took courage ind resolved to conquer
the world again. My beautiful home,
my great block of stores, were heavily
mortgaged, but | knew that with time
given me l could clear off the incum-
brances and save my property. You
had bought up the mortgages. / sought
you-you who had often dined at my
table and begged fayors Of me-and
assured Won of the new life that | meant
to lead. | asked you for time in
which to save my property and pay all
that was due. You met my appeal
with a heartless demand of instant
payment. l begged for so little as q
year; you were obdurate You took
advantage of the depression of the
time; you foreclosed, bought in the
property at half its value, crushed me
at a blow. My dear wife sank under
the affection and died. | was beggar,
even regarded as q criminal. | fed
with my child from all who had known
me. For years we have been buried in
obscurity, cursed with poverty and
hard toll. 1t is your work, Mason Bel.
mont; how do you like it?"
He raised his voice, his eyes glowed
his form was erect, his hands beat the
fell back to the wall in terror and as.
constituent.
Why-bless me!-but this seems
impossible. Can you be Newland Wen,
dell?"
AYE! Look at me-think of my
child-and say how you like your
work"
"Why, really, Wendell-Mr. Wen
dell-this is extremely sudden.
thought you were dead; everybody
thought so. 3"
And so ] ami Dead to my good
name, dead to the fortune that was
mine-to the wealth and renewed honor
that would have been mine-had yor
not cruelty denied me the chance. Oh
I'm dead enough; [ shouldn't be more
so if / werer buried"
II don't know precisely what to say tc
you, Mr.. Wendell. l don't apologize tc
anybody; but l will say that, perhaps
l was a little too hard on you"
Yes, little-ius: a little!" said
Bryson Cas We shall still call him, his
Gvid face trembling with rage anC
grief. "AIonstrous Shylock that yor
were, devil Just stepped out of he'll
couldn't have used a former friend a.
you treated me-"
Don't L unreasonable, my dear sir
said Belmont, with an attempt to SPEAK
soothingly. Il did what the law al
lowed; that you'll admit. AS for the
forgery, l believed you guilty, Just as
everybody did"
Il was not guilty"
Eyes, | know that; all your ole
friends in the city know it. Simon Os
born died two years ago, and on hi,
death-bed he said that he had beer
hasty; that he was satisfied that the
check was as he wrote il, and that yor
had not altered the amount. He tried
hard TO find you. Did you never heal
of this?'
Hear of it? No: how could anv
thing of this reach my ears? Mynamt
Is changed; | am changed myself. You
did not know me; nobody would. Lool
at these rough hands, at these ben
shoulders! am a common laborer. I
drudge in the fields and woods. barely
supporting myself and that poor child
My past life has gone from me. There
Is gulf between it and me that | can
not cross.
HIS violence had almost departed
he spoke now ike a man almost heart
broken. Staggered by this sudden ap
partition of one whom he had deepl,
wronged, and whom he had though
long dead, Mason Belmont was in con
sternatlon. He knew not what TO say
to offer any reparation was gall to hi.
mlserly soul. The change of Brvson'
mood gave him an opportunity to es
cape Tor the present from these bite,
reproaches.
We'll, Mr.. Wendell, it's long pas
now, and | don't see Just what can b.
done about it. Ten years is Ions
time, you know. hope you'll believe
me when ! say that this painful discov
cry has almost upset me. Let me go t,
bed aud sleep on it, and I'll talk will
you further in the morning. VIII Vol
take this I've dollars now for my keen
ing?"
No; put it away with the rest o
your Ill-uOtten gains