The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-12-13
TOM
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BRYSoN'S CRIME.
BY THE MAJOR"
CHAPTER Nv.

L 1uere was an awkward pause for n
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 I came in here that l was
to pay for what had, and, poor as it
IS, you IN ght have spared me the exhi-
bition OF your boorishness with it. I
can't undertake to got to Aylcsworth at
this time of night, over a strange road,
and L am compelled TO remain here ali
night. But there is one thing can do,
that will, perhaps, take some of tho
surliness out Of you. ] will pay my
bill in advance. How much is it,"
Byron said nothing.
"Come-your Charge, l say! Let me
get to bed, and forget the miscries of
this day"
Ny account against you, Mason Bel
mont, is larger than / mako out in
lew minutes; larger than you can easily
paw"
Belmont started at the mention of his
name, and the altered tone Of :}ryson.
Fellow, what do mean? Where did
you learn my namo?"
You offer to pay me-" said the
other, not needing tic interruption.
There are some debts that never can
be paid. l was rch, honorel, and
prosperous; | was your peer, the peer
OF any merchant in the city where wo
lived. The passiea- gum ng seized
me; L was ruined. \ charge of forgery
to large amount was brought against
me. L was perfectly innocent, but ap-
pearanccs were strong that ] was
guilty. The cloquence OF my counsel
on the trail aud some remnant of SYM
patiy IN the jury saved me, after
iah51a aa taGH filled 4 70 n &nh Mal s
charged. / came out branded man!
Everybody believed me guilty. | was
Cain where / had been almost Il
prince. Yet / had not lost heart. |
took courage u3d resolved to conITcr
the world again. My beautif i home,
my great block Of stores, were heavily
morths, ged, but / knew that with time
given mo l could clear OIL the incum-
branccs aud save my property. Yol
had boTght up the mortgages. 1 sought
you--yo who had often dined at my
table and begged fa, ors of me and
assured You of the now life that meant
to lead l asked yol for time in
which to save my property and pay all
that was due. You met my appeal
with heartless demand of instant
payment. | begged for so little as u
year; you were obdurate. You took
advantage of the depression of the
time; you foreclosed bought in the
property ut half it's value, crushed me
at q blow My dear wife sank under
the anliction and died. [ was beggar,
even regarded as a criminal | fed
wifh my child from all who had known
me. For years we have been buried in
oh ifv
hard toll. 1t is Your work, Mason Bel
mont; how do you like iHSE
He raised his voice, es glowed,
his form wai erect, Rfls beat the
air with emphatic ges; i9ts. His guest
fell back to the wall III terror and as
tonishment.
"Why--bless me!--but this seems
impossible. Can you be Newland Wen
dell?'
"Aye! Look Mt mc-think of my
chi'd-and say how yoi like your
work"
"Whv, rca ~, Wendell-Mr. Wen
dell--this is extremely sudden. |
thought you were dead; everybody
thought So"
"And so / am! Dead to my good
--name, dead to the fortune that was
mine-to the wealth and renewed honor
that would have been mine--had you
\ not cruelty denied me the chance. Oh,
I'm dead enough; shouldn't be more
so if L wer,- buried"
"I don't know precisely what to say to
you, Mr.. Wendell. | don't apologize to
anybody: but l will say that, perhaps,
/ was u little too nard on you"
"Yes, little--iust a little" said
Bryson .(as we shall still call him, his
livid face troubling with rage and
grief. "Monstrous Shylock that you
were, n dew! lust stepped out of hol
! couldn't have used n former friend as
\ you treated me.
Don't be unreasonable, my dear Sir,
said belmont. with all attempt to spcai
goothingiy. II did what the law al
lowed; that you'll admit. As for th,
forgery, believed you guilty, Just as
everybody did"
81 was not guilty"
"Ios, ] know that; all your ole
friends in the city know it. Simon Os
born died two years ago, and on hi
dcath-bed ho sail that he had beer
hasty that lie was satisfied that the
check was rs lie wrote il, and that yol
had not altered the amount. He trieC
hard to find you. Did You never hca
of this?'
"Hcar of it? No; how could any
thing of this reach my ears? Ny name
is changed; | am changed myself. Yo,
did not know me; nobody would. Lool
ut these rough hands, at these ben
shoulders! l ann common laborcr,
drudge in tho fields and woods. barcl,
supporting myself aud that poor child
My past life has gone from me. Their,
is a gulf between 1T and INC that | can
not cross.
His violence lad almost departed