The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-12-13
CHATTER Y.
TIE DIV Is RECKONING.


CHATTER V.
| TIE DIV Is B2CEnNING.
! The presence of Mr. Belmont in this
, house, and the few words he had said,
had raised a torment in Tom Eryson's
breast that etfcctually banshed sleep
tie sat before the fire deeply wrapped
IN thought; but his thoughts moved
about III ccasclcss circle and moth
ing came of them. Mr.. Ifeimont and
hls former friends should heip him
and he never would accept Of their
help. Ic would return to the city
with Jessica and he was no longer fit
1or the CONF 'anionship Of lis old
friends. His child should be rescued
from this poverty and obscurity, and
placed i'll the station t. which her
birth, her beauty, and her mind cn-
titled her-and sooner than accom-
rlish 1t by aims OF those of whom lie
was once an equal, she should share
his fate, bitter as it was.
An hour passed with these thoughts.
and tho clock struck twelve. The fire,
led by light dry branches, had Ell.
tirely died out; the candle in the
further end OF the room shed no light
here; and so it WIS that CLEAN of
light coming through the chink in the
wall near where he sat t-nnw atttfhctpCi
his attention. Ho understood at once
what 1t meant, an with the knowledge
came suggestions from the tcmpter:
The room usually occupied by Bry-
son Tor sleeping apartment, and into
whirh he had conducted tho traveller,
wa next nd dining this one. 10 reach
it the Two had entered a hall, passed
back twenty feet, and entered the
house had been substantially built, with
thick Partitions; but the wall between
these rooms had shared the misuse of
the whole house, and in places great
patches OF plasering were gone. In
one spot, about four feet from the floor,
II small piece of lathing was gone; and
it was through wide crack here that
|! the li&ht came.
Bryson's curiosity was Instantly
aroused. Mr.. Belmont had said he was
tired. His candle was still burning.
What was he about?
He might look and find out. The
sitting-room was dark at this end there
was no danger Of detection.
The Newland Wendell of other days
would have scorncd the act that Tom
Bryson now committed. Ho was, in
| uecu, u changed man.
He stopped and put his eye to the
crack.
Removing only his coat and boots
when his chur'ish host had left him,
Mr.. Belmont placed his sachel under
the pillow and threw himself upon the
| bed.
But he could not sleep.
| 4 - L. l.. -
! an atom Of sentiment in his hard, dry
nature; but there was something in the
! rapid succession and the straH geness
deeply impressed him. The accident
to the coach, the storm, the fall
ing in with Edgar Van Wyck, were
the links in the chain that had drawn
him to this outof.the way place, and
to most dsagreoablc meeting. lie
Thought of the morrow, and groIne !.
No rcmorse troubled him; it was SIM
ply the fear that if this man should
continue to reproach him for his ruin,
he could not escape Offering him
money.
"IIanG the fellow" he muttered.
"Why does he bother mo? | only took
my own. | dot owe him a cent"
He could satisfy his own coarse soul
by lch reasoning as this, but he could
not shake off the sub oct
at was hard on the poor devil, nc
reflected; "but he'd ruined himself he
fore l took him in hand"
Then came Il thought that startled
him from the led, as if with shock.
"a pretty place this is for me to bo
in all night, with what I've got along
with me! Can that crazy fellow sus.
pect it? Hardly. Tvc been careful
not to drop a hint about It. What
might he not do if he did find it out
off in TIN lonely place? 1t makes me
tremblo to think of it cau't slceI
now, sure, till I've seen that it's nj
right
A match from pockct-case relit tho
candle. He went to the door and sho
the rusty bolt. Sitting upon the side
} OF the bed, he took the sachel anC
opened it with key from il y pocket.
As the beginning of our narrative has
found Mason Belmont, he was only
midway upon his journey. It's object
known only to few contidcn tial friends
ct his home, was 10 attend large land
sale ut the capital Of one of the new
States which was mt that day considered
the Far West. His business shrowd
ness had foresccn chances for enormOu.
gains by liberal Investment IN that 10
! cality: but ready money was requisite
and bank paper ut that sale would no
answer.
SO he secretly, carefully carried {
small fortune with him. The sachc
cOnta mel twenty-five thousand dollars
One after another he pulled out from
il bundles of notes, arm.thick, securely
tied with tapes. He examined the Zig
urcs pcnc'lcd Oh The back of each. anC
one of tn. bundles he 1nfnslcno1 auI