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

moment. Mr.. Belmont appeared rest
i've and uneasy under the others steady
gaze. and soon broke the silence.
zee here, my man-it was under
etood before 1 came in here that was
to pay for what had, aud, poor as it
Is, you might have spared me the exhi.
bition OF your boorishness with it. T
can't undertake to get to Aylesworth at
this time of night, over strange road,
and l am compelled TO remain here ali
night. But there is one thing can do,
that will, perhaps, take some of the
snrliness 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 miseries of
this day"
Ny account against You, Mason Bel
= mont, is larger than ] mako out in a
. few minutes; larger than you can easily
paw
Belmont started at the mention of his
name, and the altered tone Of 3ryson.
Fellow, what do mean? Where did
you learn my name?"
You offer to pay me-" said the
other, not needing the interruption.
There are some debts that never can
be paid. was rch, honored, and
prosperous; was your peer, tho peer
OF any merchant in tho city wheYo . wo
hved; The passion of gaming seized
me; L was ruined. 4 charge ot forgery
TO largo amount was brought against
me. was perfectly innocent, but ap-
pearances were strong that | was
guilty. The eloquence OF nv counsel
on the trial aud some remnant of avn.
: pathy in the jury saved me. after n
iashioni they failed to agree. and after
long uelention IN jail / was dis
charged. / came out branded man
Everybody believed me guilty. was
o Cain where / had been almost
prince. Yet l had not lost heart. l
took courage uSd resolved to conquer
the world again. My beautf Il home,
my great block of stores, were heavily
mortLs. ged, but / knew that with time
given mo could clear of the incum-
brances and save my property. Yol
had bought up the mortgages. ! sought
you--you who had often dined at my
table and begged fayors of me and
assured you of the new life that meant
to lead. 1 asked yol for time in
which to save my property and pay oil
that was due. You met my appeal
with a heartless demand of instant
payment. begged for so little as
i year; you were obdurate. You took
advantage of the depression of the
time; you foreclosed, bought in the
property ut half its value, crushed me
at blow. My dear wife sank under
the a1liction and died. / was a beggar,
even regarded as criminal. L fled
with my child from all who had known
me. For years we have been buried in
o1,en kt wit MI
hard toll. 1t is Your work, Mason Bel
mont; how do you like it?"
He raised his voice, his eyes glowed,
his form wa, erect, his hands beat the
air with emphatic gestures. His guest
fell back to the wall in terror and as
tonishment.
"Why--bless e!-but this seems
impossible. Can you be Newland Wen
dell?"
"Aye! Look at me-thiak of my
5 chi'd.-and say how yoa like your
work."
aWhy, rea ly, WendelI-Mr. Wen
3 ,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-4to 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
80 If wer.r buried"
"I don't know precisely what to say to
you, Mr.. Wendell. 1 don't apologize to
anybody; but will say that, perhaps,
was q little too hard on you"
"Yes, little---just a littlep said
Bryson las we shall still call him, his
livid face trembling with rage and
z grief. "Monstrous Shylock that you
were, devil just. stepped out of he'll
couldn't have used a. former friend as
you treated me-"
Don't be unreasonable, my dear sir,
said Belmont, with an attempt to speak
goothingly. "I did what tho law al.
lowed; that you'll admit. AS for the
forgery, believed you guilty, just as
everybody did"
81 was not guilty."
EYES, ! know that; oil your old
friends in the city know it. Simon Os.
born died two years ago, and on hi
deatI-bed no said that he had been
hasty; that lic was satisfied that the
check wns rs be wrote il, and that you
had not altered the amount. He tried
hard TO find you. Did you never hear
Of this?D
aHear of it2 No; how could any.
thing OF this reach my ears? NY name
: is changed; am changed myself. Yo,
z did not know me; nobody would. Lool
at these rough hands, at these ben
shoulders! lam common laborer, q
drudge in tho folds and woods. barely
supporting myself and that poor child
My past life has gone from me. Their.
l.. n A. n