Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-02

self at last, and drew my feet up on the
seat of the carriage. and felt the cold damp
ness of fear creep down my face as | heard
! a girls voice, hoarse and eager, as it
seemed to me, striving for calmness against
growing terror.
aListen, Harry" she said. "This money
is not mine. You do not understand, so l
must tell you, though it is my fathers Sc
cres. He has owed this sum for ten years,
and for ten years has worked and saved
and starved for it. Little by little he has
gathered it all, and | have watched him
growing older and paler, and seen the
stoop in his shoulders and the dimness in
his eyes, until, Harry, my heart ha,
nearly broken for pity. But week ago
the last pound was put in the bank, and
he was Free"
"a week ago." the mans voice muttered
harshly; "and why not pay it week ago,
and save tempting me ?"
The last words were said so low that /
scarcely heard them, and the girl took no
notice of them, and hardly even answered
hisquestion.
at was for my brothers sake, dear, the
brother you never knew, who is dead, and
who, but for his father, would be disgraced
as well. He was weak, poor fellow, in
body and mind. He was a clerk, and
betted and lost, Harry" and the poor lit
tie voice grew so pitiful here that | could
fancy l saw pleading eyes raised to the
others face, "and he took money, e200.
from his master
"Two hundred pounds" the shout with
which these words were uttered made me
tremble. ''Never mind the story, Kate;
tell it me another time; it's common
enough, God knowsl Where is the
money!"
There was shrinking movement on the
girls part. | could hear her breathe
quickly, and push the mans hands away,
while sat crouching there like q coward,
hearing all and afraid to help, afraid to
put out my hand across the carriage for
fear of what it might touch.
mo, Harry-no," she painted; "you
shall not have it. My father Oh,
Harry, let me tell you. My father went
to Franks master and pleaded for him; he
swore that if he would forgive the boy he
himself would pay the money back, and at
last it was agreed Frank went to Aus
tralia, and died there year after, and my
father worked on, faithful to his promise.
Halfway through the time he took e100
to Franks master. My father thought he
was surprised to see the money. A friend
said he could not claim it now my brother
was dead. Anyway, he told my father he
would forgive him the other half; but
father would not hear of that He said
for his dead boys honor he would pay all
and this morning, Harry, he told me to 60
and get the money from the bank, and to-
morrow he will pay it over himself, and
be free and happy again. Now, Harry,
you understand"
The mans tone was changed when he
spoke again.
''Of course, dear, l understand" he said,
more gently, and l could hear him draw
her toward him; land now you must listen
to me. You know you are mine, Kate;
you have promised to marry me, and you
ought to trust me little"
81 do, Harry" she whispered, "only you
promised to give up betting"
"You talk like woman, Kate, and
woman with no experience | tell you,
most men bet. 1t all depends how you do
it. Now, here | am doing nothing rash;
am behind the scenes. | have the trainers
word for it, and John of Gaunt is as sure
to win as the bookmakers think he is safe
to lose, and that is saying a good deal.
With paltry Go in my pocket am safe
to make $50, and with G100---think, Kate,
we could marry tomorrow"
81 would rather wait than marry so,
DEAR" the gentle voice answered.
'Bnt by George, Kate, / would not
the briefly depressed fury burst out again;
"and l tell you again the money will save
me. Lend it me, child, Just for tonight
I'll bring it you doubled tomorrow, Kate,
swear. Doubled you don't know how
FL multiply it. And, bark you, girl-for
| see your meek eyes set themselves, and
your lips, that can tremble sometimes,
press together-you had better know the
truth. Your brothers story will be mine
without this money. | owe more than that
weak boy dared venture. l love you,
Kate, and I'll marry you if you are true
to me; but, by heaven, if you think to put
a dead brother before a living husband,
FL be more like killing than marrying"
l heard his teeth grind together as he
spoke, and there was an awful silence. The
girl must have drawn back from him, for
when she spoke again her voice sounded
further away, and there was a kind of sob
in her throat which broke and choked her
words.
81 must give you up, Harry; can never
be your wife now. When you are calmer
you would despise me, and should despise
myself for lending you what was not my
own. The money is in a dead hand,
dare not touch it,"
A harsh laugh burst from the man close
to me, and my hands, which were locked
together, were wet and cold; | tried to
tear them apart; | tried to bite my lip
and force the blood into my face, but
though | knew how | was covering, had
no control over the horrible demon of fear
which had me in its grasp.
"What do you mean, child ?" the man
who laughed asked in a hollow voice,
what makes you talk of dead hands?
Come near me, Kate, will not give you
up so lightly; see, we will talk of other
things; don't look so frightened; come and
kiss me, Kate; you are brave girl, we'll
forget that cursed money"
/ heard her creep back to her old place,
heard her crying as women cry after
tension of mind and heart has been re-
moved, heard him kiss her, and ask her
forgiveness; and then, just as the cold fear
that held me seemed about to relax its
hold, / felt-no, | felt nothing, but |
heard, close to me now in the silence, a
movement of trembling, fumbling hand
"a hand that sought something, something
secret, something that ii would grasp I'M
seen.
The two were not speaking now, or only
in murmurs so low that the moving hand
which fumbled near me seemed to claim
my ear more than their words.
My head throbbed with the tension of
listening; all the blood in me seemed to be
beating there, leaving my heart stone cold.
Suddenly the cropping hand passed swiftly
close to my face; | felt the wait of the
parted air against my wet temples, and
then heard cry; ali, such cry of sur
prise breaking into terror, of terror over
maStorinu love ne tho rfrpc voi 90