Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-18
CHAPTER III.

you pronounce Judgment. Perhaps you will
be able to forgive me-"
CHAPTER III.
Old Mr.. Spencer drank glass Of Madeira at
gulp. Perhaps it was the wine that nerved
MIN to listen undemonstratively to the contin-
uance Of Mr.. Caswelrs narrative.
I'VE went into the mountains together" the
American said, land Harold got to be my part
ner-a brave, good-looking lad he was, full Of
work and full Of pluck l. too. was younger
then than am now, and was right and nit for
most anything. We went to work together
gold seeking, and. can tell you. 1t was no mat
ter to be lightly undertaken. We hunted for
days and days and nights and nights, and many
was the night when lay down,
never knowing whether or not we'd lie
mere In the morning stiff and stark with
our throats cut by the savages, or with half
dozen bullets through us from the thieving
humans 1t was long, heart-breaking hunt.
and as the days went by and our provisions gave
out and nearly every speck of powder was clean
gone, my partner got weary and haggard and
excltable, and his face got lean and shrunken,
and his eyes more shiny. He wouldn't eat any
more and tried to cheer him, but couldn't.
We walked on, and at last we thought it was
hopeless to continue and we made up our minds to
turn back. And as we were trudging along.
weak and tired and hungry, and barely able to
drag the weight of our rides for it was diff
cult road, narrow Indian trail across a pass
In the mountains), we lighted upon a spot
where waterfall had laid the rocks quite bare.
My partner was the first to see it and there
in little heaps and piles of shiny yellow
Jumps in the quartz bed Of the water.
tell you we weren't long in splashing into it.
and soon we had sacks full of rich ore and tons
more to come. Then we came to think that
there were only two Of us and that one of us
vrn hov To nj fa% oh hnl,~ Ill. Al
other watched by the find. was the stronger
and it was decided that l should go down
to the first station on the plains and
get two or three fellows that we could
trust to help us, and my partner was to remain
on guard. 1t took me three DAYS to get down
on to the prairie, and two more to come back
again, because had to do it on foot one way,
and even on the road back my mules couldn't
travel very fast because it was all broken
ground, and often had to 60 round for miles
But at last got back to our mine and found
my partner waiting there for me-
lis 1t truey he asked Is the ore gold?'
ITS the best l replied; we've struck it
rich this time
HE threw up his arms and turned his face
squarely toward the sun, as though even its
hight wasn't as bright as his sudden fortune.
Thank God! he cried out Now Ill have
money enough for Marie Clematon.' And
then he commenced the hymn which you played
for me.
so here was the man who had wroneed
Marie and he meant to pay her with money"
him."
II am telling you what thought and wha. 1
did. Mr.. Caswell continued, ''and not what
was true Hear me out l believed that my
partner had separated me from Marie and that
he had done it by means of some dastardIy
conduct. in expiation of which he meant to
offer wealth-the proceeds of our mine-to the
creole belle. l was maddened. was not un-
der self-restraint at all. l seized pickax and
struck him down."
You wretched assassin of nv boyw cried
old Mr.. Spencer, and he threw himself on the
American.
baby might as well have attempted to crush
a giant. Mr.. Caswell put him back into his
chair, easily and gently, and restrained him
there while saying:
''wait till am done. Then will submit to
any punishment you may decide to inflict l
repented my deed at once. and lifted INV part
ner to his bunk in our cabin. He was white as
a sheet except for the blood from the wound.
and his teeth ratified and he glared at me and
muttered something, but he didn't know me
any more than Adam. His wits were clean
gone. 1 was penitent enough at once. knew
him by name, but he had never told
me OF his home or relatives, and SO
l couldn't inform his friends-even if
I'd had the courage to. l got for him the best
wound in his head was healed, but his mind
remained blank. sent him to Chicago, to the
best doctors for that sort of disease that money
could procure. But they could do him no
good. l went and secured our partnership
claim. and did all that was necessary to be done
for both Of us, and all along, when the gold and
the money came rolling in, l took it all
and put 1t down for both of US, one share for
me and one for my poor. witless partner l
said to myself, One day shall be able to find
out II he has any heirs or relatives, and though
be can't enjoy much Of the wealth that belongs
to him, they will be able to reap the benefit Of
it Years went on like that. and l built house
In Chicago SO as to be near my poor partner
whenever could. As the time passed
he Frightened up a little, and the
sudden sight of something belonging to his
former life nigh. help to restore him to his
old self. Didn't know where to find his rela-
tives? No. Nor any dear friend? Yes. Marie
Clematon. But dared / take him to her? I
had already made up my mind that, although
his return to a normal condition might
make him recollect the circumstances of
his injury, would do my duty regardless of
the consequences to myself. But how could
bear to bring him and Marie together2 1t cost
a struggle, but didit. 1 wrote to Marie, tell
ing her the whole story much as / have told i.
now to you and she responded by coming to
Chicago. attended by an aunt and q male sery-
ant. She devoted herself to him.
"'How can you do that for man who treated
you so badlyT asked one day.
Harold treat me badlyY she retorted, with
an asperity which had never known her to
evince before. How dare you. his criminal as
sailant. say that of him?'
But you once told me that you and he had
been sweethearts-that you loved him-that he
would not take you
His only reason was my wealth and his
poverty. He wouldn't take me under such con-
ditions But he loved me-
well, by-and-by Harold got better, much
better. That was many years after the first
attack and the doctor thought that if we could
take him to Europe the change might bring
back what had 80 long been gone. We did
bring him to England and We have been wan
dering about in this country for a year now
He has been getting stronger and
brighter every day, and for three or
four weeks now he has been quite
well and able to understand everything
and to remember everybody. How thankful I
felt when one day he told me that he believed
his mental strength was fully restored. On that
day he and had wandered into just such a coun-
try church this and kneeling at the altar. gave
thanks to our Creator for our good fortune
He and Marie are restored to each other. They
have both forgiven me. Can't you forgive me-
foo2s