The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-07-10
ALMOST A CRIME,

1t seemed as if Providence had deser,ed |
randolph Perry in his old aae land mt r.
erly cast him off. For his was, indeed.
hard lot. We do not nftsn IN dfa saassf
II such great hardship IN human affa;rs.
or, although he had ,bedSpilife with The Il
v.aitS eSs ;Erospecsts, With abundant
dAsHS!Sss ifs needed for
and children, his s'seSsaliesh sumner
found him stripped of!all. l.saNei,the roof
above his head, and seriously threatened
with the loss of even that
Twenty long, weary tttts bScR his rel
verses had begun in the ;suaaenyand dis
tresslng death of his dear, wife and this
irreparable BLOW was s36S aft9r followed
bX the elopementof Of his dauphtef Annie
the pet aud darling of his heart. with an
artiul scoundrel with sham title, who
had probably left his native land across
RE sea upon compulsion. The poor
father heard of her but once, .afterward (
and that was when the news of her sui
eide In Manchester reached him. This
visitation .humbled him. .alrnosts tJ thH-
dust, and brought with it a sickness that
laid him PROSTATE for twelyemonth.
and nearly cost him his life.. ~. !: =,
He rose from his sick bed and iap,,
peated to the little world of his acquaiHnHt:. +.
snce only, the wreck of his foraner manai
--xsa ss'aesf .sges were foLs5rne6n.
ms boy. No one would answers finn sat.
first; they looked pitifully at him; and
Kept silent; but when be anprily de.
manded 10 know the truth, they were
compelled to tell him that Simeon. his
only remaining hope, mad heartlessly de.
serted HIM during his sickness, and. AZ
was supposed, had gone off to sea. Ran.
dolph Perry did not die with this accu.
mutation Of griefs; he lived :on ii a
hopeiess' morbid kind Of way y, but. no
one hart seen him smile since. he was Told
OF simepns desertion. That was nsarlv
twenty years back. He had dwell N
The house where he had beer beIespeJ
ever since, with no soeiety lave 'tha4 af
the woman who attended to his small do
mestic affairs.
This beautiful mansion, sssndtns h,o.,
mp on Knoll that overlooked the sea
surrounded with spacious snd cultidatHd.:
grounds had been purchased by PAtry
OF Its previous owner who was his:
friend, and upon whose assurance that;
the place wa' nnencumlJercH and free
from all legal claim he implicitly relied.
That friend had died penniiess two !.
years after; and now, as it to- remove
from his dreary existence the last raw of
sunshine, he found himself threatened
with total derivation ,of.his estate. As
unexpectedly "a though the heavens bsd
dropped upon his bewildered head. he
was notified by q lawyer ip Lopdop hat
he held for SopexY bis Gtient5 a mortgage
6Sis f5sia4ssa 5siaPs Thy by sh sa'. as s
which the principal aud. interest
amounted to quite the value of tn.
place, and !, ,lhs that. imneaiats sstishction
Then followed tedious and yexatious
ihtigationEwhieAYhhsel fii; sstabiisb-
'ng the mortgage and declaring the No.
IN ga EaA ggxa !sis!i.El:,.. :
ers M eup sne ,sss y I, g eettsufIer
ne could ca&msRdsfrone his-brokes for.
tunes mad bsepD ssmalIowed dPfa his un.
successful defense of the suit. -.
Inc hour was about twilight the nm
touched meal had been cleared awav and
the Old housekeeper had retired TO her
chamber. Perry sat in the front room
IN low chair by the window. and
absorbed in his misery, he noticed moth.
ing OF the storm that was coming uo.
DC had not sat thus mo,u than half an
nour when he beard the sharp unlatch.
ing OF me gate, and the quick step of