The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-09-13

kin tell We another, eff you amt above
tallin' advice from folks that don't pertend
to give it," he added with the same curious
look of interest in his face: You've done
well to get shut of him, and if you got shut
of a few more of his kind that you trust
to, you'd do better
AS if to avoid noticing any angry reply
from the young man, he re-entered the
cabin and shut the door behind him. Car
cnce felt the uselessness of further parley
and rode away.
But Gilroy's Parthian arrow ranked as
he rode. He was not greatly shocked at
Jim's DETECTION for he was always fully
conscious of his vanity and weakness; but
he was by no means certain that jim eN-
trayagauce and braggadocio. which he mad
found only amusing and perhaps even pa
thetic, might not be as provocative ana
prcjudical to others as Giroy had said.
But like all sympathetic and unselhsh ma
lures, he sought to find some excuse tor MS
old companions weakness in his own mis-
taken Judgment. lie had no business to
bring poor jim on the land, to subject his
singular temperament to the temptations
of such a life and such surroundings; he
should never have made use OF his services
at the rancho. He had done him harm
rather than good in his ill-adyised and per-
haps selfish attempts to help him. L have
said that Gilroy's parting warning ranked
in his breast, but not ignobly. 1t wounded
the surface of his sensitive nature, but
did not faint or corrupt the pure whole
some blood of the gentleman beneath It.
For in Giroy's warning he saw only ms
shortcomings. strange fatality hao
marked his friendships. He had been no
helm to jim; he had brought no happiness
to Susy or Mrs. Peyton. whose Disagree
mcnt his visit seemed to have accented;
thinking over the mysterious attack upon
himself it now seemed to him possible mat
in some obscure way his presence at the
rancho had precipitated the more serious
attack on Pcyton. If, rs it had been said
there was some curse upon his inheritance
from his father he seemed to have Inade
others share it with him. de was rldihs
onward abstractedly, with his head sunk Oh
his breast and his eyes fixed upon some
vague point between his horses sensitive
ears, when Il sudden forward prlcklnG Oh
those quick Intelligent organs Startieu IIh'
and an apparition arose from the plaln pc
fore him that seemed to sweep ah o'iio'
sense away. -
1t was the figure of q handsome young
borseman. as distracted IA himself, but
evidently on better terms with ms own per-
sonality. He was dark haired: Salio oN1
checked and blue eyed--the type OF the Old
cite was in his mouth, and he was rluil..s
u roam mustang with the lazy grace OF his
race But what arrested Clarences atteh-
ton more than his picturesque person was
the narrow, flexible long coil OF gray morse
hair RATA which hung from his saddle DOW
but whose knotted and silver-beaded term-
Mating lash he was swrling idly i'll his mar
row. brown hand. Clarence knew and in
stantly recognized it the ordinary tancl-
full appendage of Il gentleman rider, used
| for lettering his horse OH lonely plains,
| and always made the object of the most
lavish expenditure of decoration and artistic
| skill But he was as suddenly filled with Il
| blind, uureasoning sense Of repulsiOn and
| fury, and lifted his eyes to the man as they
| approached. What the stranger saw IN
| Clarence's blazing eyes, no one but him
self knew. for his own became fixed and
| staring: his sallow check grew tanker and
livid; his careless, jaunty bearing stiff
| cned into riSidity, and, swerving his horse
| to one side, he suddenly passed Clarence
| at furious gallop. The young American
| wheeled quickly, and for an instant his
| knees convusivcly gripped the ilanks of
| his horse to follow. But the next moment
| he recalled himself and with en- effort be-
| gan to collect his thoughts. What was he
| intending to do-and for what reason? He
| had met hundreds of such horsemen be-
| fore-and caparisoned and ACQUIRED like
| ths-even to the RATA. And he certainly
| was not dr. sscd like either of the mystic
| Iious horsoInen whom he had overheard
| that moonlight evening.
He looked back; the stranger had already
| slaclcned his pace, and was slowly disap-
| pe.ring. Clarence turned and rode on his
way.
CHAPTER IN.
| Without realizing to the full extent Jim's
| detection and desertion, Clarence was able
| to truthfully assure the Hopkins family of
his personal safety and to promise that he
| would continue his quest, and send them
further news of the absentee. He believed