The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-15

lOtiZNO iAO SOtlio 1OC lltit0 DCG0 moro
completely subject to her influence. The
thought OF her going away was TO him
something worse than death. The camp,
the mine. the blue sky above him, all
his surroundings, had merged themselves
into that one woman, and with her exit
they would melt away and leave him
the center Of black and dismal void.
Such was his feeling, and being by ma
ture unintelligent and coarse it served
only to madden and brutalize him. 1t
was short time in which to be metamor-
phosed from free man into slave. from
thoughtlesS, Contented, Woodworking,
uevll-may-care miner into Worrying,
surly, miserable do nothing, who could
see nothing in the world but one woman,
and i'll whose mind was room for but
single thought-that he was about to
lose her
But men of intelligence, refinement
and wide experience with women and the
world have had their heads turned in
even shorter time and have done even
crazier things than he He no longer
puzzled himself over the question of her
identity. Was she in truth Lowry's wild
ow? He did not know, but neither did
he now care. Had he seen that face be-
fore! Possibly, but if he had it was now
matter of Indifference to him when or
where or under what circumstances. He
could not let her go away, or if she went
he was determined to go with her. And
so he stumbled on up the trail afame
with love and liquor.
1t was hours past bedtime, and there
was no light i'll the window as Jerry
made the turn in the trail that brought
him almost to the cabin door. Suddenly
he collided with an object. He started
back with an oath, and at the same time
he heard an exclamation of surprise.
A man stood before him, and in the
bright starlight Jerry could see that it
was Bradford, the gambler. Jerrys
hand went to his pistol What the
devil you doin here, and at this time o.
night yelled Jerry in voice like the
explosion of blast
"You sneaking spy, take THAR! cried
Bradford, suddenly springing forward
and striking him blow in the face that
sent him sprawling. But even as the
blow was struck Jerry thrust his right
hand upward and forward, there was IL
blaze of fire, and the still night became
alive with the reverberating echoes of a
pistol shot.
Headlong down the steep trail over
Jerry's body fell Bradford. uttering a
single cry-"O Cod" And there he Law
sp2cchless, motionless, his face prone in
the dust.
The shock of the blow and of his fall
and the report of the pistol instantly
cleared away the fumes from Jerrv's
brain, but before he could arise he heard
Shrek, the cabin door flew open. and a
figure clothed in white came running
down the trail, calling out in tones of
terror: John, John. Oh, what is it?
John, what has happenetl:' And thus
calling and running i'll IL few seconds
Mrs. Lowry, clothed only i'll her night
dress, was down the trail stopping over
the two PROSTATE forms sobbing. moan
ing and crying for help.
Jerry, ashamed, half frightened, closed
his eyes and lay quiet The widow,
shuddering, gave him glance and then
flung herself upon Bradfords body. And
there she lay fondling mis- bloody face,
mingling her frantic kisses with curses
upon the man who shot him, until at
last she tainted
jerry was no coward, but the unex-
pected meeting with its tragical result,
had mnerved him. He got up and
stealthily hurried away. Besides, her
words had cut him to the heart. Her
curses, her scorn, her vindictive raging
these he could not stay to face.
Suddenly lie stopped and abruptly
flung his hand to his head Like a flash
that face and form We're again before
him, but in other surroundings than
these.
Great funesr' he exclaimed as he
gazed blankly up at the stars. cts
Mandie lie Brunt. the brazcnest female
in all Sacramento"
The papers We're not made out the next
day. That morning IL woman, closely
yelled, climbed into the outgoing stage
mt u point below the camp, and that
very afternoon another woman, plainly
dressed, with streaks of gray i'll her hair
and :, acethat indicated years OF patient
toll and sadness and trouble, was gently
assisted from the stage at the hotel door.
And it was Jerry who helped her to
alight.
''Fellers, he said as in Il few moments a
dozen CT more miners crowded up tot the
bar, 'fcllers, fac is, women is devilish
uncertain, but they can't fool lis alters.
Here's TO the er."-Fred l.. Foster
in San Francisco Examiner.
An Ex-GovcrnOr BOrrows "a Few Cents.
One of my excellent political friends
told laethc other day that John d. Long,
albeit very prosperous man, has almost
I'm M G.. i