The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1893-06-03
ment beneath the sweeping dark mus,

AAANAA UeAN 2 " Aft4 I1luE
: tache.
ssYou don't answer me, North" erie,
: the major. exulting after brief inter
val of silence You stand convicted
without one word to say for yourself
Oh, told you so! Heavens and earth
t-sir, you don't fool metz
did you expect me to answer sucl
an accusation as that?' demanded North
haughtily.
No, | didn't expect it, North ]
thought you would try to evade the
charge, and so you did But it will all
come out yet, North, depend upon it:
your iniquities will be exposed, sir.
And now it appears that you and Mrs.
Maynard are putting your heads to-
gether and trying to find that girl that
Annie Dupont. Isn't this SO, North2''
Pardon me, this is Mrs. Maynard's
own affair Whatever she is pleased to
communicate to you, Maj Maynard,
you are at liberty to know. You are
i not at liberty to question me on the
4 subject"
j answer my question, Northls roared
the major in great wrath Are you
doing this, or not?s
I distinctly decline to answer
s'And insist that you shall answers!
| have right to know
Then why do you not ask Mrs. May
nard?''
Because choose to ask you. Don't
interrupt me, North, with your imperti-
nent ouestionsl I disapprove 81 this
whole business, sir-totally disapprove
of it, and Mrs. Maynard is well aware
of the fact. Yet she disregards my ad
| vice and goes directly counter to my ex-
press wishes, simply because, forsooth,
you counsel such a course! Your con-
duct is reprehensible, North, reprehen-
sible to the last degree and have
right to complain of it. / tell you,
North, you and Mrs. Maynard are bent
upon robbery-downright, deliberate
robbery, sir and it's time there was
check put upon your proceedings.
Robbery" North repeated the word
with calm surprise, while he stood with
folded arms, looking steadily and
haughtily at the major. sOf whom,
may ] ask, sir?"
ssOf whom?'' retorted the major, an
grily ''Of that orphan whose fortune
you are trying to steal. Annie Du-
pont, sir-that's whomt"
Il am happy to assure you, Maj.
Maynard, that nothing could be further
from our intentions than what you sug-
gest. If it should ever be my good for
tune to discover that young lady | |
should do everything in my power to
place her in possession of her legal |
rights
'sOh, you would, en-? Place her in
possession of her legal rights, would
you?" sneered the major. That's
likely story! Why are you trying SO
hard to find her, then, and keeping SO
very quiet about it, if you intend any
good to her? Fair words don't cheat
me, North. I know very well that
you've scheme in your heads to steal
every dollar of that fortune from her
But I'll thwart you yet, North--Heav-
ems and earth, I'll thwart you, if | have
to bring disgrace upon the family name
to do itl''
s'Are you insane, Maj Maynard?''
cried North, white with the indigna-
ton that he could no longer control.
Your malice explains your bringing
this preposterous accusation against
ne; but one would think that the very
,ommonest instinct of chivalry would
forbid you speaking thus of your wifer"
For one moment the major vas 81
enced; catching his breath quickly he
ooked up at North, with a dazed won
Ter that presently gave place to bolster
nus and contemptuous merriment.
My wife?'' he repeated, almost chol-
ng over the words Heavens and
arth, sir, do you intend this for
hastily attempt at a joke? My wife?
lang me if don't believe that you are
runlz, after all! How dare you refer
a this way to my brothers widow?"
If a man who has been pushing for :
7ard into an unknown country, believ- /
lg himself to be on firm ground, !
hould suddenly find that he was
mixing in squicksand, we might :
erhaps imagine his sensations !,
n making this discovery, yet find :
difficult to describe them. To those 4
hose imaginations are equal to pictur- !
lg the details of such an experience
e leave the task of divining Allan .
orth's state of mind when he found E,
lie solid ground of his own conjectures /,
nus suddenly giving way beneath his h
,et Amid all the chaos of his thoughts "
,ese three words: my brothers 81
idow," stood out distinctly, pointing .
lie events of the past few days with @,
that he had never before &c
lspected: 81
Before he could collect himself suf- e.
GENTLY to realize either the startling IL
ct that he had just learned or the fa
agnitude of his own blunder, the ma in
r returned to the attack -
Nov 1 want to know, North, if you Il
tend to keep on with your search for n
at girl, or if you'll agree to give it up
eh?"
The tone and words acted 11YoY1 North