The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-24

| inclined TO tn1nk that my goo0 TREND,
George Ryder, knew it, too.
'.How much. gentlemen"
TWENTY-FIVE thousand dollars" in
terrupted Jerry Brinkler
"One hundred thousand" snapped
Ryder, before Brinkler had quite fn-
| ished-
And fve." retorted Brinkler, eco
| nomical in his use of wortis-and in his
| intended expenditure of money.
Two hundred thousand" said Mr..
Ryder, slowly and crisply.
| And one said Brinkler. hesitat-
ingly.
could not speak. could scarcely
breathe. What did it mean? What
could it mean? I wedged my way
through the crowd, while the auction
eer waited. got to Ryder's side. He
looked up, when touched him on the
| arm.
| .You-you are sure?" he asked, you
have made no mistaken"
Il am sure" gasped, sure Of what
| I said, but-but-"
"Going. gentlemen. at two hundred
and one thousand dollars. Are you all
done? Going at two hundred and one.
Shall we call it two? Going at two
and one. Going-once. Going-twiee.
Going-going-at two hundred and
one, thousand dollars-going-for the
| third and last time-and-'
Three hundred thousand dollars"
| said Ryder. his voice little more than
a whisper, but sounding preternatural-
| ly loud in the death-like stiffness that
filled the place.
And then, spurred to it by the sight
| of the communication l had had with
| Ryder. or heated to the temper of the
gamblers self-surrender by the sur
| roundings, Brinkler made the first
| heavy raise of bid he had made in the
| whole sale.
-Four hundred thousand dollars"
he said.
l caught roughly at Ryder. He as
roughly shook me off. The craze of
the gamester was upon him-upon him
as upon Brinkler. Let them alone,
and no one dared guess where this
thing would end.
"A half Million" he said, nonchal
antly. But he was very white, and his
limbs trembled like those of a man
with the ague.
''Ten thousand more" said Brinkler
Some one brushed against Ryder A
folded newspaper fell from the outside
pocket of his coat. got glimpse of
it as it fell, and terrible suspicion
flashed through my mind-a dreadful
doubt that almost killed me. l me
chanically put forth my hand. Some
one picked up and handed Ryder's
copy of the Times TO me. The Times,
mind you, not the Courier.
Twenty thousand" he said, Just
as found the list and price of land as
given there. Correctly given. God
help me and forgive me! And as
surely as one hundred times five thou
sand dollars is five hundred thousand
dollars. so surely had George Ryder
made this fight with the understand
ing that that wretched piece Of pine,
the description Of which he had never
seen or heard, had cost half million.
As for Brinkler-
But why consider him or his motives?
He opened his mouth to bid-Heaven
and Jerry Brinkler alone knew how
much! He looked at my agonized face !
He hesitated, as though doubtful /
whether my fear was genuine or as
sumed. Then, convinced that some !
thing was wrong. he gave the battle to /
his foe.
That lets me out" he said, suavely; |
Il am done"
/ heard the auctioneer say the words
that confirmed the sale to Ryder
heard them as murderer hears his |
sentence to be hanged by the neck I'M
til he is dead-only less happily and |
hopefully than he-heard them while
l struggled to utter the words my
vocal organs refused to form-heard
them while I struggled against the
strangling blackness Of the air-the
dizzying rock and roll Of the unsteady
floor. Then l went down. down, into
nothingness and oblivion. Should the
rest of the sales be at appraised rates
had raised money enough to pay my
fathers debts. But in doing 1t had
beggared the woman ! loved better
than my own life. l had beggared the
daughter of the man who knew no re-
ligion nor creed higher or more holy
than unfiinching honor and sterling in
tegrity,
When I next opened my ewes, sensi-
bly,, and knew my own identity, / was
looking straight into the face of Luz
ellie Van Etten.
j tried to raise up in bed. could no
more do il than if my head and shout
ders had been solid iron. | tried TO
turn upon my side. to turn away from
the one | felt must so thoroughly de-
spise me-knowiug what she must and
as little as She might The thing was
impossible; | had not the strength Of
an infant ] managed 20 raise nv hand
to see how thin and transparent. how
weak and useless i seemed, then II
went down on the bed like z lump Of
lead. spoke, and 10 nv smzument
and horror nv voice was 80 weak tina.
Il scarcely seemed strong enough 20
stir the resisting air q half foot from
my face. But. weak though il was. /.
reused the waiting Lucille instantly.
She bad not until then, think. dared
70 suppose that Dar eyes saw her sane
iy-dared to believe that was turning
feebly toward reason and life again.
'Miss-Nan-Ette I said.
She was on her knees or my bedside
az once. Her strong hands took my
faint ones into her Scrrefui and life
giving clasp. Her eyes were flied with
tears, but there Was 80 sweet a smile
on Ter lips that happiness in Heaven