Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1894-08-17
HlL1sBoRoucH SIERRA COUNTY N NJ FRIDAY AUGUST ~ 1894

he has been obliged to borIo
money-severa hundred pound
and -and"--
"Of that id extortioner Pen.
fold, who is now pressing him, oI
course?"
"That rs it, dear-presslng anC
threatening. He has been her,
to-day. i don't know what passec
between him and poor father, baI
he has left my father nearly ont o.
his senses
"My God 7 What is to be done?'
cried the young man. "The fathe,
of my darling one being bounded
to rain by rascally and relentless
usurer, and / rs helpless as child
All this for want of few hundred
poundsw-his memory flew back
to the story of the El Dorado
across the seas--"whlle men are
gathering thousands by merely
STOPPING to the earth and gathering
up its sand and pebbles p He
groaned in his ,mpotent anguish Of
mind.
Il know, / know, dear Ned, all
you would do il it were in your
power" the weeping girl cried, the
impulse to soothe him overruling
her own poignant suffering. But
now you know what has happened
come to the farm and try and
cheer my father, who loves you as
il you were already his SON."
II know he does, my darling,
and l shall love him as second
father when the happy time has
come"-
He was folding her fondly to his
heart, and pressing his lips to hers
with all the fervor OF loyal love,
when both were suddenly Paralyzed
by seeming to come from
behind the farmhouse.
Neither spoke, for each was
bereft of the power OF speech;
neither dared to think, for some
thing too terrible for thought to
realize--their instinct told them -
was shrouded in the mystery Of
that darkly ominous sound. The
eyes OF Bothewere turned in dread
ful anticipation towards the farm
house.
Presently, from a side door,
hree or four persons, servants of
he farm, issued hurriedly, led by
man carrying lantern. They
made their way to the back of the
louse. in the direction of the great
,arn. A few seconds later and the
brill scream of woman rent the
till air. 1t was answered by
mother from the lips of the poor
irl Edward Poldrake was yet
ressinp to his heaving bosom.
"My father ! Oh, my God my |
Tod p
Unconsclously both rushed to-
ard the house, but were stopped
Y a young woman almost beside
erself with terror, who cried
Don't 90 there, miss; for the
I'VE of heaven don't go there p
Only uttering a low inarticular
ry, and as suddenly as il she had
,ceived a stunning blow, the poor
iri reeled into :insenslbility and
ould have fallen to the ground
ut for the outhung arms Of her
,ver.
A word will tell the narrowing
ght her eyes were spared. In the
ark barn. lit only by the feeble
Ieam of a lantern, lay the stark
,dy OF her father. Driven to
,eape from the relentless torment
his irremediable troubles by the
pen road of suicide, he had
aced the muzzls of his fowling-
zee III his mouth and ended his
fe.
When the orphaned girl re-
rned to consciousness she found
,rseif in the tender care of her
yer's mother. Needless te de.
ribe the misery to which her
brought her back. or
q love which in time succeeded |
dispelling the bitterness OF her !
ief.
The dead man was widely es- '
emed and the man whose exact I
Ms had been the Immediate cause I
bis self was as i
idely ezecrated. Had Mr.. Sam C
i Penfold been unwise enough to T
ow himself in Penzance inme- C
ately after the coroner's jury had i
turned their formal verdict of I
insanity it is very \
likely that he would have {
capped rough handling by the o
rdfisted farmers and miners who I
d known Of his usurious dealings Z
general and of his Shylock-like d
satDent Of the dead man IN a
rticular. 0
But Mr.. Samuel Pepfold was Z
sn Of definite resource--neYer To s.
taken at disadvantage; so he kent q
mselt safely out Of sight undl the t,