Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-06-07

He insinuates that II you will resign
and leave these parts, he will keep
everything as secret as the grave"
"But how can he? Who could curb |
the tongue of that woman Clarkson, for
instance?"
she can. That / know. He's got a
hold on her that 'ull shut her mouth as
tight as a squirrel trap"
"And Susan Green?"
Her fathers Wixon's private prop
erty. He never uses no tools he can't
dull or sharpen as he wants to. That
sham parson is his, body and soul, and
the lubber Holbrook is already shipped
off to Chicago"
"And Mr.. Edgerly?"
"Ah, he's a horse of another color;
honest as the day, but his head will
never ache from the weight of his
brain. Wixon 'ull fix him, never Gear.
You agree to go, an Edgerly's all
right"
"And my friends of the night school,
what will they say?"
"That you were bought off - sold
them-got your pile and skipped"
"Then 1 must leave behind me the
reputation of a villain?"
'As l said before, you must either
sink yourself, or sacrifice the girl"
For a time there was silence. The
young man sat watching the clouds of
smoke that rose from his companions
pipe, as though in them he would read
his fate. In imagination he saw the
the sweet, innocent, childish face with
the brown hair clustering round it, the
sad look of those pensive eyes, the
trembling movement of that beautiful
lip-and he held his hand out to Wild
ers and said:
sack, IwiU goi"
"Spoken like white man." cried the
prospector. "Now we can go ahead
with full steam on an no danger sig
nails out"
Long and earnestly they talked till
the first shrill scream of steam whistle
reused the miners from their sleep and
called them to another days duties
when they were but half rested from
yesterdays. 2
'Stay minute" Wilders said, as his
guest rose to leave. "Millie wants me
to give you this"
He handed the young man a bulky,
sealed envelope, which he took from a
table-drawer.
"Just woman's within = nothing
worth mentioning she said you
were to keep it in your pocket, an not
open it till you were a days journey
from Oretown."
Grey's face was Swallowed as he stood
lingering the little parcel.
"Guess it's some of those furZe-how-
ers," the prospector added unblush-
ingly. Females is awful tender
hearted, an choclS full O. nonsense
kind O. forget-me-nots guess-but take
of them for the little woman's sake"
Twill, )" Grey replied in fearful tones,
land may God reward you both for all
you have done for me-"
"Goin' to Chicago for visit, be thee?"
asked honest Mrs. Whitford at break
fast. Hast thee volks down + those
parts?"
mo, Mrs. Whitford," Grey replied,
81 have no business: my father and
mother died when / was lad, and l
have never known other relatives"
"P'raps," interrupted the corporal,
jocularly, 1--WE shall see you tripping
back with trim little wife hanging on
to your arm"
"No, Mr.. Whitford; never yet spoke
one word of love to living woman"
Grey declared in slow, impressive tones.
Lord, but l pity your bad taste"
grinned the corporal. "Why, when
was lad in the royal marines, L"
"Howd thy tongue, mon," Mrs. Whit
ford INTERCEPTED. "Dunna thee see
how thy foolish claver reddens Elsie's
cheeks" Then turning to the girl, she
added: "Gan thee hast finished thy
meal, my dear, get thee to thy room an
fettle it oop a bit. Oh 'ull be wi We
presently"
Grey seized on Elsie's absence as
good opportunity to finish packing, for
he was haunted with painful dread
of arousing her suspicious of his per-
manent departure, feeling sure that
long farewell would be so hard for the
dear child aye, and for him, too;
whereas if his plans did not fail he
would slip away under the pretense of
going to Chicago on a vacation, and be
OFF without any painful betrayal of
emotion.
But this was not to be.
The last book was packed, the last
belonging put away, the last long,
lingering look out of the window at the
lake, now big plain of snow, fringed
by the pine-clad hills, the last All,
what was that?
The door opened and Elsie Whitford
confronted him.
A child Good heavens, it seemed as
II in night she had grown into glori-
gus womanhood. AS she stood there in
the strength of her young beauty the
scales fell from the eyes of the unhappy
man, and he knew he loved. Oh, how
he longed to take her in his arms and
tell her all he felt; but, between her
and him was a chasm he dared not