Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1895-05-03

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treachery, Graft, and it will come on
you, too, il you don't make restitution
They that are near to death see clearer
than the living, and | tell you that l
won't rest quiet in my grave unless you
hunt up that woman and give her back
her own II you lie to me, Graft, if you
promise to do that and fail, tell you
that my footsteps shall haunt you till
the day of your death"
He had promised simply to quiet Will
lard and had no intention Of keeping
that promise.
In due time the fever did its work.
and Willard was laid at rest in the
apology for cemetery. Craft seemed
to be the only claimant for his partners
earthly belongings. and he Availed
himself of his opportunity.
While at work one day in the mine.
now banning out in great shape, there
was premature blast, which those who
heard it believed had ended Crafts
career.
Yet amid the shower of bursting rock
which few all around him he suffered
nothing but few scratches, though the
force Of the explosion threw him back
violently, and his head rang with the
laundering uproar.
He staggered out Of the tunnel to find
himself surrounded by startled crowd,
whose fears were relieved by finding no
worse disaster.
There was woman among them who
was a stranger in the camp, having only
arrived the day before, who fingered
when the others dropped away one by
one.
''Let me dress the scratches. please.
| have court plaster here. want to do
it," with petulant childishness as he
objected
After all, she seemed more child than
woman as he observed her more closely
~ want to do it, because"--in an
awed tone-"they tell me my husband
came to his death in that way. Wasn't
that dreadful And he never got rich,
never made money enough to pay back
that 81 900 he borrowed and take care
of me as he promised. but it seems too
bad, for they say if no had just lived
another day he would have owned the
best mine here. The bargain was all
made-just waiting to be finished -
Don't you think that is hard on me p
1t did not need the name to tell him
that she was the strangers wife nor
much of her artless chatter to put him
in possession of all the circumstances
of her case-how it had been love ut
first sight and hasty marriage between
the young pair without counting the cost;
how the old invalid grandfather. who
was her only relative, had advanced the
capital out Of his own small store aud
the young husband had started out to
conquer fate, how they had waited.
hoped and feared, till sickness and trou-
bio brought them to such absolute want
that she bud started out to trace rii-
mor--for she read few papers and 40
missed the news they would have told
and now at last how the story had
ended here
With his wealth it would be no great
trouble to win her, he thought.
His wealth
II that fool Willard were living no
might say it was her wealth, but Graft
knew enough to guard that secret un-
less--ah, unless those steps which fol-
lowed after him were the gh9stly haunt
to wiring it from him, for he had hoard
them first when no one was near
He heard the measured tramp, tramp
now, and he dwelt upon that thought.
and he blanched lest others should hear
it as it followed him day and night
Ho tried by force to shut his cars aud
keep the sound out, but only let him
press his hand to his head or barricade
his ears with pillows and the ghostly
tramp, tramp threatened him thousand
times louder than before.
Every one in tho camp noticed some
thing wrong with him
He was not himself, they said He
was off his balance, and the girl could
do better than marry man whose symp-
toms pointed toward an insane asylum
before long
But she did marry him, and turning
over things in the cabin soon afterward
she found paper which Willard had
hidden away.
1t was the deed of sale, and written
on it IN Wizards hand:
delivered, but stolen back from the
dead mans pocket by Craft. The mine
was bis legally, as | hope to be forgiven
for my share in the theft"
No one ever knew just what pc ,sed
between Graft and bis wife.
II was Bill Banks who came along
just as Graft rushed out into the twi-
light, mutterng crafty:
Chose steps--rll end them - Aud
with the words he sent bullet ihr Iugh
his head
As to the money and the mine, of
course the woman got both without legal
trouble, but it was as heir TO her first
husband, not as Crafts widow, that she
put in her claim.
81 don haliava unu nan rao1 ..a:AIo