Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-07-12
CHAPTER III.
,r, yvopruv or EACH OTHER.

WELL WORTHY OF EACH OTHER
Astad as he waS, Hiram Skidder felt
ashamed of the meanness and brutallIy
with which he had treated his niece
"Of course | should have been glad 10
give her nights lodging, or anything
of that sort, under other circumstances,
he said to himself, wncn she had van
ished. "But it was her misfortune TO
?ome here at the most awkward moment
possible-.ust as / am preparing toleaVe
these scenes forever. Perhaps -"
lie was interrupted by voices near his
door.
"What. You are Mr. Skiddcr's broth
er?" one Of his clerks was saying.
"You Jest bet am-his own and only
brother. all the way from Montany
was the reply, land you Jest hustle ana
hump. will yc, young man, and let hiram
know that Jerry Skddcr is waiting TO
see HIM"
The merchant stepped briskly to the
door, not without great surprise ana
cur osity, but also with an intense .sat.s'
fact'ol at tn prospect of further inIor-
nation from the Musselshell.
"Oh, it's you, Jcrry?" he cri d, with
his most affable voice and manner,
prasping the hand of his relative. Il
am ualy astonished and delighted at
seeing ,ou Come in"
Jeremiah Skidder fastened to comply,
and the merchant closed the door behind
him. after warning frown at several
clerks who were staring after the new
conner.
slow rugged and hearty you look,
Jerryl And how little chan9el for the
worse" he resumed, waving his brother
TO seat near his desk and returning 10
his own chair "How have you been all
these fourteen years since ] saw you?"
"Oh. about as usual" answered the
visitor "You seem a little pa @, with
being cooped up here ever astng y, but
YOU enjoy good health, hope?"
excellent, Jerry Hows your lam
ny?" III, -.
"I've only Daisy left, Hiram, her
mother having died several years ago
PERHAPS you don't remember Daisy?
She's a great girl of cne-and twenty
"Issshe here with yOu?"
eyes She has long bnen wanting to
rome to town to see the sights, and l
couIdn't refuse no longer No, she's not
waiting outside" he continued, as the
merchant looked from little window IN
In the store. "She's at our hotel on
Madison street And how's your wife
and the children?"
81 lost Mrs Skidder years ago., re-
piled the merchant, "but the children -
q son of twenty-five and a girl OF twenty
three-are quito well.
Jerry wagged his Jaws nervous upon
huge ouid of tobacco, and bestowed q
keen glance of appreciation upon his
surroundings, while Hiram locked hin
over with a curious and searching scru
tiny.
The contrast between the bro thcr'
was rather striking, Jerry being at lea Il
Ten wears the oldest, and having a thin
wca env frame, pair of deeply sunkeI
| ewes. AMI q bony, angular vsaye. The
old man was active and wiry, however
as became his bron4ed and weather
beaten appearance, AMI could nave
readily "handlcd" his younger AMI bigge
brother.
"You seem to be well fixed here
Hiram. he remarked, his gaze coming
back to hissbrother's face "Must haV'
made an awful pile of money! Low doe
it happen that you've ne'er been out tC
Montany to see me?"
81 couldn't get the time, jerry"
81 concluded that such was the case,
said the visitor, with increased nervous
ness, "and that's why yielded to d. is,
about coming. The fact is, | want Il
buy those MusselshelI lands of you an
Tower!"
(ro DE CoNTINUEr)