Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-07-19
MONTERREY HIGHLAND COUNTY; vA,JULY 49, 1885,

rupted the merchant with grim and
innckIna frankness. "The pretended
decd I have jtst given you Is not worth
the ptper it is written Upon" /
"Why not?"
@To begin with, the lands have been
6ut Of my hands nearly three years." ex-
nlained Hiram Skidder, with visible JOY
at the gall and wormwo0d he was serv-
inc mn to his brother. "You gave me
snch reports of them that / was glad
to sell them to Wynans for seven hun
dred dollars"
Jerry not only tottered to his chair
again, but he lay there so faint and help
less that his brother began to find him
source Of amdsenlent
"Then you have sold me piece OF
property you did not possess" returned
Jeremiah, his rascally wits beginning to
teceyer their habitual flow; "and need
not reniiid you that such an ofense is
punishable by lohg term OF imprson-
ment." g.
@Pm probably quite as wise in the law
as you are, jerry" sneered the mer-
chant-"too wi @, certainly, to place my
self IN the power of such reptile as
you are capable of being
"ThGn what is that deed?"
eft is deed to a fine piece OF land !
have iii IDAHO and for which | paid
about two Thousand dollars" explained
the merchant, his sardonic smiilS coming
hack to his features. "While you read
one thing, | wrote another, quite GER
tain. as the event proved, that you
would fail, in your hurry and excitement,
to verify what had written"
Jerry looked atlhiliilated, but soon be-
gan to buster again.
"IU have you arrested for false pre-
tenscs and swindlng," he declared.
"No, you won't, cd man, assured the
merchant, contemptuously. 81 have q
right to ask you what | please for my
idaho ranch, and you have no remedy
whatevcr, in either law or equity, from
the mOmont when you have plld over
your money. Think it over minutes
and you'll see that am cute right"
The gloom of Jerry's countcnance at-
tested that the pOtit was well taken.
"As to the two hundi thousand dol
lars you have handed me, pursued tho
merchant, "it is merely portion OF th9
sum YOU have stolen from Ferry WyDans'
| You have never had so much as ghost
of title to the lands in question. l
NAV ad that tn money IS merely q
drot1 in the bucket to what ycu have
caused inc to lose by the lies and misrep-
resentations you have heen sending me
ever s nee Charley Tower and | invested
in that MusscshelI property You see.
therefore, that you have no cane OF
complaint n !ainst me. You bave sim
nlv handed inc my share of the bood'e.
rs taken from the lands OF Wynans, an
the less you say about all these proceed
ings the better 1t will be Tor you.
For nearly minute Jerry Skldder
neither moved nor spoke. Then he arose
deliberately, with pale, rigid fa,e, and
stepped toward his brother.
aHere is your deed" he said, tearing
| it in pieces, and finging the fragments
Mt the merchant. "Therc is very little
likelihood that shall ever have any call
to visit your Idaho ranch. Fortunately,
he added, in q tone of concentrated
venom, 81 still have footing on the
Musselshell which will enable me to re-
main there and for the rest. Ill take my
chances. AS TO the 5000, O0) you have
stolen from me-" and he slapped his
breast Gercely and defantly, "it is a;
you say, trihc-a mere p>roonta3e on
the sum l have taken from the new
mines while pulling tho wool over you
with the story of my dire hardships ano
misfortunes. Should you carry out your
suggestion about visiting tho Musse!
she'll"
ooh, 1 shall be there by the first
train!" assured the merchant, with q
grim resolution that could not be mis-
taken.
J 81 will spend every dollar I possess OF
can beg, borrow, or steal, if necessary,
finished Jerry, "to have you squarelI
planted. And with this, long good'Dl
and good riddance
Ho faced about, with glance at hi
watch, and sta ked out of his brother
presence and from the store without Sc
much as single look behind him.
[TO BE CONTINUED.