The Irish standard., 1896-02-15

ing; but the indubitable fact remained.
While the work Of development was in
progress, the miners frequently found
night aby. caving of the roof which
filled sthe tunnel with broken rock.
Ludlow had it's own theory about these
mysterious accidents, but he kept it te
himself. 1t was suggested by the smell
of black powder which he detected
ono morning when he was examining
the debris that had fallen during the
previous night. It struck him as be-
ing curious, because he knew that the
miners were using dynamite; and it led
to series of casual inquiries among
the dwellers in Harmony Valley near
est to the entrance to McNahbs Cove.
The replies were not entirely convinc-
ing, because the nocturnal noises heard
by the valley folk might have been
nothing more than the concussion of
the falling rock; but Ludlow heard
enough to make him believe that when
it became necessary to take coal from
the McNabb vein a night-guard at the
tunnel would possibly avert disaster
more efficiently than the most elaborate
system of timberng.
1t was during the progress OF the
lawsuit that jeff Bynum returned to
the farm in McNabb's Cove; and the
rumor which had pointed to Texas as
the objective of his migration was con-
tirmed by his own story of his wander
ings. Not contented, however, with
this tribute to its veracity. gossip again
busted itself with his affairs, and there
were vague hints of q lawless sojourll
in the Lone Star state, coupled with a
still more indefinite intimation that his
career in the west had terminated in
open crime.
One other element of discord had
been added by the passing years to the
Latimer side of the feud, i'll the person
of the colonel's son Henry. The boy ST
mother, to whose gentle influence the
freside gossips of Tregarthen ascribo
the cessation of feudal strife during her
short life at ''The Laurels," died while
Hester and Henry were children; and
the boy had early learned the lesson
of vindictiveness from the lips of over
loyal servants. Uniting with a hasty
and inperieus temper contempt of
restraint curious in descendant OF the
conservative old Virginian, his rashness
became constant menace to the pre-
carious truce existing between the two
families; and as Henry grew to man.
hood, the colonel was often reluctant
ly compelled to take the side of peace
for the sake of setting an example be-
fore his son.
In the case of the daughter, educa-
ton in boarding-school, where she
had spent the greater portion of her
girlhood, and, later, association with
the Ludlows, had done much to modify
her childish ideas of feudal vengeance;
but she was still enough Of a partisan
to be very warm in her defense of the
Latimer rights, and, in common with
her brother, she could never believe
that anything but vindictive malice
actuated the doings of the family in
McNabb's Cove. @
Don't you think you are little in
clined to judge them harshly, my dear?"
Mrs. Ludlow had once ventured to ask,
when Hester had been expressing her
contempt for the Bynums and every
thing connected with them.
"No, ma'am, I'm not. If you knew
them as well as we do, you wouldn't
ask such question"
II don't know them at all, but from
what you tell me gather that they are
poor and ignorant, and that they have
had much the worst of the fight all
along. Can't you be a generous en-
emy?"
''They never give one chance to be
generous. You've no idea how mean
they are. I've heard old Aunt Betty
tell how mamma tried to make peace
when old Mrs. Bynum was sick. Mann
ma sent a basket of je]lies and dainties
down to the cove, and the next morn
3 ing the basket and everything in it was
found on our doorstep, smashed into
bits"
'That was certainly vindictive-and
give even that"
''It isn't question of forgiveness.
You don't understand, because you've
never been brought in contact with
such people. And as to their having
had the worst of it, there is a question
about that. They made poor Grand
father Latimer's life miserable, and I
shall always believe that John Bynum
killed him at last. Besides that, they've
always been annoying and worrying us
in ways that forbid retaliation because
we couldn't demean ourselves to pay
them back in their own coin. No, l
dom think they've had the worst of it. y
When Mrs. Ludlow reported this con-
versation to her husband he smiled and
said: 81 wouldn't meddle with that
quarrel, if were you; it's pretty deep
ly ingrained on both sides, and I shall
be surprised if it doesn't come to a
pitched battle some day. If the
colonel had suspicion of what found
out about the trouble in the McNabb
tunnel, / wouldn't care to answer for
the consequences; and as for Henry,
it'll be miracle if he doesn't get him.
self killed in the row. He has the cour-
age Of a veteran, Joined to the rasbness
Of headstrong boy; and he's as good
hater as any of the Bynums.' /
Its great pity" rejoined peaceable
Mrs. Ludlow. cit gives one All uncom-
Portable feeling of living over volcano
that may burst out at. any moment.
Isn't there any way to put stop toit? ?"
''Orly one that l can think Of, and
that's been tried. 1t occurred to me