The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-07-10
SHES ALL THE
WORLD TO ME.
By HALL GAME,
Author Of "I'hC Mdnrmdn," "IThG Deem
StCT,n etc.
CHAPTER XIX.

the fire stood Mylrca Balladhoo, with
Mona Cregeen seated beside him. Chris
tian had stepped to the door, and now re-
turning to the room with the stranger pre-.
viously seen in his company he said, with
averted face, This is the man, father"
BalladhOo neither lifted his eyes to the
newcomer nor shifted their gaze from the
fire His frame tremblcd perceptibly as
he said, II know your business, sir, and 1t
shall have my attention" The stranger
glanced from father to son. They stood
apart, each unable 10 meet the others face
Perhaps there is no more touching sight
in nature, rightly regarded, than an old
man, and To the pathos incident to age
BalladhOo added the sorrow of wretched
and shattered hope
May | ask if this deed was drawn by
your authority said the stranger. He
stepped up to the old man and put the doc
umcnt into his listlcss hand Balladhoo
glanced down at it, but his poor blurred
eyes saw nothing
Yes, " he answered promptly enough,
but in husky voice. Christians face
quivered and his head dropped on his
breast The stranger looked incrcdulous
ut is quite right if you say so, " he an
swered with cold smile
Balladhoo lifted his face, 1t was seam
ed with lines of pain and told of terrible
struggle. II do say so, " he replied
His fingers crumplcd the deed as he
spoke, but his head WIS erect. and truth
seemed to sit on his lips, Christian sat
down and buried his eyes in his hand.
The stranger smiled again the same cold
smile
1.-THE mOrtgageor wishes to withdraw the
mortgage" he said.
He may do so-in Is days" answered
Balladhoo,
"That will suffice 1t would be cruel to
prolong a painful interview"
Then, with n glance toward Christian,
as he sat convulsed with distress that he
was unable'to conceal, the stranger added
in hard tone;
"Only the mortgagcor came to have rea-
sons to think that perhaps the deed had
been drawn without your knowledge"
Balladhoo handed back the document
with nerveless hand He looked again
through dim eyes at the stranger and said
quietly, but with an awful inward efforts
"You have my answer. l knew of it. O."
The recording angel set down the words
in the book OF life to the old mans credit
in heaven. they were not true.
The stranger bowed low and retired
Christian leaped up and took his father
by both hands, but his eyes We're not raised
to the troubled face
"This is worse than all, " he said, "but
God knows everything he will make
me answer for it.
What is the debit" asked Balladhoo
with an effort to be calm.
Money squandered in England"
The old man shook his head with an
inpatient gesture.
Il mean how much"
"A thousand pounds" There was a
)ause.
'We can meet it, ;" said Balladhoo, land
now, my son, cheer up, set your face the
sight way, and his servant shall not be
ashamed"
Christian strobe up and down the room.
His agitation was greater than before. 81
feel less than man," he said. "Oh, but
a hidden sin is mean thing father-a
dwarfng, petrifying, corroding, unmanly
thing. And to think that l could descend
so low as TO try to conceal it--a part Of it
by consorting with gang of lawless fel.
lows--by a vulgar outrage that might
have ended in death itself but that the
hand of heaven intcrposcdp
You are not the first, answered Bal
ladhoo, "who has descended from deceit tC
the margin of crime, but it isn't for me tC
judge you. Read your misfortunes, my
lad, as heaven writes them. Are they not
warnings against the want of manlinessi
No. it's not for me to say it, but if there's
one thing truer than another it is that The
world wants men. Clever fellows, good
fellows, it has ever had in abundance, but
in all ages the world S great want has beer
men"
BalladhOo glanced down at Mona
Throughout this interview she had sal
with eyes bent on her lap. The old mar
touched the arm of his son and continued
"As for the hand of heaven, it has work
ed through the hand of this dear, BRAY,
girl. You owe her your life, Christian, ant
so do l."
Then the young man, with eyes afame
walked to Mona and lifted her in his arms
The girl looked very beautiful in her con
fusion, and while she sohbed on Chris
tian's breast and BalladhoO looked on will
wondering eyes Christian confessed every
thing; how, in effect, Mona had been hi
wife for six years past, and little RUBY
was their child.
TWAS a staggering blow. But when tn
surprise Of it was past all was forgiven
You love my boyy' said BGlladhoo
turning to Mona.
The girl could not answer in words. Sh
threw her arms around the old mans neck
and he kissed her. Then through the tear
that had gathered in his blurred old eye
there shot merry CLEAN as he said abov
the girls hidden face, "Oh, so I've got t
be happy yet, find.
There came the noise of people Cnterin
the house. In another momcrt kerruis
Kinvig had burst in with one of the CAST
RuShen men behind him.
"Manxmanlikc, he's a dog after the fai
and away from Peel tonight" bawle
Kinvig, indicating the subject Of his In
consequent remarks by contemptuou
lurch of his hand over his shoulder.
1--WE staid too long in hiding" sal
the man, with glance of self justification
"Of course, " shouted Kinvig Oblivion
of the insinuation against his own leader
ship, land who hash IT heard that the era
that lies always in its hole is never fatf"
THE fishing boat is still mt sea, sir. It
scarce likely that the men will come bac
to Peel, said the man, addressing Ballad