The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-07-23

wanted. Try and he @ hlt steady halr.
Thatll bring Selma round and Idlike
% see ga OLD chum % the Preside now
and then. don't want 20 lose you,
Bale"
ooh, wclli Wen talk o. that am
other time. Neither Miss Rice, as she
g., nor Mrs. Truman, as she win be,
wants me about her Good night,
George. We shall meet tomorrow. "
How Bale Tolley, who had gone 20
the bad this three years, went head
long 20 the worse from that evening
forward, is not worth telling and yet
was told In q thousand households
There was good choice Of BLACKBOARD
society IN the neighborhood for any
man who cared 10 seek g. Bale found
the worse, and played the uncrowned
king among it. His name grew 10 bo
byword. Anxious parents warned
their sons against him. Only the old
woman who had sometimes "moth-
cred" him in his lonely and miserable
childhood had ever O sympathetic
thought about him.
Poor Balew she would say 10 her
self, for she hardly dared say il 20 an-
other, Bale was so hagrantly a sinner.
Hes got the very look Of his father on
him. 1t might be printed on his back
and be no palmer reading. Ruined
daredevil. It's wrote large all over
him. But he's a beautiful figure of a
man TO look at yet, an if liver a child's
heart was i the right place, that child's
was when he was a child.
George Truman and Selma Rice
were cried in church, but Of this Bale
knew nothing, for he did not mix with
church-going people But George and
Selma were married, and that fact
came to his hearing Except Selma
and her mother and Bale himself, no
soul had an idea that it concerned him
in the least
The married pair took up residence
in their own house after q three DAYS
trip, and George Truman went back to
the Office of the mining engineer who
employed him. Bale drove his engines
at the mine, the Three Crowns Yard;
and year went by. Then the two
men met again, Bale in his laboring
CRIME at the engines, and George in
his more respectable working gear.
''Hallo, Bale, old lad, 4" said the
lucky man, chow art? I've come to
have a business look at things"
"Going DOWN." asked Bale.
George nodded and looked about
him, rather evading Bales eye than
not, said an Indifferent thing or two
about the weather and so on, and
went his way.
"Tingl" said the little bell. Bale
handled his levers, and watched the
dial face.
Il could smash him like an eel,, &"
said Bale, land not living creature
would think it was anything but an ac-
cident"
Georges mind was in his work, and
he had no guess Of what was passing
in thoughts of the man who at the in
slant controlled his destinies. The
descending skip swung to its stopping
place like feather The married man
stepped ont and made his way along
the workings in pursuit ofhis own bust
ness. The bachelor above ground
folded his smeared arms across his
chest, planted his back against an iron
upright which ran from floor to ceiling,
and pulled at his pipe, awaiting the
next signal.
Here, your he shouted to the boy
who passed the door. "What do you
mean by letting all this cotton-waste
lie about here? Clear it out.
Albright, ganer," said the boy. SIN
a minute.
"Tingr said the little bell. Bale
set down his pipe, and took the levers.
The pipe fell over. When his i'm
mediate task was finished he looked
for it, and could not find it, He raked
the cotton-waste here and there with
his foot. No pipe Bale cursed lit
tie to relieve his feelings. ''Tingp
said the little bell, and he went back
to his work. He swung the skip up,
the careful eye seeking the dial every
now and then. Being free once more,
he began his search again. He kicked
the oily waste savagely, and all at once,
as if it had been living thing, flame
broke out at him. Heraced swiftly tC
the door and shouted 'rFire!" cling,
ting tingl ting-a-lingle- ling ling-lingp
The little bell was mad.
SHAFT a6re" roared a voice from
the side of the distant downcast.
my Godp' said Bale, and dashing
back to the engine house, he fought
wildly with the growing flames. He
stamped out the blazing waste, anG
turned again to his levers. RounC
spun the shining wheels. Smooth ant
steady went piston and crank, rount
crept the hand ON the dial He looked
behind him and the floor was smoul.
dering
"Fire here!'' he shouted. ''EnginC