Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-07-28

who'd ha' thought of your caring for
it, Bale? Going home again?"
eyes," said Bale. sat least-I
don't know about home. I shall drop
in at the Sir Ferdinand.
"Ah!" cried the other, ,Ystriding on
again with Bale at his side, 'T should
think that was more in your line"
"Well, yes" said Bale, 81 suppose
il is. Shall we set ourselves to walk
toward 8 glass?"
"Why, no." said his companion.
'rNot tonight. I've better work on
hand. You've always been a trust
worthy sort of chap III way, Bale.
You can keep secret?"
GIVE kept one or two," Bale ans.
wered.
"whx," said the other. ''The
secrets this, Bale. I'm going to get
married"
"oh!" said Bale. "You've squared
the old lady, have you?"
eyes. I've squared the old lady,
and I'm off now to the top of Hill Road,
my lad, to carry the news to the young
'un."
"The young lady?" said Bale.
''The young lady," said his COM
panion. "She's been. rare and down.
hearted this Six months past about ivih-
old womar's opposition. She'll cheer
up above bit when ]. break the
to her. And look here, Bali
You and me have always had -g
Lone for another. There's o 4.
diherenre III olr stations
I've never made 81 differences on2 :.
account. Have I, now? Come! Have
II"
"No," cried Bale; syou never have. "
when mans married." said the
other, "he's got to let his wife have
something of say about the company
he keeps. Now, sometimes you are a
most extraordinary racketty chap, Bale.
You know you are. Selina's got a bit
of down on you, old lad"
Don't you trouble about me,
George" said Bale. 81 know what
Miss Rice thinks about me, and know
what I think about Miss Rice. We're
never likely to trouble each other"
"Why?" said the lucky lover, check
ing his walk suddenly and facing
round. "What do you think about
Miss Rice?"
"Ohp cried Bale, "don't let's have
any misunderstanding. I've the very
highest opinion of Miss Rice. She's
made up her mind that I'm wastrel,
and she's let me see her opinion. She's
quite right, George-quite right.
am q wastrel. I'm no fit society for
her, and if, as married woman, she
makes up her mind as I'm no fit COM
panion for her husband, why, all I say
is, her will be done. I shall never
think the worse of her. lisa woman's
business to keep her own man straight.
Well, here's the Sir Ferdinand. Good
night, George, and good luck"
'Not yet" returned George. "We
haven't got to the bottom of what !
wanted. Try and be bit steady, Bale.
That'll bring Selma round; and I'd like
to see an old chum at the fireside now
and then. don't want to lose you,
Bale"
'sOh, well! Well talk O. that an
other time. Neither Miss Rice, as she
is, nor Mrs. Truman, as she will be,
wants me about her. Good night,
George. We shall meet tomorrow.
How Bale Tolley, who had gone to
the bad this three years, went head
long to the worse from that evening
forward, is not worth telling, and yet
was told in thousand households.
There was good choice of blackguard
society in the neighborhood for any
man who cared to seek it. Bale found
the worse, and played the uncrowned
king among it. His name grew to be
a 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 sympathetic
thought about him.
sPoor Bale!" she would say to her
self, for she hardly dared say it to an
other, Bale was so fagrantly a sinner.
"He's got the very look of his father on
him. It might be printed on his back
and be no palmer reading. Ruined
daredevil. It's wrote, large all over
him. But he's beautiful figure of q
man to look ct yet, an if iver a child's
heart was i the right place, that child's
was when he was child"
George Truman and Selma Rice
were cried in church, but of this Bale
knew nothing, for he Gid not mix with
chu-ch-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 three days
trip, and George Truman went back to
the Office of the mining engineer who
employed him. Bale drove his engines
ut 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.
'sHallo, Bale, old lad," said the
lucky man, chow art? I've come to
have q business look at things"