The Portland daily press., 1897-11-12

WIN q ptliicu, DuU uuiulSthkaDl6 hau-
teur and singular elevation of his shirt
frill, as If it had become of its own ao-
cord erectile. MIR. Corbin-er-er-is
the distant relative of old Major Corbin,
of Nashville-er-one of my Oldest politi-
cal friends. When Mr.. Corbin-er- re-
turns, you can conduct him to me. And,
If you please, replenish glasses. y
When the barkeeper respectfully showed
Mr.. Corbin and Woods Digest into the
room again, the Colonel was still BEAM
ing and apologetio.
"A thousand thanks, sir, but except to
show you the law If you require it-hard-
ly necessary Ihave-er-glanced over the
woman's s letters again-it would be bet
ter perhaps If you had kept copies of your
own-but still these tell the whole story
and your own. The claim is preposterous! |!
You have simply to drop the whole thing.
stop your remittances, stop your CORES
pondence-pay no heed to any further
letters and wait results. You need fear
nothing further, sir, stake my profes-
slonal reputation on 1t.
The gloom of the stranger seemed only
to increase as the Colonel reached his tri-
umphant conclusion.
81 reckoned you'd say that" he said
slowly, "but it won't do. l shall go on
paying as far as l can. It's my trouble
and I'll see it through
"But, my dear sir, consider" gasped
the Colonel. "You are in the hands OF
an infamous harpy who Is using her SON S
blood to extract money from you. You
have already pal d a dozen times more
than the life of that - sneak was worth ;
and more than that-the longer you keep
on paying you are helping to give color
to their claim and estopping your own
defence. And gad sir, you're making a
precedent for this sort of thing You
are offering premium to widows and
orphans. A gentleman won't be able to
exchange shots with another without
making himself liable for damages. /
am willing to admit that your feelings
though in my opinion-er-exagger
do you credit-but am satisfied that
they are utterly misunderstood, SIR
''Not by all of them," said Corbin,
darkly.
"Eh?'' returned the Colonel, quickly.
"There was another letter here which
/ didn't particularly point to you," SAID
Corbin, taking up the letter again, "for
reckoned it wasn't evidence, 60 to
speak, being from his cousin-a girl
and calculated you'd read it when was
out.''
The Colonel coughed hastily. ''I was
in fact-er-just about to glance over it
when you came in.
''It was written continued Corbin,
selecting letter more beJhumbed than
the others, latter the old woman had
threatend me. This here young woman
allows she is sorry that her aunt has to
take money of me on account of her cous-
in being killed, and she is still sorrier
that she is so bitter against me. She says
she hadn't seen her cousin since he was
a boy, and used to play with her, and
that she finds it hard to believe that he
should ever grow up to change his name
and act 80 as to provoke anybody to lift a
hand against him. She says she supposed
it must be something in that dreadful
California that alters people and makes
everybody SO reckless. l reckon her
heads level there, amt it?,
There was such sudden and unex-
peoted tightening of the mans face as he
eaid 1T, such mOmentary relief to his
persistent gloom, that the Colonel, albeit
inwardly dissenting from both letter and
comment, smiled condescendingly.
'She's no s1ouch of scribe neither, -
continued Corbin animatedly. "Read
| that.
| He handed his companion The letter,
pointing to a passage with his finger.
The Colonel took it WITH I fear, a some
what lowered opinion of his client, and q
| new theory of the case. 1t was ev ident
| that this weak submission to the aunt's
| conspiracy was only the result of great
| er weakness for the niece. Colonel Star
bottle had wholesome distrust Of the
sex as business or political factor. He
began to Look over the letter, but was evi-
| deity slurring it with superficial polite
ness, when Corbin said
"Read it out loud"
| The Colonel slightly lifted his shoul-
ders. fortified himself with another sip
| of the julep, and, leaning back. oratori-
cally began to read; the stranger leaning
| over him and following line by line with
shining eyes.
"When l say / am sorry for you it is
| because l think 1t must be dreadful for
| you to be going round with the blood of
a fellow creature On your hands 1t
| must be awful for you in the stiffness of
the night season to hear the voice of the
err and you saying, Lord, have Stayed
him dead 1t must be awful for you
when the pride OF your wrath was sur
fitted and his dunn sensless corps was be-
fore you not to know that 1t IS written,
Vengeance is mine. will repay saith
the Lord. 1t was no use for you to
say, L never heard that BEFORE remem
bering your teacher and parents. Yet
verify l Fay unto you Though your sins
be as scarlet. they shall be washed whittier
than snow,' saith the Lord-Isaiah l., 18;
and Heart hath no sorrow that Heaven
cannot heap-my hymn book, lst Presby.
terian Church. page 10. Mr.. Corbin, ]
pity your feel1ns at the grave Of my pore
dear cousin, knowing he is before his
Maker and you cam bring him back
"Umph er-er-very good-very good
indeed" said the Colonel, hastily refold-
ing the letter. Every we'll meaning and
er -
$50 on" said Corbin, over his shoul-
der, 'you haven't read all
An. true. perceive overlooked some
thing Um-um
May God forgive you, Mr.. Corbin, as
for it was good what you tried to do for
her and the fammely, and I've always
| said it when she was raging round and
wanting money of you. 1 don't believe
you meant to do it anyway, OWN to
your kindness of heart to the orphanlesf
aud the widow since you did 1T. Anser
this letter, and don't mind what aunty