Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11

caught them, Ind ii one supreme pressure
seemed to pour out and transfuse his whole
simple soul into his partners There they
| swayed each other backward and forward
ana sideways2by their still clasped hands,
urti Uncle BILLY, With a glance at Uncle
Jim's bandaged ankle showed him by sheer
force down into hi chair.
Uncle Jim was first to speak. Caught,
b'gosh! I mighter known you'd be as big
FOOL as me! Look you, Billy Fall, do you
| know what you We 1one2 You've druv me
outer the straets thar I was maxim an
honest Twin. by day, on three crossin's!
Yes" he laughed. forgivingly, you druv
me outer it, by day. jest because I reckoned
that sometime l might run onto your
darned fool face'-another laugh and a
grasp of the hand-"and then. b'gosh! not
content with ruinin' my business by day.
when 1 took to 1t at night, you took to
goin' out at nights, too. and so put stop
per on me there! Shall I tell you what
else you did? Well. by the holy! 1 owe
this sprained foot to your darned foolish
ness and my own. for it was getting away
from you one night after the thcater that
I got run into and run over!
'YC see." he went on, unconscious OF
| Uncle Billy's paling face and with
| raivete. though perhaps not a dellcacy,
equal to Uncle Billy's own. Il had to play
roots on you with that lockboX business
and these letters, because l did not want
you to know what 1 was up to, for you
mightn't like it, and might think 1t was
lcwerin' to the old firm. don't yer see?
wouldn't have gone into 1t, but was pay
ed cut, and don't mind telln you now,
old man, that when 1 wrote you that first
clipper letter from the lockbox l hedn't
eat anythin' for two days. But it's al right
now with a laugh. '"Then got into this
business-thinkin' 1t nuthin-jest the very
last thing-and do you know, old pard
| couldn't tell anybody but you-and. in fact
I kept it just to tell you've made 500!
Yes sir, 1855; solid money. in Adams q
Co.'S bank. j,st outer my trade.
"WOt tradec' asked Uncle Billy
Uncle Jim pointed to the corner where
stood a large. heavy crossing sweepe's
broom THAT trade"
"Certingly,' said Uncle Billy, with a
quick laugh.
IT'S an outdoor trade" said Uncle Jim
gravely, but with no suggestion OF aWk,
wardness or apology in his manner, and
thar amt much difference between sweep
in crossin' with broom and raking over
tailings with a rake. only-wot We get with
a broom you have handed to ye and ye
don't have to pick it up and FISH 1t outer the
wet rocks and sluice gushin, and It's
heap less trim to the back
"Certingly, you betr' said Uncle Billy.
enthusiastically, yet with certain nervous
abstraction.
I'm glad We say so-for yer see, didn't
know at first now you'd tumble to my doing
it-until I'd made my pile. And eff hadn't
made it, 1 wouldn't hev set eyes on We
again. old pard-never!'
do you mind my runnin' out a minnit?
said Uncle Billy, rising. You see. I've got
a friend wa.tin' for me outside-and reck.
on'-he stammered-"I'll jist run out and
send him off, SO kin talk conf BILE to ye.
Eye amt got anybody you're OWN men
ey to-" said Uncle Jim earnestly: "any
body follerin' you to get paid. en-! For 1
kin jest set down right here and write we
off a check On the bank!
No" said Uncle Billy. He slipped out
Of the door and ran like deer to the wait
ing carriage. Thrusting a $40 gold piece
into the coachn ans hand he said hoarsey'
Il amt wantin' that kerridge just now; we
kin drive around and hev private jam
boose all by Yourself the rest of the after
noon, and then come and wait for me at the
top O. the hill yonder
Thus quit of his gorgeous eQuipaSe, ne
hurried back to Uncle Jim, graspng his
$1,000 draft in his pocket He was nerv-
Gus. he was frightened, but he must get rid
of the draft and his story and have 1t over
But before he ooulds speak that he was UNI
expectedly stopped by Uncle jim.
Now look yer, Billy boy" said Uncle
Jim II got suthin' to say to ye-and /
might as well clear it off my mind at once
and then we can start fair agin. Now he
went on with, a half laugh, wasn't it
rich and doing big business and gettin
up that lock-box dodge as ye couldn't
find out whar I hung out and what l was
doin'-wasn't it enough for me to go on
with all this play actin, but you you long
legged orang cuss! must get up and so to
lynn and play-actin, too"
ME play-actin'g Me lyin?" gasped I'm
Gle Billy.
Uncle Jim leaned back in his chair and
laughed. do you think you could fool
me? Do you think 1 didn't see through
your little game o. going to that swell orr
entail. jest as II ye'd made a big strickland
all the while ye- wasn't sleepin' or eatin'
there, but jest wrastlin' yer hash and hav-
ing roll down at the Good Cheer. Do you
think didn't spy on We and find that out?
Oh, you long-earei jackass rabbit
q Ia bod Mt; tha vt1 1T,
eyes, and Uncle Billy laughed too, albeit
until the laugh on his face became quite
fixed, and he was fam to bury his head on
the table.
And yet" said Uncle Jim, with a deep
breath. Gosh! l was frightened-jest for
a mint! 1 thought mebbe you had made a
big strike-when got your first letter-and
l made up my mind what I'd do! And then
remembered you was jest that kind of an
open sluice that couldn't keep anythin' to
yourself. and you'd have been sure to have
yelled 1t out to me the first thing. So 1
waited And 1 found you out. you old sin
ner! He reached forward and dug Uncle
Billy in the ribs.
What would you have DONE" said I'm
Gle Billy. after an hysterical collapse
f frse e grax ave again d
out er Californy! out er Amurky!
couldn't have stud 1t! Don't think 1 would
hev begrudged we yer luck! No man would
have been gladder than me-" He leaned
ly upon his partners arm-"Don't think I'd
wanted to take penny of it-but THAR!
couldn't hav stood up under it! To hev
had you, you that I left behind comm
down here rollin' in wealth and new part
ners and friends, and arrive upon me-and
this shanty-and-' he threw toward the
corner Of the room terrible gesture, none
the less terrible that it was illogical and
inconsequent to all that had gone before
and-and-that broom"'
There was a dead silence in the room.
With it Uncle Billy seemed to feel him
self again transported to the homely
cabin at Cedar Camp and that fateful
night. with his partners strange, deter
mined face before him as then. He even
faEcied that he heard the roaring of the
pines without, and did not know that it
was the distant sea.
But after a minute Uncle Jim resumed
'Of course you've made a little raise
somehow, or you wouldn't be here?'
Yes said Uncle Billy, eagerly; yes,
I've got" He slipped and stammered
I've got-a-few hundreds"
'Oh, h0!" said Uncle Jim, cheerfully.
He paused, and then added earnestly, II
say. you amt got left over and above
your id foolishncss at the Oriental as
much S5O0?"
I've got" said Uncle Billy. blushinp a
little over his first deliberate and afrected
! lie. 'Pve got at least s572. Yes" he added