The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-09-06
*Goodby.
THE YELLOW GOD.

The YELLOW GOD.
Tom Jenkins ran his hand through
the gold that lay heaped on the floor Of
the shack. "Seems to me, Billy" he
said slowly, "that hopin to find it is
better n finding it. -
Dull CLEANS of light from smoky
lantern fell athwart the face of the old
miner, rugged, homely, deep furrowed
by time and hardships and offering a
marked contrast indeed to the hand
some, patrician features of Billy Bailey,
his Junior partner.
Findin, Billy, means quittin. It's
an end to the wants an privations I've
knowed fer nigh 20 year. But somehow
I've come to like these still ole noun
tains, an the singin of the pines an the
river. They've growed like friends, an
I'm never lonesome among 'em. Listen,
you can hear en- now. Maybe it's the
las time they'll ever sing fer me. y
"We're goin back to civilization,
continued Tom, unheeding the others
lack of sympathy with his reminiscent
mood, ''an that means separation. 1
know you like me, Billy. A Teller
couldn't want better pardner than
you've been fer the two year I've know
ed you. But with your eddication. an
your young blood, an your ambitions, you
ain my kind in civ lization. We can t
be the same down there. l couldn't ex-
pect it. But think powerful deal of
you, Billy. p
'"Oh, come, Tom, >" broke in his COM
panion impatiently, you're in the
dumps tonight Take drink and brace
up. Should think you'd look on the
bright side of things now. We've work
ed and starved i'll these cursed wilds for
gold until at last we've got it. Think
of the city's 10, 900 pleasures that this
stake can buy for us, There's no life in
crowded streets, and it can all be ours
when we've got such god-the god of
gold-to see us through"
Billy laughed gloatingly in anticipa-
tion. Then once more he fixed his eyes,
with a glittering intensity, on the yell
low heap, which meant for him all that
life can mean to selfish, love lack ma
ture.
"But it ain fer me, persisted Tom.
''I'm past them things. If it want fer
the hope of findin the old woman down
there in Frisco an maxim her comforta-
BILE, I'd stay. 1 don't care fer the gold
after all. I've found it, an my hungerin
fer it's satisfied -
Billy made no answer. He had long
since become resigned to the diversity
of their tastes, and tonight he was in
no mood for argument. He got out
some materials and began to repair a
rent in his coat. Tom rose presently
and dumped the nuggets into a gunny
sack Then he arranged his blankets
for the night.
Put it away safe, Billy" he said
jocularly. Were already ON the edge
of civ lization an must learn to be per-
ticker"
''I'll look after it, never fear, said
the other shortly. "Good night.
Billy finished his task, but his mind
was still busy with thoughts of the fu-
ture. He rose and stepped out into the
night. AT his feet the turbulent river
rushed blackly along, its foam crests
cleaning like dull silver in the clear
starlight. Behind him lowered in silent
majesty the rugged, wooded mountains
The air was heavy with the breath of
the pines. But Billy saw none of the
beauty of the night. The mountains
awakened memories of hardships and
hopelessness, the river was only high
way to civilization He lit his pipe and
began to pace up and down the shelving
shore.
There was none of the stuff of which
heroes are made in Billy Bailey's COM
position. Had the fates seen fit to CON
tinue their kindly beginning he would
probably have developed into one of the
horde of whited sepulchers that so
largely make up what the world is
pleased to term the respectable of hu.
manity-those who observe the conven
lions to the letter, indulge every desire
with studied care that wins the ap-
proval of men, and, dying, are respect
fully buried and speedily forgotten On
the contrary, fate had preferred giving
Billy chance to prove his mettle. His
college career cut short by the melting
away of his fathers fortune, he awoke
one morning to find himself face to
face with the world, his wits his only
capital.
He remembered tonight his struggles
i to maintain his social position, the
Sights heaped upon him by erstwhile
boon companions, the gradual sinking
away of hope until, with starvation
staring him in the face, he had shipped
in vessel bound round the Horn. -
On his lips were curses for the friends
who had failed him, in his heart re-
solve some day to retaliate He recalled
his hardships on the western frontier,
his final falling in with old Tom Jen-
kins and the hopeless search for gold
1ntil a week ago, when the gravel of a
dried up mountain stream Unexpectedly
yielded them their little fortune and
ended for him the hell on earth exist.
tuC6 Ill 0u6b6 cO1lOlOOo. LID 4ubu1S
course was plain. Mercilessly he would
engage in the war for wealth. His heart
must know but one love-the love Of
gold.
And the stake, it was not so much
after all If he only had Toms share
tool The thought startled him, and be
looked furtively about as though already
Wall ~
What was Tom to him now? The ole
man cared nothing for gold. He haC
said as much. Why not begin the tasH
of wealth gathering tonight and double
his fortune by single coup? The skif
was all ready for the morrow's journey
down the river He could easily reacf
North Fork by daylight, and miles O.
distance would lie between him ant
Tom before the latter could make thu
trip across the almost impossible noun
tain trail. He weakened for a momen
as he thought of Tom S almost mother
ly solicitude, of how throughout thei
wanderings the big hearted miner haC
borne the brunt of the struggle. Evel
when the treasure was discovered tn
old mans first words were, "I'm gla'
fol- your sake, Billy" Then he aske'
himself if he, too, was growing senti
mental, and tonight, Of all nights, Oh
the very eve of battle.
He walked back to the house. Ton
was fast asleep. The Pickering light o
the lantern fell aslant the corner wher
he lay, his powerful form half swathe
in the tattered blankets, his Drawn,
arms thrown above his head. The face
from which sleep seemed to hav
smoothed away the deep burrows, mir
rored the rugged honesty of his heart