Middletown transcript., 1898-10-15

denly swept away by tne lh0ugnt 9
this story. But had he right to tel
herp No, she wouldn't, couldn't know
that was so long ago, and forgotten.
s.And your fatherp Go on-I ar
interested"
He might have had the things, 4
money, to have put me in your frien'
Bertie's position If luck had been his
way, and if he hadn't been cheated
Il never can Think of you as mai
like Bertie," Miss Wolverton said de
cisively, with that calm confidence II
her eyes; the eyes may have been rathe
more expressive because this wa
the last day of all, and he would sliI
out of her life so soon. She was fair tC
look upon, cltver accomplished, charm
ing; this fence OF sexes was her delight
she could no more avoid it than she
could breathing. Our unsophisticated
young man failed to understand her.
Later, common sense was to reach ou
from the grim, ma!ter-of fact, depths OF
his nature and grasp his sentimentality
until it hurt him.
20, it,, little story Of what might
have been years ago in Red Nugget
Gulch, California. My father was out
there after gold, like the rest, and he
fell in with man with whom he made
partnership in general store. Some
times, in exchange for goods, they took
claims. At first they made lot of
money, and then they lost nearly every
penny in trying to develop claim that
failed. Well, each blamed the other,
and they decided TO separate. Tuey
could decide on no other way than to
cut the cards. SO they sat down one
day and cut, and some things fell to
my father and some to his partner
And the papers we're drawn up, and
the division made. A week after that
claim which had gone to my fathers
partner began to develop. 1t proved
find; my fsther's partner made the
beginning of great fortune that way"
"Well?" said the girl.
"Now the sbanty that served for the
store had fallen to my father, not the
stock, which went to pay the firms
debts. Three weeks after this my
father sat talking with a mi ming ex-
pert who spoke of the big find on my
| fathers former partners lucky claim ;
and he stated boas fully. to show his
value as an expert probably, that he
had tolo my fathers partner-we will
call him Smith-ihat the claim was ex-
tremly valuable. This set my father
to thinking; Smith had believed the
claim to be valuable. But my father
could but acknowledge that the man
had given him a chance, even il he had
dishonesty hidden his notion of the
claim. That day my father happened
in the abandoned store. On the table
were he two packs Of dirty cards, just
as they had been left the day of the di-
vision. They had cut in The bare inner
room, which hadn't been disturbed
since. MY father picked up these in-
struments, of his bad luck, and he saw
that the pack Smith had used had been
marked"
"How awfulp' the listner said. And
you might have had money, if it hadn't
been
''If it hadn't been for Smith Is dishon.
esty, yes Miss Wolyerton. But to re-
turn to the story. My father went to
Smith, whom he accused, but Smith
looked him in the face and laughed.
"You are crazy, man. And you haven't
any proof. Who'd believe you?'"
"Nas that he end Of it?'' the girl
asked gently.
mo not the end of it. My father
could lroye nothing indeed. His affairs
went fiom bad to worse. He lelt Cali
fornia penniless. Later in the East be
accumulated the little money he was
able to leave me. But it was always
hard struggle for him and my mother,
who died shortly after l was born."
"And Smith? that's not the name. y
Melville hesitated.
''No, that's not the name. It's
wellknown name, but wewill let it re.
main Smith. Everything Smith touch
ed became money; be was accused Of
dishonesty many times in the course of
bis career; but nothing ever was prov
en-; be succeeded, and is to-day one of
The powerful men of the county,"
They were silent, the girl grave.
"And that's the reason you think
you are not in the class of Berthe Town
ley. Wen | don't want you to be in
that class. y
'tIf you would Care that much 70 said
he, half lightly, half earnestly.
"Oh, l like you, she said, cheerily,
as she might have said she liked fox
terrier.
''And the mans dishonesty was real
ly your blessing; it made you do thugs,
0, know; | know lot OF men, and
the men Of the Far Westchester set ale
80 tiresome.n
20, thanks" said he lamely.
"But you mustn'L be tiresome. Do
you see that line therep That's Sandy
Hook; l know it. have seen it that
way dozen times. And-I must be
going below. O. have been so much
interested"
Ard she went away brightly smiling,
and he felt suddenly the least like fool
This feeling was increased when he
found In the hustle Of landing that she
had only cool hand and distant $50
glad to have met you. 'snd no acknowl-
edgment OF the fact that he had asked