Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-05-16

lreen pistc and travelling expenses
to Acstral:a. Dudley chose the trav.
cling expenses, promising to take the
next steamer, under an assumed name,
for Melbourne. Two days later he
purchased instead, under the name OF
John Simpson, ticket for Panama.
And with that purchase ends the career
of the Hon. Duncan Dudley, so far as
Great Britain is concerned; ends, also,
our interest in Miss Aileen Butler, who
soon !afterwardA became the unhappy
aud unloving wife of Mr.. Richard
Hadley- Benton = with which latter
parsonage we have not yet finished.
Regarding. Mr.. John Simpson, Sec
ond-class passenger from Liverpool on
the British South American and Pan
anna S. s. liner Paloma, it would be an
impossible feat to follow his fortunes
and misfortunes through the next ten
years. He had logged on the Amazon,
dug for gold (which, like Rachael's
children, "was not") in the Guianas,
gambled unsuccessfullyin Panama, and
at last In desperation, had drifted to
the Mexican border. There he had
the fortune Tor misfortune) to save the
life of o Mexican girl, the only daugh-
ter of ranchero, who owned ranches
and mine or two in the western part
of Mexico, just then in process of de-
velopment by various English and
American sYndicates.
This girl, Anita by name, was rather
pretty, though dark and chubby, as
Mexican girls often are. But she was
sweet, innocent and very faithful, and
she let Simpson see that she cared for
him, and would marry him if,he 80 de-
sired. Strange to say; he did desire;
his life had been such that the pure
and unselfish love of even q Mexican
girl meant much to him, and he swore
that he would reform, once married to
Anita Not that he loved her. Love,
Mr.. Simpson had killed with his own
hands ten years ago and more. But
some men cannot live up to much Of
standard without a good woman's
help. Simpson was of this ilk. Where
fore he married Anita, sobered up in
manner that astounded even himself,
refused to accept help from his some
what grumpy father-in-law, and found
a job as assistant assayer in the Mex
lean mining town of Palma Sola, in
the very centre of the gold and silver
mining district which English and
American capital 4wasSin process of
exploiting. Y rs
In the course of time Simpsons en-
iployer died. and Simpson continued
the assay Office on his own account,
for he had learned the business dur
ing his five years apprenticeship, and
chemical knowledge gained by him
while at Oxford also stood him in good
stead. Besides which he had learned
q great deal about mines and mining,
aud knew what was ore and what was
not. (You may not realize it, but this
last is great attainment.) Also, in
addition to his assay office, he now
had small ore buying agency and was,
in fact, making money hand over fist.
Anita, though now very fat and
mustached, had nevertheless proved a
good and faithful wife and mother, and
Simpsons lines had not been cast in
the most unfortunate places after all.
He bad totally reformed and lived a
fcontented life, forgetful of his old es-
tate and old love, straight and honest
iu! business, devoted to his only child
and kind to his wife,. Few men in
Palma Sola4were more respected than
John Simpson, assayer and ore buyer.
Just. about this time rumors got
aAoat ine,Palma Sola that some pro-
moters had at last doomed the ''Es-
peranza" gold prospect near by on
the London market; that one of the
biggest min e-broking concerns there
had been favorably impressed-so fa-
vorably impressed, in fact, that the
head of the. concern, avery rich man
and member of Parliamer :, was him
,self,on the way to. make personal in
'vestigation OF the mine. If it 'panned
ont" as represented, the Englishmen
intended to buy it, and erect costly
stamp mills for working the ore, with
cyanide. plants for treatment of the
tailings.
Iu due time the rich Englishman
arrived. Simpson at once recognized
in. tue puffy, pompous member of Par
lame ent, WHO represented the. greatest
combination of mining capital in Great
Britain, his old chum and deadly en-
envy, Hadley-Benton. Needless to
say the latter did not recognize in
Simpson; assayer and ore buyer, the
Duncan Dudley of 15 years agone. In
this rough, bearded, sloppy-looking
westerner, whom he patronizingly adj
dressed as .'My good man." MI. Had
ley. Benton, NJ. P, saw merely human
machine which would be useful later
in assaying the "Esperanza" samples,
for the machine was considered the
only reputable and accurate assayer in
OF within reach of Palma Sola. And,
having engaged Simpson to make the
said several assays, this pompous in
dividual departed for the 'tEsperanza"
prospect in peace and content of mind
lin which frame of spirit he did not
leave Mr.. Simpson, assaver and ore
buyer.
That entire night Simpson spent in
fighting phantoms of the past, memo
ries of his lost and only love, memories
of home and friends, the position and
happiness which might have been his
but for his own folly and his traitor
GUS confdant, Hadley-Benton. 1t
was hard night and a hard fight,
but Simpson went to his Office exulting
next morning with plans fully thought
out and arranged. his enemy had at
last been placed in his power, and Mr..
Simpson proposed that there should
be a plentiful settling of old scores.
When Mr.. Hadley- Benton and his
large number of carefully sealed sam
Plies from the "Esperanza'' reached
Simpsons assay Office later that week,
the latter person was entirely and
deferentislly at the disposal of the
lordly capitalist, only Simpson pre-