Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-10

lulO MISS MdlN lud . uduuo vi SioS SACS
had been stolen from her.
She had three theories touching their
disappearance, either Of which was
sufficient to fill her soul with bitter
ness-Malvina had found them and re-
stored them to Horace Matthews with.
out ever a word to her about the
transaction, Jimmy Martin had been
bought by the lawyer at an advance
price over the one she had PAID him to
hold his tongue and had burgla-
riously secured the package while she
slept, or she had herself carelessly in
cluded them among some papers she
had recently destroyed.
But know them by heart. could
swear to every word In them If only
some one would believe in me. If Pm
failing so fast that don't know legal
document from a pudding recipe, if
I'm grown such witless body that
clodhopper like Jimmy Martin can
overreach me. If I'm Of so little lmpor-
tance in the world that my own daugh-
ter will make common cause with a
bad man against me, the sooner go
the better"
'"alother" Spillman had not yet
reached the sluggish point which
comes as compensation for failure.
She had not been shelved long enough
to grow passive under the humiliation.
During the Rev. Mr.. Isham's incum-
bency she had been power in Mande-
vile, and when time removed him and
disabled her she yielded up her scepter
reluctantly and ungracefully. She was
still much given to asserting her views
in defiance Of large majorities, and. rs
for consulting Malvina in a matter Of
grave importance, she could not bring
herself to do it. In this matter of the
lost papers. Malvina could never be
brought to see it in the right light. She
would have Stoutly stood out for Mat
thews' rights as Toms guardian and
carried the documents when found to
him.
With all the strength Of affection un-
diluted by diffusion this stern old wo-
man had loved the older generation Of
the BroXtons Rufus BroXton, his wife
and his beautiful sister. Lucetta. had
all been objects of her unstinted ad-
miration aud love. AS they had stood
by her in the time Of her sorrow and
suffering, so did she solemnly swear
to herself that she would stand hy the
last of the name.
y furtive but thorough examination
Of the papers Jimmie Martin had found
had led her to hrlieve that they were
Of decided value to Tom. Whether to
give them to him on the first chance
meeting with him or whether to hold
on to the most important ones until he
came Of age WAS the knotty point with
her. One Of her innumerable theories
was that If Horace Matthews had not
been willing for them to be lost he
would have made a more thorough
search for them at the time Of their
disappearance.
The discrepancy between this view
and the idea of Jimmie Martin having
resold himself did not concern her in
the least. The average woman does not
understand the necessity for dovctall-
ing her theories and rises superior to
consistency.
The old woman sighed and peered
restlcssly toward the front gate. She
had half mind when Malvina did
come back to tell her all about the
finding and the losing of the papers,
first. of course. swearing her to invio-
liable secrecy. but she had entertained
and discarded that same "half Il mind
scores Of times already. Malvina would
just get angry with her and put on su-
perior airs of rectitude. Malvina got
angry with her every time she cast
any discredit on Horace Matthews
management of Toms affairs. He GER
tainly had bewitched Malvina. as he
had others before her. Only that morn
ing at the breakfast table. when NAL
vina had described the beautiful pearl
necklace that Matthews had clasped
about his girls neck and she had
promptly recognized it as having been
Lucctta's, given to her as birthday
gift by her brother Rufus. and had de-
nounced its appropriation by the law
yer. Malvina had flown all to pieces"
and had just stopped short Of down.
right disrcspect to her mother in de-
fense of him.
"As if did not know him better
than anybody living" the old woman
grumbed. striking one wrinkled fist
angrily against the other. "As if did
not know his soul to be rotten to the
very CORE
Tom BroXton. cantering gayly down
the sun fleckcd road on his way to
Mandcvillc. caught glimpse Of the
bright spot Of color in the cottage door
way and drew rein with friendly in
tent. He consulted his watch and
laughed.
"It is Mother Spillman. l ought to
pay my respects to the old lady. |
have more time this morning than
am likely to have again. was asked
to 9 o'clock dinner, and it is only n
little past II now. I'm showing my
hand pretty plainly"
He sprang out Of the saddle, threw