Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-06-06
DEATH AS THE PRICE
OF PERSONAL DISHONOR

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home, in order that his boy should
start in life equipped with the educa-
ton and somewhat Of the means of
a gentleman, and he based his high
hopes on the young fellows intelli-
gence and ability. Jack resembled
the Colonel in form and feature, which
is to say that he was tall, athletic,
and uncommonly handsome With
this he was high-spirited and extreme
ly sensitive.
I During the college terms I prac-
tically made the ColonePs house my
home. was regarded IS one of the
family and came and went as l
pleased, without ceremony.
Zone afternoon-it was Saturday
| and I intended to stay over Sunday
1 made my way through the grounds,
climbed over the veranda rail to save
| myself the trouble of going around to
the entrance, walked through the
drawing-room window, and opened the
door of the Coloners study without
going through the usually quite un-
necessary formality Of knocking.
had brought book for him and had
| gone straight to the study to shy it
on his table if he were not there, for
/ [ wanted to get rid Of it before going
to the stable, where an interesting
addition to the family of the old darky
coachman's fox terriers claimed my
! sympathetic attention, one of it's most
curiously marked members being des-
| tined for me.
MY abrupt irruption into the study
| made me the witness of scene that
caused me to stop short, startled and
terribly embarrassed. The Colonel,
bending forward with his elbows
propped on his knees and his face
buried in his hands, was crying as if
his heart would break His daughter
was also weeping, and, with an arm
| around his neck, was trying to con-
sole him.
Both lifted their tear-bathed faces
as, overwhelmed with confusion and
most painfully impressed, stammered
an apology and stepped back to with
of that dear old man will haunt me as
long as live. s.+e--.ssosss esszss.sss*,
II tiptoed out and closed the door
noiselessl..v. l would have left the
house and made my way back to the
college. Alas! could not do so. Before
l reached the veranda the study door
opened and the Colonel, in a broken
voice, called after me:
Don't go away, Eddie
/ Il had no further interest in the
fox terrier and sat on the veranda
wondering what terrible calamity
could have fallen upon the house and
| feeling unutterably miserable myself
could imagine only one thing-that
an accident had happened to Jack and
that he was dead. The more I pom
dered the more convinced I became
that l had OWNED the cause Of the
Colonel's affliction.
In a little while he joined me. He
had regained his composure, but the
change was pitiful. Since the last
time | had seem him-two or three
days before-his gray hair and mus
tache had turned almost white and
his face was deeply furrowed with
lines Of suffering
He made no allusion to the scene
in the library, but talked absently of
various things and asked me ques-
tions about the college. He lit a
cigar, but forgot to smoke it. Anxious
to know the worst ventured:
"'Haye you heard from Jack lately :?
4 have heard Of him.
Not bad news sir, trust:'
"'Very bad news
"'He isn't-dead?'
:" Worse; he is a thief. He has
robbed the bank and disappeared,
1T was the old story. Jacks am
bition had overreached itself. In his
desire to acquire quickly wealth and
the power that goes with it he had
speculated in cotton and lost all he
possessed, then he had taken money
from the bank in an effort to retrieve
his loss; then, in desperation, had
taken more, hoping by one fortunate
coup to save himself, and thus had
precipitated the ruin he sought to
avert. Jacks sureties, friends of the
4 Colonel, had made good the banks
loss, but the highest influence that
could be brought to bear had failed to
induce the bank officials to let the
matter drop. They declared that the
very safety OF the institution de-
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