Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-12

| reG-headed man was found.
You Judge Harold's nephew" the |
| feeble voice began at once. Il know. |
| for l read what the papers said about !
| you and the silver"
And who you?"
"a dying man. Then he asked his |
| eyes glowing. an eager covetousness N /
! his voice: You have the silver safe?'
Yes" Harold answered, drawing his !
chair closer And now you are going |
t, tell me all about it,
| Yes" And with here and there a |
pause for breath. he told this story;
You have heard of Aft Boyd, the boy
your uncle sentenced to five years in
the penitentiary for burning barn@
He was my only chill |. and just sew
erteen. He was innoceH1, he had been
hunting that night and the torch they
| found in his hand HAD been used only
| t. smoke a coon from its hollow But
| circumstances We're against him for he
had had quarrel with the owner of the
| barn, and so they sent him up. He was
so young that a petition was started.
asking the governor to pardon him, and
on her knees my wife begged your uncle
to sign it-but he refused. and it
| failed. The lad had been his mothers
IDOL, and the thought of his sufferngs
was more than she could bear--she died
Of a broken heart Well. in time the boy
came back, a hardened wretch with VEN
geance in his heart. That night he
crept to your unces house. ! followed,
fnl | wanted no more trouble: fut when
l got to the door it was fastened. and SO
| looked through the window | h -ald all
tho reproaches the boy hcapcd upon him.
all the fearful story Of those years of
prison misery. | heard him repeat the
! he had a, to, i- tn
his hardships-and | saw the blow that
struck the old man down.
You saw, and made no effort to
save him?'
Did he lift finger to save my inno-
cent child or my dying wite?-I:esides.
the window boitcd down Then the
boy looted the silver closet and the old
mans pocket and came away with the
sWag wrapped in table cloth: and l.
more frantic than sane, hid him. He
had come secretly by night, and 81 sent
him secretly away. But he was all |
had-his eyes We're like his dead moth
er's-and so after awhile I followed him.
He had fallen into evil company: and
one night in a fight over this silver,
which he dared not to sell 50 keen were
your detectives or his trail. he killed
man and himself fatally wounded.
The shining stuff had made me Wilecss.
childless and Wanderer. And yet
after that nigh, when I saw my child
die and found his burden left to me. I
dared rot let il out of my sight for
hour lest it be found and used as evil
dence against myself: for my unsnpport-
ed story OF my sor's deed would now be,
regarded as ruse: | myself would be
held as the murderer. and the gallows
! was q horror"
Harold put a glass of cordial to his
| lips, and after awhile he went on:
Then began for me a life of weary
! wandering and hdin; whose sufferings
! do not like to go over even il mems
Dry. On and on / went, now duublin 3
on my track. row making circuit: ncV
CT daring to remain long in a place, but
. working my way as | went and SO keep
ing out of the clutches Of the law. At
I first l guarded the silver for my safety,
! but as l boarded it jealousy it came by
! degrees to have strange fascination for
y me, such a fascination as a snake has
: Scl the bird it charms to it's death IT
, was my friend my cnmpanion-my mas
I ter. l oathed it and yet l could not
: put it from me. l tried to rid myself of
it. to lose it, but always like q !odestone,
, it drew me back. Once I buried it in
: lonely fwood. buried il deep and stamped
2 the earth upon it. thinking to go away
. and begin new life in some far coun-
l try But some fi,ndish power dragged
me back to the spot and bade me- dig,
: dig, until | felt the smooth cold things
h under my hands. 1t seemed to me that
/ when I carried it GA my shoulders
r through the drifting snow or the burning
. sun. I was hearing my sons sin, and so.
perhaps. tightening his punishment in
! that dread world ot which had gone.
n He had had such pitifully small chanca
= in this life that longed to make it up
to him in the next: ana so did his pen
;. ance. Oh, yes, I know now. since my
blood has cooled, that it was a crazy
: thought, the wild dream of maniac
= nut it haunted me- Give me that glass
y again.
a But the danger of detection increased
: fOr people grew suspicious of the curious
>. bag | carried over my shoulder and so
g ar last | hit on the plan of shipping it
here under false name, again thinking
:. to rid myself OF it. ] even went in an
:, opposite direction to put more space be-
tween us. But the Old fascination still
. held me in its malignant grasp: even in
:. my dreams | saw the shine Of the ac-
= cursed stuff Turin. me on. l longed fo,
y il mser longs for his gold as q
, mother longs for her child; and so at
- last | stopped fighting against the Wits
pcring demon within me. and | tramped
all the long miles here to be near nv
!: lost treasure. But l could not raise thu
IL honey to pay the charges. The day OF
the old boss sale l recognized the box
e and bid every cent | had saved. but the
- other man was better loaded-and Their
l. you came in" The eyes were dun and
/ the voice a low, grating monotone.
Il After moment Harold asked Yer,
q Sently. for the tragedy OF this blight &c
mind and life pressed heavily upon him
v, Il believe your story, what can | do fol
IF YOU" :,
/. The whole face changed: thu SAM