Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-04
Copyright. 1901, by Thomas P. Montfort
CHAPTER XIV.
THE SECRET OUT.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE SECRET OUT.
It is difficult for two people to keep a
secret, much less half dozen.
When Pap Sampson advised the men
at Hicks store that night that 1t would
be best for no one to mention to Sim
Banks a word about the meeting be-
tween Melvin and Louisa, they all
agreed with him, and each Of them
promised not only the others, but him.
self as we'll, that he'd abide by that ad'
vice, and every man there kept that
promise most sacredly.
Yet, for all that, the information they
were guarding from Sim reached him
in the course Of time, as they might
have foreseen that it would.
Sam Morgan in an unguarded mo-
ment told his wife all about it, but
was careful to caution her to mention
It to no one. She carried the secret
safely in her bosom for day or two;
then, finding it too much Of a burden
to any longer bear alone, concluded to
share it with her very nearest and
dearest friend, Mrs. Mann, not forget
ting to caution her against breathing a
word of it to another living soul.
Mrs. Mann, less scrupulous than her
neighbor or perhaps less afraid of
Sim, did not hesitate to reveal to him
the whole story. She so thoroughly de-
spised Louisa, for the simple reason
that Sim loved her, that she was only
too anxious to avail herself Of such q
propitious opportunity to injure her.
Then Sim, the cruel wretch, had coolly
scorned her love and humiliated her
thereby in q manner that would be
CALLING to the heart Of any woman, and
she was not sorry that it had fallen In
her way to be able to make him vince,
for once in his life, under the sting OF
the cruelest knowledge that ever falls
to man.
She did not stop to consider what
might be the result Of her act. Med
dlers never do. The after consequences
of gossip are something with which they
are not concerned and Of which they
take no thought. 1t was so. in this in
stance at least, with Mary Mann. 1t
never once occurred to her to what Sc
rious lengths her act might lead. but
it is doubtful whether she would have
been able to control her tongue even If
she had known.
It was only after an impatient delay
Of two or three days that she secured
an opportunity Of speaking with Sim.
Then she proceeded to pour into his
ears the whole story as Sam Morgan
had told it at the store. Sim listened
quietly until she had finished. after
which he calmly said:
"That Is all you have to say. Is it?'
"AllT she exclaimed wopderingly.
"My land. amt it enough"
"Is that all?" he repeated, with quiet
firmness.
"It is" she replied.
"Now do you want to hear what
have to say?" he asked.
Her heart gave little joyful bound,
and a thrill Of pleasure ran through
her. Sim spoke so quietly, so calmly,
that she was sure he was not hurt by
what she had told him, and In the
space Of half a minute she had reason.
ed it out that It failed to hurt him be.
cause he nc longer cared for his wife
and took no interest in anything she
did. She felt assured that what he had
to say would prove to be remuneration
Of Louisa. and certainly nothing he
could say would be more acceptable to
her. except it were declaration pf
love for herself So softly and demure-
ly she replied:
IF you care to tell me-"
"Then listen" he said. Every word
you have told me is lie, a willful
lier'
Mrs. Mann staggered back as from
the effects Of a heavy blow. Sims
words. spoken so quietly. so positively
30 unexpectedly, completely disconce"t-
ed her. In one breath they had dashed
all her newly formed hopes and opened
her eyes to the fact that the one great
desire of her soul would never be real.
lied. Sick at heart and pale With dis.
appointment she stared at Sim for q
full minute in painful silence.
But presently change came over
her. and the paleness Of diSappoint-
ment on be face slowly gave way to
the flush O. anger. If she could love
with passion that but few women
know. she could hate equally we'll
Fixing her eyes on Sim, with such IN
expression If deadly hatred as he had
never seen in any human eyes before
she said:
..Sim Banks, you are fool, poor
pitiful misable fool. an ! despise yor
with my whole heart and soul. l de-
spise you wuss'n despise the meanes,
snake that ever drawed the breath OF
life or crawled in the dust. hate you
l hate you!'
Ordinarily Sim would have been as
tonished at this sudden and vehemen1
outburst, but at that moment he was
not in a state of mind to be astonished
at anything. With wan, weary smile
he said:
"Thats a different tune, Mis'us
Mann, to what you sung that night uI
thar when you told bout lovin me-"
II al