The National tribune., 1902-01-02
WASHINGTON D. c. THURSDAY

e pursuits myself, as 1 have number Of
S farms. i am always interested in the
l subject Really, sir. you must excuse me,
: but you interest me. You interest me
very much. May + ask your namef'
, George had colflict of feelings at that
moment going on in his breast.
2 His finer. bettcrs intuitive sense, over
] which cautionl sat enthronged, warned him
, to have nothing whatever to do with the
5 stranger; while on the other hand the fat
t terry and Gentility of the stranger appealed
to his better breeding, to treat him with
civility. ,.
: He hesitated only a single moment.
= Surely he need not be ashamed to tell his
name. 1t was n name of which any one
might he proud.
. George McNair,' he answered.
The stranger started in real or feigned
| SURPRISE and grasping his hand said:
What? Not George McNair, the hero
Of whom I have heard so much and read
!. so much? Why, young man, yon are
trouble has created the greatest sensation
of the century"
Really, George could not see how the
. pursuit of less than 100 Indian thieves,
in which he had taken only a small part,
could have made him famous. But his
! new acquaintance informed him that
he was the facic princeps of the
ing Jackson's famous campaign against
Red Eagle, Chief of the Greeks.
The strangers latin quotations so often
interjected into his sentences were some
times applicable and oftimes not; but as
his hearers usually were wholly ignorant
encc.
George was almost persuaded at last
that he had accomplished military feat
worthy of n General OF the highest mill
tary rank. The stranger became more
and more entertaining, and gradually by a
shrewd system of cross examination. drew
from the unsophiSticated youth the object
of his attending court. All the particu-
lars of the cause of action between his
father and LaBoome were wormed from
the youth, without arOusin2 his suspicion
As the vampire soothes his sleeping victim
by his fan-like wings while sucking his
blood. so by subtle fattery the stranger
allayed the suspicious of George McNair,
while he pumped from him all the desired
information.
He even wormed from him the story Of
his defense of Eunice, all save her pres
ent hiding place. That secret he would
not divulge even to his parents.
$50 il seems your father is about TO en-
| gage in an unfortunate litigation with Mr..
La Boone Well, it is too bad-too bad.
| All the result of the lax methods Of the
| land Office. Strange they cannot do things
| right Now, why not you and | be peace
makers in this ma.ter?'
''What do you meant asked George.
t'This is all sub rosa, you know. That
| is, no word to be spoken to anyone else"
| Certainly, IL you desire it"
| at seems from what I can gather of
your remarks that Mr.. LaBoome has a
double claim, as it would seem. on your
father said Mr.. Muldrom, glancing at
the youth from the corners of his piercing
eyes.
They had seated themselves on pile
of lumber which lay on the river bank.
where it had been placed to be shipped
| on the next down-going flatboat.
"Now, let us look the facts square in
the face, George, like conscientious.
| Christian men. The ipse dixit of your
father would be that LaBoOme has two
| great claims from which ynu bar him. /
don't say thatleither claim is right. That
| is matter for adjudication; but LET us
look the matter in the face. The laws
delays, the duihbies of lawyers-tha ex-
pense, and all these. it seems. from Ham
let's soliloGuy. did their share III unSeat-
ing the mind Of the somber Dane. We all
know that law and courts are proverbiallv
uncertain. Judges and juries, and even
lawyers, in this dav. in the past. and in
the future have their price. Law and
justice are two gnildesses that seldom
meet in cOHrt: doubt if they have ever
been introduced to each other. Poor
Justice is blind, while law has more ewes
than the fahIed Argus. and the client who
has deHded himself into the belief they
are one and the same, will wake to the
sad realization Of his mistake. amid the
wreck of his own fortune. Men had bet
ter cOmpromiSe. had better yield. had bet
ter arbitrate and save part. than lose all
Now, my dear young friend. Won are a
man of reason. "a man Of superior iutelli-
how
hold yonr father has on his home. At
law LaBoOme. being the legally-appointed
guardian of this gentle creature. Eunice.
has legal right to the care and custody Of
her. and is restrained wholly in violation
nf law. Would it not he infinitely better
that yOu would COMPROMISE matters. re
lease the poor girl. take her home. rather
than that she should wander incognito or
seek the seclusiOn Of some isolated home
ard dwell like the hermit in his cave? |
believe it cOuld be done and the gentle
Eunice restored to the friends who love
her. and released from LaBoome. | am
interested in such a hero as yourself and
such "a romantic maiden"
George thought he knew what the
smooth Muldrom was coming at, but was
not quite sure.
''WI,at plan would YOU suggest? What
would suit EaBoome?'
"Wcl. | am not authorized to sneak for
Nf. JitDpbtIit, bllI II YOU WISH IL. Il Will
become your ambassador, and will bear
to him any message you may wish me to
carry | merely suggest, yOu know, not
that + know anthing aboHt it: but this
seems to me an easy way ont Of it. There
is section of land in cOntroversy-64O
acres. They tell me it il very fine land.
Now if this land was divided in half there
would he 800 acres each. On the south
half of the section are the principai i'm
nr0vements while the north half is com
paratively wild land. Suppose l could in
duce Mr.. LaROome to take the north half
and release the south half of the section.
also his claim over Eunice. you would still
have n comfortable home. and the fair
maiden would no longer be in exile"
So earnestly did he set the matter be
fore George. that he at last consented tn
, see what he could DO with his father. and
, old Pill Mudrom went to report success
. to LaBoOme.
But when George reached the tavern.
he found his father wholly unwilling to
listen to any compromise.
"No. no, my son; we will win-we will
win all"
''How do you know, father"
Judge Lucas tells me we WILL
"When did he tell you?"
''Fhis very night"
'sWhy is he so sanguine?"
, 'DO yOu remember the evidence OF
which Charles Lucas spoke, just before
he was killed?'
"Yes - -.....