Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-02-13
The Trouble q
On the TOrO1itO.
BY FRANCIS LYNDE,
Copyright 1888, by Francis Lyndel
CHAPTER XII.
FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

MacpherSOnS 5 fOreDOding that the
strain and exposure of the trying
night would be too much for me was
as true as many another reluctant
prophecy. The following morning,
and for many mornings therea fter,
Z was unable to leave my room or my
bed beneath the low-pitched rafters;
and Mrs. Setter and Winifred came
and went and ministered to me.
Macpherson came, also, like the loyal
friend that he was, sitting with me
might after night, after the days
hard work on the placer bar; and
when | was once more able to take
passing interest in the things that
are, he told me what had bcfallen.
1t came out by Titles while Angus
watched with me in the intervals
when sleep would not. come for all
my wooings. Wykamp had not been
seriously injured in his narrow es-
cape; had ridden to his work
the following day, in fact, with his
head bandaged and fierce frenzy of
determination driving him. The
force on the dam had been doubled;
Il night shift had been put on, and,
as Angus talked, | could hear The
mum of the dynamo in the electric
plant set up to furnish the light for
the night gang. As result of all this
increased activity, the dam was near
ing completion, and the stock of the
land company was no longer a drug
in the market.
As for Macpherson, he had turned
miner as he had promised to. His
demand for water had been prompt
ty acCeded to, and so far from prov
ing an obstructionist, the engineer
had allowed his own worlimen to
build that portion of the miners
fume which delivered the water at
the placer-workings More than that,
he had re-cstablished the settlers
ditch, and had thereby quieted the
opposition of every farmer in the
coiony save one. That one was
Setter In reopening the ditch which
served the homsteaders at Valley
Head, Wyllamp had built d new fume
and surveyed new line, being con-
strained thereto, he explained, by the
location of the newly begun work
fngs on the placer bar. And, since
Settlers holding lay nearest the can
yon, it had been possible to run the
new ditch so that it served every
acre in the colony save those within
the Tennessean's fences.
1t was Winifred who told me about
this, and naturally her sympathies
were with the farmer. 'It seems such
needless piece of injustice" she
said, in conclusion.
In all our talks ! had been care
ful to ignore the very existence of
such person as Wykamp; but at
this time l yentured to suggest that
the injustice to Setter might be a bit
OF personal animosty.
She did not reply at once. There
was that in her face which betrayed
the struggle between womanlv reti-
cence and an overmastering desire
TO share her burdens with SYM
pathizing listener. In the end the
burden outweighed the conventions.
81 have suspected that, too" she
said. THAT is the reason why |
have refused to teach an autumn
term. | must go away, Mr.. Halcott."
/ took this as a beginning of
confidence, and made it easy for her
by pretending not to understand.
'lt is because | am here that Mr..
Setter is made to suffer-" she ex-
planned ''He was on good terms
with the company until-until-"
Spare yourself, Miss Winnie; I.
know what you would say. But you
are qnite mistaken. The quarrel be-
tween Setter and the man who shall
be nameless between us does not
hinge upon your presence here"
Sh looked troubled. "May / ask YOU
to tell me what it does hinge upon?"
hardly knew how to answer her.
It would be shameful to tell her
what was apparent to everyone else
~n the settlement; That NAns open