The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-03-04

Nv al
ried. Geordie al struggling consci-
%entlously to keep his promise to mot
be ard on the boys" and found consid-
cradle relief In remembering hat he
had agreed ito leave them tae the AL
MIGHTY" But the n OF leaving
them was 80 solemnly awful that l
could not wonder that Slavin's super
stitious Irish nature supplied him with
supernatural terrors. 1t was the Sec
ond day after the funeral that Geordie
and I were walking toward Slavin's.
There was a great shout Of Laughter as
we drew near.
Geordie stopped short and, saying,
"We1l just gang in q meenute," pass.
ed through the crowd and up to the
bar.
michael Slavin," began Geordie, and
the men stared in dead silence, with
their glasses in their hands-"Michael
Slavin, l promised the lad I'd bear ye
nae i'll wull. but just leave ye tae the
ALMIGHTY, an I want tae tell ye that
Yin keepin' ma wur-r-d. But" and here
lie raised his hand, and his voice be-
came preternaturally solemn, "his bluid
| 10 upOu yCE udu y. oO yG DO bCo III
His voice rose sharply, and as he
pointed Slavin instlnctively glanced at
his hands, and Geordie added:
AYE, an the Lord will require it o.
We nm yer hoose."
They told me that Slavin shivered as
IL taken with ague after Geordie went
out, and, though he laughed and swore,
he did not stop drinking till he sank in
n drunken stupor and had to be car
ried to bed. His little French Canadian
wife could not understand the change
that had come over her husband.
Hes like one bear" she con6ded to
| Mrs. Mavor, to whom she was showing
her baby Of n year old. "He's not kees
me n tam dis day. He's mos lawful
bad. He's not even look at de baby"
And this seemed sufficient proof that
something was seriously wrong. for
she vent on to say:
Hes tink more for dat leel baby dan
for de whole worl'. He's tink moro for
dat baby dan for me-" But she shrug-
ged her pretty little shoulders in depre-
cation Of her speech.
"You must pray for him." said Mrs.
Mavor, "and all will come right"
"Ah, madame" she replied earnestly,
"every day, every day, I pray In sainte
| .Vierge ct tous les saints for him."
"You must pray to your Father In
heaven for him."
"Ah, oui, I weel pray" And Mrs.
Mayor sent her away bright with
smiles and with new hope and courage
I'm her heart.
She had very soon need Of all her
courage, for at the weeks end her
baby fell dangerously Ill. Slavin's anx-
iety and fear were not relieved much
by the reports the men brought him
from time to time of Geordie's ominous
forebodings, for Geordie had no doubt
that the Avenger Of blood was hot
upon Slavin's trail, and as the sickness
grew he became confirmed in this con-
yiction. While he could not be said to
find satisfaction in Slavin's impending
affiction, he could hardly hide his COM
placency in the promptness Of Provi-
dence in indicating his theory of retri-
button.
But Geordie's complacency was some.
what rudely shocked by Mr.. Craig's
answer to this theory n day.
"You read your Bible to little profit,
1t seems to me, Geordie, or perhaps
you have never read the Masters
teaching about the tower Of Sloan.
Better read that and take that warn
ing to yourself"
Gcordie gazcd after Mr.. Craig as he
turned away and muttered:
"The toor o. Sloan, Is it2 Aye, I
ken fine ABBOTT the toor o. Sloan an
ABBOTT the tcor O. Babel as weel, an
Nv read, too, about the blaspheemious
Herod an sic like. Mon, but he's a hot
helded laddie an lacks discreemeena-
tion."
"What about Herod, G~eordie?" I
asked.
ABBOT HerodT with a strong tlnge
Of contempt in his tone. "Aboot Herod?
Mon. hae yc no. read in the Screep-
turs ABBOTT Herod an the wur-r-ms In
the wame O. himT"
"Oh, yes, I see," I fastened to an
swer.
AYE, q fule can see what's tapped
In his face" with which bit of pro-
verbal philosophy he suddenly left
me. But Geordie thenceforth content
ed himself, in Mr.. Craig's presence at
least, with ominous head shakings.
equally a%ggravating and impossible to
answer.
That same night, however, Geordie
showed that with all his theories he
had a mans true heart, for he came in
haste to Mrs. Mavor to say:
"Yell DO needed over yonder, I'm
thinkin'."
"Why7 Is the baby worse? Have
you been inT"
INA, ma" replied Geordie cautiously;
"IW NO gang where Im mo- wanted,
but yon puir thing ye can hear ootside
weepin' an moanin'.
She'll maybe need ye tae," he went
on obviously to me. "Ye're q kim o.
doctor, I hear" not committing him
self to any opinion as to my profession.
al value.
But Slavin would have none of me,
having got the doctor sober enough to
prescribe.
The interest OF the camp in Slavin
was greatly increased by the Illness of
his baby, which was to him as the ap.
pie of his eye. There were q few who,
impressed by Geordie's profound con-
yictions upon the matter, were inclined
to favor the r%etribution theory and CON
meet the baby's illness with the venge.
ance of the Almighty. Among these
few was Slayin himself, and, goaded
by his remorseful ~terrors, he sought re-