The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-10-12
CHAPTER VI.

CHAPTER VI.
BUSY man cen forget trouble
u much easie: than an idle one,
gHR and the activity of his life dur
ing the week following his fa-
theirs conviction was 4 blessing TO
George Buckley. Indeed. the frst Sun
day afterwa-i! was I sort Of critical
period, for every citizen Of the place
who had any claim to respectabihty
put on his best clothes and attended
one Of the six white churches; and our
hero knew that if he was to continue
to hold the position he had made for
himself in the social life Of the village,
he must not appear to falter or TO sink
into retirement or account Of what had
happened.
1t was 4 bright, balmy day, and
when he went down to the postofhce
after breakfast at the Hillyers' he
found the usual group Of idlers waiting
for the mail. There was q barber shop
next door, and it was thronged with
churchgoers being shaved and having
their boots polished. George bowed to
several Of his friends and acquaint-
ances, but there was something within
him that made him shrink from g
closer contact with any Of them, par
ticuIarly as he fancied he noted on
their faces expressions Of sympathy
that was CALLING to his sensitive spirit,
50 when he had taken his mail from
the little, glass faced lock box, instead
Of pausing to speak to them he busted
himself with looking over the letters
and turned down toward the ware
house. One communication was from
a confidential broker, informing Hill
yer that wheat had risen to S1-CS 8
bushel and advising him to hold on,
es the market showed a decided up
ward tendency. Meeting the negro
porter Jake on a corner, Buckley: gave
him the letters and told him to take
them up to Hllyer, and then, foralacs
of. anything else to- do, be entered the
warehouse, shut the door after him
and went back to his room. Here ne
sat, down at the window in the sun
shine, and almost before he waS aware
of it he had allowed feelins'Sf utter
despon6ency to descend upon him.
.Vhat is the use?" he asked himself.
GLOW am 1 to fight it through For
half an hour he sat thus in the very
dregs Of despair, and then suddenly a
picture rose before bis mental vision
a picture Of old man Hillyer as he sat
there on the bed in the vague lamp
light, recounting the one mistake of his
life and the grim fight he was stu
making to overcome the consequences,
and a flush Of shame stole over the
young man. I've promised him, he
said aloud-''I've promised him to be
a man, and I shall-I SHALL"
Just then the church bells began to
ring. They were all harsh in tone, being
cheap cast iron. except one which had
been smuggled into the village during
the war from q larger town after the
church to which it belonged was oe-
stroyed by fire. Its tone was sweet
and mellow and rose out Of the general
clangor ike a promise Of peace to suf-
fe-ing souls. It-was ringing in the lit
tie belfry Of the church Lydia Cranston
attended. She was an Episcopahan,
but as there was no church Of that de-
nomination at Darley, and her fathe-
was partial to the rather progressive
young minister Of the Methodist church,
she and her mother went there regular
II. And it must be confessed thai
George Buckley had on many Sun
day since forming her acquaintance at
tended that particular place OF wor-
ship, and chiefly for the opportunity
Of seeing her He knew that it would
be a difficult thing for him to face
the little congregation, divining the
thoughts that would rise in the minds
Of all, and yet he met the matter cour-
ageously and Went.
He was vaguely glad that the first
hymn had been sung and that there
were no loiterers, as was frequently
the case. on the steps. Reaching the
door and looking in. his heat set up
lively beating as be saw Lydia Gran
ston with her parents in their pew
The major was the only man IN Oar-
lev who sat on the ladies' side Of the
house. He seemed never to have re-
marked that be was acting in an excep-
tional manner in this regard. In an
other thing he was different from oth-
er men. He was. perhaps, the only
male individual in the village who
wore kid gloves. His silk hat was on
the floor at the end Of the pew, and
across its top lay his gold headed cane,
upon which was engraved respectful
tribute from his regiment Indeed, the
Cranston family had decided air OF
the old regime about them, and It was
all the more noticeable because OF the
few families Of quite their own rank
at Darley. Lydia, tall, graceful and
fair, was really pretty girl, and, what
was better, she was very we'll informed
Mrs. Dugan had often remarked that
nearly all the young men-and those OF
the best barley blood too-were actual
" afraid Of the Virginia girl, and. while
she thought it most peculiar and de-
plored the condition Of things. she< at
tributed the lowborn George Buckley's
standing in Lydia's estimation to the
fact that he could talk to her about
books an the like an had the natu-
raj cheek Of his class
The central aisle was carpeted,- and
George stepped softly to one Of the
seats In the rear and sat down. he
was glad that his arrival was noted
only by a few. The young minister
would have been conspicuous.1n lar
ger place than Darley. he was SIX
feet four in height very dark and re-
markably slight; his eyes were DARK
blue, his features sharp, and he'Wore
his black hair long and was clean