Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-11-16

threw nm Dack violently, ana HIS
head rang with the laundering up
roar.
He staggered out Of the tunnel to
find himself surrounded by star
tied crowd, whose fears were re-
lieved by finding no worse disaster.
There was woman among them
who was stranger in the camp,
having only arrived the day before,
who fingered when the others drop
ped away one by one.
"Let me dress the scratches,
please. l have court plaster here.
l want to do it," with petulant
childishness as he objected.
After all, she seemed more child
than woman as he observed her
more closely.
81 want to do it because"-in an
awed tone-''they tell me my hus-
band came to his death in that way.
Wasn't that dreadful? And he new
er got rich, never made money
enough to pay back that $1,000 he
borrowed and take care of me as
he promised, but it seems too bad,
for they say if he had just lived
another day he would have owned
the best mine. here. The bargain
was all madc-just waiting to be
finished. Don't you think that is
hard on me-"
1t did not need the name to tell
him that she was the strangers wife
nor much of her artless chatter to
put him in possession of all the cir
cumstances of her case-how it had
been love at first sight and hasty
marriage between the young pair
without counting the cost; how the
old invalid grandfather, who was
her only relative, had advanced the
capital out of his own small store
and the young husband had started
out to conquer fate; how they had
waited, hoped and feared till sick
ness and trouble brought them TO
such absolute want that she had
started out to trace a rumor-for
she read few papers and so missed
the news they would have told-and
now at last how the story had ended
here.
With his wealth it would be no
great trouble to win her, he thought.
His wealth.
If that fool Willard were living
he might say it was her wealth, but
Craft knew enough to guard that So
cret, unless-ah, unless those steps
which followed after him were the
ghostlv haunt to wiring il from him,
for he had heard them first when no
one was near.
He heard the measured tramp,
tramp now, and he dwelt upon that
thought, and he blanched lest 9th
ers should hear it as it followed him
day and night.
He tried bv force to shut his ears
and keep the sound out, but only let
him press his hand to his head OF
barricade his ears with pillows and
the ghostly tramp, tramp threaten
ed him thousand times louder
than before.
Every one in the camp noticed
something wrong with him.
He was not himself, they said.
He was Off his balance, and the girl
could do better than marry 4 man
whose symptoms pointed toward an
insane asylum before long.
But she did marry him, and, turn
ing over things in the cabin soon
afterward, she found paper which
Willard had hidden away.
1t was the deed Of sale, and writ
ten on it in Wizards hand:
Delivered, but stolen back from
the dead mans pocket by Craft.
The mine was his legally, as | hope
to be forgiven for my share in the
theft"
No one ever knew just what pass.
ed between Craft and his wife.
1t was Bill Banks who came along
Just as Craft rushed out into the
twilight, muttering crafty:
"Thosc steps-Pll end them!
And with the words he sent bullet
through his head.
AS to the money and the mine, OF
course the woman gat both without
legal trouble, but it was as heir to
her first husband, not as Crafts
widow, that she put in her claim
Boston transcript.