The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-01-25

9RcsS my fathers before me; ana
~ I did ~hope"-with a sigh
chat you'd ha' taker to it,: and made
it as good as twas IN his time. Fer
haps if you'd marry and settle down
here, with a good managing wife to
help you, you'd do better and be better
satisfied; and if it weren't for old
David Gardeners obstinacy, you and
Lefty"
Enough, mother" interrupted Rob-
ert Langly, flushing all over his hand
some, sunbuTnt face; Its no use say
iug anything more on that subject.
I'll never ask any woman to marry me
so long as l know that I cannot afford
her a servant, or so long rs there's a
mortgage hanging over the roof that
I'd bring her to-"
His mother looked at him a~nxiously
over her spectacles.
1T it wasn't for the mortgage" she
said, slowly, 1--WE might get along.
Twas that worried your father into
his grave-that, and not finding the
gOld-streak-"
.. - I1Sl SOn AIouC Gil
ment, and she added:
Don't you think you could get a lit
tie more time allowed us, Robert?
Maybe when the crops sold, and the
= apples and cider"
MIR. Davis won't hear of it. mother.
Z saw him yesterday and talked:it over,
but he insists it must all be paid by
the first of August. All, here he comes
now"
And Robert went out to meet the
well-dressed, %sharp-eyed man in a
handsome trap, while his mother re-
manned in the back porch, with sleeves
rolled up, mixing food for the poultry.
There amt many of EN- to feed
now" she said, talking aloud to her
self, as she had been accustomed with
her late husband. "Then there's old
Speck missing-the best layer of 'em
ALL, and Gold-streak'a fit for nothing
since her legs broke. All. me! I'm
mighty afeared that she's the only
gold-styeak well ever know at this
place"
whats that about a goiG-streak,
Mrs. Langly?" exclaimed a clear,
young voice.
And a girl with a sweet face and
bright brown eyes and 4 blue-striped
chintz dress, fitting perfectly to her
trim figure, stood smiling before her.
Mrs. Langly's face frightened imme-
diately.
why Lefty, how do you always
manage to take mi by surprise, as if
you'd risen out o the earth or dropped
down from the clouds! Well. you're
welcome. I'll tell you about the gold
streak if you care to listen" .
you see," she continued, the Lang
tys come of Scotch stock, and it's been
said that Rob's great-grandfather
Langly, over in Scotland, had the gift
o. second sight-that is: seeing and
knowing things that are going to hap
pen. But Inever did think much of it,
though my husband-poor departed
Jeems!-believed in if as firmly as he
believed in summer and winter. Well,
about eleven years ago old Alick Lang
~ paid us q visit. I hadn't seen him
but once before in my life-for he lived
4 long way from here. Him and
Jeems, they walked all over the farm,
and it was a far better cultivated place
then than it is now, though nothing
compared to what it was in my fathers
time. Jeems' Uncle Alick didn't seem
to think much of it, though.
1.-THE day he went away. she went
on, ''he was standing and looking all
around him on the farm. All Of a sud
den he says. 'Jermy-Jemmy and
Mary'.turning to me-'I've one thing
to say before 1 so. Stick to your. farm,
for there's a streak of golden luck in
IT, Of course. I asked what he meant;
but all he would say was, I've seen it
I've seen it by the power that's given
us to look into the future. I've seen q
streak of gold-luck running through
your land that's to better your fortunes
In good time. Don't part with it until
your luck's found And that same day
he, went away, and the first we heard
of him after he got home was that he
was dead" .,y,,.
There was another pause. and Lefty
said:
And you think there is really a vein
of gold to be found Oh your farm"
''Jeems thought So. To his dying day
he believed in it,.
And what does Robert think about
it." inquired the girl, with a faint flush
IN her cheeks.
"Oh. he thinks 1t all nonsense-about
the gold, and the second sight. and ALL"
Just at this moment they heard Mr..
Davis trap roll away, and Robert came
around the corner Of the house.
He looked a little excited. but that
might be from finding Lefty there. He
walked home with her across the fields
to the next farm. When he returned,
he said, quite abruptly:
""Mother, Mr.. Davis wants to bay
the farm. He's offered more for it than
I ever dreamed it would bring. He
seems quite anxious to get it; and when
I told him that you objected to pait
with it. he actually offered to let US
off with the balance of the mortgage,
provided the business is settled at
once"
"Why, Robert, what can he mean"
81 don't know. There's something in
it I don't understand: but, if you've no
objection, I'll so tomorrow and see
Lawyer Pannell about it."
Robert had expected TO BE- only one