The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-11-24
Make or
Break
BY Harriet Prescott Spofford
Copyright 1905. BY Han;et Pr-,oo,e S,o6,,J
Cooyish. 1905. by H.n;e, Pre.oos S,o6ocd
+ the mediaeval days were full of
demons with which one reckoned,

mon or unrest. 1t possessed Charlie
Harding in his shop In the village, the
mills. the depot, the meeting house, be.
Ing hard by, and all the gossip Of the
burg about his counter. And the world
outside grew tempting.
But 1t was thought that rich find of
silver had been made in the neighbor-
hood. and at once the price of every
old pasture that even the sheep them
selves would have disdcined to croo
had gone soaring out OF sight and the
staid old parish that had followed the
way OF Its forbears for 200 years and
over had gone wild over Its potentiality
of riches.
or course Captain Harding-a train
band captain Of militia was he-had
not been in the center OF all the talk
without finding opportunity for bond
ing and buying and selling land, and
he had, as he pbrased it, melted down
good pocket piece through the varl-
Gus transactions. In the swinging OF
fate's pendulum, however, it was pres
emily found that the silver was not OF
paying sort, and the boom in land ex-
ploded like bubble. But it left Char
lie Harding full Of eagerness and the
wild spirit Of adventure In money max
ing.
why amt you contented where you
beT' asked his wife's grandfather.
There's alters ben silver here sence
afore you was born. Why should it
make sech a difference to ye oil on n
sudden now? Trouble Is ye have to
put 1t in to get 1t out. Costs more'n
It comes to. There's folks know has
silver spoons made Of 1t moren 200
years ago. But, bless we, them spoons
cost more'n gold. There's gold too.
Didn't yc know it? That Californy
fcllcr panned some gravel out, hcerd
say, an got what he called color.
But longs spring pans out in the grass
an YARDS ! Co knows | keer for the
other color. AS long as the bioo;irOot
comes. an the marshmaller, an tbG
lo.:s leaf Of the dock that makes
most healin' salve, an burdock5 fo.
bl.sters, an crambrie; to draw out
cancers, other folks may have thci.
silver. Ef you an Grace wants sill
vcv. jest keep to work. An the sooner
yc git this silver maggot out'n yer
brain the letter it'll lie for you. You
got q CROWN business. you're poplar.
rn' 1t amt mo:2'n n miles walk mOrn-
ms over to Your store when YOU can't
C3e yc. wheel. Ny king. Here's spring
for sure! II cre's Il mournin' bride!
And. all excitement, tie old naturalist
forgot his stick, hurrying and EaltinS
and slipping AMI stumbling. but max
ing sure Of the beautiful butterfly.
Captain Harding looked after him and
wondered how reasonable being could
be contcntcd with such n life-no bet
ter. he thought. than Il mole's.
Grace Harding. through some un-
known freak OF descent had developed
q great deal more worldly ambition
than any others Of her family. She had
insisted ON going to school when her
sister Louisa preferred staying at home
and drudging with her mother, and she
had read novel; and taken fashion
paper. and OH her marriage she had
gone to housek eepins in an old weather
beaten farmhouse only as Il prelimna-
ry to something altogether finer. 1t
was pretty place. under II green hill.
with great sycamores ana brook
whose banks were lined with blue for
getmenots. They had built Il little
piazza where they could sit at night
looking down over the marshes, myste'
rious In shadow, enchanting in sun
light. and on some days lie rode over
to the store On his big wheel, Oh which
he loon,cd giant figure against the
sky--;t was before the days Of the safe
ty--and on some days lie walked, and
the store tlrived gently. and Grace had
ha, loIS and hor row 0f Swapt
peas and went to meeting In her myrtle
green silk gown, with pink roses In her
bonnet-looled upon by Louisa in her
brown delaine as very much the fine
lady.
Life then was flowing on serenely,
with now and then Il tea party at the
village and every day visit with her
mother and with Louisa, who was now
married herself and living at the top
of the hill. when one night her hus-
band came home and threw down his
hat in a temper "Well, I'm sick Of
thisw he cried. 1--WE ben doin' some
little outside the store. you know. But
now the boom's gone up. and there's
nothn' more In land round here. I've
turned over quite few properties,
though. and made my penny every
time. But this Is the end Of It, How'd
you like to go to Colorado"
"ColoraGo!'
eyes. I'm like the wild beast that's
tasted blood. Say. could just shut the
store as 1t stands-I took p'r'aps mos
q dollar today-turn the key an put 1t
In my pocket an git out there in the
thick Of things, an II I didn't stake
out claims an strike pay dirt I'd put
out what was worth floatin'. An I've
an idee could make my innings.
learned a lot fun them fellers that was