The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1905-08-23


Tiers conviction was Il blessing to
George Buckley. Indeed, the first Sun
day nfterwnrd was Il sort of critical
period, for every citizen Of the place
who had any claim to rcSpcctuDllity
put OH 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 I'm the social life Of the village,
he must not appear to faltcr or 10 Sink
into retirement OH account OF what had
happened.
1t WAS Il bright. halmy day. and
when he went down to the postotiicc
after breakfast at the IIiilycrs' he
found the usual group Of idlcrs waiting
for the mail. There was Il barber shop
next door. and 1t WAS throngcd with
churchgocrs being shaved and having
their boots polished. George bowed TO
several Of his friends and ncuunlnt-
nnces, but there was something within
him that made him shrink from Il
closer contact with any OF them, par
ticulnrly as he funcicu he noted on
their faces expressions OF Il sympathy
that was calling to his sensitive spirit,
80 when he huu 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
confidential broker, Informing HILL
yer that wheat had risen to $1.OS n
buahel and advising him to hold on.
as the market showed Il decided uD-
ward tendency. Meeting the negro
porter Jake on corner, Buckley gave
MN the letters and told him to lake
them up to llillyrr, and then, for lack
or anything else to do, lie cntercd the
warehouse, shut the door after him
and went back to his room. Here he
sat down ut tho window in the sun.
Shine, and almost before he was aware
Of it he had allowed feeling Of utter
dcspondency to descend upon him.
"Whnt is the uSc?" he asked himself,
"llow am to fight it through:" For
half an hour he sat TINS in the very
drcgS OF despair. and then suddenly Il
picture rose before his mental vision
Il picture Of Old man IIillyrr aS ne sat
there on the bed In the vague hmm.
light, rccounting the one mistake OF his
life ana the grim fight he was still
making to overcome the consequences
and flush OF shame stole over the
young man. 1--WE promised him." he
said aloud-"Ive promised him to be
q 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
)een smugglcd into the village during
he war from larger town after the
'hurch to which it belonged was de-
'troyed by fire. Its tone was sweet
md mellow and rose out Of the general
'langor like a promise Of peace to SUI.
'ering souls. 1t was ringing In the lit
lie belfry Of the church Lydia Crunston
attended. She was an Episcopnlian.
cut as there was no church OF that de-
nomination at Darley, and her father
was partial to the rather progressive
young minister Of the Methodist church,
si'e ana her mother went there regular
~ ana 1T must be confessed that
y, he huckley had on many Il Sun.
way SINCE forming her acquaintance at-
'rn"eo mat particular place OF wor.
SNIP ana chiefly for the opuortunitv
oi seeing her. lie knew ,hot e you,I |
ne a difficult thing for him to f,cn
the little congregation, d,vIr,n, tho
thoughts TINT would rise IN tho ,,inna
or ALL and yet he met the mattor ,'' nn'"
ageously and went. ~'''
lie was vaguely glad TINT tho o.a,
hymn had been sung and thut thama
were no loitcrers, as was frcounnu,.
the case, on the steps. Reach,nr un
door and looking in, his heart SGT nm
lively beating rs he saw LYDIA Cron>
ston with her parents In their now
The major was the only man I'm Dor.
ley who sat on the ladies' side OF tho
house. He seemed never to have 70.
marked that he was acting in an exccp.
tionai manner in this regard. In mn
other thing he was different from 9TH
er men. He was, perhaps. the only
male individual in the village who
wore kid gloves. His sill; hat was on
the floor at the end OF the pew, and
across Its top lay his gold headed cane,