Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-03
THE RIVALS.
A Story of the Times of Aaron Burr and
Alexander Hamilton.
BY JERE CLEMENS.
CHAPTER VII-CoNTINUED.

of more surprise than he was wont TO
exhibit: "ah! 1 had not thought OF
that. 1t is possible" he continued, af-
ter a pause, that you have hit the
right nail on the head! Upon refec-
ton, 1 am inclined to think you have.
That foolish girl, to whom paid fifty
dollars for watching Miss Moncrieffe
and reporting her acts, has been giving
me her inferences, and calling them
facts; and 1, like an idiot, swallowed
her story without investigation, be-
cause l wanted to believe 1t. Another
such a blunder will woefully lessen
my self-confidence, though, in this
case-thank the stars, or the devil, or
whatever goblin or sprite had finger
In the business-the mistake is OF no
great consequence. He will be quite
as anxious to protect the fame of his
intended wife as he would have been
to hide the errors of his victims.
Either will give him food for anxious
thoughts; and the best of it is that he
will be so hampered by pride and del
icacy in the one case, or by the con-
sciousness of guilt in the other, that he
will take no notice of the report unless
it is forced upon him so publicly as to
be unavoidable. You have the trumps
in your own hand, Captain Hamilton,
and If you do not win the game. the
fault will be yours"
There is one view of the case which
does not seem to have occurred to you,
Mr.. Billings, that strikes me as worthy
of consideration. Is it not possible
that, to win the daughters hand, he
may seek to recommend himself to
the fathers favor, by turning traitor
to his country? Such things have
happened in times not very remote
from ours"
mo, captain; thought Of that, and
dismissed the idea as altogether i'm
probable. 1t is possible, to be sure, that
a man in love may make an internal
fool Of himself in every conceivable
way, and Major Burr would save us
great deal of trouble by proving him
will not do 1t. 1t is my habit to study
attentively the character and disposi-
tions Of those who occupy to me the
relations of friend or foe. Major Burr
though properly neither the one nor
the other, Is in my way and has not
escaped my scrutiny. His heart is in
the American cause. He does not ad-
here to Ii, as you and do, because he
believes II will triumph in the end. He
is bound to it by birth, by kindred, by
education, and by association. He
comes Of the old Puritan stock who
first settled the wilderness; and the
bones of his ancestors, from generations
back, are moldering beneath this SOIL
1t is my fixed opinion that If he were
suspended over the pit Of hell, and
you were to offer him the alternative
of betraying his country or dropping
into the burning lake, he wIuld choose
that admitting this to be so, it does
not negative your suggestion, since 1t
would be easier to take this sudden
and desperate resolve than to resist
the daily and hourly pleading of the
passions, when a beautiful woman is
the lure. Applied to a nature like
yours, the reasoning Is undoubtedly
correct. Major Burr is of a different
stamp. In him patriotism Is stronger
than love; and if the gifted beauty
from whom Socrates took lessons, and
Of whom Pericles was first the pupil
and then the slave, could again revisit
the earth, the eloquence which capti-
waited the philosopher, and the charms
which enraptured the warrior states
man would be wasted in the effort to
win him to the side of England. l use
strong language, for 1 wish to impress
upon you my earnest conviction of the
truth Of what l utter. We must make
our calculations upon winning the
game without any assistance from
him."
You are assuming more than half
the argument" responded Captain
Hamilton. You are taking it for
granted that l intend to play out that
game, whereas l have informed you
that / am strongly inclined to throw
up my hand and begin afresh."
Il did not think you serious, particu-
larly as 1 have heard from you no de-
NAL Of my right to be consulted about
a matter which so materially affects
my interests"
II do deny it, and insist that alone
am the rightful judge of the course it
becomes me to take"
You are in error, Captain Hamilton,
ment. if were disposed to urge it..
1t would do me no good, however, and
afford me no pleasure to convince you
against your will. 1 prefer that your
your own sense of what is due to me
and to yourself, only insisting that as
l have no fancy for the game of blind
mans bluff. you will not leave me to
grope in the dark, but inform me dis
tinctly what your determination is"
The perfect GOODNESS of the prac-
ticed villain, the total absence of every
expression of regret, anger or aston
ishment and his studied avoidance of
every word that implied a threat, had
a meaning for Alexander Hamilton that
was perfectly terrible. Until recent
ly, he had looked upon James Billings
merely as an unscrupulous knave, who
might be used when necessary, and
bullied or bought into silence when his
services were no longer needed. After
he was too deeply committed to re-
cede, he discovered that he was. to a
great extent, in the power of man of
vast mental resources, of great wealth,
chow great no one knew;) without a
touch Of fear, or pity, or remorse; full
of ambitious schemes, as yet but dimly
disclosed; prepared to commit any hu-
man crime that promoted his views,
and reckless of any human suffering
that might follow his acts. Knowing
this man as he did; knowing that with
him there was no middle ground-that
he must be either an ally or an enemy;
knowing, further, that in less than one
hn do 70 nf q rl1ntnrP he