The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-11
By MRS. ALEXANDER.

He turned On me and abused me. He
stung me to the quick. l lost all
control of myself, and pulling out my
revolver, I challenged him to fight
there on the spot. Just then a boy
oh, of about nineteen or twenty,
a factotum Of Jeafferson's-came up.
We both asked him to see fair play.
Oh, God, it was soon over! He fell
at my first fire. VeXed with myself, /
threw away my revolver, and knelt
down beside him. calling to the boy
to help; but a confused sound Of
shouting and a loud hum came from
the village or camp. and the boy said:
They are up to mischief there and
away he ran. Deering seemed to
hear it; he opened his eyes and NUT
| tered something-I could only make
out the word destroy Then he
caught my hand, and with a despair
ing, imploring look in his eyes-I
see it still-groaned: MY child
| save her. And holding his hand, /
| swore I'd take care of her so long as
had breath. He pointed to a ring
on his little finger, and muttered:
Take then he said: My child
turned sharp, as if in pain, and was
gone. I took the ring (Ill show it
to you presently. then I made away
to his shanty. The devils Of miners,
and navvies, and half-breeds had
| risen to revenge themselves, and were
wrecking his place. One fellow called
out that there "a 6 pile of money
in the house, that Deering had got
| down in the town yesterday. The
lot Of them were raging like furies
| and had just set fire to the hut, when
I got up. There wasn't a sign of the
child. I hunted through the place.
The men all thinking I was dead
against Deering, didn't interfere with
me. At last, crouching in a corner
behind a door. quite %stupefed with
fear, / found a little golden haired
darling Of three or four years old
all alone"
Had she no nurse-or did the
nurse forsake her?' asked Lady
! Gethin, as he paused. How did he
come to keep her in such a place."
That I cannot nswer I think
Deering must have been desperately
poor, or he would not have taken
| service with Jeafferson. Anyway, l
took the child, who screamed at me
in an agony Of terror. I told her /
would take her to her father. I
wrapped a cloak that hung on the
wall round her, and got out. She was
quite still-so still that I feared she
was dead. So I managed to saddle
behring's horse, which was fresh, and
as night was falling I rode away,
while those mad devils were shout
ing and dancing round the burning
wreck" He stopped, quite exhausted.
You had better not go on now"
said Glynn. Il begin to understand
your position. Lady Gethin will, ]
am sure, return TO-
Il must 60 o." interrupted Lam
bert. Il can't rest till l have fin
ished; and there's a lot more to tell
"He had better get through it,
said Lady Gethin.
When l got down to Lima, I went
to an out-of-the-way eating house.
The woman that kept it vas a good
| soul when sober. I got her to take
care of the child for a day and a
night. Then I thought what to do,
for 1 was at the end of my cash. 1t
struck me as a grand play if I could
get the price Of poor behring's life
| out of the long fellow at the hotel,
and build up a fortune for the child.
| So l went to him, ana told him what
had happened, and a good deal more
faith, / said I found the child
| suffocated with the smoke, and just
squeezed my hand round it's throat to
make sure. You are a handy coun-
| drel,' he said; and l answered, You
are an unhandy one. Now, are you
going to keep your word, and give
me over what you wouldn't give poor
Deering?"
What he wouldn't take says he.
How do l know you are speaking the
truth?'
Send and see,' said I. If you
cheat me, III raise the hue and cry
against you
"'Who will believe you against
me?' said he, with a sheer. Come
here Tomorrow
Ito make a long story short, the
woman who had had the carr of the
child came roaring and crying to this
man, who was another D~eering-he
never disguised his name-and said
the child had been killed, or at any
rate burned to death, and Deering
was killed, too, while she was away
taking some food to her husband.
Anyhow that long devil was satisfied
and gave me the money.
Il had agreed to quit South Amer
lea, and SO I took a passage to Mel
bourne. l never thought the child
would live; she pined and seemed
silly. There was a good woman on
board the vessel we sailed in who
took to my little darling. She had
lost her baby and her husband. She
was wonderful fond Of Elsie. I called
her Elsie after a little sister of my
own; ] never knew what name she
had been christened. This good
woman is Mrs. Kellett.
Well, the upshot was. that she
agreed to take charge of Elsie. ]
paid we'll. and then I took to break
ing horses, and saved-Lord, how
saved 1 left off drink. If I could
only make UP to that child for all I
had robbed her of!-and she began
10 know me. The day she first put