The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-10
CHAPTER ".

TT 1LLYER went out into the star
lit night and made his way
down to the business portion Of
the town. He was about TO pass the
barroona RUN by Luke Hillhouse, when,
hearing the clicking of billiard balls
and the rapping of cues. he looked in
at the screened door. Two country
men, without their coats and under
broad slouched hats. were playing at
the green table, over which hung a
glass lamp under a tin shade con-
structed from a new dishpan with a
hole cut in the bottom. and three or
four half runken negroes were en-
gagged in betting small amounts on a
fortune wheel against the wall. See
ing the merchant, Hillhouse, a fat, red
faced man with a dyed and waxed
mustache, came round to him from be-
hind the counter.
"Lookin' fer George, I'll bet" he said
In a friendly. half confidential tone.
Hes Jest gone. squire Hillyer had
years before been a justice of the peace.
ct went with i'm clean to the door of
the warehouse an seed that he went
In"
Then he was
1.-THE wust T ever seed. squire. oh.
he could walk all right an knowed
what he was about. but he's a reg'lar
rippin' terror. He came in here. '
reckon, about an hour ago an tuck a
couple o. drinks an then set down
over thar at the little table. 7 lowed
he was asleep, he was so quiet. an [
reckon everybody else did. fer Bascom
Truitt from over in the mountains
come in an begun to talk about old
| ,oaa pt,o1rIaxyBC canfanna He hadn't
said a word that was wrong, but George
heard 1t an riz suddenly an come up
to him. 'Yo're a-sayin' that to insult
me- he said right In Truths face. As
big as Truitt is you could "a knocked
i'm down with a feather, but he told
George as straight as he could that he
never knowed he was thar an didn't
mean no harm nohow; but, sir, George
hauled away an hit i'm in the jaw. 1t
popped like the report of a pistol, IN
Truitt mighty nigh went down. We
parted 'em without any trouble, In
fact, Truitt thinks the world an all
of i'm. George did i'm a favor q long
time back, an instead o. gittin' mad
about 1t Truitt Is worryin' over Often
din the boy. He would have apollo
gized to i'm, but we all persuaded I'm
to wait TIL George was at hisse'f."
The merchant tool a long. trembling
breath.
at wish. Hillhouse," he said, that
you wouldn't let i'm have any more
liquor II you kin git around it,"
Cit around it?" laughed the bar
keeper. "If you'll show me a mixer o.
drinks in this county that would re-
fuse that Teller when he's off I'd k
to see i'm. 1t would cost i'm his life.
He's one man, squire. that ortn't to
fetch a drap, an between you an me
I don't think anything but this scrape
of his daddy's would have started I'M.
George Buckley is the high strung sort
that makes either the finest citizens ur
the scum of creation"
st reckon yo're right agreed HILL
yer, and. turning, he went down to the
eho which was in the next
block below. He found the front door
aiar and saw a light burning in his
clerks room in the rear. Entering
and softly ~treading over the rough
floor, which was strewn with chaft ana
grain and the metal ties of cotton bales.
HiIIyer stood In the doorway Of the
Young mans room. In n cloud of cigar
smoke George Buckley sat near a little
table, without his coat. his collar off
and his powerful neck showing through
his open shirt. He glared up at his
EMPLOYER and III rose to his feet and
looked straight at him.
George" the old mar began in a
voice that quivered through excessive
embarrassment, "I was troubled so
much about you that I couldn't sleep,
so / got UP an come down. ! seed
yore light IN couldn't keep from COM
in in"
at don't see that you need bother
about me-" was Buckley's surprising
retort. I'm no blood kin of yours
Mr.. Hillyer."
George, I'm as good a friend to you
as 7 know how to be, an I Jest want
YOU TO know that. an eff thar's n
way under the sun that I kin help you
I'll do It,"
"Then let's me m you come to an
understanding" said Buckley. II don
know exactly how to size you up- I've
been thinking about you all this eve
ming, and if I don't understand yo1l
better thar 7 have done for several
years you and 7 will part, You can
keen the money I've made and
up. and IL I could do 1t I'd throw the
education you gave me in your face.
MY intelligence has been insulted. You
have done all these things for me under
the pretense Of love, but it was not
that. Now let's understand each
other"
Hillyer turned as white as death
could have made him. His eyes sank
to the floor. and, with a hating step, he
went to the young mans bed across
A. ~oono ard sat DOWN on the edge