News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1908-11-04

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trails Breathing in ,ha crisp ar c
altitude. her spirits grew more quo,
mt She fed the squirrels. listened
tbe pert chsrp Of tae whisky Jack an
ihA FIRING drum of he partridge 4
So 90 a hidden elevation which sh
named 'Thn Knob facing across ,h
thnllOw valley - the south
rh' knob overlooked n little grass
shelf few bundled feet below, wher
STOOD miners cGbla. with weet
grown gravel hcars near by. In front o
| "Lir1 II ire" bore the legend palpte,
roughly en- a board The Little Pay
master Claim "
Her interest bad opened eagerly t.
these scenes The sOl tudes soothcd
mi the life Of the community below
frankly primitive and uncompIicated
attracted her Between the town OF
Smoky Mountain an1 tho expensive
santtarium on the ridge II great sOciaI
| GUT was fixed The lattpr's patrons
TOR ID" most part came ana went Ly
! the narrow gauge road that linked with
northern junction The settlement far
below was only feature Of the pano.
rama for which they paid so well.
Even DR.. Brent, who had perched this
place Of healing where his patients
could breathe air fresh from the Pa.
cific and cooled by the snow peaks.
knew it chiefly through two of its citi.
IIoIinrDD tbA It,,
Ting wife of the proprietor Of the
Mountain Valley House the town :
single hostelry who brewed old fash
Toned blackberry wine and cordials for
bis patients. and Tom Fielder. Il young
lawyer whom he had known on the
coast before i'll health had sent him 10
hang out lis single in Il more genial
altitude,
The latter sometimes came for chat
with the physician, and on one of these
calls lessica and he tad met. She had
liked his keen, good humored face and
waving, slightly craving hair She
mad met him once since on the noun.
tain road, and he had walked with her
and told her quaint stories OF the
townspeople, He had taken her to
Mrs. Halloran. whose heart she had
won by praise Of her cherry cordial
1T brings back my Doyhood." David
Stires said to her one afternoon. tap
ping the bottle by his wheel chair
Somehow this has the old taste"
1T Is nearly gone" she SAID 'I'n
~, TO-.
ride COW l think It does you good .
Before you go, he said, fetch my
writing case. and ! will dictate let
ter
She brought and opened It With .
trouble at her heart, for the request
showed his increasing weakness tn
III today the few letters be Dad writ
ten had been done with his OVID hand
Thinking of this as she waited her
fingers nervously plucked at the inside
OF the leather cover. The morocco zap
fell and disclosed slip of paper II
was u Cancelled bank draft 1t bore
Hughs name, and across its face in Da
vid Stires grabbed hand, written large.
was the venorlous word Forgery
The room swan before her eyes
Only by a fierce effort could she com
pei her pen to trace the dictated words
Hugh's misdeed. evil as II was. had
been to her but all abstract crime
Now 1t suddenly lay bare before her y
concrete expression OF coarse thievery
a living symbol Of crafty stimulation
Scarce knowing why she did 1t She
drew the draft covertly from Its re
ceptacle and slipped it into her bosom
The evidence of Hughs sim Tha'
paper must remain. as the sin tina,
made it remained, the sign manual OF
her dishOnor and loss The man whose
hand had pehned its lying signature
was the man she had thought Sd
loved By that act he had thrust hiN
self from her forever Yet he Iiyed
Somewhere IN the world he walked IN
shame and degradation beyond th'
pale Of honorable living and she va.
his wife, She was bis wife Thuugl
she called herself Jessica Holme yet IL
the law his name and fame We're hers
LOOK at that steady band DOW an
her hdif as red as glory" said Mrs
Halloran, gazing admiringly from th"
doorstep where she had been chatting
with Tom Fielder I'VE needn't stare
yer gray eyes out. though Of shot
stop at the Joo!ry shop to buy We
'Iug-to shame ye fer jest haukerin
and sayin' nOthin'!"
Fielder laughed as tie crossed the
street. raising bis felt hat CALAMITY 10
the approaching rider Mrs. Halloran |
was privileged character 1t was not |
Michael Halloran who kept the Noun
tain Valley House popularI The old
woman hurried to the curb and tied
the horse as Jessica dismounted
How did We guess | made some
more this dayT' she exclaimed. Sure. |
Il We drink it yerself. my dearie. them |
cheeks is all tn trademark j needr
She led the way into the little carpeted |
side room. by courtesy denominated |
the parlor." "I'll 60 an put it up in |
two shakes" she said. "Sit ye down |
an I'll not be ten minutes" So say |
nc, she hustled away.
Left alone. Jessica gazed abstract |
ediy about her Her mind was still |
full OF the painful reflections OF her |