The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-03-06


,t.-h. shiff AZ table and the fAint ratfi'
~ dishes. While the canvas waiis gov
Al from the lights within IKE grea'
/ areaIes hidden IN the grass The t2Fe
nan finishing his neal appeared al
fhe door OF the mess tent and. paustna
m accustom his eyes 70 the giooui
neered perfunctorfly toward the cree
The watchman detached himself IRON
the shadow. moving out Into pla--
sIght. and the boss turned hack. Ihe
4 t,ro men below were now working on
/ the sluices which lay close under the
/ bank and were thus hidden from the
I tent
NcNamara's description Of Anvil
creeks riches had fired Helen Chester
with the desire to witness a cleanup
so they had hidden out from town u
time for supper at the claim. sne nae
mot known whittier he led her, only
understanding that provision for her
entertainment would be MADE Win
! the auperintendent's wife. Upon rec
o0rIzing the Midas she had endeaVor-
al TO question him as to why her
friends had been dispossessed, ana ne
had answered, as 1t seemed, strslgh'
and true.
The ground was in dispute, he said
another man claimed it-and while the
litigation pended he was in charge Tor
the court. TO see that neither party re-
ceived injury. He spoke adroitly, ana
II satisfied her to have the propositlon
resolved into such simplicity.
She had come prepared to spend the
night and witness the early morning
operation, 50 the receiver mace the
most of his opportunity. He showed
her over the workings, explaining the
MANY things that were strange to her.
Not only was he In himself fascinat-
ing figure to any woman, but wherever
he went men regarded him deferential-
". and nothing affects womans
Judgment more promptly than this Cd
vious sign Of power He spent the
evening with her, talking of his early
DAYS and the things he had done in the
west. his story matching the pictur-
esoueness of her canvas walled quar-
ters with their rough furnishings or
skins and blankets. Being a keen OBJ
server as well as finished raconteur,
he had woven a spell Of words ABOUT
the girl. leaving her in state OF tu-
nult and indecision when at last, to-
ward midnight. he retired to MS own
tent She knew to what end all this
was working and yet knew not what
her answer would be when the ques-
ton came which lay behind 1t all Al
r,,nrnon+s she felt the wonderful az
traction Of the man, AND sun tnere
was some distrust Of him which she
could not fathom. Again her thoughts
reverted to Glenister, the impetuous,
and she compared the two, so similar
In some ways, so utterly opposed In
others.
1t was when she heard the night shirt
at their meal that she threw a sllken
shawl about her head stepped into the
cool night and picked her way down
toward the roar of the creek.
breath of air and then to bed" sne
thought. She saw the tail figure OF
the Waterman and made for him. He
seemed oddly interested in her APP
proach, watching her very closely, al
most as though alarmed. 1t was doubt
less because there were so few women
out here, or possibly on account OF the
lateness Of the hour. Away with con-
ventions! This was the Land Of in
stinct and impulse. She would talk to
him. The man drew his hat more
closely about his face and moved Off
as she came up. Glenister had been
In her thoughts a moment since, and
she now noted that here was another
with the same great square shoulders
and erect head. Then she saw with a
start that this one was negro. He
carried a Winchester and seemed to |
watch her carefully. yet with indie
cision.
To express her interest and to break
the silence, she questioned him, but at |
the sound of her voice he stepped to-
ward her and spoke roughly:
"Whatr'
Then he paused and stammered In
strangely altered and unnatural voice:
'Yass'm. I'm the Waterman"
She noted two other darkies at work
below and was vaguely surprised. not
70 much at their presence. as at the
in which they moved, for they
seemed under stress Of some great
haste, running hither and yon. She
Jaw horses standing in the trail and
,ensed something indefnably odd and
alarming in the air Turning to the
nan she opened her mouth to speak,
when from the rank grass under her
'eet came a noise which set her a.
dngle and at which her suspicious
capped full to the solution. 1t was the
yroan Of man. Again he gave voice
o his pain, and she knew that she
Itood face to face with something sin
ster. Tales Of sluice robbers had come
o her and rumors Of the daring raids
nto which men we're lured by the vel
ow sheen, and Jet this was incredible.