News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1908-12-09

of the robbed sluice IN the gulch be
low. of his own unhappy adventure OF
the night How could he tell what he
had done what lie might dof Min
utes went by rs he sat motionIess. his
mind catching strange kalp;,hscopic
pictures that fed past him nl0 the
void. At length he rose and went to
the window Far down the hillside a
faint line through the mist spanned
the gulch bottom, A groan burst from
his lips.
THAT is the hydraulic flume,' he
said aloud. Gold has been stolen
there in the past again and again
Some was stolen two nights ago. How
do ! know but that | am the thiefY'
Was that what Prendergast had meant
by the safe way TO beat the gameY'
A shiver ran over him. How do
know!" he thought. Il can see my
Nelf--the evil side Of me-When the
Dark had fallen waking and active.
see myself creeping down there, steal
| ing from shadow to shadow. to scoop
| the gold from the riG,es when The
moon is under cloud see men
sitting from dark to daylight With
Eadcd rifles across their knees watch
ing. !. see fash Of FIRE | hear :. re-
port soc myself there by The sluiee
5OYaS. dead, shot down in the act OF
Il thief. making good the name met
KNOW me by"
The figure OF |pssica came before
him. standing n Orr soft while gown.
ter hand a"nl"3t her cheek ANA the
"a mine Uaegs aDuut Der The drrJl
be had dreamed could not be-nerpr,
never, never! All that was left was
4G,5@"der. ignominicus iicht to scenes
barren Of suggestion
1t t4at instant y shining point
caught his eye 1t came from the pan
Of gravel on the doorstep, on which
the rain, had been beating He thrust
the draft into his pocket ard seized Il
double handful of the gravel. He
plunged it into a pail of water and
held it to the light. 1t sparkled with
coarse, yellow fakes of gold. He
dropped the handful with a sharp eX-
clamation, threw on his coat and rush
ed from the cabin.
All day, alone on the fog soaked hill
side, Harry toiled in the trench with
out food or rest.
1t was a fair. sweet evening, and !
the room where Jessica sat beside
David Stires' bed, reading aloud to
him, was flooded with the failing sun I
light. Since the old mans seizure in /
the night he had been much worse, and .
she had scarcely left his room. Today
however, he had sat propped by pill
lows, able to read and chat, and the
deep personal anxiety that had numbed
her had yielded.
A knock came at the door. 1t Was.a
nurse with letters for him from the
mail, and while he opened them Jes-
sica laid aside the book and went
slowly down the hall to the sun parlor,
where the doctor stood with the group
gathered after the early supper, chat
ting of the newest "strike" on the
"Well be famous # we keep on" he
was saying as she looked out of the
wide windows across the haze where
The sunlight drifted down in dust of
gold i've mind to stake out claim
myself"
1--WE pay you better" said one Of the
occupants m'imly Anyway. the whole
If Smoky mountain was staked in the
excitement year ago There's no
loubt about this find, l suppose?"
ITS on exhibition at the bank" the
loctor replied, more than $1,000
,ached in a crevice in the glacial age
Is neat as a Christmas stocking"
The talk went on about her.
"Where is the lucky CLAMP" some
me asked.
Just below this ridge" the doctor
eplied. 1T is called the Little Pay
naSter'"
The name caught her ear. The Little ,
'aymaster? That was the name on the s
recon Hugh's claim! At that instant
he thought she heard David Stires
alling She turned and ran quickly up
he long hall to his open door.
The sight of his face at first startled '
er for it was held captive of emotion, (
nut it was an emotion of joy, not of {
ain A letter fiuttered in his grasp. l
lie thrust it into her hands. Y
"Jessica," he exclaimed, Hugh has l
aid it. He has sent the $4,000, inter- l
w, ~, est and principal, s
NSS1 TO the bank to
u my account" |
~ For a moment "
HgM.ASh 81 she stood trans {
3NNa IA fixed. The talk Y
ES$Ssg~SN z. she had mechan- 1
N NIS ically heard leap d
!. !. !: !: !. !. !. !.
ma M ed into signif-
vi m canoe, and her q
| NIE mind ran back to e
NMl - the hour when
INN she had left the b
UA( X/< draft at the cab L
" jNII in. She caught S
sSTI IA the old mans i
handand kneltby V
his chair, laugh t