The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-22
CHAPTER XXXIII.
The Bencgadc.


Us Hugh Stires listened to the tale OF
tho street preacher, another, unlike yet
curiously like him in feature, had slow
/ ~ climbed the hilly slope from tho
north by the sanarorlum road. lie
J walked with n .laun;y swagger bred OF
! too frequent applications to flask IN
! his pocket
( Since the evening of the momentous
! scene in the chapel with Harry Sander
! son, Hugh had had more and more re-
/ course TO that black comforter. 1t had
/ grown to be his constant companion,
! When, late on the night Of the game,
some miles away, he had goatingly
! counted the money in his pockets, he
had found nearly q thousand dollars IN
double eagles, and Il single red counter
! tho last he had had to stake against
| Harry s gold. He put the crimson disk
into his pocket, tto remember the
bishop by he thought with chuckle,
but the fact that for each of the count
ers Harry had won he had sworn TO
render a day of clean and decent liv-
ING, he straightway forgot. For the
others position he had wasted no pity.
Harry would find it difficult to eX-
plain the matter TO the bishop! Wen,
If it "brole" him, served him, right!
What business had he to set himself
so far above every one else3
For some time thereafter Hugh had
seriously contemplated going abroad,
for a wholesome fear had logged him
in his fight from Smoky Mountain. For
weeks be had travelled by night, scan
ming the daily newspapers with des-
perate anxiety, his ears keen for hue
and cry. But with money in his pocket,
courage returned, and in the end fear
lullcd. There had been no witness TO
that deed on the hillside. There might
be suspicion, but no more At length
the old-time attraction of the race
course had absorbed him. he had fol
lowed the horses in "thc circuit, win
ming and losing, consortiRg with the
tipsters, growing heavier with gcuer-
Gus living and welcoming excitement
and change. But the ghost of DR.,
Moreau haunted him, and would not be
exercised.
Money, however, could not last al
ways, and persistent run of III luck
depleted his store. When poverty a2aiu
was at his elbow vagrant rumor told
him, with the usual eXaooerations, #
the rich ''ind' on the Little Fay
master claim on Smoky mountain. Too
late he cursed the reasouless panic That
had sent him into flight, Had the
ground been "jumped by some one
who now profted1 Nevertheless, it was
still his own to claim; miners law gave
him a year, and be had left enough pos
ningly, TO disprove abandonment. He
dreaded return, but want and cupidity
at length ovorcame his fears. He had
arrived at Smoky Mountain on this
night to claim his own.
As he walked unsteadily along. Hugh !
drank more than once from the flask /
to deaden the superstitious dread of the !
the crest of the ridge he skirted he |
sauatorium grounds and at length |
gained the road that twisted down
toward the lights of the town. In the |
dubious moonlight be mistook the mar.
row trail to the Knob for the lower
path to the cabin. As he turned into |
it, the report of a rife came faintly |
excited senses like the ghostly echo Of |
q shot he had himself fred there on a
night like this long before-a hollow /
echo from another world.
He Quickened his steps and stumbled !
all al once into the little clearing that |
held the newmade grave and Jessica g !
statue. The sight terrified his intoXi-
Gated imagination. His hair rose. The
name on the headstone was Stires, and A..
there was himself-no, ghost of him
self.-sitting near! He turned and !
broke into run down the steep slope
In MS fear-for he imag gined the white |
figure was pursuing him-he tripped ,
and fell, regained his feet, rushed across
the level space, threw his weight |
against the cabin door, and burst into
the room,
A dog sprang up with a growl, and in
the light Of the fire that burned on .
the hearth, a man sitting at the rough, !
hewn table lifted haggard face fr3u
his arms and each recognized the other
The ghost was gone now before the
freight and human presence, m /
Hugh, with a loud laugh Of tipsy lu-
credulity, stood staring at the man
before him.
Harry Sanderson!" he cried "By
the great horn spoonl" His shifty
eyes surveyed the others igure-the .
cCrduroys, the high-laced boots, the soft
blue flannel shirt. I" Not exactly in pur-
pie and fine linen he said-the i'm.
pudent swagger Of intoxication had
slipped over him again, and his bolster
ops laugh broke with hiccough. ''I
thought the gospel game was about
played out that night in the chapel.
And now you are willing to take a hint
from the prodigal. How did you find
my nest3 And perhaps you can tell
me who has been making himself SO
internally at home here latey7"
~ have said Harry evenly.
HuCh's glance, that had been waver
ing about the neat interior, returned 10
Harry, and knowledge and anger leaped
into it. $50 ii was you, was il? You
are the one who has been trying his
hand rs a claim iumper" He lurched
toward the table and leaned upon it.
g We always heard that the devil took
care Of his own. The runaway rector
on my manor and with his
usual luck Satan's luck we called it
at colleae-stcps in just in time to
strike it richl'''
He stretched his hand suddenly and
caught tiny object that glittered
agalnst Harry s coat-the little gold