Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-10-16

ously, and his mother, in a far away
eastern city, wept tears Of joy and ten.
der pride as she read his exuberant let
ter, and Bettine, the sunny haired step.
sister sang and trilled about the house
as she had not for many months, fol
Bettine was growing daily more listess
and fragile, and their utmost efforts
might not hope to keep her with them
long. The rowing nature Of Everard's
profession kept him much away from
home, and their mothers letters to him
bravely concealed the constant grie1
which Bettine's hopeless illness caused
her, but Everard knew that the little
sister was not we'll, and the thought
worried him.
When he took up his headquarters In
camp, and looked around at the rough
men, the miners and his own workmen.
who would be his daily companions for
months to come, the sociable Mr.. Ever
ard shrugged his shoulders philosophi-
cally.
We'll, don't think shall wear out
many dress suits and patent feathers
here 1t must be a nice, economical
place to live in"
The mining town itself was not beau
tiful, even with the great mountains for
its background. There was one thor
oughfare, called by courtesy "a street, "
rroioarc, SbopfioS u,itbout nr,rnhar tho
aforesaid "hotel," two well-patronized
saloons and a very ugly Town Hail.
for general use as place Of amuse-
ment or headquarters for the settling
Of disputes. Everything was new,
hideously new. There was just one
building to be seen which could be
called a residence, and Everards eyes
spied it at once and stared at 1t hun
grily. 1t was half mile or more from
the town, lower down on the mountain
side, and nestled on the sunniest Of
slopes, a roomy, well-built cottage
where President Thornton took his
comfortable ease during his visits to
the mine. President Thornton could
afford little luxuries like these.
On the afternoon after his arrival, as
Everard was already busy working with
his men, coatless, collarless and dress
ed for hard work, a stranger came to-
ward them with comfortable swinging
stride, and stood for a few moments
impartially inspecting Everard, his men
and the landscape in general. Everard
was beginning to feel irritable under
surveillance, when the stranger came
forward and held out friendly hand.
"Mr. Everard, I presume?"
That's what they call me. And If
1 may ask"
My name is Hartley. I belong
around here"
"Oh! 1 should think you did"
Everard laughed from pure delight
OF finding an agreeable companion, and
in huge amusement at Mr.. Hartley's
modest announcement of his identity.
For the name of Hartley was power
here. He was the other owner Of the
Croesus mine, its treasurer by office,
and by choice it's superintendent also.
It was said that he had not been away
from the mine a singls day since the
first miner had arrived on the scene,
that he knew every ounce Of ore that
came from it, every man who worked
in 1t, down to the very least, and hand
led them all with the iron fist Of stern
authority or the velvet glove Of tact,
as occasion might require. Hartley, in
short, was the success Of the Croesus
mine, and here stood Hartley, good
humored, pleasant-voiced and unas-
suming, with the shoulders and clean
cut build Of an athlete and the look Of
boy in his Drowned face and alert
eyes, although on closer inspection
there were fine lines at the corners Of
the eyes and across his forehead, and
the thick, dark hair at his temples was
lightly brushed with gray.
II have word that Mr.. Thornton and
his daughter will be here tomorrow"
this modest man Of money and power
was saying, pleasantly. He wishes
me to bring you down as soon as possi-
ble There are so few Of us, you know,
that we have to hang together and be
friends, so you must make up your
mind to like us, for we're desperately
sociable in this isolated place. Miss
Thornton is courageous enough to ac-
company her father to make a home
for him here, and she is our only link
with civilization. Keeps us from get
ting savage and eating with our knives,
and all that sort Of things"
He was off again with a friendly
nod, and as Everard watched him
swinging vigorously off in the direction
Of the mine, he felt strong admira-
ton rising within him for this pleasant,
vigorous man, who owned half Of an
enormous mine and ruled mass OF
turbulent men by the steady power OF
his single hand, but who had the face
and manner Of an enthusiastic boy,
even with the microscopic wrinkles and
gray hairs, which told Of much res
possibility and experience. He would
like this Hartley, he was sure Of that.
HIN! What kind Of young woman
or old one-could this be, who was
heiress to millions, perhaps, but came
to live in an isolated and potentially
riotous mining camp, because her faith
er's business interest called him there
Everard puzzled over it. and hoped
that she was tolerably presentable, and
somewhere near his own age. Some
times these western capitalists made
their money so swiftly that their poor
families, thus suddenly and dizzily ele-
waited. were rather a hard social pill to
swallow. Everard was no snob but he
was a very fastidious gentleman in his
notions Of what a gentle-woman should
be. Oh, WELL she might be as homely
as hedge fence, but she was wo-
man, probably very good hearted one
II she would bury herself here for her
fathers comfort, and she would there
fore be an oasis in the desert.
| Everard looked over his wardrobe
with critical eyes that night He had