Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-10-20

who caught him cheating at poker"
The steady voice wavered and went
lower; Hartley pressed his hand more
tightly against the red stain on his
chest.
"As for you-go back to your work,
and have the grace to be ashamed that
you have let such man fool you. When
you have any complaints to make, come
hereafter to Mr.. Thornton or to me, as
man to man, and We will do our best
by you"
John Thorntons heavy voice took up
the thread where Hartley had dropped
it,
What Mr.. Hartley says to you, now
and in the future, is law in this place.
The mine will be open today as usual,
and you may report for work or not as
you wish. Those who are not satisfied
to do so may call for whatever is COM
ing to them, and consider their services
permanently dispensed with. That is
ALL"
He turned and bent over Hartley,
who was obviously growing weaker,
saggng heavily against Everard who
almost held him. Jessica Thornton
stole cut again with anxious eyes and
trembling lips and motioned them to
bring the wounded man into the house,
but Hartley braced himself up again,
holding tightly to the wound from
/ l.; CT
ing away, shook his head at her, and
looked at Everard with a reckless laugh.
The sheriff and his posse were fairly
! out of earshot, the men filing quietly
away with backward glances at their
wounded head.
mo, l guess you'd rather not" he
said, unsteadily, unheeding Everard's
deprecating exclamation. "Mr Thorn
ton-I-there's something I am going
to tell you. I've spent three years Of
my life in state prison, and there's
seventeen more waiting for me If show
my face in that state again. There was
a man in the neutrality-suspicious.
chap-didn't have long to live-and be-
fore he died-told me-of this spot
where he'd discovered tremendously
rich deposit of silver. His--secret;
only told me because-knew he'd never
see freedom again. When l escaped,
there was one person-my mother-be-
| lieved pretty much in me yet-got
enough money for me to fix up and
hustle to capitalize this mine. You
know the rest. l furnished the place
brain-could do-you put up the mon
ey. Thought you'd rather not-have
Jail bird in your house"
Everard cringed under the confess
sion; it seemed almost as though he
were making it himself. Father and
| daughter stood mute and Mortified and
John Thornton's lips twitched. He had
loved this man as a son. Then ne
spoke slowly, his eyes turned away
"Mr Everard, will you assist Mr.
Hartley into the house, while l send to
town for a surgeon? Jessica, have the
blue room prepared for Mr.. Hartley at
once"
/ When the first day Of excitement was
over, when the sheriff and his posse
had gone with their prisoner and the
men had returned quietly to their work
in the mine, as they might not have
done had it not been for the memory
Of that CHASTITY swaying figure on the
veranda. the Thornton house quieted
down to a hush which it had never
known before
u In the spacious blue room" the
wounded man lay weak and quiet, but
with eyes which glittered with fever,
and a ceaselessly working brain. He
would live. unless unforeseen compli-
cations set in. but after all, what for?
Until deep in the night he heard John
Thornton pacing up and down in his
; library, and knew that his reckless
) confession of the morning had smitten
. this big hearted old man like a terrible
blow. Both father and daughter had
) avoided the vicinity Of the blue room
since Hartley had been carried up to
, it, although they had sent their wound