Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-01-08
BY OPIE READ.


our transaction" l replied. Il want
to sell the mine for money"
Yes, of course, but you might dou-
BILE your money on the real estate"
That may be true, but / am not q
speculator; and if you are not prepar-
ed to pay money, why, it is useless to
waste further time"
of course. No time has been wasted
and none shall be. You may trust me
when it comes to the question Of vast
ing time. l didn't know but you might
like home out at Sweet Myrtle. Beau
tiful place-gas, water, sidewalks, sew
ers. But If you don't want to go, it's
all right. Let me tell you right now
that we are prepared to pay cash for
your mine. We represent millions in
the east. Well, We'll CO."
That night We went to theater, and
to me Mr. Cling was dull companion.
He yawned and stretched through
onakspeare's mighty play, while / was
in tingling ecstasy. He said that the
fellow could not act. and that may have
been true, but to me there was no ac-
tor, but a real Hamlet; no stage, but
the court at Elsinore He said that he
would call at the hotel in time to catch
the boat, and was glad when he left
me to my own thoughts. AT O'Clock
the next morning we went on board
great boat, so fresh, so full of interest
to me that l was in a state of delight,
Of new expectancy, and when we
steamed out into the lake could
scarcely repress a cry Of joy so thrill
ing was the view. / had never seen a
large body of water, had striven to
picture the majesty Of a wave, and
now l stood with poetry rolling about
me-now a deep-blue elegy, now a
limpid lyric, varying In hue with the
shifting Of a luminous fleece-work, far
above To have been born and brought
up amid great scenes were surely
privilege, but to come upon them for
tie first time when the mind is ripe,
when the senses are yearning for a
new impression, is indeed blessing.
Short were the so miles Of our journey,
it seemed to me, but Cling was bored
and impatiently he :sGapped his watch
and said that we YsFs at least fifteen
minutes late. After having lost all view
of the land, how strangely novel was
the sight of the shore, and to fancy
myself in a foreign harbor was the
most natural of conceits.
At the wharf we took a carriage and
were driven through the town, out by
many a dreamy orchard side, up a
blu..-banked river to large frame
house. high on a hill. Clarm was walk
ing about in the yard, and with an ease
and politeness which had not expect
ed-having permitted Cling to influence
nv preconception Of his partners char
acter-he shook hands with me and in
vited me into the house. The sample
of mica was closely inspected, numer-
Gus questions were asked, and after a
time Mr.. Clarm said that it would be
we'll for Mr.. Cling to go home with me.
had kept in mind the determination to
buy a few more acres of land, and l
knew that this might not be an easy
transaction if Cling should accompany
me, thereby exciting a suspicion in Par
ker's mind, so l replied that l was not
going straightway home, being COM
PEELED by other business TO stop for
O,,ti I fC of
necessary for Mr.. Cling to see the mine,
and he can start the day after / leave
and reach Purdy on the day l arrive,
| added.
They agreed to this, as Cling was the
principal in another deal that must be
brought to close; and after declining
an invitation to dinner, l took my
leave, feeling that l was a liar, 1t is
true, but l thought that my deception
was not only pardonable, but, indeed,
a commendable piece of foresight.
am free to say that man, in order TO
protect his commercial interests, must
be an easy and a nimble liar; and 1 do
not hold that man who permits him.
self to be cheated simply that he may
snatch the chance to tell a truth
say that l could not regard him a pru-
dent husband or wise father Divide
the last cent with a friend. harden not
thy heart against the distressed, but in
the warfare Of business seek 10 steal
an enemy's advantage. 1t was with
-; l. hnt I n
my conscience as l strolled about the
town, out more than once l halted,
thinking TO tell them the truth. But
judgment-permit me to term it judg-
ment-fnally influenced me to let the
false statement stand.
Out from the town were numerous
lanes. soft with turf. and with orchards
on every side. Amid the darkened
green l saw the yellOwing pear, the
red flash of the apple; and from amid
the bushes blackberrles pecped like the
eyes Of q deer. At the end OF lane
was a deep ravine, one side a grassy
slope, the other a terraced vineyard
and up this romantic rent l walked, In
Switzerland, a France. On the green
slope was a cottage with high fence
behind it. and as | drew near l thought
that it would be a soothing privilege
TO enter the house and talk with the
humble people who lived therein. Sud
denly there came n shout that sent a
squirt of blood to my heart
Hike. there, Sam! Hike, there, Boil
hike. there"
l ran to the fence, grasped the top
drew myself up and looked over into
the small inclosure; and there was old
Lin Jucklin, down on his knees. beat
ing the ground with his hat. let my
self drop and ran round to the gate
opened il without noise and stepped
inside. The old man now held one OF
the chickens by the neck and was put
ting him into a coop.
"Oh, II would suit YOU To fight tc
finish, wouldn't it? And you may
one of these days, as soon as | heal
from down yander. Git in there. Come
here, Bob. You've got TO go In, too
Caught you on the tOp-knot, didn't he;
Well. you must learn to dodge better
nf thf