Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-03-05

been glad TO DeSln IL again lhe heA
day.
Immediately after the landing Brew
ster and Gardner were busy with the
details of settlement. After clearing
up all Of the obligations arising from
the cruise they felt the appropriate
ness of a season of reflection. 1t was a
difficult moment-a moment when un-
delivered reproofs were in the air. But
Gardner seemed much the more melan-
choly Of the two.
Piles Of newspapers lay scattered
about the floor of the room in which
they sat. Every one Of them contained
sensational stories Of the prodigars
trip, with pictures, incidents and pre-
dictions. Monty was panied, humili-
ated and resentful, but he was honest
enough to admit the justification OF
much that was said of him. He read
bits of it here and there and then threw
the papers aside hopelessly. In a few
weeks they would tell another story
and quite as emphatically.
1.-The worst of it, Monty, is that you
are the next thing to being poor
man." groaned Gardner. i've done
my best to economic for you here at
home, as you'll see by these figures,
but nothing could possibly balance the
extravagances Of this voyage. They
are simply appalling"
With the condemnation OF his friends
ringing in his troubled brain, with the
sneers Of acquaintances to distress his
pride, with the gibes Of the comic pa
pers to torture him remorselessIy,
Brewster was fast becoming the most
miserable man in New York. Friends
of former days gave him the cut di-
rect, clubmen ignored him or scorned
him openly, women chilled him with
the iciness Of unspoken reproof, and
all the world was hung with shad-
ows. The doggedness of despair Kept
him up, but the strain that pulled
down on him was so relentless that the
struggle was losing its equality. he
had not expected such home coming.
Compared with his former self Mon
ty was now almost a physical wreck,
haggard, thin and defiant, shadow
of the once debonair young New York
er. an object Of pity and scorn. Asham-
ed and despairing, he had almost lack
ed the courage to face Mrs. Gray. The
consolation he once gained through her
he now denied himself, and his suffer-
ing, peculiar as 1t was, was very real.
In absolute recklessness he gave din
ner after dinner, party after party, all
on a most lavish scale, many OF his
guests laughing at him openly while
they enjoyed his hospitality. The real
friends demonstrated, pleaded, did
everything within their power to check
his awful rush to poverty, but without
success. He was not to be stopped.
At last the furniture began to 60
then the plate, then all the priceless
-brac. Piece by piece 1t disap-
peared until the apartments were emp
ty and he had squandered almost all
of the S40,35O arising from the sales.
The servants were paid off, the apart
ments relinquished, and he was begin
ming to know what 1t meant to be ION
his uppers." At the banks he ascer-
tanned that the interest on his moneys
amounted to s19,140.S6. A week be-
fore the 23d of September the whole
million was gone, including the
amounts won in Lumber and Fuel and
other luckless enterprises. He still
had about 1900 Of his interest
money in the banks, but he had a bill
lion pangs in his heart-the interest
on his improvidence.
He found some delight in the discov-
cry that the servants had robbed him
of not less than $3,500 worth of his
belongings, including the Christmas
presents that he in honor could not
have sold. His only encouragement
came from Grant & Ripley, the law
yers. They inspired confidence in his
tagging brain by urging him on to the
end, promising brightness thereafter
Swearengen Jones was as mute as the
mountains in which he lived. There
was no word from him. There was no
assurance that he would approve OF
what had been done to obliterate Ed
win Peter Brewster's legacy.
Dan DeMille and his wife implored
Monty to come with them to the noun
tains before his substance was gone
completely. The former offered him
money employment, rest and security
If he would abandon the course he was
pursuing. Up in Fortieth street Peggy
Gray was grieving her heart out, and
he knew it. Two or three Of those
whom he had considered friends re-
fused to recognize him in the street In
this last trying week. and it did not
even interest him to learn that Miss
Barbara Drew was to become duch-
ess before the winter was gone. Yet
he found some satisfaction in the re-
port that one Hampton of Chicago had
long since been dropped out of the
race.
One day he implored the faithful
He could not and would not sell them
and he dared not give them away
Bragdon dejectedly appropriated the
dogs, and Brewster announced that
some day he would offer a reward fol
their return and mo questions asked ;
He took a suit Of rooms in small
hotel and was feverishly planning the
overthrow Of the last torturing thou
sands. Bragdon lived with him, an6
the Little Sons of the Rich stood 10y
ally ready to help him when he ut
tered the first cry of want. But ever
this establishment had to be abandon
ed at last. The old rooms in Fortietf
street were still open to him, and
though he quailed at the thought Of
making them a refuge. he faced the
ordeal in the spirit of a martyr.
CHAPTER xxx.
Monty, you are breaking my heart,
| was the first and only appeal Mrs. Gray
ever made to him. 1t was two days
| bafora tho 22d and II did not come