Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-01-30


( intentness. 1t was cancelled therefore
had been paid without question Yet
the man it had robbed had stamped Il
with that venomous hallmark Clearly
7 the law had not stepped IN. for here he
was at liberty. owning his name. lie
had been let go. then. dlsowned. TO car.
/ ~ his badge OF crime here into the vii
! derncssi And how had he lived since
thcng
j He stumbled to chair and sat
down. his frame rigid lie thought
OF the robbed sluice In the gulch be
low. OF his own unhappy adventure OF
\ the night How could he tell what be
I had done-what he might dor Min
utcs went 10y as he sat motiouless. his
mind catching strange Kaleidoscope
pictures that led past him into the
void At length he rose and went 10
the window. Far down the hillside "A
faint line through the mist SPAWNED
the gulch bottom. A groan burst from
his lips
THAT is the hydraulic hume." he
said aloud Gold has been stolen
there I'm the past again and again.
Some was stolen two nights ago. How
/ DO ] know but that I am the thieff'
/ Was that what Prendergast had meant
/ by the safe way TO beat the gamer
A shlver ran over him. How do
know! he thought II can see my
self-the evil side of me-whcn the
dark had fallen waking and active.
sec myself creeping down there. steal
| Ing from shadow 10 shadow. 10 SCOOP
] g h.. 81.
moon is under n cloud. / see men
sitting from dark 20 daylight with
loaded rifles across their knees watch
ing. | see n fash of fire. hear re-
port ! see myself there by the sluice
boxes. dead, shot down in the act OF
/ thief. making good the name men
know me by
The figure OF Jessica came before
him standing In her soft white gown,
her hand against her cheek and the
Jasmine OdOrs about her. The dream
= had dreamed could not be-never,
never, never! All that was left was
surrender. ignominious night 10 scenes
barren OF suggestion.
At that instant a shining point
caught his eye. II came from the pan
Of gravel on the doorstep, on which
the rain had been beating. lie thrust
the draft into his pocket and seized a
double handful of the gravel. He
plunged it into a pail Of water and
held 1t TO the light 1t sparkled with,
coarse. yellow flakes OF gold. He
dropped the handful with a sharp ex-
clamation, threw on his coat and rush
ed from the cabin.
All day. alone on the fog soaked hill
side, Harry toIled In the trench with
out food or rest.
the room where Jessica sat beside
David Stires' bed, reading aloud to
him. was flooded with the failing sun
light Since the old mans seizure in
the night he had been much worse. and
she had scarcely left his room. Today.
however he had sat propped by pill
lows, able TO read and chat, and the
deep personal anxiety that had numbed
her had yielded.
4 knock came at the door. IL was a
nurse with letters for him from the
mail. and while he opened them Jes-
sica laid aside the book and went
slowly down the hall to the sun parlor.
where the doctor stood with the group
gathered after the early supper. chat
ting OF the newest strike" on the
mountain.
Wen be famous n we keep on" he
was saying as she looked out of the
wide windows across the haze where
the sunlight drifted down in dust OF
gold. I've a mind to stake out a claim
myself"
"We pay you better" said one OF the
occupants grimly. Anyway, the whole
OF Smoky mountain was stalxed In the
excitement a year ago. There's no
doubt about this find. supposef"
"lts on exhibition at the bank" the
doctor replied. ''more than $1,000
cached in u crevlce in the glacial age
as neat as Christmas stockingr
The talk went on about her.
where Is the lucky claimT' some
one asked.
Just below this ridge" the doctor