The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-06-08
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER ".
 "a ALMOST one year elapsed be- TAI fore Colonel Mo1eau, hark-
 SSS3 ening at length to the call of t$sS the river, returned to Bis old haunts ip New Orleans. When he did victim had entirely recovered from the effects of the honorable combat. and. in conjunction with his partner, had reoccupied his old niche of fame premier professional gambler of the Mississippi. Quite aside from all flnan- cial reasons-the fact that a more skillful and successful rival was gar nering the major spells of the river the news of his victims recovery was seriously disquieting to the honorable colonel, and had he been forewarned he might have indefinitely prolonged his acquaintance with the more health full climate of Mexico. He knew that Kirby was not the type of man to for get or condone bullet in the back or the smirching of whatever little re- mained of his once fair reputation. and had he even remotely suspected that he would recover he (Moreau) would not have prevaricated so cheer fully and with such abandon to young Randall. How much did the boy now know? That was the all important question. Kirby, of course, had learn ed that he stood accused of the late John RandalPs suicide, but had he taken the trouble to refute it? Mo reau did not think so, and Moreau was right.
 Kirby had but vaguely heard of the unjust accusation and. having been long since casehardened to caiumny in all its phases, paid little if any at tention. Had any member of the Ran dall family sought him out he would. as a matter of duty, have proved his innocence. But they, believing him dead, had not done so, and he refused to take the initiative, partly because he could not give absolute credence to the rumor, but in greater measure because of the demands upon his time. After all, it did not matter. It meant only another tally to the score of Jack Moreau, and all would be wiped out by that gentleman's death, an undertaking upon which he had definitely decided. What stood be- tween them could be eradicated only by the bullet.
 Meanwhile the passing year had brought with it many changes for the surviving members of the Randall fam Sly. Life is tenacious, and they had persisted in surviving as best they could the shock incident upon their fathers suicide. The one small meas ure of satisfaction in the whole ter rible affair was the knowledge that the despoiler of their home had promptly met his death and that in consequence they were at least saved from pauper. ization, for they were entirely igno. rant of Kirby's recovery or the meas ures he had voluntarily taken for theiI protection.
 To the only girl, Adele, had fallen the brunt of suffering. The General child of eight, was too young to fully comprehend hs loss, while Tom, g hot headed youth in his early twenties occupied all his time with the planta tion and devoted all spare moments tt nursing his hatred against Kirby's memory. While glorying in the lat ters supposed death he deplored that his hand had not effected it. Where grief had paralyzed Adele it had but further aroused the boys militant and aggressive nature, adding, moreover, $ veneer of youthful and bitter cynicism He abhorred Kirby's memory with ar intensity passing the hatred of mar and, even had he been stranger tc the then prevailing and primitive no tions of justice. would, had he known the other lived, have immediately sought him out and killed him. If his fathers memory demanded that no re sistance should be made to the gam bler's claim it likewise demanded that the latter should not live overlong tc enjoy his newly acquired property.
 More than once, as if uneasy intui ton sought to prompt the truth, the boy had suggested to his sister the pos sibility of Kirby having survived Mo reau's sincere attentions. Then he would break out in an ungoyernable fit of fury and hatred.
 "SupposinG that scoundrel has lived and intends reaping the reward of his crime.' he would cry. "He gained that deed by the vilest scoundrelisn. ever practiced. Well, let him make good his claim if he can"
 "But who will dispute it?" Adel, would hfelessly inquire. plucking a her black dress, while twin patches o1 scarlet would begin to burn in thu dead white of her face. "Do you thinl we could stoop to ask mercy from { man of that stamp? Whether tn, deed was gained honestly or not. i does not matter. Fathers signatur'