The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-11-03


le f,-c@u;a& passage - y spe'..S "t
lrewen.
No" s:.I Nir,y vi"1,,.iy. i.'":g2'o..
the in. nt."unji.n.
"WelS. rH,Ion it'S about ti"r -
t q, >and take GOOD h.Ca ih.'',.
armed th" o.hc". pa NJ the r.'" ....,'
excited Scrrry. "Nu yau tA..l y.
auld git this -.r':" he c",t."1r". 80
eavy sarcasm. "Ilow about il wh"'
lie finds out VITO you are-Cameo
irly:"
Easy on that name, L&rE:n::''
Easy oa the name" believed
Nnce. appealing 10 the crilin-. why.
S been Shrickin through ;.iS house
rer since you SoJ here. There's been
20 fellerS within ten feet Of you al
ie time who never took their eyes
Fn you-that young NeauGry a"G
.aron Randall 10 you reckon they
link you're Colonel More2u: Why. /
cen them leave the house 4 short Siri
ack. and Id be wiI!im' to het my i'm
lortal soul they're OH To our makeupS
nd are plannin' 10 raise h with u:'.
tell YOU this place is @i,tin' too hot
or Larkin Bunce. You haven't said
ODDLY TO her: Well. then. Ill sly
oodby 10 YOU. Somebody's got 10 he
pose. wouldn't lie no good 10 you
yor TO me eithe" III Jail. For the last
ii L.
ng gesture with his tremblin:, hands.
are you comm with rle:'
Kirby. who had quietly resumed his
Dlace at the table. now slowly Sh,!t.lcd
he deck ana carefully inspected the
ard that had turned up.
NO" he said. with grave tinality.
I'm not going with you. my friend.
The hands dealt: III play ii out.
For Gods sake. Gene" ilnplored
Bunce. Then | got 10 quit you. You
know what this ineanS to me" lie add
ed despairinSly. Il hate to 20. but
there's no sense in my Stayin."
"No. And thank you for staying
as long as YOU have" interrupted kir-
by. with smile. rising and placing his
hand on the others shoulder. I'm
afraid | haven't been thinking very
much of you. old partner. But I'm GO
ing to stay-call it what you like.
However. this IS not your hand. Lar
kin. and don't want you to help me
play it out Go, by all means. and at
once. Did you get fresh horse"'
"A fresh horse? Why. l wouldn't
even burst to ask for the one 1 come
on" cried Bunce. mopping his face.
"You>don't seem to rightly size up the
messewe're in. Gene. III be lucky to
git out on my own two feet. l don't
even know where they put my hat.
and I'm skeered to ask for it. Then it
A;04t no more use my askin' you to
Gomez?
NO more use than in your staying"
said Kirby.
Bunce hesitated for moment, then
thrust out his huge hand.
"Goodby, you burned fool" he gasp
ed. choking up.
"Goodby, Larkin. but don't bet that
1t is goodby. They won't get me. III
ride your horse into town for you to-
morrow"
Bunce bestowed final helpless ap-
peal upon the ceiling, gave his part
ner's hand a farewell wrench. then
numbered hastily from the room. while
Kirby, humming softly to himself.
strolled to the open window and. lean
ing negligently against its frame. gave
himself up to retrospect.
He wanted to be alone; he wanted to
think, to dream. to go over and over
again every word that Adele had spo-
ken, every smile. every gesture. HIS
thoughts were solely Of the Immediate
present and past. For the future he
did not care-neither Tom Randalrs
homecoming nor his own inevitable
unmasking. He wondered what ne
would have been. what the end woutd
have been, had his early life been laid
in pleasanter lines-less harsh, less
lonely. Yes. utter loneliness was
great and sinister factor in molding
mans destiny. What If the last OF the
Kirbys had proved an honor to the
old name, instead Of a professional
river gambler! And why was he re-
naming? Was not the allegory OF
the rosebush too bitterly true: why
had Adele said those last words: But
mightn't it be perhaps with one wo-
man he couldn't be beaten. even then:
Yes, it might be. and 1t would De,
and the truth of it had been proved
since the beginning of time. But. even
if she were willing and knew him Tor
what he was, could he rightly ask the
sacrifice? Yet those words had aWaX-
ened a fierce longing. had held ont
promise Of hope. And he could not
utterly renounce, not just yet. Per
haps-
He turned as a hand tugged at his
sleeve. turned to confront old Group,
,rho bod ctoleu nOiceleSSly TO his side.