Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-08-30

but with more intelligence Frightening
his aspect than is seen in many lads
who have been taught at famous
schools. Yet Ernest had had no teach
er. save only that the Great Stone Face
became one to him. When the toll OF
the day was over, he would gaze at II
for hours, until he began to imagine
that those vast features recognized
him, and gave him smile of kindness
and encouragement. responsive to his
own look of veneration. We must not
take upon us to affirm that this was a
mistake, although the Face may have
looked no more kindly at Ernest than
at all the world besides But the secret
was. that the boys tender and cOnfid-
ing simplicity discerned what other
people could not see; and thus the
love, which was meant for all became
his peculiar portion.
| About this time, there went a rumor
throughout the valley, that the great
man, foretold from ages long ago, who
was to bear a resemblance to the Great
Stone Face, had appeared at last. 1t
seems that, many years before, a
young man had migrated from the val
| ley and settled at a distant seaport,
where, after getting together a little
money, he had set up as a shopkeeper.
His name-but | could never learn
whether it was his real one, or a nick
name that had grown out of his habits
and success in life-was Gathergold.
Being shrewd and active, and endow-
ed by Providence with that inscrutable
faculty which develops itself in what
the world calls luck, he became an eX-
ceedingly rich merchant, and owner of
whole fleet of bulky bottomed ships.
All the countries of the globe appeared
to join hands for the mere purpose of
| adding heap after heap to the noun
| famous accumulation of this one mans
wealth. The cold regions of the north,
| almost within the gloom and shadow
of the Arctic Circle, sent him their
| tribute in the shape of furs; hot Africa
sfted for him the golden sands of her
| rivers, and gathered up the ivory tusks
of her great elephants out of the for
ests; the East came bringing him the
rich shawls, and spices, and teas, and
the effulgence of diamonds, and the
cleaning purity of large pearls; the
ocean, not to be behindhand with the
| earth, yielding up her mighty whales.
| that Mr. Gathergold might sell their
oil, and make profit on it. Be the
original commodity what it might, it
was gold within his grasp. 1t might
be said of him, as of Midas in the fa-
BILE that whatever he touched with his
finger Immediately glistened, and grew
yellow, and vas changed at once into
sterling metal, or which suited him
still better, into piles of coin. And.
when Mr.. Gathergold had become SO
very rich that it would have taken him
a hundred years only to count his
wealth, he bethought himself of his
native valley, and resolved to go back
thither and end his days where he was
born. With this purpose in view, he
sent a skilful architect to build him
such a palace as should be fit for a
man of his vast wealth to live in.
AS 1 have said above, it had already
been rumored in the valley that Mr..
| Gathergold had turned out to be the
prophetic parsonage SO long and vain
| ly looked for, and that his visage was
the perfect and undeniable similtude
of the Great Stone Face. People were
| the more ready to believe that this
| must needs be the fact, when they be-
| held the splendid edfice that rose, as
| if by enchantment, on the site of his
| fathers old weather beaten farm
| house. The exterior was of marble,
so daZZlingly white that it seemed as
though the whole structure might melt
away in the sunshine, like those hum
bier ones which Mr.. Gathergold, in his
young play days, before his fingers
were gifted with the touch of transmu-
tation, had been accustomed to build of
snow 1t had a richly ornamented por-
tico, supported by tall pillars. beneath
which was lofty door, studded with
| silver knobs. and made of a kind OF
varegated wood that had been brought
from beyond the sea. The windows
from the floor to the ceiling of each
stately apartment, were composed
respectively, of but one enormous pane
of glass, so transparently pure that il
was said to be a finer medium than
even the vacant atmosphere. Hardly
anybody had been permitted to see the
interior of this palace; but it was re-
ported and with good semblance OF
truth, to be far more gorgeous than
the outside. inSomuch that whatever
was iron or brass i'm other houses was
silver or gold in this; and Mr. Gather
COLDS bedchamber, especially made
such a glttcring appearance that nC
ordinary man would have been able tC
close his eyes there. But, on the other
| MI. NIilllCl Spii "SiS il'N S' III
ured to wealth, that perhaps he could
not have closed his eyes unless where
the CLEAN of it was certain To find its
way beneath his eyelids.
In due time, the mansion was finish
ed: next came the upholstcrers. with
magnificent furniture; then a whole
troop of black aid white servants, the
harbingers of Mr.. Gathergold, who in
his own majestic person, was expected
| to arrive at sunset. Our friend Err
nest, meanwhile. had been deeply stir
red 10y the idea that the great man
the noble man, the man of prophecy
after SO many ages of delay, was al
length to ne made manifest to his ma
tive valley. He knew, boy as he was
that there were a thousand ways ir
which Mr.. Gathergold, with his vast
wealth, might transform himself into
an angel of beneficence, and assume q
control over human affairs as wide
and benignant as the smile of the Great