The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-19

R dusk l found my father and
 IVY mother sitting in the cooI of
 the front gallery. and. giving my rein to one of our boys. 1 flung my self down OL the steps near by and now and again joined in their conVer- sation.
 was much surprised to learn that our whilom guest. Gordon Orme. had taken sudden departure during my ab- sence. be having been summoned by a messenger from the village. who he stated brought him word that he must forthwith be on his way to Albemarle. He had asked my father If he cared to sell the black horse. Satan. to which he had taken a fancy, but this had been declined. Then 1t seems there had come up something of our late meeting at the village. and Orme. laughing. had told of our horse break ing and wrestling in a way which 1t seemed had not detracted from my standing in my parents eyes. None of us three was willing to criticise our guest, yet l doubt if any one of us failed to entertain a certain wonder. not to say suspicion. regarding him. At least he was gone.
 Our talk now gradually resolved it. self to one on business matters. l ought to have said that my father was an ambitious man and one of wide plans 1 think that even then he fore saw the day when the half patriarchial life of our state would pass away be- fore one of wider horizons of conner ciaI sort. He was anxious to hand down his family fortune much increas- ed. and, foreseeing troublOus times ob fN fha fnSfifTIfinn nf SI in the south. he had of late been talk ing large risks to assure success in spite of any change of times. Now. moved by some strange reasons which he himself perhaps did not recognize. he began for the first time. contrary to his usual reticence. to explain to my mother and me something of these matters. He told us that in connection with his friend. Colonel William Meri- wether of Albemarle. he had invested heavily in coal lands in the western part of the state in what is now West Virginia. This requiring very large sums of money he for his part had en- cumbered not only the lands them selves. but these lands of CowIes' Farms to secure the payment. The holder of these mortgages was a bank ing firm in Fredericksburg. The inter est was one which in these times would be considered cruel one. and indeed the whole enterprise waS one which re- Quired a sanguine courage. precisely as his. for have said that risk he always held as challenge and invitation.
 Does thee think that in these times thee should go so deeply in debtT' ask ed my mother of him.
 Eliza beth" he said. ''that is why L-~n @k,R (FrNTv now and the value of these lands here may have been cut in half. Ten years from now the coal lands wonder will be worth ten times what they are today"
 John" she said to him suddenly. ''selI those coal lands or a part of them"
 Now. that I could not do." he an- swered. flor half their value The country now IS fuller Of war than of investment. But come peace. come war. there lies a fortune for us all For my share there remains but one heavy payment. and tomorrow l ride to raise funds for that among our ten ants and elsewhere. I admit that my bankers are Shrewd and severe-in fact, think they would rather see the pay mentS forfeited than not. As Meri- WOlLcI dWdS. u Wllh AIG SO dILCn0 to this business now"
 That coming day my father rode abroad as he had planned. taking black Satan for bis mount, since he needed to travel far. He had collected from various sources. as his account book later showed. a sum Of over $5.OO0. which he must have had in gold and negotiable papers In his saddlehags During his return home he came down the deep trough road which ran in front Of the Sheraton farms and ours. He passed near to a certain cIump of bushes at the roadside. and there that happened which brought to a sudden end all the peace and comfort Of our lives and which made me old before my time.
 heard the horse Satan whinny al our lane gate wildly. as though in fright and even as ] went out my hear stopped with sudden fear. He hat leaped the gate at the lower end of tn lane. Ills bridIe rein was broken am caught at hIS feet as he moved aboui throwing mp his head in fright as mur' as viciousness. I hastily looked at th saddle. but it bore no mark of an, thing unusual. Not pausing to loo farther. l caught the broken relnS my hand and sprang into the saddls spurring the morse down the lane al over the gate again and back up u road which I knew my father mus have taken.
 There at the side of the road ne; the clump Of blackberry vines ap sumac growth lay my father. a lon dark blot, motiOnIess. awesome. as could see by the light Of the mooI now just rising in q gap of the di, tant mountains. 1 sprang down an, ran to him. lifted his head. called f, him in a voice so hOarse l did not rec Ognize it. l told him that it was hi~ son who had come to him and that he must speak. So at last. as though by sheer will he had held on to this time, he turned his gray face toward me and as dead man spoke.