Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-11-03

Tears Flowed Down his Cheoks'
They smiled at him in gratitude for
his kindness.
1.-THE party breaking up?"
| "Yes; you get Jennie home safe for
me. l gotta slope out Of town." said
Bill.
Husband and wife embraced and the
old probationer slipped from the room.
made his way through the gestculat-
ing deaf and dumb patronh Of the
saloon and disappeared into the night.
In his mountain refuge there were
hours of loneliness which beset John
Nelson. He realized that the more he
achieved in life and the greater grew
his love for Molly Bryan the more ter
rible would be the reckoning for him
should the police ever corner him.
The oppressiveness Of these hours be-
came such that he looked about for
mental occupation that would serve
to drive from his thoughts the fear
| that seemed to fasten ON him with
tighter grip as the weeks passed.
In the Dark Corner he was the only
man with money and sufficient warmth
and food and shelter sound enough to
make actual physical existence bear
able In winter The poverty OF the
mountain families was but little short
of the poverty Of despair. Many OF
them lived through the seasons with
never the possession Of money. getting
their food from their patches Of open
ground and their clothes by trading.
The majority Of the people about him
could not read. Some Of them had
never heard Of Christ. AS he had turn
ed to the poor in the mill section OF
Greenville. he turned to the mountain
GERS of the Dark Corner. With one OF
his negro servants he made excur-
sions from his castle. going from
cabin to cabin. finding out what was
needed most and giving freely. On
these Samaritan trips he carried
pocket Bible, and when he could find
IN excuse for so doing he would read
to them the rocssage that packs the
book from Genesis to Revelation that
the mercy Of God shall endure forever.
On the edge Of his estate he built q
pine church with tiny spire tipping
the tree line Here he provided pull
pit for the mission priests and circuit
riders who Travelled the mountain
paths. Here he made a place for the
word OF God and not for the word OF
n diet or a conference.
The snow of the first winter In his
mountain home began to fly, and Mel
son made a trip into the city to secure
the copies Of the Herald he had COM
missloned a newsdealer to save for
him. That night. before log fire IN
his study. he spread the copies Of the
Herald on a large table and arranged
them In order Of their issue. He dis
covered the reply Of Hawkins:
Kid.-o. X. December.-Bill
The old convict had managed In
some way to get his release from pris.
on. He was coming to him. he OF all
the men who could help him, the only
man he could trust with bis secret.
Into Bills hands he would give the
wealth he had acquired, give It freely,
gladly, that he might spend 1t In the
hunt for the man whose arrest and
conviction would take from him the
disgrace put upon him by the law that
had worked abOrtlvely.
Hope that had practical reason back
of It filed BIN. Molly was nearer to
him than she had ever been since the
| day he first saw her sweet face and
heard her lovely voice. He felt as II
he could go to her even then, for he
was filed with confidence newly born.
By early spring he would finish bis
| most important invention. new knit
ting machine that would replace those
already made. He would put up
knitting mill in conjunction with the
textile mills and have his own plant
He could bring Molly to his castle until
the day came when Bill would bring
In his quarry.
Molly and her father had made
] trip to bis home and workshop