Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-07-14
CHAPTER XXI.
He That Was Dead.

shouldn't get white over II, arthur. IL
isn't worth while. l can see that you
haven't changed much, unless 1t IS tha'
YOUR hair is little paler at the tenn
ples. Gray? I'll wager I've few my
self" There was a fiippancy in ms
tone that astonished Warrington's own
ears, for certainly this light mockery
did not come from within. At heart he
was sober enough.
To steady the laundering beat of his
pulse he crossed the room, righted the
chair, stacked the books and laid them
on the desk Arthur did not move save
TO turn his head and to follow with
fascinated gaze his brothers move
ments.
Now, Arthur, I've only little while
l can see by your eyes that you are
conjuring up all sorts of terrible Things.
But nothing is going to happen. l am
going to talk to you; then I'm going
away; and tomorrow it will be easy to
convince yourself that you have seen
only ghost. Sit down. I'll take this
chair at the left"
Arthur's hands slid from the desk;
in kind of collapse he sat down. Sud
denly he laid his head upon his arms,
and a great sigh sent its tremor across
his shoulders. Warrington felt his
heart swell. The past faded away; his
wrongs became vapors. He saw only
his brother, the boy he had loved SO
devotedly, Arty, his other SELF his
scholarly other self. Why blame Ar
thur? He, Paul, was the fool.
Don't take it like that, Arty," he
said.
The others hand stretched out blind
ly toward the voice. "Ah, great God
PAUL"
II know! Perhaps I've brooded too
much" Warrington crushed the hand
in his two strong ones. THE main fault
was mine. l couldn't see the length OF
nv nose. l threw temptation in your
way which none but a demi-god could
have resisted. That night, when got
YOUR note telling me what you had done
did a damnably foolish thing. went
to the club-bar and drank heavily.
was wild to help you, but couldn't see
how. At two in the morning l thought
| saw the way. Drunken men get
strange ideas into their heads. You
were the apple Of the mothers eyes;
was only her son. No use denying 1t.
She worshiped you; tolerated me. l
came back to the house, packed up
what l absolutely needed, and took the
first train west 1t all depended upon
what you'd do. You let me go, Arty,
old boy. suppose you were pretty well
knocked up, when you learned what
had done. And then you let things
drift 1t was only natural. l had open
ed the way for you. Mother, learning
that l was thief, restored the defal-
cation to save the family honor, which
was your future. We were always more
or less hard pressed for funds. l did
not gamble, but | wasted lot The
mother gave us an allowance of five
thousand each To this l managed to
add another five and you another four.
You were always borrowing from me-
| never questioned what you did with
it. | would to God ! had! 1t Would
have saved us a lot of trouble"
The hand in his relaxed and slipped
fr,m the clasp.
Some Of these things will sound bit
ter, but the heart behind them isn't
So | did what l thought to be great
I xtroS Cnhnr when
| reached Chicago. saw my deed fro
another angle. Think Of it; we could
have given our joint note to mother
bank for the amount. Old Henderson
1t was too late. l went on. The few
hundreds had gave out. I've been up
against it pretty hard. There were
times when l envied the pariah dog.
But fortune came around one day
knocked, and let her in. l returned to
make a restitution only to learn that
it had been made by you, long ago. A
trick of young Elmore's. l shouldn't
have come back if l could have sent
the money"
Arthur raised his head and sat up
"Ah why did you not write? Why did
YOU not let me know where you were:
God is my witness, if there is a corner
of this world unsearched for you. Fol
two years l had man hunting. He
gave up. / believed you dead"
Dead? Well, l was in a sense"
You have suffered, but not as
have. Always you had before you your
great. splendid foolish sacrifice. | had
nothing to buoy me up; there was only
the drag of the recollection of an evil
deed, and a moment of pitiful weak
ness. The temptation was too great
Paul"
How did it happen"
How does anything like that hap
pen? Curiosity drew me first, for al
college | never played but few games
of bridge. Curiosity, desire, then the
full blaze of the passion. You will new
or know what that is, Paul 1t is
stronger than love. or faith or honor
God knows l never thought myself
weak; at school was the least impet-
uous of the two Everything went, and
they cheated me from the start. Rou-
Ictte and faro. Then ! put my hand in
the safe To this day l can not tel
why. l owed nothing to those despica-
bic thieves. Craig least of all.
Craig. | met him over there. PUN
meled him."
Il didn't act like man. Some day
a comfortable fortune would fall to tn"
lot of each of us. But | took eight
thousand. lost it, and came whin-
ing to ynu You don't belong To this
petty age. Paul. You ought To have
been a fellow of the Round Table" Ar
thur smiled wanly 'TO throw your
life away like that, for brother who
wasn't fit To lace your shoes. If you
had written You would have learned
that everything was smOOthed over
The Andes people dropped the matter
entirely. You loved the mother far bet
ter than l."
And she must never know" quietly
DO YOU mean that"