Evening star., 1915-02-07
Continued from page 4

watched helplessly the fading of her brilliant
hopes She spurred Adam on, discussed,
consulted, planned; but still the submerging
waves, inevitable as the ocean, advanced
The best shaft had suddenly shown signs
of exhaustion, old miners were shaking their
heads doubtfully, and Adam was making
frantic efforts to locate the seam beyond the
fault. Eve alone knew her share in the
bringing on of catastrophe, and though the
swift melting of the wealth that should make
splendid her boys life was torture, she did
not regret her action. During those evil
months she was puzzle to herself.
THEN, as suddenly as he had disappeared,
one morning into the little world of
Havilah stepped the Morrow Man again.
When Eve heard the news she feared, vet
was glad. She could explain neither emotion
to herself
Adam grasped at the man as drowning
swimmer at a life belt. @You can make your
own terms, Jim, salary or partnership" he
said. "Things are going to rack and ruin.
Say what you want
Partnership in what?" demanded the
Morrow Man.
Adams eyes opened wide. "Why, the pits
waving his hands expressively.
Jim shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
3Im miner" he said, mot stone cracker.
Look here, Adam, you robbed me! But let
that go. The main point is that you stole a
gold brick. didn't know it then, and you
didn't; but I found it out sometime back.
Man, your one pit that has ever been worth
anything was only fat little pocket that
you've about cleaned out. Keep on mining
to all eternity if you've got cash enough to
pay for the fun; but the seam is away to the
side of your holding
"Then we'll buy it, Jim. Where is it?
This very day! III make man of you,
.Jim!" Adam shouted.
Macfarlane laughed. "You are too late
for both jobs, he said. @Igot back my man
hood when I left you, and the lots you d like
to buy are mine-mine begin to strip the
ground on Monday. Look here, Adam, you
must have enough laid by to live on. Take
my advice and drop out while you still
have it. I'll forgive you what you stole
from me-"
The dull, heavy face of Adam crimsoned
with passion. want my pits and machin-
cry, eh? Well, the bluff don't go. I'll
match you, dollar for dollar, you and your
back again at my heel, waiting for your pay
envelop to square your drink bill
3Have it your own way replied Jim;
"but if 1 wait long before coming back, 1
guess you'll have nothing to fill a pay en-
velop with"
Deeper and deeper into the mire sank
Adam, foundering with blind wilfu1ness in
what everyone knew to be hopeless slough.
The best men in his employ hurried away to
the now pits as soon as they opened. With
the dull fury of maddened animal that
Eve could no longer control, Adam hurled
himself against the inevitable.
Those who were Adams sincerest we'll
wishers were glad when the news came down
into the town that he had been stricken by
a paralytic stroke. When he came bacl, to
the remnants of life all remembrance of the
pits and his troubles had gone. He was the
placid, yielding Adam of old, stolid, patient,
3babbliag O green fields" vaguely uneasy
about the ingathering of crops.
WITHIN half an hour of receiving her
note, Jim stood before her in her
home She had seen him only at distance
since the day of her harsh rebulling. AS she
looked upon him, perhaps there was within
her the pride of great work, well accom-
plislled. Adversities had not abated one
iota of her splendid, irn-set courage. A lit
tie paler, perhaps, with eyes that had beheld
new visions and read strange new truths,
and an indefnable softening of oldtime as
c1,a t1,a Eve If old