Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1915-07-23

showed in Stones eyes as he laugh
ingly assented They found den and
sent a servant for wine.
And now perhaps 1t would be best
to draw the curtain over the scene
that followed; would be best II It
were possible to hide from the reader
the undoing OF young Clay spend
thrift, bankrupt and disciple of folly.
Wine was to his inherited weakness
much as blood to the nostrils Of the
hungry tiger. And in Stone he had a
companion who played upon that
weakness.
"Too bad about old West" ven
tured Stone.
"Yesh; hs'sh dead. poor fellow. HE.
coushed Clay.
Had some peculiar notions" con.
tinued Stone. HE always thought !
was Robbing someone"
We'll and weren't youf" Clay re.
turned with all the solemn gravity Of
q man well In his cups.
Il never robbed q man In my life"
This latter from Stone, quick and
sharp. like the crack Of a whip.
Shorty old man, shorty 70, doubt
what you shay, but we got you've
got you right confession you know"
Stone started as II struck. And as
he gazed at the swaying. pitiful figure
before him, he realized that his worst
fears had been we'll founded.
He made another effort to question
The drunken man but was only an
swered by a foolish laugh. He had
done his work too well. In an effort
to loosen Clay's tongue he had urged
too much wine upon him and the eff
feet was as unsatisfactory as II he
had not had enough. Unable to get
anything further from him he
searched his pockets thinking he
might find the confession.
April fool, 'Fession's home. I hid
II IN little wife's jewel safe. Clay's no
fool Clay's no foo" The sentence
died away into q deep long snore.
Clay was asleep, standing up.
Stone stared searchingly at the va
cant features Of the man before him
for moment and then started to re.
place the .papea Ia his pocket.
"You thief. -
He heard the wotds felt the
arm grip on his collar before he
realized that Irwin, anxious about his
partner and searching for him, had
come upon them in the lonely den.
.Yop thief" Irwin repeated First
you AL Z man with drink and then
you rob him" sssnxy-
"You know better than anybody
that Clay requires no help when It
comes to drinking sneered the at
torney. 81,
Irwin answered with an oath and
there was a struggle as the younger
man broke away from him. Leaping
back with an agility remarkable in
q man who had so little outdoor train.
ing, Stone seized one OF the empty
bottles and raising IL, rushed at Irwin
as II to brain him. Quick as his op-
ponent had been. Irwin was quicker
and his silver-plated revolver spoke
before Stone had covered half the dis
lance between them. With a crash
the appraised bottle numbered to the
door and Stone, smothering an oath,
grasped his wounded right hand with
his left Clay slowly sank, an inert
mass across the table. And then 1t
was that the curtain was violently
pulled aside, and then it was that the
Mortified and startled dancers at Mrs,
Van Lind's ball gazed in spellbound
wonder at the unfinished tragedy that
was to mean ruin to SO many lives.
It was the beginning Of the end.
".
Twas the day after the Van Llnds'
ball.
Stone had left this dance immediate
ly after the startling scene In the den,
and had spent the time until daylight
with party Of his gay companion
And now, looking at and debonns
despite his reyels Of the night b
he was calling on Mrs. Blake
She could not hide the Il
she felt for him, and solicit
examined his bandaged hay
TITS mere scratch" hs
sured her, and adroitly b
conversation to Mrs.
losses.
"You still have the
your" he asked.
y She showed 1t to-
"You must go to
demand payment
But this is
besides, she
solicitoy
Loverlil
he moy
bench
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vol
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co
be
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