J
(Continued from last week).
SYNOPSIS
CHAPTER I.—Winton Garrett, twen-
fy-five and just out of college, calls by
appointment on Archie Garrett, his New
York cousin and executor, to receive
8 inheritance of $100,000. Archie,
onest, an easy mark and a fool for
uck, assures Winton that he is prac-
tically a millionaire, as he has invested
all but $10,000 in a rubber plantation
fn either the East or West Indies and
fn a controlling interest in the Big
Malopo diamond mine, somewhere or
other in South Africa, sold him as a
special favor by a Dutch promoter
mamed De Witt. ,
CHAPTER IL—Winton, en route to
fis mine, finds the town of Taungs
wildly excited over a big strike at
Malopo, including the 95-carat “De Witt
diamond.” Two coach passengers are
@ disreputable old prospector, Daddy
Beaton, and his daughter Sheila. On
the journey a passenger, who turns out
to be De Witt himself, insults Sheila.
Winton fights De Witt and knocks him
out. Sheila tells him to turn back. She
says that her father is a broken Eng-
ish army ofiicer, who has killed a man
and is therefore in De Witt’'s power,
that De Witt is all-powerful. being
backed by Judge Davis, president of
the diamond syndicate and also the
resident magistrate and judge of the
mative protectorate.
CHAPTER III.—Winton finds Malopo
$n a turmoil, both over the styike and
the theft of the De Witt diamond. Win-
ton foolishly discloses his identity to
8am Simpson, a Jamaican negro, sub-
editor of the local newspaper. He more
wisely confides in Ned Burns, watch-
man at the Big Malopo, who tells him
that the syndicate has planned to take
eontrol of the mine the next morning.
CHAPTER IV.—Winton finds that
Sheila is cashier at the restaurant. He
{Bers his friendship. She rebuffs him.
an Vorst, a notorious diamond thief,
one of De Witt's men, slips the stolen
De Witt diamond into Winton's pocket
and two policemen club Winton and
arrest him. He escapes them and
when at his last gasp Sheila takes him
into her house, bathes his wounds and
saves him from his pursuers.
CHAPTER V.—The next morning
Sheila offers Winton help in escaping
from Malopo. He convinces her with
difficulty that he did not. steal the De
Witt diamond and that he is president
of the Big Malopo company. Bruised
and blood-stained he runs across town,
breaks by force into the company meet-
ing, and aided by a popular demonstra-
tion proves his identity, blocks the re-
organization and takes control. He
asks Sheila to marry him. She laughs
hysterically and refuses him.
CHAPTER VI.—Winton hires Seaton
as compound manager and develops Big
Malopo. Judge Davis, a philosophical
old hypocrite of unknown past, offers
him the syndicate’s co-operation. “Oth-
erwise, he says, ‘“we’ll smash you, you
d—d young fool.”
CHAPTER VIIL—Winton, infuriated
®y a scurrilous newspaper article about
Bheila and himself, knocks Sam down
and publicly threatens Judge Davis. He
finds Sheila about to elope with De Witt,
to save her father. He horsewhips De
Witt. Sheila again refuses to marry
Rim and says she is going away, never
to see him or her father again.
CHAPTER VIIIL.—Winton hires Sam
as night watchman. Van Vorst's gang
steal the De Witt diamond. Winton
ursues Van Vorst, who escapes with
he big stone.
CHAPTER IX.—Winton is rescued by
Bheila, on her way to a native village.
There she kisses an old woman, only
partly white, and says, “This is my
mother.” He again asks her to marry
him. She refuses him, because of the
race bar. Heartsick, he sets out for
Malopo with a native guide.
CHAPTER X.—Winton succumbs. His
guide robs and deserts him. Sam res-
cues him. Burns's brain is affected; he
cannot tell what happened. The work-
ers in the mine return no stones. Win-
ton is forced to borrow money from the
syndicate, agreeing to pay in a month
or lose the m'ne.
CHAPTER XI.—The syndicate makes
further plans to oust Wintor. His men
search the native workers &nd secure
many large diamonds. Seaton appears,
confesses the plot and says he’s come
to take his medicine.
“See here,” De Witt burst out,
“what are you playing for? Is it the
claim or is it something else?”
“You'll have to see my lawyer.”
“To the devil with your lawyer. I’ve
done with Davis. He's the crookedest
rogue in South Africa. You know what
I want, Garrett, and I know what you
want. Suppose I turn agalnst Davis
and get you back your claim, will you
prosecute?”
“My lawyer—"
“The devil! I've come to you as
man to man. I've had blows from you,
and I've taken them, That's something
no other man can say. Ill help you
out if you'll help me.”
“What do you want?”
“Sheila!” shouted De Witt with an
expletive. “I want to know if you'll
give her up. Come, is it a bargain?
You've got her and you don’t want
her. She'd come to me quick enough
if it wasn’t for you. I'll give evidence
that will return you control of the
claim if you'll—"
Winton was upon his feet, shaking
with rage. De Witt sprang up and
grabbed his hat.
“Won't, eh? Well, I'll show you!”
he snarled, backing toward the door.
He was outside before Winton could
close with him. Winton hesitated,
and then went back into his room and
closed the door. His nerves were raw
and quivering, but he was glad that
he had not laid hands upon De Witt
again,
The Incident aroused in him a
stronger resolve to shake the dust of
Malopo from his feet. But for his
resolution not to yleld to Davis, to see
the thing through, he could hardly
have ‘remained another four and
twenty hours in the wretched town,
But on the morrow he had put Sheila
out of his mind for the time being,
VICTOR. i
ROUSSEATL
COPYRIGHT 4y W.G.CHAPMAN
and was again busy with his lawyer.
i
|
The day of the trial arrived. All
business in Malopo seemed to have
ceased. The courtroom was packed
to its utmost capacity hours before
Judge Crawford took his seat on the’
bench, while outside an . increasing
crowd, which choked the market
square, clamored in vain for admis-
sion. The line of horses and vehicles,
several rows deep, extended for blocks
on each side of the courthouse.
Seaton in court presented a very
different appearance from the Seaton
that Malopo had known and despised.
Three weeks of abstinence from liquor
had made a new man of him and
braced him up, so that he was hardly
recognizable at first as he strode with
a firm step into the dock. |
had |
A new suit and clean linen
given him not merely a respectable
appearance, but something of the air
that he had had in his early days, and,
as Brown had surtiised, this was likely
to have its effect npon the jury.
What seemed to interest the specta-
tors most was the resolute manner in
which he returned tie look of De Witt, |
who, seated though he was among the |
witnesses, was in reality, as all knew, |
the defendant.
by a lawyer, and was the central figure |
in’ the courtroom, except, perhaps, |
Judge Davis.
The multiplying and shifting rumors, '
which had been flying through Malopo,
had settled down to the belief that
something dramatic and sensational
was to be looked for, involving both |
De Witt and Davis.
The judge was seated in the gallery,
where places had been reserved for a :
few of the chief men of the town. He
was a noticeable figure among the
other occupants, as he bent forward
from his place in the front row, look-
ing down on the spectators. His keen,
judicial face was as impassive as a
mask. Opposite him, on the floor of
the courtroom, sat Judge Crawford
in Davis’ accustomed seat above the
clerk./=
Crhwford -was a short, sandy-haired
man, a jurist of reputation, with an
uncompromising manner. He looked
like business, and he meant it.
Seaton was formally charged, and
the trial began with the reading of
his written confession, in which, con- '
trary to the general expectation, there
was no inculpation of De Witt. It was
a short and plain admission of hav- |
ing purchased diamonds from the boys |
on the claim.
Then followed the first sensation, in
the appearance of Ned Burns, elicking
and grunting, in the box.
De Witt’s lawyer, intervening, scored
the first point against Winton after
the physician had explained the na.’
ture of Ned's affliction.
“Do you mean to say that tunis man
is in possession of his full senses and
capable of giving evidence?” he asked. !
“I do, undoubtedly.”
“You admit that there is a brain
lesion?”
“Yes.”
“But you are quite sure that it 1s
not of a nature to impair his judgment
or truthfulness?”
“I am absolutely sure.”
“How many cases like this have you
treated in the course of your experi-
ence?”
“None, but I have read—"
“Thank you,” said the lawyer, look- !
ing triumphantly at the jury.
It was becoming clear that De Witt’s
lawyer meant to allege conspiracy on
the part of Winton and Seaton against.
the syndicate. Winton followed with
a brief account of the events that had
occurred on the night of the robbery,
and the evidence of two or three sub-
sidiary witnesses followed.
When Seaton was placed in the wit-
ness-box the excitement reached fever
pitch.
“This is your own confession, writ
ten and signed by you?’ asked Brown.
“Yes, sir.”
“You make this of your own free
will, without monetary or other in.
ducement of any kind, and knowing
the consequences?”
“Yes.”
“It contains the whole truth, noth.
fng but the truth, and nothing more
than the truth?” z
“It's all true,” answered Seaton
“There’s nothing that ain't true in it."
“You induced Mr. Garrett's boys,
with small sums of money, to bring
you the stones, and you sold them to
the man Van Vorst on a basis of one-
fourth of their carat value, you say?”
“1 qi
“How much do you compute that
you paid to the boys in the form of
bribes?”
“One hundred and twelve pounds,
He was represented
nine shillings, and ninepence,” re-
turned Seaton promptly.
“Who supplied you with this
money?”
“Mi. De Witt there.”
The stir {a the courtroom was fol-
towed hy intense silence,
|
"me a job on the Big Malopo.
, from him. He told me to go to Mr.
“Your motive was to make money?’
“No!” shouted Seaton with sudden
i!
“Nol” shouted
Seaton with
wudden energy. ,
EA Is 5.
energy. “It was fear of that man who
has hounded me for twenty years,” !
He leaned forward and thrust out @ '¢h ! : :
representative of one of the big min-
his feet slowly. | ing companies.
down ane | : ; :
| and sent him up to investigate.
! was away for days at a time, and the
his hand toward De Witt, who rose to
His lawyer pulled him
leaped to his feet.
“I object—" he began.
“Not sustained,” snapped Crawford.
“In what way, and why, has Mr. |
ton’s lawyer. “Are you willing to |
waive privilege and make'a full state- |
ment to this court?”
“Yes, I'll tell you,” cried Seaton.
“That’s what I come back for, because
than a jackal any longer.
to end this game. I've played it too
long. He's driven me from pillar to
post for years, making me do his dirty
work for him. He made me betray
the secret of the new amalgam process
on the Rietfontein in Johannesburg.
He’s used me like that, and when I've !
warned him he was driving me too
| far he’s laughed at me and told me I
: I come back.
could swing if I preferred to, and by
God I'm going to. He made me tell
him—"
“I object to this evidence!” shouted
De Witt's lawyer. ‘These allegations
against my client are totally irrele-
vant, and made to arouse prejudice—"
“Objection sustained,” said Judge
Crawford. “The witness will confine
himself to evidence bearing upen the
alleged theft of the stones.” i
“Tell the court the story of your
relations with Mr. De Witt in so far
as they relate to your theft of the
diamonds,” said Brown.
“When I came to Malopo,” answered
Seaton, “my gal had wrote me that
Mr. De Witt was gone for good. So
I went back. But I met him in the
coach going up from Taungs. Mr. Gar-
rett was there, and there was a olt
of an argument between them. The
next morning,” after we had arrived,
Mr. De Witt came to me and offered
Then
Mr, Garrett got the control, and 1
asked Mr. De Witt for another job. 1
knew what was coming, but I was in
want, and I had to get something, even
Garrett and ask him to make me com-
pound manager, and I'd get the place.
I knew what was wanted. It was the
West Rietfontein over again—"
Judge Crawford's gavel fell just as
De Witt's lawyer sprang to his feet !
again.
“The jury will disregard all evidence
concerning other relations between '
Mr. De Witt and the defendant,” he
said. :
“Omit all further references to other
jobs that you have done for Mr. De
Witt,” said Brown.
The gavel fell again.
“Mr. Brown, you will abstain from
suggesting the existence of other re-
lations between the defendant and
Mr. De Witt,” said the judge.
There followed an animated discus-
sion. The jury, who had been follow-
ing the evidence intently, looked bored |
and disappointed, and paid no atten- |
tion to the dispute. |
“De Witt promised me he'd leave me |
; alone,” continued Seaton, when he was |
permitted to resume. “But after we'd |
begun to excavate anyone who knew |
anything about diamonds could see |
that the main pipe was either on our |
claim or pretty nigh us. Then Van
Vorst came to me and said Mr. Gar |
rett was green to the business and
there was a chance to make money. I
refused, and sent him away.
“He come back, and he was always
after me, trying to get me to drink,
but I was trying my hardest to make
good to Mr, Garrett. At last he come
to me and safd De Witt was behind
him, and the syndicate behind De
Witt, ard !f I come to heel there'd be
good money in it, but if I didn’t De
Witt would stick his knife in me. 1
knew -whot that meant.”
“Wiha! did it mean?® asked Brown.
“] ontject to that question,” shouted
De Witt’ lawyer.
“The witness will confine himseif
strictly to testimony hearing upon the
need diamond theft.”
“He'll say something before he can
be stopped.”
“In that case,” said the judge bland-
ly, “the jury will disregard the evi-
dence at my instructions.”
“Your honor, you know perfectly
well they can't.”
“Sit down, sir!”
“In my client's
the lawyer.
“Mr. Lange, your client is not on
trial. Your status in this case is one
of courtesy only.”
“Tell the court what hold Mr, De
Witt had over you, in so far as it has
reference to the robbery,” sald Brown
quietly.
interest—" began
I'd rather be a dead dog on a gibbet | man I'd killed.
i try, but murder was a game no man
I'm going |
fons We |
"and
. there if you dare,
| velopment, hesitated.
| De Witt's gravely.
“Aye, I'll tell. That's what I come
for,” answered Seaton, fixing his eyes
on De Witt, who returned his stare
with a sneering smile.
At this juncture all eyes were
turned, with a simultaneous impulse,
toward Judge Davis in the gallery.
The old man sat there impassively, his
square beard thrust out from his
scrawny chin; he seemed the least
affected of any of the spectators.
“It was twenty-three years ago,”
Seaton began. “I was prospecting for
diamonds in Griqualand. Them was
the early days, and there wasn’t much
law or order in the country. I'd been
out after stones, but I hadn’t found
none.
“There was a lot of us prospectors
on the trail of what turned out after-
ward to be the West Griqua mine,
which was grabbed by the syndicate.
None of us had been successful, and
we'd fixed up a sort of base camp,
where we'd rest up when we returned,
to: get rid of our veld sores and fever.
We'd pitched our tents together, so
as to be sociable like.
“There 1 got into trouble over a
woman. I wasn’t a young man, by
any means, but I'd been a fool all my
life, and I ought to have known bhet- !
and didn’t. Her husband was a
what had got wind of
us being on the trail of something,
He
woman was all alone in the camp.
“I got into trouble over her. Her
De Witt hounded you?’ inquired Sea- | husband come back and found us to-
gether. He tried to shoot me, but I
was bhandier, and I got the drop on
him and killed him,
“We three was alone in the camp
at the time: the woman, me, and the
It was a wild coun-
could afford to get up against.
left him lying there and took the
horses and rode for our lives.
“He had friends, and they set the
police on to us. We got away, though,
| and made for the native territories.
You know how I came to be a sort of
chief there. ‘King’ Seaton, I'm called,
all over the country. After a while
I thought it had been
forgotten.
“It ought to have been, but De Witt
had known me in the old days and
he recognized me. And he’s held me
in his power ever since by threaten-
ing me with the law. So that’s how
I come to steal Mr. Garrett's dia-
monds.”
“What did you do with the woman?”
shouted De Witt, springing to his feet
waving his arms furiously.
“You've told the court this
now go on and tell the rest!”
Judge Crawford hammered with his
gavel, but the uproar in the court was
too loud for him to make his words
heard. Some were hissing, others try-
ing to howl them down.
Impassive and still, in his place in the
gallery.
De Witt pushed his lawyer away.
‘“There’s more to the story by a
d—n sight,” he shouted. “You've heard
that much, and now I'll tell the rest!”
“You can be heard at the proper
time, Mr. De Witt!” cried the judge
angrily.
“There's no time like this,” an-
swered De Witt defiantly, striding
forward. “Put me in the witness-
box!” he shouted to Brown. “Put me
and I'll tell the
jury the rest of it.”
Brown, nonplused over this new de-
But a glance
at the faces of the jury showed him
that he could not decline the chal-
lenge. He nodded to Seaton, who
stepped down. De Witt entered the
| hox. The clerk handed him the testa-
ment, but De Witt brushed it aside,
and now, so keen was the interest,
even the presiding judge failed to no-
tice the irregularity.
“I'll tell you what I know,” shouted
De Witt, addressing himself to Davis
in the gallery. “You've thrown me
over after I've worked for you these
ten years and more, you smug old
canting hypocrite!” he cried. “Look
at him! There he sits, clean and
sanctimonious, like a little tin god
up in the skies!”
Judge Davis eertainly did look sanc-
timonious. His eyes were fixed upon
To those on the
floor of the courtroom Judge Davis
looked at that moment the very type
of the Pharisee. But some of those
near him in the gallery noticed that
the old man’s eyes had in them a look
of strained horror, as if he was ex-
pecting some dreadful revelation.
“I'm done with you now!” cried De
Witt, flinging out his arm with a
sweeping gesture. ‘He knew what I
was doing for him; he knew from the
first to last every bit of the dirty
work that nobody else would do. But
he wouldn't soil- his own hands with
it. He wouldn't listen to the details.
It was always, ‘Go ahead, De Witt.
if you think it proper, but don't ao
anything unrighteous or uncharitable’
Uncharitable! There's not a single
drop of charitable blood in the otd
scoundrel’s body!
“Yes, he knew everything, gentie-
wen, and yet there was one thing that
he didn’t know, and now his turn has
come, and he's going to know it. Ask
him to take off his collar and show
you his throat, gentlemen. You'll find
a bullet-hole there. It's healed up
long ago, but it’s burning like the
rage he felt when he tried to shoot
back, just one second too late. That's
the hole left by Daddy Seaton’s bullet,
and Daddy Seaton’s been running for
his life for twenty years because of
a man he never killed.
“Look at him again, gentlemen!
Ask Daddy Seaton to tell you if there
was only the woman in the camp, or
if she didn’t have a baby of six months
with her, that she wouldn't leave be-
much— !
But all!
through the scene Judge Davis sat, |
SE Te am
hind, although he wanted her to. Ask
him who Sheila Seaton is. Then look
at that old rogue up there once more.
There sits the man that printed in-
sults in the Chronicle against his o..n
daughter, not knowing that she was
his. And tell Daddy that he knew
whose child Sheila was, but that he
didn’t know till this moment that the
man he shot and thought he killed is
the man who's sitting up there!”
A cry broke from Seaton’s lips. The
old man staggered in the dock. The
lawyer put an arm about him to
steady him; and, leaning back against
the supporting shoulder, Seaton
watched De Witt, whose last blow had
been the culmination of all his years
of persecution.
But the old’ man in the gallery rose
slowly to his feet and thrust out his
hand. The square white beard
worked up and down as the jaws
champed. He raised his arms, and for
a second the motionless old figure
and the old figure below looked at
each other fixedly.
Then, with a strangled cry, Judge
Davis dropped unconscious.
CHAPTER XIII
Death’s Harvest.
Winton was only vaguely aware of
the quick termination of the trial, with
its expected, though illogical verdict
of “not guilty.” He saw Judge Davis
lifted and carried out by his support-
ers; saw De Witt, his face twitching
nervously at the verdict, stride from
the courtroom; then he was pushing
his own way outside among the ex-
cited, buzzing groups, and perceived
old Seaton moving slowly among the
crowd, which parted to make way for |
the man whose tragedy affected them
with horror.
“Where are you going,
asked one man, trying to stop him.
“I'm going to find my gal,” mumbled
Seaton. “She's been all I've had.
Maybe I ain't her father, but I'm going
to her.”
Slowly he walked away, and nobody
attempted to stop him. Winton, after
a moment of doubt, realized that it
would be useless for him to interfere.
He watched Seaton’s departure with
a mind that was too numbed to enable
him to understand the fullness of his
success. There was no ‘doubt that the
legality of the syndicate’s acquisition
of his shares could now be questioned.
He could regain the majority and
keep control, if Seaton’s acquittal
were followed, as it must be, by De
Witt's arrest and his conviction,
But there was more than that. Win-
ton began to realize, in a dazed sort
of way, that the disclosure had given
him Sheila. He knew she loved him,
in spite of all her bitterness in the
past. He would go to her, make her
his wife, and take her home to his
own country, where the past should
never trouble her.
He was brooding over this when lie
heard two revolver shots ring out in
| quick succession. Looking up, he dis-
covered that he was alone. The crowd
was running toward the south side
of the square, where there seemed to
be some commotion. Winton saw a
struggle in progress;
shoulders of a horse appeared above
the crowd ; and suddenly the horse and
its rider emerged at a furious gallop,
scattering the crowd right and left.
Through the gap thus formed Win-
ton could see a man lying upon the
ground, resting on his elbow. His
hand clutched a revolver.
The rider was De Witt. Amid the .
yells of the mob he dashed in a cloud
of dust across the market square and
turned down the street leading to the
new suburb. The horse bounded
across the rivulet, topped the ridge of |
the diamond ground, and disappeared. !
The fallen man was being helped to
his feet.
shoulder.
Winton gathered what had occurred
from the excited conversation that
followed. The sheriff had attempted
to arrest De Witt on the strength of
a court order hastily secured. De |
Witt, who had had a swift horse ready
outside, in the anticipation of just
such a contingency, had shot the
sheriff and galloped away.
So swift was the maneuver that
Malopo found itself totally unable to
cope with the situation. There was
wild talk of forming a posse to pur
sue the outlaw. But De Witt’s horse
was the fastest in Malopo, and, as in
the case of Van Vorst, pursuit seemed
impracticable.
While an impromptu mass meeting
was being held Winton made his way
back to the claim. He understood
now all that the verdict meant to him,
and the thought of Sheila filled his
heart.
It was growing dark. Barly the next
morning he meant to ride out into the
hills and bring her back with him,
and they should never be parted
again. He thought with infinite pity
of her sufferings, with tenderness of
her loyalty. It seemed most fit that
bis lips should be the first to tell her
what would remove the dark eloud
from her forever.
As Winton turned into the road that
led toward his claim there came the
sudden sputtering of heavy drops, and
then a deluge. He covered the last
hundred yards at a racing pace, but
he was drenched to the skin before he
reached the cottage.
After the long months of drought
the rains had broken. The thunder
growled in the distance; the brilliant
lirhtning flashes lit up the heavens.
The rains poured in torrents upon the
desert. which sucked them up and
stored them in its hidden springs.
Winton felt utterly worn out after
the day. An unreality hung over the
past; it seemed as If everything had
been a dream since the night in Shei-
Daddy?”
the heaving
He staggered in the arms
of his supporters, and the blood was :
streaming from a bullet-wound in his
la’s house.
Winton was about to go to bed when
there came a feeble tap at the door.
When he opened it he saw Judge Da-
vis standing there, wet through.
He was shocked at the change in
the judge's aspect. Hc seemed to
have aged a dozen years; he was an
old, broken man. He came forward
uncertainly and sat down.
Winton tried to get him to take off
his wet clothes, but the judge shook
his head vacantly, as if he hardly un-
derstood,
“You remember what we talked
about that day?” he asked, with noth-
ing in his voice in the least like a
quaver. :
“That day I came to you for the
loan?”
“About gaining the whole world
and losing one’s soul? Mr. Garrett,
I lost my soul long ago. I thought
I'd gained the whole world, but it's
all slipped away—it’s all slipped
away.”
“You've found what you wanted
wost, judge,” said Winton, pitying the
found what
you wanted
most, judge.”
said Winton
S&F
Bs
old man with all his heart.
found your daughter.”
And suddenly the conviction was
borne in upon him that the old queen
of the village. was Davis’ wife. The
shock of the realization was paralyz-
ing. He said nothing of this—how
could he tell him that his wife was
living? He said nothing as the judge
went on:
“Yes, I've found her. I've been a
fool and I've been punished, but all
the past is finished now. 1 used to
pray, Mr. Garrett, that God’s ven-
geance might overtake the mother;
but God must have dealt with her
vears ago, and it’s myself He's taken
vengeance on. Aye, He's mocked me
and made a fool of me. But I'm goinz
to find my girl and take Ler away. I
know where she is. She's living with
Nkama’s tribe, up in the hills. My
God, to think of my child living like
an outcast among the Kafirs!”
He stood up and clenched his fists
furiously. “I was face to face with
Seaton today, and I didn’t kill him,”
he said. “Let him cross my path
again and he'll die!”
“He didn't know,” said Winton.
“He wronged me. He brought all
this on me. That snake De Witt is
nothing. I care nothing akhout his
part in it. But let Seaton take care,
if ever we meet. Mr. Garrett,” he
added, falling into a casual tone, “you
know Sheila. You were a friend. of
hers. You stood by her when I was
printing lies against her in the Chron-
icle—may God forgive me. I want you
to ride out with me in the morning
and bring her home.” ;
“Judge, I'll go, and I'll bring her
to you,” said Winton, wondering how
this new development would affect his
plans.
“I'll go with you, Mr. Garrett. I'll
be here on horseback at six in the
“You've
morning. That’s what I came to tell
you.”
“Then I'll be ready, judge,” said
Winton.
The old man went out silently, leav-
ing Winton pondering still more deep-
ly. But he realized that Judge Davis’
claim was prior to his own. And he
tried to view the matter unselfishly,
though a fierce jealousy tortured him
at the thought that he, who had stood
by the girl in her extremity, should
have to yield to the man who had
persecuted her.
(Continued next week).
There’s a Reason.
Jones was walking along the street
wearing a very glum expression on
his usually cheerful countenance
when he was accosted by his friend
Brown.
“Hello, old man,” exclaimed the
latter. “You're looking very down
in the mouth. What’s the matter?”
“Yesterday,” said Jones, “I refused
a poor woman a request for a loan
and in consequence of my act I passed
a sleepless night. The tones of her
voice were ringing in my ears the
whole evening.”
“Your softness of heart does you
credit,” said Brown. “Who was the
woman?”
“My wife,” was the sad reply.
Slight Difference.
The manager of a telephone com-
pany sent for a new cperator and
asked her what sort of work she was
doing before she began to preside at a
switchboard.
“I sold mo
new girl.
“I thought so,” said the manager.
“Now, don’t get offended. Just a, word
of advice. With us you say ‘Number,
please? Not ‘How many? The phrases
are very much alike and yet there's a
distinction.”
tickets,” faltered the