The Barnwell people-sentinel. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1925-current, September 29, 1927, Image 6
Michael J, Phillips
IllvkStra-trionf hy H«my J«y Lee
Copyright Mv«Km1 V. Phillip*
lUUe—d thru PuMiahera Autoc**t»r Service
THE LEADING CHARACTERS
IMison Forbes, a young resident
pi isuu. Ttir Ur ‘' ***-* mmnM in Tn~tt TnyWTf.' SWTnty of feeling toward Nance.
young
ci Scottdale with an inherent craving
for liquor, is held for the death of a
woman who has been killed by a boot
legging truck. Circumstatninl envi-
dence points to Forbes ard rath
er than tell the truth of the
episode, which would dear him
but cast another friends into .bad
light, he stands trial and is senten
ced to a long term in
governor of the state, an old friend
of Eddie’s father, believes him inno
cent and pardons him shortly after
his arrival at the jail. Bark in Scott
dale he and
PATSY JANE, his trusting wife,
agrees thst public s»nt!ment again, t
him is too strong so they migrate up
north to some land that has been in
the family for years. While there
they form the acquaintance of
ISAIAH SEALMAN, a shifty
neighbor who is anxious to buy their
land. Eddie learns thst the back
taxes amount to over eight hundred
dollars but as he has five months to
pay he decides to refuse Sealman’s
offer of $1200 and try and get Anal
title to his property—Sealman’s offer
having led him t» think it very valua
ble. But things do not go well. Ed
die (kinks heavily from some boot
legger’s potions, is forgiven by Patsy,
but soon after falls in with the same
gang, gets drunk, and wakes up in a
freight car in Chicago—many mile*
away. Stricken with remorse he re
turns to hia cabin but finds his wife
has left and rn her place a ruffian, who
orders him out. A fight ensue? in
whach -Eddie finally knocks his op-
ponent ooTd.
After ejecting the intruder finding
tflat he seems to be in league with
Sealman. Eddi^goe» to Irfung Portage
and sees Patsy, who is working fsr[ husband thatfr-
Kinnane, a lawyer. She announces
that she will not join him until he
definitely quits drinking. Determin
ing to comply, he finds- a job with
Davenant, a rancher, and for several
weeks abstains from the bottle* that
cheers. But one Sunday, Eddie walks
on the lake trail, and encounters a
series of truck smugglers. Among
them he recognizes his “friends” who
ahanghaied him to Chicago—notwith-
atandirtg, Forbes hails them in greet-
^ITi • , u i • i •4;i:g f <
“Huckleberries,” she smiled. “I saw
that what cl was earning wouldn’t
make it. So I arranged bo do Mr.
Kinnane’s work evenings. I’ve been
fn the marshes for three weeks. It
really wasn’t bad. I was a good picker.
“It wasn’t exactly necessary,” she
went on, giving him time to recover.
“The Kinnane’s would have loaned it
to me. They are the deares tpeople,
Eddie! They treated me like a daugh-
on because he didn’t have the moral
courage to face his dad and the rest
of Scottdale. He hasn’t much moral
courage yet. But I’m working
on him.”
The color rose in Patsy’s cheeks.
She knew it waa so. Many remarks
that Eddie had made, even while
guarding closely his secret, fitted in.
And she had distrusted and disbeliev
ed him. She had joined in the un-
Go in now it’s reaily closing time.
For an instunt he held her close, with
n tender violence that left her breath
less though starry-eyed. Then they
went beck together.
“Here’s your money,” said Eddie,
briefly counting it out. There were a
few small bills left when he had done
ao. Peter Wimple grinned as he re
charged his pipe.
“Sort o’ thought you’d do it,” he
said. "Your place is safe for a year
now. We’ll fix up the papers tomor
row, but III give you a receipt now.
J’m acting as hia agent,” he pointed
with his penholder toward the dark,
scowling young man, “just as I was
for Mr. Brower.” It was plain that
he did not share his principal’s ill-
humour over the turn affairs had tak
en; markedly plain.
Nance rose from her chair, saunter
ed to Patsy Jane, who stood with
averted eyen by her husband. She
linked her arm through Patsy’s.
There was a motion of aversion and
resistance, but the smile on Nance's
wilful, attractive facet only deepened.
“Como on outside, Patsy,” the com
manded. *When they were alone in
the vestibule she placed both her
hands on the other gir’s shoulders,
as she had on Eddie’s that Sunday.
“Don’t be a foil,” she admonished/
with a gentle -shako. "You -have” »
*T’m sorry, Nance,’
ply.
she saki, sim-
be-
plkce on Portage Creek,
your quarter-section. *
Light flooded a landscape long
darkened. “Then Sealman—” began
Eddie.
Yes, Sealman!” The other spat
out the name scornfully. “Maybe
you’re surprised we’re out in the
; open, and Sealman’s the answer. We
tried to do it under cover, so we
wouldn’t be held up. He was our
agent. But we found out that he was
taking about half the options in his
own name. He was to be his own
holdup man.
“Some of the land he had bo buy
outright. He needs quite a wad of
money, quidc, and he ran in a cargo
of liquor to raise the wind. That was
his booze the State police captured
to-day. So he fell down, and I’ve
been over to the jail and gotten re
leases out of him.
“Now, this quarter-section of
yours, Forbes. We’ve been paying on
an average around sixty dollars an
acre, and that’s more that the stuff
is worth. Yours—”
“Witt-cost -yetr * hundred, but I
reserve the mound above the water
line.”
“Ouch! You’re certainly careless
with your language, youn^ fellow.”
"But you have to have it. That’s
my price* It’s a little high, but it’ll
compensate for some of the things
“He has been trying, because of
certain circumstances,” said the judge
formidably, “to force me to reverse
myself on that accident pf last spring.
He has bold me—”
“You sneak!” interrupted the dark
young m*n, passionately, turning on
Eddie. “So you had to come and spill
it that I was with you that night. I
was coming to tell him myself. We
agreed, Nance and I, it was the thing
to do. And you spoil—”
“Randolph!” His father’s hard
voice stopped him. “Do you mean
that you—you were Forbes’ compan
ion—that you were on a drinking
bout—”
He paused to stare fixedly at his
son whose attitude confessed guilt.
Confused by his blunder, Randolph
stood with head bowed and hangdog
look.
(CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.)
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The hands on her shoulders
came subtly caressing. "In a way
you weren’t to be blamed,” she smiled.
"Now that that’s off my chest, I’ll
tall you something else: .You know [that crook agent of yours did to me.
that Sunday morning? By the* way, I reaerve that mound on
“I’d been hearing thing*. I heard the southwest oomer. It must be
that Eddie was drinking hard and' above your proposed water-
headed straight for the bowwows: line.”
that he waa going to lose his property; The dark youth waited patiently in
and that you had left him under fire, the outer office. When Eddie and
when he needed you the moat. So I j Malone came out, he aproached the
went there to find out for myself and former sulkily. “About that mound,
to—to grab him if you’d been so. Forbes—” he began, but Eddie cut
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Tickets on sale Fridays and
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CHAPTER XXIII.
Saved!
“Eddie!”
He started quickly at his
You’ve had a lot.to do with making
him.' But you’re taking chances on
spoiling him now.
“I suppose you believe with stupid
old Scottdale that I was with your
husband the night that woman was
killed?” She paused for a reply, but
there was none. “You couldn’t un
derstand that a chap could be big
enough and generous enough to keep
another’s secret, even at considerable
risk to himself. You thought there
must be something disgraceful to
conceal. • • sj - ' s
“That seemed so silly to me, know
ing Eddie. You see, I knew him bet
ter than you did.” Patsy Jane made 1
foolish •* to cut him adrift.
“But I know Eddie pretty well—
I’ve told you that—and I found cpl
that Dame Rumor was about 99 per
cent wrong. I saw that he had the
booze whipped. That while you were
away you hadn’t left him. And that
he thought the world of you. I re
vised my opinion of you, Patsy. I
had thought you a little simpleton,
without brains or character, mostly
because that’s what I wanted to think.
But that leaving him to fight liquor
his own way was really a master
stroke. It was the only thing that
would have cured him.” She paused
to smile whimsicfelly. * .
I
pi*'-'«s to pick Tip—That^jSSis you saw
rest' TPmiu~~g«g wa*~ k'odbfe! The “Come
soon
threw jn >yas just. pure cussedness.
That finishes that. Now, you know,
Patsy, the ipending idea is like any
other. When you set your heart on
picking up pieces and making over
into a better model—So I’m going to
marry ” And she moved her head
backward again.
“I’m glad, Nance.” ^
“Oh, I’ve undertaken a job,” the
girl went on with her astonishing
frankness. “But the difficulty make
him rlicrt.
“I’ll deal only
You know why.”
with headquarters.
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Judge.
It seemed to Eddie that as he
read. Judge Randolph Perkin* shifted
his thick white, hand until it drew a
shadow on his face, making its exprea-
aion impossible* of interpretation.
But when he had quite finished, the
jurist's head went up and his big jaw
was thrust out.
“This purports to be a confession
by one Herman. Libby that he was
driving the truck which collided with
saw there werw^ anyi* motorRweat^uaad Jast
suimnef, cHtr*nTjr Tlte death bf* MriT
Maria Knowles.” he said, in meas
ured, colorless tones. .
“It is a certified copy of the con
fession,” Eddie* corrected him, quietly.
The judge bowed. “So I see. Well.”
“It completely exonerates me. I
was convicted of manslaughter in
your court because of that accident.”
“Yes; the evidence—”
“Was mostly prejudice. I was real
ly convicted of taking a drink.”
• “Granted that may be in a measure
true. What is your purpose in corn-
day?”
“I’d heard something about it’
“That was a forward step. That
name a movement to free herself but the young gentleman thought for awhile
called in those soft tones, and turned, supple, slender hands held h«*. “He he was going to take your land away
Patsy Jane stood in the doorway. She was doing a big thing and a brave fi'om you. He bought the tax title
was smiling and beckoning. He went thing. I was about the only one that from the Browers, you know. But I
to her wondering, and closed the door aprechted it. And I couldn’t go to
at all the more fascinating. Did you jng to me? The press will publish
know {Jddie thrashed him the other this, and you will be set right in the
eyes of the communlity.”
Eddie leaned forward. “Judge,” he
said, “the newspa^# published
behind him.
“I’ve been watching for you all the
afternoon,” she said, smiling. “You
haven’t—any money?”
He shook his head bitterly. “Not
enough.”
him and tell him how I admired him.”
She tossed her head good humoredly.
“I didn’t care about the gossips, but
I know if I were talking to him it
would make the case worse. And—
Well, Pat, I was a little nasty, too.
“I know, Mr. Kinnane is attorney You’d come in and taken him . on the
for the bank. He knew about the wing. I felt sometimes although I
raised check and warned me your wanted you both to suffer. That’s all
account would be held up. Here.” the cinic stuff. Do you know wh6
She thrust a roll of bills into his
lands. Amazed to the point of speech-
lessness, he took it automatically.
He saw that the dear little face was
pale; that the warm little fingers
were stained purple.
“Where did yon get H, Pat?” he
asked, kissing the fingers.
was really with him that night?”
“You know I don’t,” returned Patsy.
Nance tilted her Head toward the
room they had just quitted, and the
other girl’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Not—” she began, and
“Yes. He told me so just the
day. He let Eddie all but go to pi
wouldn’t have permitted him. If you
two hadn’t found the money, I’d have
paid it myaelf.”
“You’re good, Nance,” said Patsy,
gratefully.
“Get out!” she scorned^ “It’s better
fun to shoolL_at?»ight. That’s all.”
Meanwhile the city stranger had
drawn Eddie into Wimple’s private
office. ‘‘Been waiting to see who’d
get that quarter-section, so I could
deal,” he began, briskly. “Mr. Forbes,
I’m Malone, of the National Power.
You know uet. We furnish light and
power for the Great Lake States,
manufacturing the juice from water
power wherever we can. We’re plan-
niug a big dam five miles below your
statement from y|jpFafter the gover
nor pardoned me/ You said his ac
tion was ‘a miscarriage of justice’ and
a ‘travesty.’ You did all you could to
ruin me. Now—”
“I did make such a statement,”
agreed the jurist “I was not trying
to ruin you, B|it you were half
drunk when the accident happenW.
You had liquor illegally in your pos
session. You had been drunk before.
In the circumstances; I consider the
statement quite justified.”
“All right” replied Eddta, easily,
“I granted to get your ideas on the
subject. But I came for something
else, really; You own—”
The door of the judge’s r study
opened. A dark, weak-faced young
man entered. “Hello, dad,” he berjan.
and stopped. “Didn't know you were
busy:” He scoowled as he recognized
Eddie. “What’s he been telling j^u?”