Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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CHAPTER X-Contluued. "Don t worry, mother,’' he returned, good natnredly; “nobody’* going to get hurt. We ihall use onr revolvers just to make them stand quiet and he hand cuffed, that's all I don't suppose there are more than two of them, or three at the outside. And we shall fee* match for any three men in this county—eh. Prank?" “Who shall go and lay the bait in the village?" I irqnired. “Henry has the beet grift of the gab,” replied John, “and I can go with him, in case any loud talking should be neces sary. We can give them a good dose between us.” “It is my opinion that there ought to be no untruth,” mother declared. “We should not do wrong that good may come of it Nothing can justify falsehood, and to deceive even a burglar is to bring yourself down to bis level.” “Bless your dear soul!” chuckled Henry. “I should like to be the one ras cal in a world made up of people like yonl But you needn't be anxious, moth er. We are going to camp out, sure enough, as soon as we have provided our burglars with a safe lodging. There may creep in some trifling ambiguity about the date, but His not in mortal man to avoid all error, even in a burglar hunt!” We chatted over the matter till late in the evening, examining it from all potntTOf TtBW and perfecting the details of the scheme. Mother dropped asleep after awhile in the midat of formulating some moral criticism, but Sinfire was as wide awake as an angel, and her eyes had a gleam in them which if not angelic was at least demonic, and she was more fertile in ideas than any of us. She seem ed to hold the whole scene in all its com plexities before her, noting any imper fections in the plan and immediately pro viding remedies for them. My experi ence, certainly, has never brought mo in contact with a woman's mind so bril liant, original and replete with resources It was strange to think of us three sitting there with her, each of us regarding her so differently ahd yet ail united in one thing. Only she and t, however, commanded the entire situation—only we knew the inner secrets—but the talk never touched on or turned toward the hidden things. We spoke on the surface and of it. 1 confess, too, that 1 do not altogether comprehend why her interest in this affair should be so intense. What bear ing can she suppose H to have on her fate? Probably it merely relieves the strain of other thoughts Indeed 1 can not otherwise account for my own ab sorption in it. As for Henry, it amuses him, and he may have other motives; there is no telling. He may intend to captivate Sinfire by some deed of valor. John is the only unimpeachably sincere one among us. He wants to capture the burglars, and that is all. It will bo a clever thing to do, and he has the tem perament to enjoy it The next day we began to put our scheme in operation. Tom drove John ' and Henry in the farm wagon. I had ! intended going with them, but some : singular twinges in my right leg from the knee to the foot prevented me. 1 thought I must have rheumatism and ! deemed it best, in view of the coming adventure, to run no risks. Tom has not yet been admitted to a knowledge of the whole of the mystery. He believes that we are actually going to the lake on Friday evening, and this persuasion of his will greatly Increase the spread of the delusion among those whom we wish to reach and will also obviate any pos sible Indiscretion on Tom's part, for there is no telling but the one particular and confidential crony to whom alone he would venture to confide the great secret might turn out to be the very individual to whom R would be of the utmost pos sible use. In times like these your near est friend may be your deadliest enemy. So it behooves to keep your eyes open. Off they went and in due time cams back, having fully succeeded in their ob ject, at least so far as filling the neigh borhood with news of our proposed ex pedition was concerned. They had alar, loaded themselves down with sardines, bologna sausage, smoked beef, canned soup, hardtack and all other such mis cellany as amateur pioneers are supposed to want We could have fared sumptu ously In the wilderness for a month on the supplies laid in for a single 24 hours. To be sure, most of the things wonld be as good next year as they were now, and this was probably not their first year either. “The »n“y'» store* are ample,” said Henry at last after we had all been talk ing and laughing together for awhile, “but how about the armory and the drill? Which of the warriors here present can perforate a green turtle soup can at 20 paces?” The challenge was received with ac clamations. We all went out on the pass plot at the side of the house toward the knoll, and Henry drove two forked stakes into the ground at the foot of the acclivity and close together, laid the soup can in their crotch in such a way that its circular end was presented toward us at a height of 5 feet above the ground, then measured off 90 paces, and we all took our places, Sinfire standing by to ad judge and award the prize—an oriental dagger, with a jeweled hilt, which Hen- rv had brought from Damascus. Then John shot first and nicked one of the stakes just below the crotch. It was a good liner, but a miss all the same. Henry came next, and his bullet grazed the top of the can, cutting a swath iq the paper label posted upon it and scratching the surface of the tin- The dagger was his unless I could “get into the soup,” as be expressed it I aimed carefully, but I must have been in bad form. My shot flew wide by several laches. We had all used 82-caliber re volvers of the best make. “Well, Harry, you’re the lucky man." said John. And if my honest brother were capable of a double meaning 1 she old have looked for it in that speech. But Sinfire said; "I am the judge. '1 say none of you can have the prize, for none of yon have hit the mark. I could shoot better than that myself.” “H it were a human heart, I could be lieve you- but a soun can-tool”. said Henry, glancing at her, with a laugh. She met his look, and a retort seemed on her lips, bnt she closed them and drew from the pocket of her dress her tittle derringer. Extending her arm and scarcely seeming to take aim, she pnlled the trigger. The small weapon went off with a loud bang, the soup can vibrated as with a mortal blow, and, behold! there was a round hole in the center of the tin disk, out of which welled the essence of the green turtle The dagger was Sin- fire's. But she waywardly refused to take it '1 was not in the match,” she said. “But you drew the first soup,” argued Henry. “I donH care for daggers. I prefer derringers,” she returned. “So I suppose. But have you no re gard for your friendsT “Well, I’ll compromise with you," she said at last. "1 will accept the dagger as a legacy. You may bequeath it to me in your will.” “So be it Only that codicil most con tain a stipulation that the bequest shall not be carried ont in case the testator dies cf a d— i -— - stand all the obscurities and mistakes and disappointments of the past I can see the path 1 should have takeu and the points where I strayed from it How strange and laughable is the human rue*, voluntarily blinding, gagging and fetter ing itself in the name of liberty and civilization! The air I breathe is not the slugglish vapor of the earth, but the free and mighty atmoephere of space. We call men fooit and liars, bnt it is their cowardice that has most harmed them. Who has been free from coward ice of one kind or another? To be fear less at all pointa, yet without rashness, is the beginning of wisdom and of power. Dare to know what yon are and to be it; to know what yon want and to do it Surely this is not much, and yet what more U there? Extending her arm and tcarccly seeming to take aim, she pulled the trigger. “If the bullet passes through his heart I agree,” said Sinfire. Bnt whether she meant that his heart was too small to be thus penetrated or too hard, or what else she meant or did not mean, is prob ably not of mnch consequence. We re turned to the house in a hilarious mood, and that evening my supposed rheu matism declared itself as an acute case of gout CHAPTER XI. Considering that my regimen of life has been the least self indulgent of any of my father’s sous, this seems hardly fair. But there is nothing fair in hered ity, whether its gifts be good or bad. It is grrant theft or bribery, as the case may be. Father himself came of a line of free livers, and yet he suffered scarcely at all from the hereditary ailment, and it has cropped out in me in pure wanton ness direct from my grandfather, who suffered terribly, by all accounts, while my two eld»r brothers go free and drink their fill. However, it so happens that I have made a special study of the dist use and shall be able to doctor myself with out calling in my worthy friend, Drys- dale, my popular and successful rival in the local field. Gout is confoundedly painful, especially when you cannot so lace yourself with reminiscences of An acreontic nights of compensation. U would be useless for me to think ol leaving my rooms for the next three or four days at least, and inasmuch as the burglar hunt comes off tomorrow night it is plain that in this, as in other things of life, my part is to be still that of an onlooker. Certainly, if an- one attempts to bnrgle my precious L..prani, for in stance, 1 shall—well, on second thought I wonld as well allow Sapranv^o act for herself. She has arguments is effective as ever proceeded from a feminine month. Seriously, I shall be as secure as a robber baron in his castle and as comfortable as the gout permits, and since no one will know bnt that I am away with the rest I might chance to pick off an unsuspecting Jack Sheppard from my bedroom window. It has been finally arranged that the party shall really drive down to the cabin on the lake, arriving there soon after sunset, and that when the ladies have been settled there they shall be left un der the protection of the old iftoteh gar dener and his boy, while John, Henry and Tom, the groom, shall ride back to Cedapcliffe and lie in wait in certain fa vorable spots for what may turn up. The honse is to be locked np and left ab solutely empty—except for me. Mother was very anxious that somebody should be left to attend upon me, bnt 1 ex plained to her that that wonld be enough to give me St. Vitus' dance in addition to my other troubles. In fact, I have rather a genius for solitude, and this af fair will give me a brief opportunity of indulging it They started an hour or more ago ana by this time are nearly at the lake, and I am here alone, with books, paper and pens, a box of cigars and my foot band aged np in flannel and reetingonastool. A pair of crutches lean against the table at wj side, with which, when nooetea-y, I can make shift to hobble abont My bed is made np on the sofa close by . 1 ueciueo to pat up in me library instead of in the bedroom up stairs, partly be cause It is more cheerful and partly be cause I can have access to Saprani in the laboratory adjoining. Thegout, likeev- erythiqg else in the universe, comes in wavea R has crises and intermission*. During the intermissions it is probably not more trying than some pleasures are, and except for the inactivity it enforces I believe 1 should rather like it Another phenomenon worth noting is that I have never felt in such extraordi narily good spirits as 1 do now. 1 re member several weeks ago lament!: tg for some torch to kindle me into a blaze. The torch seems to have been applied. This very night is my apogee. It waa no delusion. I can he sreat, aa the future will show. All is well with m*. And, what* I do now. l oan nadw. A Solid Oak Suit of Ton Piocos for S35.00! Biggest Value in the Country, I" I am here alone, vith books, paper and ven. Women have been at the bottom of moet of the mischief, in that way they have taken a full revenge for the out ward tyranny of men. They have stolen courage and fortitude.from the hearts o! their masters. Without tham we couli not exist, yet by them we lose the noblest spirit of life. But if woman be placed where she belongs she will strengthen us where now she makes ns weak. And Sin fire shall be placed where she belongs! The security I shall find in her will be the keystone in my arch of strength. 1 have lighted my lamp and closed the shatters. It is a dark night, but fair and dry, and for a summer night unusually still The crickets and tree toads are a) most silent Ever and anon I hear the <-y of a whippoorwill It is!) o'clock. The burglar hunters are probably back by this time, and perhape the game U not far off. Deuce take thie foot of miuel I would give more than I can tell to be un der the trees at this moment, or at least for a few hoars' clairvoyance to see through distance and darkness and know all that is going on. Well, unless all signs fail the storm will have come and gone before long. Word is to be bronght to me as soon as anything happena. What is Sinfire thinking of cow? And what is she doing? She does not seem far off. The sympathy between ns is no fancy. We live one life. In time perhaps we shall be aware of each other's thonghts and movements even at a distance. What a gulf night is between one day and another. Sometimes it may mark a transition as great as between this life and the next. The night that separates the maiden from the woman, the wife from the mother, innocence from guilt— is the distance between the body and the spirit wider than these? What will the morning bring forth? Will it find me as I am now? Hardly. Nothing will be as it is now—not even the Creator of all. The veil of the future is not so impenetrable us has been main tained. Again ami again li:;s it. become transparent to certain eyes r.t certain seasons Sickness and kculrh. calamity and joy, life ami death, have been fore seen and foretold, bnt one thing has never been foretold, and that is the effect of a new experience upon a human soul. • • • • * • Have I been asleep? I fancy so, and I have had a stiange dream But it was £nly a dream. Everything around me ts unchanged—my paper, my books, my chair, my stool with my foot u|>on it. But it is near morning. Was it a dream? Has anything happened outside while I slept? Some one is knocking at the door, fro be cotrruroitD.l .4 Nonpotsonouff OiffiurecCitaC. Science has keen enriched by a med ical discovery as important in the domain of therapentics as chloroform, laudanum and quinine. The great theory of infec tion by baccilus forms requires, lu order to be fruitful of benefit to mankind, the discovery of a powerful germicide. In carbolic acid, iu corrosive sublimate and in potassium permanganate science 1ms made long stride* in the direction of adequate antiseptics and bacillicides, but these drags all have their drawbacks. Now, however, Dr. Worrall, a noted •cientist. claims to have found among the coal products a disinfecting body ap parently superior to all previous ones. He has named it tzal, and Dr. Klein, after a series of exhaustive laboratory experiments, is said to have found it ab solutely destructive of the spores of some of the most intractable and malignant diseases. Unlike most powerful disin fectants, it is nonpoisonous to human beings and may bo taken internally dilut ed, while Dr. Klein's experiments go to prove that, diluted with 200 parts water, izal absolutely destroys the vitality of the microbes of diphtheria, scarlatina, Aanders, erysipelas and cholera.—New Yi "YTOB’S TURKEY had to lean against the fence’to gobble—You Can gobble a great bargain by buying this 'suit of ten pieces ^o'r $35, and lean upon our guarantee that you have gotten big value. We believe in variety. New designs please better than old. For all good kinds come to us. Strong Furniture is better than poorly made. The stylish and neat’better than the common, have it that is beautiful, durable, stylish, new and at prices that are extremely low. We 86>*P. 8.—You will find me next to the Jail.” J.D. BRIRD. The Darlington Shoe Store We are receiving daily our stock of Shoes for the Fall and Winter! [MEN’S, LADIES’, MISSES and CHILDREN’S] And beg an inspection of the same when in need of nice Footwear. Our stock is bought in large quantities direct from the very best manufacturers, which ensures new fresh goods, and we propose to sell them at a very small margin. We call special attention to our $3.00 Shoe for Men, made by the ROCKLAND Company; genuine calf, Goodyear welt, all styles in congress and lace. Rubber Goods of every description, consisting of Mackintosh Garments for Ladies and Men, also a complete line of Rubber Shoes for Men, Boys, Ladies, Misses and Children. We sell the marvel rubber a» E D c E T D rB B Bi E R R ’ TRUNKS, VALISES, SATCHELS, UMBRELLAS AND SHOE FINDINGS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. NEWEST STYLE HATS. Sep i4 4m '\rt7‘oocls cfc ^VEllling*. fork Telegram. How to I'm Charcoal la Place of Ice. For keeping large pieces of meat and poultry here is a simple device; Have a large barrel or hogshead half filled with charcoal. Put meat hooks in a strip of joist and place across the top of the bar rel. Have a netting to spread over this. This barrel may be kept in a cool place and pieces of meat be hung on the hooks. The charcoal will keep the atmosphere dry and sweet, and the netting will be a protection against insects. Should there he danger from rats or mice use wire netting. Fresh fish may bo rubbed with salt, wrapped in paper and buri -d in a bed of charcoal. Of course the charcoal in boxes and barrels should be changed at least once a month. It can be used for lighting fires or for broiling meats or fish. If; however, it it difficult to get • good supply of charcoal, the old can be purified by putting it into the stove with a few lighted chips and avowing it to burn until redhot. At this stage open all the windows to let the gas pass off: then close the drafts of the store, remove the covers and leave the room. When the charcoal becomes cold, it will be ready for use again. — Ladies’ Home Journal. When all the World's on W heels sorrow For all the world’ll be happy, and there will be health and good digestion every where and the best part of the world will ride For Columbias are sound, one-priced, beau- til ul to look upon, of lasting durability. vs, STEED l There’s more econojny in steel than horse flesh—no oats, no stable, no stableman— the world’s a-wheeling—saving money, gaining healthfulness, enjoying the best of recreation. The Columbia Bicycle is made for those who appreciate standard quality backed by excellence. Folks who know bicycle buy Columbias. For descriptive circulars and terms, address J. D. BAIRD & CO., DARLINGTON,S. C. Agents for Darlington County. July 20—3m IS NOW A complete line of every thing usual to a first-class Hardware Store. Also a full line of IgrinM laikeiu, Etgiitm’ Sifjlisi, Matfaj, Sim -A-isriD tustwahe. And will sell at the very lowest prices for cash. Tinning, Roofing & Plumbing Octe—tf SIFEOI-AXiTY. Insure Your Property -WITH- 1P. 33. ISrOR^CElsTT, Who represents the IMST m MEM! HIES II TIE VOBU Satisfaction Guaranteed. Represents Twelve First- class Companies. September 11.TWO A Profitable Investment. The following is self-explanatory: “On the 14th day of October. 1892, we insured our lives in the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Ccmpany, of Newark, N. J., for $15,000. When our second premiums fell due, we re ceived over 26 per cent, dividends on onr money. We can safely say to all wanting Insurance that this is the safest and most profitable and liberal company in the United States. “8. Marco, “L Lkwknthal.” Call on G. W. YOUNG, Agent, Dar lington, S. C. W. WITCOYER Wishes to inform the public that he has opened in the ALEXANDER BUILDIHG next door to Sanders’ butcher shop, where he is prepared to pay the high est cash prices possible for all kinds of Country Produce and Pars of all kinds, such as Otters, Minks, Coons, Foxes, Wildcat*, Mask Opossums, as well as Cowhides, I Kid, Goat and Deer skins, Beeswax and Wool. Highest prices paid for poultry, eggs, and all country produce, 012—3m etc. Also