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^ - - - ' ''' \rr. (Til IN THE TOWN OF UNION fT! B" T IB T ~B"~ IB T F^B^l ~W~ ~M M" ~B /^~^J OUTSIDE OF THE CITY I dssssessB 1 I-1 l| I; \ I rV I I'll lrw jMsassrass corns, Female Seminary, Five (9 SB B I J II IB I fl M 1 E B B B 1 1 I Hi ^umoua Mineral Springe, |- tettl3^jgsJEg%s! J 11U U 11 JL V/ IV JL X. Jly JL mIA k_y? lt"oo%ZT' * "* wUo"om ~ fkerk of Court """^ mmmmmm YOL.L1V.NO.U. = - . UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1904. #1.00AYEARi E , .JL ? STRICTLY C< f: Customers have a their banking busine ?r?? ' - CONFIC This we do, and also air in every legiti Wm.j A. NICH0LS0I j; i . r- y , 1 C -2 3c C -- 3 - 9-Z- ? r - t DONA i * Copyright, 1C0E5, by _^5, : Charles W. ITooko ( ;ll??? ? "Tbere can be no confidence or tbis kind with a wife," said Dorothy, "If She really Is one. But, Carl, I begin to see some sort of sincerity in you, and this is what I will do to reward it: I will tell my husbnnd that you have spoken in a way to offend me, but that I have forgiven you, and I will beg him not to ask me any questions. I will not say, unless directly asked, that you have spoken to me of his business difficulties, which I believe that you greatly exaggerate. But I can take this course only if you promise me to chango from the heart outward?to be to me in all your thoughts that which you may honorably be, and no more. Will you do this?" "How can I look at you"? he began, but sbe Interrupted him crying: "Carl, this is monstrous! I am- an old woman. I am the mother of a grown man. I have lived my life, and it has been a wondrous and beautiful life to live. I have hud such lovoauch perfect love." "You trifle with me," he said in a sudden rage. "Your husband Is as cold as the dead. Ho neglected you openly. He has no eye for your beauty, for this living miracle of your unfading youth .which has been bestowed ?upon you, in my belief, that you might wait for a real love." "I have not had to wait," said Dorothy in a voice indescribably sweet. "And now," she added, "this is the end, absolutely the end. I asked you for a promise. Give it to me arid think upon whatever is most sacred to you while you speak." "I will think upon that which is most ' sacred to mc," he snid, looking straight into her face, "and for the sake of it 1 will either conquer my heart or surrender it with nil my mortal part to the dust of the onrtli?to the unconscious dust that cannot suffer." * This pledge struck me as somewhat irnt It vtrncj onnlrnn lrltli 1 iuvuii 1^, ?v Uiio D|/Vi\vu n liu heartbreaking sincerity and seeiupd to have a considerable effect upon Dorothy.' "The way to cease to desire something." said she, "is tc desire something else. Find a right love, Carl, I hope you may. There is a woman somewhere who is really young, who needs no miracle, who will not fade in A year or two. Find her." jibe turned away and walked toward the front of the boijse. lie remained standing stock still for fully a minute and then sank slowly forward upon his knees and slill lower, lie s?emed to be kneeling upon the body of an enemy. I could hear him mutter curses, and he beat the turf beside the graveled path with his fists. It was the n?03t extraordinary spectacle of the abandonment of self control flint ever I snw and was made fven more remarkable by the suddenness witli which If ceased. The man arose and wiped his soiled hands with his handkerchief; then he felt nervously in his pockets. He found a cigar and crushed it in his Angers without realizing what he wos doing. But a peoond was successfully lighted, and Carl strolled put Into the moonlight beyond the shadow of the house with his accustomed careless and graceful Stride. /" CHAPTER XIV. ? TH* nETUBPf O* "A BAD PEIfNY." THERE was a great weight upon me as I left the library. My heart echoed Dorothy's words precisely. My protest, like hers, was against any change in the ways of our livci, which had seemed so perfectly well ordered; not that I fancied they could ever be the same again. Upon tlie contrary, I perceived Clearly enough that Archer must be sent away for his own sake and the peace of all of us. I blamed him bitterly. There was t never less excuse for any man's folly. Ifi, the glxty years that I have Ween In 'ir- ' ^ ^ ^ ' ' 3NFIDENTIAL. right to expect that ss will be treated as >ENTIAL 11 to protect their interest imate manner. & SON, Bankers, j !(j a True Record and Explanation of the Seven dyslcrics Now Associated With His Name In the Public MM, and of an f ishth. Which Is the Key of the Seven By HOWARD FIELDING the world 1 have never seen n woman whose heart could be read more easily than Dorothy's nor a man whose guilty thought had been hidden behind a mask so impenetrable as that which Carl had worn. If he hud been mistaken In her, lie must be mad, but it seemed to me that not even the mysterious power which she had once possessed could have warned her ugainst him. Ills manner toward her, as 1 would have sworn from constant observation, had always been perfect Yet it is true, of course, that those who stand nearest to such tragedies of the home are often most blind to their beginnings. Mrs. Kelvin's hint about Donald recurred to me, and I wondered with a shudder whether ho had looked Into Archer's heart. If that were true, it could have been obly to hate the man, never to fear him. When I came out upon the veranda, Dorothy was sittlug in a big chair with her son upon the arm of it. I saw thorn against the brightest of the moonlight, and this made Donald loom dark, like a great statue of bronze. "Where is your father, Don?" she was asking him as I stepped out. "In his room, writing," he answered. "Shall I call him?" She answered "No;" that she would go up. "I'll carry you," said he, and in an Instant he lmd lifted her with ids right arm alone by a peculiar knack which I had never seen the like of before. It was very easy and graceful, and Dorothy was perched upon his arm like a4| Dirci on n bough. "Oh, Donald," she cried, steadying herself with a hand upon his bare head, "I'm too heavy! I'll topple you over." "I have a pond lily In tny buttonhole on the other side," said he. "I'm balanced perfectly." And he strode away with her Into the house. I waited there a long time for Carl, but he did not appear, and at last 1 made up my mind not to speak to him of my plan for sending him away until I had had more time to mature It. No Immediate action was necessary, for upon the following day Carl went to visit a friend of his who lived In a fine country house about half vtvy between Tunbridge and the Junction. lie hnd made such visits before, and if I hnd not hnd the wretched fortune to play eavesdropper I should not have felt (he need of any explanation of his departure. A day or two later Donaldson laid the whole case before me in a manner most delicate and most affecting. He spoke as if I had been his father. Archer had come to him, he said, in such an attitude of mind as to alter his own feeling materially. lie was Inclined to believe that the man hnd been greatly overwrought by the exigencies of our common business affairs. "Ho believes," said Donaldson, "that Kelvin will win in this light and that it will be the beginning of the end, so far ns this business Is concerned. lie has brooded over It and gone sleepless, ns ho tells me, and I know what strange things, contrary to his own real nature, a man may do when subject to such ft strain. It Is n weak justification, but ono can't look at him and feel that there Is nothing in it. He has been beside himself for weeks. I think his attitude toward Don has been the result of pure nervousness. At auy rate, acting under Dorothy's advice, I am unwilling to do anything that may cut Carl off from the benefit of your Influence. I know how strong an affection you have for him"? "That's the central fact, isn't it?" I interrupted. VYou want to pleaso me. Well, then, let's wait Let's trust a bit to him. We will not hastily oondemn a man who seems to bo struggling to redeem himself." Now that my attention .was thus di rectiy called to it 1 perceived that Carl had not been himself of late, and I was weakly anxious to mako the best possible plea for hlni. He was my dead sister's son and bad been dear to me. I thought It might be well to have a long talk with him, and one day when I came into my ofllee after luncheon and found kiin there alone I was upon the point of burdening him with much useless advice, but he turned my mind into another channel. "Who do you think has been here?" said he. "The last man you'd expect to see, upon my word." "Not Kelvin?" 1 queried, for a call from him at that juncture would indeed have been unexpected. "Severn," answered Carl, "the first one?the pretender." I was amazed at the Impudence of this visit "lie wouldn't tell mo what he wanted," said Carl. "Ho Inquired for you and promised to come back." "Ills reception will be more lively than cordial," I responded. It was about half an hour Inter when the man appeared. Ills looks had greatly changed, but whether he was in disguise then or had been so before I could not have decided. He had an official and solemn air as he entered the office, and he laid a card upon the leaf of my desk without having spoken a word in the meantime. The card conveyed to my mind the Information that Air. Frank Gillespie was a special operator for the Doru Detective ngency of New York. "You lost some money awhile ago," said Mr. Gillespie. "Well, sir, our agency keeps its eyes on little matters of that kind, nnd when they're particularly interesting we sometimes investigate 011 our own account without offering our services in the regular way." "Was that why you came here before?" I demanded. Mr. Gillespie gravely inclined his head. I asked him why he hadn't said So like nil honest man, and I received In return tac information that the detective business sometimes involved an element of deception. "Now, Mr. Harrington," said he, "what is there in it if I And thnt money?' I was strongly indisposed to deal with this man, yet I would have been glad of the money, and I could not suppose thnt he hnd come to see me a second time without having some very promising clew. So I asked him what he would think right. . "Ten per cent of what I Qinl," said ho promptly and added, "I'm suspicious that the amount may be a triAe short." I was more than suspicious that It might be so, supposing that Mr. Gillespie should And it when no one was watching him. However, I agreed to his terms, with the proviso that more than half the money should be recovered and the crime fully exposed. "Well, sir," said he, "I think I'm prepared to do it, but I warn you that it will be considerable of a shock to you." ? "It will be n good deal more of a %l!oek to the thief," said I. "I guess that I can stand it if lie can." Witli the crude caution appropriate to his trade, Gillespie dragged his chair closer to mine, and with an eye upon the door and his lips close to my ear he whispered: "It's your man Donaldson who turned tills trick." ctn M f . "it.-i. ?i 4-.W. on, Biliu i; lUlll WOI1 I go. ' "Wait a bit," said be, laying a band upon niy arm. "I won't listen to this charge except in Mr. Donaldson's presence," said I. "You don't inspire me with very much conlldence, to be frank with you. But If you have the stamina to make this charge to Mr. Donaldson's face, that will give you a sort of standing." "Very well," said he, spreading out his hands. I touched a button that rings a bell in the outer office, nnd when a boy entered in response to it I said: "Ask Mr. Donaldson to step this way." It happened that Donald had entered the outer office within a few minutes, nnd the boy thought that it was the son nnd not the father whom I wished to see. To my surprise, therefore, the door presently opened, and Donnld entered. He closed the door slowly and stood with his bnek against it. "How do you ?"o, Mr. Gillespie?" he fmiq. Ifhe d( iectlve was taken by surprise, but he masked It fairly well. "You have Just made a serious charge against my father," said Donald. "Have you any proof of it?" "I'll produce my proofs at the proper time," answered Gillespie. VTlils Is the proper time," said J. MPrnd 11PO tllft orlrUnnm ??" ? M ,T? vtiuvuls uuff ut turwvtT bold your peaoo," "I any that bo took the money," protested Gillespie. "He changed the packages on your desk. That I knew at tho start, but it took me a long while to work down to what he'd done with tho money." "Well," said Donald, "have you worked down to it?" "I have," responded Gillespie, with precision. "lie played the same trick twice. He put the money into another package and dropped It in his box at the bnnk." "Can you describe that package?" demanded Donald. "Well enough;' answered.. Glll?snie. ; Ana bo gave details, adding, "I saw him take that package to the bank at a certain day and hour." And he named the day nnd the hour, whereby I knew for certain that it was the St rebel correspondence to which he referred. "Your case fails, Mr. Gillespie," said I. "Mr. Donaldson gave me that package of papers. It is now in this safe." Gillespie was staggered. lie darted a keen glance at ine and read clearly In my face that the facts were as stated. "lie gave them to you?" said he. "IIow did ho happen to do it?" "I asked him for them," I replied. "Well, if you asked him for them he had to give them to you, didn't lie?" said Gillespie. "lie couldn't refuse. He had to give them to you and talTc li's chances of getting tlie money afterward. Let's see the package." I was already busy unlocking the safe. Gillespie had hard work to restrain himself during this process, and when the safe was open I expected to see him dive into it. but he managed to stick to ins chair. I took the packago out and opened it upon the leaf of my desk. The various documents rolled apart. There was no money whatever in the package. "Who had the combination of that *fe?" demanded Gillespie. "Myself alone," said I. "I changed it on the day when I put the package in there. It is an unquestionable certainty that nobody lias opened the safe since then." Gillespie began to walk the floor, gnawing his lips. "Well, sir," said I. "If you at/ ready to make your Charge, I will c{. Mr. Donaldson." "I?don't?think?I'm?quite?ready," said Mr. Gillespie slowly. "Can you produce tlie money?" "Not this afternoon," he replied; "not this afternoon. I may have something to say about it tomorrow." He stood looking at Donald for some seconds thoughtfully, then turned upon his heel and strode out of the room. Donald walked to one of the windows and stood there, moodily staring out. Not knowing ^ust what to say, 1 busied myself in wrapping up tli papers and returning them to the satV. "Can this be confidential, uncle," said Donald?"everything that happens between u*Diis afternoon? Why bother rtfy frrther with it syt? Let's wait until we got to the bottom of it." "I'm willing. Donald," said I, "if you think it important." "It Is indeed," he replied. "And now before you lock up the safe I'll give you tlds." He drew a great roll of money from the side pocket of his sack coat. "Mr. Gillespie was suspicious that the amount might lie a triile short," ho said. "It is. There's $~?,000 missing? almost all the smaller bills." I was so overpowered by surprise that I did not at tirst notice this new instance of the accuracy with which Donald could quote remarks which were not made in his presence. He had repeated Gillespie's suspicion precisely. "You have found it!" I exclaimed. "1 had to," replied Donald. "This man was coining to make this charge against my father. It was absolutely necessary that I should find that money. Put It away, please. Quick! Some one is coming." Donaldson and Jim Bunn entered. iin* lormur waving ms nana, in wnicn there was a letter. "The proxy from Silas Harrington!" he cried. "The branch Is safe. We can win now by fifty shares even if Thorndyke votes against us." "If Mr. Thorndyke votes against you." said Donald gloomily, "you will lose by fifty shares." We all stared at him. "There's no possible way to figure that out," said Donaldson. "I don't figure it out," said Donald; "I know it. Vet what I know is not what will happen. It Is what would happen if I didn't know It. Is that clear?" "As clear us mud," suld his father, laughing. CHAPTER XV. TlfE PREDICTION OF DEATH. ET'S see once more how the ; - thing stands," said I. "PractlJfecjf cally every share of the whole 10,000 can be placed now." 1 sat down by my desk and made out a table, which I will present here somewhat abridged. It is not necessary tt) include the names of the small stockholders whose position was perfectly well known to us, nor of those whose proxies were held either by Kelvin qr myself. The event proved that we were right about this matter to the last share. Therefore the list may bo given in this form: HARRINGTON. John Harrington 4,150 Donaldson 100 Arciior 100 Dunn 100 Silas Harrington (proxy) 200 Proxies and small holders 375 5,025 KELVIN. Kelvin 3,900 Thorndyko 225 Proxies and small holders 850 4,975 Harrington's majority, 50. There was considerable discussion in regard to tho smaller holders who* would neraouaUy vote, and In regard (TO S OUR resources are not fabu on earth, nor do we do BUT we are here among the ample means for all r enough to take care of WE COME, backed up by a good re< made irreproachable lv WE ARE here to stay and wo sol accommodation consist Interest Paid on 1 rierchants and Plant to the proxies, for. though Donaldson and 1 were perfectly agreed. Jim Bunn dllft red from us very widely. lie believed that of the SaO shares which I tyul redded to Kelvin in the above I tiUiie at least one-half would go to us, thus making the result of the election sure. ! d.c.dt know hew he could so far decs *.ve hh'.ist If. hut he was perBelly sin?: re in his opinion and persisted in crediting Us with the votes of men wi:/ a re as sure to vote the Kelvin ticJ as Ki was himself. Au.ong'k, cm were inkers of the pr . at directory rfSic company It was tin y who had objected to moving the a dice, as 1 mrut'enod somewhere i:: '.lie tail;.- part of this narrative. !l will lie remembered that Donald made a start ling prediction in reu r.i to r.unn nml that it had been veri."..d by '.bran's redemption of his stock which had stcod in my name. But 1 bud received [tuna's solemn pledge l:at lliis stock should not pass out of bis control, cither l y sale <: proxy, and diet i! should uevt r he voted against t: < lie was a stockholder of record it ti:t' date prcscril oil, before the doe 'on. and ! oov.'.lml upon him with tin me certainty that I counted upon Donaldson of Archer. When my table had !;ocn made tip a:i;l sutlleioutly dismissed. I showed It Donald. This may be all right. Uncle John," said he, "hut I will hot a million dollars against a tcnspcoaful of east wind that it won't come out that way. However, If you win you don't care what the vote Is." ^ "I'd like to know \yhat you think it's going to be." said I. "I'm ashamed," said Donald. "It's silly for me to pretend to know anything about it." Runn was hitching about in his chair. "I think it would he very interesting," said he. "I'd like tft know whctli *r you think the same way that I do about it." "Your opinion is far tlie worst of the lot, Mr. Runn," responded Donald jokingly. "You're not right, even about r ?* < "1/ tlou have anything to say npon this matter, speak now." the grand total, without regard to the way the votes fall upon one side or the other." "No, no, Donald," said I. "Mr. Bunn Qgurea as we do, that every share will be voted." The hoy looked surprised. "I thought he estimated them a hundred short," said he. Bunn slowly raised himself from his chair. "I must get hack to my work," said he. Donald meanwhile was writing on a slip of paper. "This Is my prediction," he announced, "and If you won't look at it till afterward I'll give It to you, uncle." "All right, my hoy," I replied. And when he had sealed up the prediction In n very small envelope I put it Into my waistcoat pocket. In the course of the next day or two I had several opportunities for exerting mv UOWors of iiorsnnclnn Mi Isaac Thorndyke. lie was evasive, but his intent was clear. The man could be counted absolutely with the Kelvin pnrty. What Inducements Kelvin offered hi in I have never learned, but I have suspected that they consisted in k promises to invest money in a crazy invention which Thorndyke controlled and in whicli he had Just sense enough T*? E3 I3V IT TAY.) Ions, we haven't the largest bank all the business of the country, i g<>o*l people of the county with easonable demands, with capital all vour wants. cord, that began years ago; a record yr fair business methods, icit your patronage, offering every ent with good banking. Time Deposits. ;ers National Bank. * not to si tile nil tits own money. No chnnge occurred In the situation up to the day before the election. On tlie afternoon qt that day Donald and I were waTTtlng Along the business street of Tunbvidke,--??here most of the stores are and the-principal hotel, a sorry place 6t entertainment, I regret to say. As we approached It I saw Detective Gillespie come out. He paused upon the edge of the upper step, and I noticed that he was a trifle unsteady, as if under tlnffnfluence of drink. f l.n J - ? -' " * i iwu ii(i^ iiu interview wnu tnis mtin since tlio when he had made his extraordinary and baseless charge against Doftnklson. I knew that he had remained in town, and I had taken some pains to make sure that he was not relenting Bis accusation. Had he done so I should have made trouble for him. Hut so far as I could judge his main business was to drive about the town in a light top buggy and look mysterious. The vehicle In question was standing before the door of the hotel, and the x . horse was fastened to nn lrqn hitching post. As we approached the tpot from one side Kelvin and Thorndyke came up from the other, So tjrnt it seemed likely that there would be .a rather interesting encounter- before the door of the hotel. Gillespie remained poised upon the step, and as we came near Dopatld bowed to him. ^ ..V. pie. "What sort of Jollier are-.rare going to have next Chrlstma^F*.. ... * v Donald, pa it sing.' - Gillespie ttlrtied-to me. "I've got some interesting facts^"or yon, Mr. Harrington," said he. "They won't please your young friend there very much." "I would suggest that this is hardly the place to disclose them," said I. "No," lie answered, "and I'm not quite ready yet." "That tvns the trouble with you the other day," said I injudiciously. "You fired off the gun before it was loaded." It is a fault of mine that I am always impatient with a drunken man. Nothing else makes me so angry as foolishness, and at the head of all follies stands inebriation. On this occasion Gillesnie was seized with the c,?ri_ ilen and absurd anger which often marks a certain stage of intoxication. "If you want ine to talk right here," said he, "I'll show the whole business up. I'm dead on to this boy. I can tell you the whole game from A to Z." A crowd was collecting. Kelvin and Thorndykc had stopped and were Interested spectators. I caught a glimpse of Donald out of the corner of my eye and saw that he wns pale with somo strong emotion, which I Judged to be wrath, though it was really mere misery, us I afterward learned. "Why don't you go on?" said he to Gillespie. "Tell what you know here and now." "Tomorrow will do," snHl the detective, beginning to descend the steps. "Tomorrow I'll come to see you at your odice, Mr. Harrington." "I shan't be there," said I, "Then I'll And you over to the Junction," he rejoined, "Ob, I shan't have any trouble in keeping track of you tomorrow." ' [TO BE CONTIITOED.] . . ' j Ichthyology* "Never mind," said her deareat friend. "There are as good flsh in thA sea as ever were caught out of it.'' "I know It," said the girl that had set her cap for the foreign count and failed to get him, "but statistics show that the lobster catch is getting smaller fcvery year."?Chicago Tribune. Ancestors. "We can't afford to recognize them. Their ancestors wore in trade." "Weren't ours?" "Of course, but our trade ancestors are two generations farther back tha? theirs."?Exchange. WillIiik to Forict. "Then he doesn't want to be called the Hon. Mr. Smith?" "No. It's an unpleasant reminder that he used to bo in politics, and with strangers It might hurt his reputaktlon."?ruck. It is supposed that the average depth of sand In the deserts of Africa la froai forty to eighty feet. ' V . v