TH E TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON,
OREGON,
MARCH 23, 1899.
.
. and Mrs.Page took a walk by moon-
.ion, he had partly recovered his | ticularly, «he expatiated upon e
Laoghing gossips corn-
Sam Rice’s Romance.
self-possession to glance at the face coarseness of certain peop e, au , men(ed Qn R after tbeir fashion;
fi
of his companion, a new em
b ar^th
sensitiveness . ofothers;
.......................................
-------
| * refined
,
-. ,
and . disagreeable
gossips remarked
A WESTERN STORY IN THREE CHAPTERS oi ins cumpjiituu, «
rassment seized him
discov- and Sam was rnu.^i 1 * 1
that they came home very late, at-
ni as he discov-|
ered two little risers of tear« run- agree with her, so *ar as er re-
fashion
But llObody,
CHAPTER II.
HP onlv affair which seemed ning over the crimsoned cheeks, marks applied to .1 r rie ,
they believed, saw where they went
HE only affair
& wnvfnient wa8 not yet recovered sufficiently
- t
.... J;J
or
what
they
did. -Yet those two
to have a kernel of serious
place for sentiment
to display
Mrs. Page
...............
- r —. itself; '| to he visible. Indeed,
-
,
came from performing an act of
ness in it was that of Mr.
and though the temptation was was not visible for so many days
h wRh a gense of guilt
Samuel Rice. Regularly, when the great to inquire the cause of the that Sam began to long for her with
unworthines8 very irritating
stage was in, on Sam’s night, he
tears, with a view of offering con- j a mighty longing. . t eng i s e
en(iure) albeit from very different
paid his respects to Mrs. Page. And solation, Sam prudently looked the | made her appearance considerably
an unweh
Mrs. Page always received him with
wav and maintained silence. , paler an t .inner t an was
come suspicion had thrust itself in-
graceful friendliness, asking after other
The reader, however, knows those | wont, but doubly interesting and
the horses and sometimes even go­ tears sank into thebeholder’s mind ! lovely to the eyes of so partial an
The ground of Sam’s suspicion
ing so far as to accompany him to
and caused to germinate countless observer as Sam, who won
1 ! was a photograph, which, in hand-
their stables. On these occasions tender thoughts and emotions, ing have sheltered her weakness in
ling the gambler's body somewhat
she never failed to carry several
which were, on some future occas-1 his strong, manly . arms. Sam, uat- awkwardly, by reason of its weight
lumps of sugar in her pocket,which wnicn were, on »umc tu iu .o
ion, to fie laid upon the altar of his i urally enough, would never have _ M|g p ha), foundi at the last,
she fed to the handsome brutes off
devotion to Mrs. Holly Page. And hinted at the event winch had so t,)at
render
that 8,,e
she cou|d
could
render no
no a88i9Wnce
assistance
her own pink palm, until there was
none the less that in a few minutes distressed her; hut she relieved him —had slipped from some receptacle
not one of them she could not han­
the eyes which shed them resumed of all embarrassment on that sub- in its clothing. A hasty glance
dle at her will.
their roguish brightness and the Iject by saying to hin. almost at under the full light of the m wn
Thus passed many weeks, until
had shown him the features of the
summer was drawing to a close. lady was totally unconscious of I once:
having heard, seen or felt any em-
“ Mr. Rice, am told they have lady who sat twelve paces away
Two or three times she had gone
harrassment. Sentiment between ¡not buried the man they hung so with her hands over her face. It is
down to Piney-wood Station and
them was successfully tabooed, so 1 shockingly the other day. They not always those that sin who suf­
hack, on Sam’s coach, and always
far as utterance was concerned, for certainly will not leave him there?” fer most from the consciousness of
sat on the box, and drove part of
that time.
And so Sam found, she added, with a shudder,
sin; and Sam, perhaps, with that
the way, but never where her driv­
somewhat to his disappointment, it
“ I don’t know—I suppose/’stam- hint of possible — nay, almost cer­
ing would excite remark. It is su­ continued to fall out that whenever | mered Sam, “it is their way, with
tain — wickedness in his breast
perfluous to state that on these oc­
pocket, was more burdened by the
casions there was a happy heart he got upon delicate ground the them fellows.”
lady was off like a humming bird, I “ But you will not allow it? 'i ou weight of it than many a criminal
beneath Sam’s linen duster, or that
darting hither and von, so that i t ' cannot allow it!”—excitedly,
the bantering remarks of his bro­ was impossible to put a finger upon ! “I couldn’t prevent them,” said about to suffer all the terrors of the
law; for the woman that he loved
ther drivers were borne with smil­
stood accused, if not convicted, be­
ing equanimity, not to say pride; her or get so much as a look at her j Sam, humbly.
brilliant and restless wings. But
“Mr. Rice,” and her voice was at fore hiH conscience and her own,
for Sam was well aware that Mrs.
Dolly Page’s brunette beauty, and nobody ever tired of trying to find once a command and an entreaty, and he could not condemn, because
his blonde bearded style, together a humming bird’s nest; and so Sam “you can and must prevent it. You his heart refused to judge her.
never gave up looking for the op- | are not afraid? I will go with you
When the two stood together un­
furnished a not unpleasing tableau
portune
moment
of
speaking
his
—
this
very
night
—
and
will
help
der the light of the lamp in the de­
of personal charms. Besides, Sam’s
mjnj
I you. Don’t say you will not, for I serted parlor of the Silver Brick
motto was, “ Let those laugh who
Meanwhile, Lucky-dog Camp was can not sleep till it is done. I have Hotel, the long silence which, by
win’’; and seemed himself to he on
her quick perceptions, had been
the road to heights of happiness having a fresh sensation. An or- not slept for a week.”
ganized
band
of
gamblers,
robbers
She
looked
so
white
and
so
wild
recognized as accusing her, upon
beyond the ken of ordinary mor­
and“road agents”had made a swoop | as she uttered this confession that
what evidence she did not yet
tals — especially ordinary stage-
upon
its
property
of
various
kinds,
I
Sam
would
have
been
the
wretch
know, was at length broken by
drivers.
and
had
succedeed
in
making
off
he
was
not
to
refuse
her.
So
he
“ 1 don’t calkelate to drive stage
Sam’s voice, husky with agitation.
with
it.
The
very
night
after
the
(said:
“Mrs. Page,” he said, assuming
moie than a year or two longer,”
ride
just
mentioned,
the
best
horses
I
“Don
t
you
fret;
I
1
1
bury
him,
if
an unconscious dignity of mein and
Sam said to Mrs. Page, confiden­
in
Sam
Rice’s
team
were
stolen,
|
it
troubles
you
so.
But
you
need
tially, on the return from their last
sternness of countenance, “I shall
making
it
necessary
to
substitute
j
not
go
along.
A
ou
couldn
t;
its
trip together to Piney-woods Sta­
ask you some questions, sometime,
what
Sam
called
“a
pa’r
of
ornery
too
far,
and
you’re
too
weak,”—
tion. “I ’ve got a little place down
which you may not think quite po­
. . .
.
___ ,______ ............................U 1 ...1
seeing
how
she
trembled.
cay
uses".
To
put
the
climax
to
in Amador, and an interest in the
lite. And you must answer me:
“I
am
not
weak
—
only
nervous.
his
misfortunes,
the
“
road
agents”
Nip-and-Tuck gold mine, besides a
you understand.
I ’m bound to
I
prefer
to
go
along.
But
we
must
attacked
him
next
morning,
when,
few hundreds in the bank. I’ve a
know the truth about this man.”
be
secret,
I
suppose?
Oh!”—
with
the
“ornery
cayuses’
becoming
un­
notion to settle down some day, in
“About this man!” Then he
a
start
that
was
indeed
“nervous”.
manageable,
Sam
was
forced
to
sur­
a cottage with vines over the porch,
suspected her of connection w’ith
“Yes,
we
must
be
secret,”
said
with a* little woman to tend the render the treasure box. and the
the wretched criminal whose body
Sam, and he looked as if he did not
passengers
their
bullion,
l’he
ex­
flowers in the front garden.”
had only just now been hidden
half
like
the
business,
but
would
citement
in
Lucky-dog
was
intense.
As if Sam’s heightened color and
from mocking eyes? How much
not
refuse.
A
vigilance
committee,
secretly
or­
did he suspect? How much did
shining eyes had not sufficiently
“You
are
a
good
man,
Mr.
Rice,
he know? Her pale face and fright­
pointed this confession of his de­ ganized, lay in wait for the offend­
sires, it chanced that at this mo­ ers and after a time made a cap­ and I thank you.” Aud with that ened eyes seemed to ask these ques-
ment the eyes of both were attract­ ture of a well known sporting man, Mrs. Dolly Page caught up one of tions of him; but not a sound es-
his hands, and kissing it hastily, caped her lips. The imploring
ed to a wayside picture—a cottage, whose presence in camp had for
,
,, i
look, so strange upon her usnall)
began
to
cry
as
she
walked
quickly
a„ , hat wa9
some
time
been
regarded
with
sus­
a
flower-bordered walk, a fair
tender in Sam’s romantic nature.
young woman standing at the gate picion. Short shrift was afforded away.
“
Don’t
cry,
aud
don’t
go
until
I
i n another moment he W’ould have
with a crowing babe in her arms him. That same afternoon his gen­
have promised to do whatever you recalled his demand, and trusted
lifting its little white hands to the tlemanly person swung dangling ask, if it will make you well again,” her infinitely ; but in that critical
sun-browned face of a stalwart from a gnarled pine-tree limb.
When this event became known Ram said, following her to the door. hj9 mil,glf,d 80rrt)W and alarm; and
young farmer who was smiling
“Then call for me to take a walk ^ jrg Shaughnessy being summon-
proudly on the two. At this sud- to Mrs. Dolly Page, she turned
Sam received a wordy repri-
den apparition of his inmost ghostly white and then fainted with you tonight. The moon is
thoughts, Sam’s heart gave a great dead away. Mrs. Shaughnessy wa9 full, but no one will observe us. . mand for having no more sense
They would not think'of our going than to keep a sick woman up half
bound, and there was simultaneous' much concerned for her friend; be- i
,i
• .
the night; smarting under which
ringing in his ears. His first in- rating in round terms the brutish- ,here,”_ with another s h u d d e r- unde8/ rved cen8Ure, he re,ired, to
stinctive act was to crack his whip ness of people who could talk of and she slipped away from his de- t Hinlt over the events of the even-
ing.
so fiercely as to set the leaders off! such things before a tender hearted taining hand.
( to be continued .)
That evening Mr. Samuel Rice
prancing; and when, by this diver-1 lady like that. Io Mr. Lice, par-