The Argosy, June 1904 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

500 ‘““T have inadvertently put myself in the power of those Gregorys. You can see how closely they watch me, when the son followed me even to this out- of-the-way place. They mean to keep me from fulfilling my agreement with them, so that they, and “161 my sister and I, will reap the reward of my la- bors on the old claim. “TT cannot vreak my word to them. 1 cannot hire money to pay their mort- gave for the sake of saving myself. You can see that, Miss Tawley. “No. In honor, but one course is open to me. ‘The Gregorys and I agreed that if I found sufficient gold in the Fool’s Pocket within one vear to repay them the five thousand dolJars they lent me, and a thousand dollars bonus, their claim was to cease. Other- wise my interest in the mine, and my sixter’s, must be signed over to them. «The mere fact that if I fail in what LT have eome here to Pebbleton io do, the (iregorys will secure several millions on their pitiful five thousand imvest- ment, docs not change the matter. I must be straight with them and keep miy promise. “Tf I wait to bring suit m the ee fornia courts to establish my father’ Claim to half the title in the Fool's Pocket, my year of grace wil be gone long before the eae ul proceedings are really begun. ‘The law moves slowly. “ All J desire is the acknowledgment of our right to half the Fool’s Pocket. If 2 reston Shaw is dead, his sister is his heir. If she is adjudged ineapable of attending to legal matters, your father is, I suppose, her guardian. “An affidavit from her, or, in the latter case, from your father, is all I desire. And it is an act which will make the Shaw woman vastly wealthy, too. “She loses nothing; your father loses nothing. But it is an act which will go far, I believe, towards elimi- nating the wrong which Preston Shaw did my father.” | The young woman listened to him without comment, but he knew by the softening of her face that she appre- ciated his position. THE ARGOSY. “T met you and Mr. Hawley unex- pectedly. JI had intended looking over the ground first before becoming ac- quainted with the family. And when this acquaintanceship began so strange- ly, I did on the impulse what seemed to me best.” “J—I cannot think too iI of you, Mr. shepard,” she observed thoughtful- ly. “I am too greatly in your debt— and so is my father. ‘What he will say I do not know. Ile is a man of sudden temper.” “Perhaps if Lf can place this matter before him. fairly, he will forgive my innoeent deccit. I have really meant no harm. If he is Mary Shaw’s guard- ian aa “Tle is nothing of the kind. I can assure you of th at, sir,” Bertha has- tened to say. a “Mary is quite capable of attending to her own busi- ness--if she has any. What little I know of her relations to our family I feel perfectly free to tell you. “She has been with us—or with grandmother before father married—- since she was a young woman. Her brother, this Preston Shaw, has. al- ways amply supported her. And, as | understand it, he and grandfather were in partnership together in some forcign place. “At least, when money used to come for Aunt Mary’ s support, there was al- ways some for father which we all sup- posed came from grandfather. Why grandfather did not return home while grandmother was alive, we children never understood. It is easier to un- ee why he did not eare to come afler he diced. “But grandfather died some years ago. Whatever the business was that he and Mr. Shaw were engaged in still continues, for father has an interest in it. Captain Enelebock o “Ah!” ejaculated Lynn. She apne’ and looked at him seru- tinizingly. Her face slowly flushed and her eyes began to sparkle. “Surely,” she said haughtily, “you cannot believe what some of these old gossips have said about my father? I was told what Black Morgan accused “And this is why you did not tell us him of the other day at Mr. Justice your full name when you came here?” Maunders’.” PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG COmicoOOkS.Com ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED