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uestton of Coura BY FRANCIS Copyrignt, 1895, by:J.:B..Lippincott Co. Kingbrand looked surprised. "I didn't inow the penalties were severe enough to warrant a man in doing that," he said. "I'm not sure that they are," replied the girl, "though a long term in the penitentiary is hard enough after the tree life of the mountain. But in Cra jin's case 1 think there were other things; there was a long story of blood shed and violence leading up to the tragedy, and perhaps he had reason to iear something worse than a prison. You don't know anything about the sav age history of these mountains, Mr. Singbrand," she aided, turning her horse's head homeward. "Nearly erery family in the neighlwrhood is or ias been mixed up in some dreadful trouble; even our own has not escaped." She did not offer any further explana tions as they rode back to "Tho laurels." and Ringbrand felt instinct ively that it was a matter about which he could not ask questions. What she had said, however, made him thought ful, and he resohed to ask Ludlow if ha Inew the stoiy. When they reached the house nester asked Iiingbrand to stay to tea, and after the meal they sat together on the Teranda while the colonel and his son Tode to Tregarthen. Since they were well beyond the period of acquaintance ship in which young lovers take each other seriously and talk upon abstruse tubjects, the conversaton drifted aim lessly and easily from one topic to an other until it finally came back to the rector and his approaching marriage. Hester spoke of it again in terms of dis approval. "It seems to me like a case of infatuation on his part," she 6aid, "though I suppose I'm prejudiced. I Hester asked Ringbrand to tay to tea. ean't see how they are ever going to be able to make peace between the sec tions." "Is Miss Bradfern so very pronounced in her views?" asked Ringbrand. "I think she is; and I fear she is much the stronger of the two." f'ls that always a misfortune ?" ; Tossibly not; but it seems so to me. Jt implies a surrender on the part of the husband, and that's a pitiable thing to contemplate." ; "Do you think so? I should say that ;such a surrender might be very noble jnder some circumstances." ! "I can't imagine the circumstances What are they?" His frank question drew him rather deeper into the subject than he had meant to go, but he laid hold of hi9 eourage and spoke the thought that was in him. "I mean when a man has been fortunate enough to find the one woman in the world with whom lie can share all things." lie said it quietly, trying to keep the vibrant note of pas uon out of his voice. , She did not reply at once, and when she did there was no sign that she had taken his answer in any sense othir than as an abstract statement of fact, "Esen then 1 think you are wrong," she faid. "It doesn't seem possible to me that any woman could accept such a sacrifice and retain her respect for the man who made it; does it to you?" : "I bad never thought of it as being a sacrifice. It is more like a part of tht lomage which 'a loyal 6ubject wouid five freely to the one whom bi had en throned. , -. , She looked at him in doubt "I can sever tell when you are in earnest and when you are trying to be satirical." "Oh, I beg you to believe I wouldn't lest upon such a serious subject," he hastened to say. "Then I can't understand your post tion at all. You- you write about won en,-iind you should understand them better than that. Isn't it true that even the strongest woman prefers to look tip rather than down, if her husband be oble and brave and generally wort looking up to?" Ringbrand winced, for had be no ligned his name to a certain narrativ ia which the motive turned upon th.' Theory that 'deep In the heart of every woman there dwells an unspoken desire to be dominated? He smiled at his tin conscious mendacity and wondered why 3 is that a man who chances to be in lore cannot apply the wisdom of other iays to the solution of his own riddles, i "Perhaps you are right, after alalia LYNDE. m ki. musingly. n -now mat you recall 1 n, u seems qniTP possmie mat i may at ' one time tau hold and expressed sm-h a view my self. Your proviso, however, i helps my side of the question." j "la what way?" "By asking for a rare combination of virtues in the man." "How do you mean?" "You said he shauld be noble and brave and generally worth looking up to." "Are those qualities rare?" "Rare enough, I fear. I think there are not muny of us who could fill the re quirements. But to return to Miss Bradfern: You think she will be on the governing hand, do you?" "Perhaps not quite that, but I'm very sure she has some shall we call them convictions? that will make Mr. Ra leigh very uucomfortable. One of them is the idea that it is a part of her mis sion to bring about the social recog nition of the negroes." , She said "nig gers," but the provincialism bore no contemptuous accent. . The remark caught Ringbrand off his guard and he said: "There is room for reform along that line, isn't there?" "That depends very much upon tho point of view." Hester drew herself up and a shade of austerity came into her manner. "I'm not quite sure how you regard it in the nohh, though papa says you make no distinction or, at least, not very much. With us the question has been definitely settled for a long time," He was besotted enough to try to argue the point with her. "Don't you think that much of the objection to so cial equality on the score of the color of a person's skin is prejudice?" he asked, "You nre at liberty to call it that or enything else you please," Ehe an swered, with chilly preciseness, "and there is nothing to prevent j-our put ting yourself upon an equality with our servants if you feel so disposed." "I'm sure I don't wish to do that, though I'm quite as certain that the uestion of color or race would notpre- ent me. I think the negroes m the north are given all the social rights they exiect or deserve; they are at least the social equals of white people their own class." Hester rose and steed before him ith sparkling eyes andKUshed cheeks, and he forgot all about the argument his admiration of her superb loveli ness, l lint s lust it; snc exclaimed; 'you all are quite willing to let the ne groes take their chances in the north, but you try to compel us to accept them as equals, without regard toclass, hether we want to or not." It was not their first difference, and ingbrand smiled. "You are of the south, aren't you, Miss Hester? I wish ou would teach me how to be enthus- stic," he said, mildly. "It would be a hopeless task," she re lied. 'I'm not so sure about that. I think it would depend upon the teacher." "But you would be enthusiastic on the wrong side, if 1 did." "Perhaps you might convert me in the process." I an afraid that isn't possible; and then it wouldn't be honest of you to let me, sne added, with feminine incou- stency. Ringbrand smiled complacently. "I like that," he said. "I shall try here after to be both enthusiastic and loyal to my section." ' Thitkinsr about this conversation when she was braiding her hair before her mirror that night, nester blushed when she remembered how emphatic she had been. "I hope he didn't thi nk was inhospitable and rude," she said. speaking softly to herself; "but he doesn't know how his cool way of as serting himself irritates one. And I was almost angry, too; I'm sure I was poing to say something spiteful; but there was a look in his eyes that said no, just as plainly as could be. He al ways looks at me that way when Tni about to say something mean, and then can't go on. I Wonder but that would be ridiculous; he ought to mar ry a Vassar girl at the very least; some body with calm gray eyes and fluffy hair, a girl with advanced ideas and all that, and with plenty of intellect, so she could help him in his work. That isn't much like you, is it?" speaking to the reflection in the mirror; "you're noth ing but an enthusiastic, impulsive coun- try girl, with coarse black hair" she drew one of the shining braids over her nhoulder to look at itr-"and eye brows that make m think of the pic- ture of Beatrice ii the big Shakespeare downstairs only she's' pretty and you're not." . , Mirrors do not always tell the truth, and Hester's must have been a very Ananias of a looking-glass if it reflect ed any such distorted likeness of the embodiment of sweet, wholesome wom anhood standing before it; there were strength and pride in every line of the beautiful face and perfect form, but it was the strength that harmonizes with graije and purity, and it was the pride thai abhors mean things and scorm the ignoble arts of deceit and subter lugs. IIL . the' histobt or va. teu. Places, like persons, have character! to leep or to lose. From the time be yond which fireside tradition fades int ijjhe Je.P wthectip record t leeadarj tales, McNabb's cove had shared with its scanty population the evil report ol . bad neighborhood. Topographically, it is a mere gash in the side of Murphv mountain, with a few acres of arabfe 'and in the center shut in on three sides y steep wooded bills, whose summite are the cliffs of the mountain. Frac Really inaccessible on three sides, en trance by the fourth is scarcely less difficult. A narrow wagon raad wind" the sharp ascent which measures he height of the cove above the level oi Harmony valley; and besides this there are no means of ingress or egress for -chicles, and none for pedestrians sav 8uch as are afforded by two or three rocky trails up the sides of the moun tain. . , The isolation of McXabb's cove har much to do with Us unsavory reputa tion. For many years the Bynums. whose log farmhouse of "two pens and a passage" was the only human habita tion in the small valley, had acted ar go-between for the illicit distillers oi the mountain and their customers ir Harmony valley. In consequence o: this, the cove had been the scene of sev eral encounters between the revenut officers and the moonshiners; and al th&ugh the Bynums had usually main tained an outward show of neutrality there was little doubt that they had a) ways given the secret aid to the' neighbors on the mountain. It wa. during the life of Col. Latimer's fathe: that the Bynums had first brough themselves within the pale of the law revenue officer had climbed the steej road leading to the cove one afternoon and tho next morning his dead bod was found at the foot of the declivib with a bullet hole in the skull. Oh Squire Latimer was justice of tin leace at the time, and he was especial iv active in pushing the inquiry whi.-! finally fixed the crime upon one of th Bynums. As the evidence was mostly circumstantial, the. murderers got of with a life sentence; but for th squire's part in the prosecution tin Bynums declared w;;r upon the Lati mer family, instituting a scries of per secutions which culminated in the burning of the manor-house in the val ley. The ex-Virginian was a law-p,bid ing man, and, although there was lit tle doubt as to the identity of his ene mies, he refused to retaliate in kind With each fresh depredation he re doubled his efforts to obtain proo which could be produced in court; bu his persecutors were shrewd and craf tj, ami he was never able to get conclusive. evidence against them. After the burning of the roanor-housp the squire built "Thi Laurels" on the plateau of Murphy mountain; but he did not liv long to enjoy his new home. The plateau farm was reached by a road which climbs the face of the ascent trom Tregarthen. Beyond the Lati mer estate it skirts the brow of the mountain, following the line of the cliffs and doubling around the head oi McXabb's cove. One morning when the squire was riding along this road at a point where it comes out upon tlu edge of an abrupt precipice command ing a view of the cove, r. riile-shot rang out, and the fright ened horses galloped riderless back te "The Laurels." When the searcher: found him a short time afterwards thi squire was quite dead ; and before nooi John Bynum was in jail at Tregarthen charged with the commission of tht crime. At this distance of time then appears to be at least a reasonabh doubt of his guilt. He was seen in th' village, and in fact was arrested there within two hours of the time when tin murder was committed; and while thi distance from the head of the cove t Tregarthen by the road leading pas "The Laurels" is only three miles, it i six by the way he must have gone t avoid meeting the searching party This, and other facts, might have beei brought out in a trial, but the Bynum were unpopular and their feud with th- Latimers was well known. The new; of the squire's death spread rapidr through the valley during the day, am at night an armed mob broke into thi Jail and secured the hapless prisonei who was hurried to the ene of th murder and hanged to the nearest con venient tree. With the death of John Bynum th feud smoldered for several years. Hi only brother, Jed, who was absent a the time of the lynching, moved t Texas a short time afterwards, ani thare were left only the widow and he four children on the small farm in th; cove. It is to be supposed that thi woman, who was c Bynum by blood a well m by nia.'riage, did not fail t teach htr children the catechism o vengeance; but, however this may bt hostilities were renewed as soon as th' boys were old enough to follow in th( footsteps of their elders. , Col. Latimer, the squire's son am neir, inherited little of thepeace-lovin; temper of his father. The first time h found his fences thrown down and thi cattle in his fields, he armed himsel with a heavy riding whip and wen about nursing his wrath till his oppoi tunity should arrive. Meeting Jef Bynum in the street of Tregarthen, thi indisrnant colonel proceeded to mcti out to the younger man such a measure t chastisement as he thought the cast n?ma.ided, paying for his satisfaction few days later w ith a broken arm shattered bv the bullet of an ambushed enemv. This incident was conducive to another interval of peace, for two v masons it taught the colonel that un less he were willing to adopt the it scrupulous tactics of his antagonists b 7 as likely to lose his life in an unequal contest: and the Bynums were re strained from further immediate ag gressions by a fear of some such conse quences as had overtaken their father, Col. Latimer was quite as popular in his way as had been the squire; and there had been ominous threats of an other outburst of public indignation after the breaking of the colonel arm threats which were loud enough to J cause the elder Bynum to disappear for h time, rumor said in Texas. Th Colonel proceeded to mete out meuur of chastisement. tenacious as that overlying the other veins, and that there was no apparent reason why it should require timber ing; but the indubitable fact remained, While the work of development was in progress, the miners frequently found the labor of a week undone in a single night by a caving of the roof which "lied the tunnel with broken rock. Ludlow had its own theory alout these mysterious accidents, but he kept it to himself. It was suggested by the smell of black powder which he detected one morning when he was examining the debris that had fallen during the previous night. It struck him as be ing curious, because he knew that the miners were using dynamite; and it led to a series of casual inquiries among the dwellers In Harmony Valley near est to the entrance to McXabb's Cove. The replies were not entirely convinc ing, because the nocturnal noises heard by the valley folk might have been nothing more than the concussion of the falling rock; but Ludlow heard enough to make him believe that when it became necessary to take coal from the McXabb vein a night-guard at the f.nnnpl would rwissihlr nvprt disaster more efficiently than the most elaborate I sysiem oi umueriog. (To be Continued.) Atchison Globe Philosophy. We hate to see a big man carry a little satchel. Some people play the piano so loud hat it constitutes a breach of tht eace. A worn in who dresses in a burn Iways puts tint much pewder on the od of her nose. Every woman thinks that when sin 4 dead, HLd tier hushani lias nia-rier' ig un, that lie will beiiin to appreciau er. Out in the west, the marvel is that astern women continue to weai resses cut low in the neck after thej ave passed forty. If you have any money to give th lembers of the Twentieth Kansa. ive it to their father-in-laws, will hom their families have probably een living since they went to war. It is easy to umpire a game of basi ail from the crand staod. Some men who can't earn their salt alk the best klcd of sense. We sometimes wish there would bi ;s rat; chewing, and more fighting. When a man tries to conceal thi mount of whisky hedrioks, he know e is drinking too much. W'e have noticed that the farther ? ian coes on a fishing trip, the largei be fish he claims he caught. A son never gets too old for hi mother to thick it is proper to pu andles on his birthday cakes. What Labor needs to make it digni ied, I- an eight hour law applied t be mothers who work sixteen hours i ay. We wonder that smart physician oti'ttryto help suffering maokioc y cutting out the heart. It is thi rgjn that makes all the trouble. The only point ingoing to a picrih to have a tough time, so that yo ill' quit dreaming about the gooi i rues you might have at a picnic. Although small families are growing lore and more fashionable, the Lin ontinues to make watermelons to' true. A man who buys a ten ceo' watermelon has to invite his neigh ors to get it eaten. It is a good plan to have a bad tairway In every home. It gives lb mpression that a half dozen servant.' re retained, though the back stair w'ly is really never used except whei rup iny come?, and the women folk kin up it in a hurry to pui on theit nod clothes. Preserves A fralt. lellk. DlcklM or etup r A DOAllDiuur vcmjvu h.m. Paraffin WM tban by ny oihf method. Dozen! ooUerais will t found tot n j neimcu Paraffins Wax ta tvrrj boost bold. It U cImo. UsteleM ud dorlm-alr, wtr nd cid proof. Gt-t t poodJ akaof It with list of lu mnr from roar drariistor grocer. BoldeTCTywber. Madtby. TIVDIDD AILCU. j . j Selhn" you, We Sell. Your Friends m Our glorious success has not inheritance. Years ago we started to earn it, and we are earning it today more than ever before The people have always appreciated our efforts, greatful that such has been the ca.e. There is nothing too good for our customers, and in the future we will do as we have done in the past give them the best values, lowest prices and the fairest treatment that can be found under the Fbg. Our motto is, your money back if there is a single misrepresentation. . ; , , i GROCERY DEPT. We enjoy the distinction of uiuer unit m me sraie. ut course ,11 X! : i i - K 25 lbs best Granulated Sugar grocery order. Here is another leader as lon as it We have 144 dozen cakes damp season it has o-nnt tlirnno-li n wpnt on,l -u n-;ii , p-.. . .. . .. u.iviti mill ii v n in uun sell it at 10 cents a box and 12 cakes in a box. Former price I5 cents a cake. ' ' Cream and High Patent Flour 90 cents a sack. ' - 18 lbs of Brown Suair for .$1.00. ' v 1 18 lbs of Gianulated Sugar $1.00. 1 pkg of Levering's Coffee 9c. 3 cans of Tomatoes 24c. K. C. Baking Powder 25 oz can 14c, Nice Prunes 5c a lb. 34 lbs of Oat Meal for $1.00. Yeast Foam and Health Yeast 3c. HARDWARE DEPT. ttT 1 A . w e dety competition m was tne liAUKLl that brought on a level with all other coods. hardware three years ago, before the Packet onened un this new departments Double Wash Boards 27c. Crescent Pump, war'nt'd, $1.4S. Columbia Washer $2.9S. White Wash Brush 24c. Collar Pads 25c. SPRUAfJCE LEADS- OTHERS THY TO FOLLOW Is m hi tag of the clothing you buy, its because you don't buy the right kind. Do not be deceived by prices: they do not always represent value. Buy your clothing where you have always re ceived satisfaction; where every suit is sold with a positive guarantee. Buy of the man who sells goods as he advertises. Win hllvflimilA'llf lrinI of clothing: therafnra we sell the atisiactioii If you have been our customer you know this. . If you have not others will tell you. We de sire to make a midsummer clearing of our immense stock of goods and are now offering fjxrial inducements. For thirty days only we offer the following: $16 suits for $11 15.00 suits for 9.00 12.00 suits for 8.00 10.00 suits for 6.50 and SS and 59 suits for $5. Come:ind see us. preciate the bargains we offer. GLEM SPRUANCE Intelligent Service at This Store. E come to us bv acci 'ent or and we are duly proud and selling more groceries than anv this is easily seen through, for $1.00 with every $5.00 lasts- of Toilet Soap. During this our llardw are Department. It the prices of hardware down What did vou twv for vnnr Baker Collar 74c. Work Collar and snap T.Oc. Mrs. Patts' Irons 89c. Nail Hammer 14c. Lap Bobes 34o to $U9. right kind: guaranteed You will ap