January 5, 1972 (12 pages)

pm rer fetal : aE The Nevada County Nugget Wednesday, January 5, 1972 7 ——— —— ae i — ‘ = ee eee TT ‘ pe Bate. I — <=: =_ ~~ a st ty of Six’ 4 ance had been declined. Good soul, she wasall charity, and gladly would have sacrificed her own comfort if allowed. A week later, they left for San Francisco and regretfully turned away from the little camp that had seen the beginning and culmination of their romance, Of course, her mother's illness necessarily interfered with Dot's marriage. "IT can't leave her, can I, Rance? And you will wait, won't you?" Shyly but confidently she asked her lover. And the gallant swain, protesting that it was a hardship--that was not to be denied--agreed to bide the time patiently, provided that it should not be too prolonged a wait. and that the patient did not monopolize all of her hours. So it came about that the porch had another occupant, and Rance's visit to his old home .was postponed until the fates became more propitious, Rather strangely, as both Mike and Rance thought, the happening seemed not to have affected Wakefield very deeply. A squaw who had taken kindly to Ruth's tuition and had absorbed a little civilization in the performance of household duties, was installed as Dot's assistant and performed the household drudgery, encouraged by wage and fare that made her the envy of her tribe; while Tong, the Chinaman, who was now the recipient of that anticipated "one hundled dolla hap," to which he had aspired, took upon himself the preparation of various delicacies for the household, dishes the knowledge of which he had acquired in Ruth's service and which he faithfully and skilfully imitated. p "You sabe Missy Luth?" he inquired of his chief assistant. ‘No, you no belly much sabe Missy. She say, ‘Tong why you no~ Chlistian?~~~You~-good-man?*----say; "What -fo'?-Spose-no~ shave head, have clothes all same Tex, have one joss, what good? Melican man callee me damn Dhinaman, alee same.' She say, 'Tong, you heathen,'--she talkee, talkee alee day. Chlistian woman too much talkee, talkee alee day. Chlistian woman too much talkee, but I no likee Missy go waya. She belly good woman. Bimeby she catchee lanch, maybe I go too," and Tong shook his head sadly and went about his duties like one forlorn, He had become accustomed to Ruth's flow of language and he missed it; there was an oppressive silence, a lack of the spur, a stillness in the atmosphere as noticeable as the sudden stop of a mill, or the hush of a buzzing saw checked in its revolutions, and Tong rebelled at the unaccustomed quiet. Besides, he was grateful to her, for she had rescued him from abuse and contumely. Under her protection no one had dared do him despite, and although he betrayed no outward emotion on her leaving and was as stolid and impassive as a stone image, his assistant was forced to listen to a long eulogy of her virtues, delivered in guttural Chinese; and privately Tong propitiated the heathen gods and burned punk and written prayers in supplication that she might be favored by all the calendar of heathen deities. CHAPTER XXV WAKEFIELD'S PURPOSE OF REVENGE His comrades are in error as to Wakefield's supposed apathy. He had been deeply wounded by his wife's inconstancy and stirred to the depths by the tortures and indignities she had suffered. He granted a measure of palliation for the former as being himself the inciting, if innocent, cause; his strange mental affliction, he reasoned, being the root and foundation of her estrangement. If her feet had strayed into forbidden paths and her love waned, that might be pardoned, although there could never, he reasoned, come a renewal of the old ties,--in that direction he believed himself implacable. He had ‘neither reproached nor pitied, but had agreed to shield her from the consequence of her mad act even to the point of concealing the truth from the daughter. In fact, he was more than anxious to compass the latter task. Dot in her innocence was persuaded that her mother, perhaps imprudently but with no wrong intent, had accompanied the gambler on an afternoon ride, and that both would have returned before the night fell had not the tragedy intervened; and that the shock and horror of being an unwilling witness to the assassination had been too much of a nervous strain, resulting in prostrating her, There was but one thing to do, -nurse her back to health; then all would be well again. And there were compensations for Dot. The patient was kept under the influence of sedatives, and there were many pre~. cious minutes during the day when she could be left to slumber, minutes when, seeking the porch, Dot\ found: the waiting Rance. Glorious hours they were, made happier by confident youth and trusting love planning life's \pilgrimage together; a future serene and untroubled; a paradise in tow which the two would enter with no. angel with\flaming sword to bar the way. Happy daydreams they were, and Rance was careful to cast no doubting shadow on the roseate prospect. Wakefield, who had taken up his abode in the office and begun in earnest sharing the supervision. of the mine with Mike, visited the house daily to inquire as to the sick woman's condition, seemingly anxious to learn of her progress ‘toward recovery; but his stay was brief and somewhat perfunctory, although he was always pleased to hear of her improvement. At the’end of a month she had regained sufficient strength to be pronounced out of danger; when satisfied of this he had a’ confidential talk with Rance, in which, much, to the latter's surprise, he announced his determination to wreak revéhge on the murderous gang responsible for her wrongs. "T can never rest easy," he insisted, "so long as they cumber the earth. It is not a question of bringing them to justice; I am possessed with the desire to exterminate them-the thought of their living keeps me at fever heat. Ihave a lust for revenge, and until, it is satisfied I cannot have a moment of content. "No, Rance," he continued, in reply to -his: comrade's expostulations, "it may be a mania, but you need not fear for my reason. I have concluded that it is my duty to mete out to them the punishment which you will not dispute they deserve. Now that my wife has regained her health, or is in a fair way to do so, I can safely commit her to your and Dot's care, and leave you all for a time. If I don't come back, what difference? Perhaps it would be better. Rance,''--and Wakefield was fairly overcome by emotion,--"I could not love you more if you were my own son; and what little happiness is left for me is the knowledge that Dot is to become your wife. You are sure that this thing has made no difference in your feelings toward her?'' and he looked wistfully at Rance for confirmation of his hopes. Rance indignantly repudiated the possibility of. any change. in the state of his affections and renewed his efforts to dissuade his partner from what he pronounced a mad project, "What can you do single-handed against such a gang of murderous villains?" he pleaded, "Why not abandon’ them to the inevitable fate that will overtake them? They run their race, and in the end perish like dogs. Let us leave the mine to Mike--that will be no hardship to him, although he is delighted to think that you are coming back to share the responsibility of managing it, and we will indulge in a holiday. We are rich enough to afford it. Take your wife and go with Dot and me to the South, It will be well to leave The City of Six, for a time at least, and forget the incidents of the past month or two." Wakefield shook his. head negatively. "No, Rance, it is impossible, happily, \Dot knows nothing of the truth, and why need she? Why ‘bring this misery into her young life* when she can be spared? Hurry up the marriage and take her away from here. Make your visit to your old home and leave me to my devices." (to be continued) rs afta

pm rer fetal : aE The Nevada County Nugget Wednesday, January 5, 1972 7 ——— —— ae i — ‘ = ee eee TT ‘ pe Bate. I — <=: =_ ~~ a st ty of Six’ 4 ance had been declined. Good soul, she wasall charity, and gladly would have sacrificed her own comfort if allowed. A week later, they left for San Francisco and regretfully turned away from the little camp that had seen the beginning and culmination of their romance, Of course, her mother's illness necessarily interfered with Dot's marriage. "IT can't leave her, can I, Rance? And you will wait, won't you?" Shyly but confidently she asked her lover. And the gallant swain, protesting that it was a hardship--that was not to be denied--agreed to bide the time patiently, provided that it should not be too prolonged a wait. and that the patient did not monopolize all of her hours. So it came about that the porch had another occupant, and Rance's visit to his old home .was postponed until the fates became more propitious, Rather strangely, as both Mike and Rance thought, the happening seemed not to have affected Wakefield very deeply. A squaw who had taken kindly to Ruth's tuition and had absorbed a little civilization in the performance of household duties, was installed as Dot's assistant and performed the household drudgery, encouraged by wage and fare that made her the envy of her tribe; while Tong, the Chinaman, who was now the recipient of that anticipated "one hundled dolla hap," to which he had aspired, took upon himself the preparation of various delicacies for the household, dishes the knowledge of which he had acquired in Ruth's service and which he faithfully and skilfully imitated. p "You sabe Missy Luth?" he inquired of his chief assistant. ‘No, you no belly much sabe Missy. She say, ‘Tong why you no~ Chlistian?~~~You~-good-man?*----say; "What -fo'?-Spose-no~ shave head, have clothes all same Tex, have one joss, what good? Melican man callee me damn Dhinaman, alee same.' She say, 'Tong, you heathen,'--she talkee, talkee alee day. Chlistian woman too much talkee, talkee alee day. Chlistian woman too much talkee, but I no likee Missy go waya. She belly good woman. Bimeby she catchee lanch, maybe I go too," and Tong shook his head sadly and went about his duties like one forlorn, He had become accustomed to Ruth's flow of language and he missed it; there was an oppressive silence, a lack of the spur, a stillness in the atmosphere as noticeable as the sudden stop of a mill, or the hush of a buzzing saw checked in its revolutions, and Tong rebelled at the unaccustomed quiet. Besides, he was grateful to her, for she had rescued him from abuse and contumely. Under her protection no one had dared do him despite, and although he betrayed no outward emotion on her leaving and was as stolid and impassive as a stone image, his assistant was forced to listen to a long eulogy of her virtues, delivered in guttural Chinese; and privately Tong propitiated the heathen gods and burned punk and written prayers in supplication that she might be favored by all the calendar of heathen deities. CHAPTER XXV WAKEFIELD'S PURPOSE OF REVENGE His comrades are in error as to Wakefield's supposed apathy. He had been deeply wounded by his wife's inconstancy and stirred to the depths by the tortures and indignities she had suffered. He granted a measure of palliation for the former as being himself the inciting, if innocent, cause; his

strange mental affliction, he reasoned, being the root and foundation of her estrangement. If her feet had strayed into forbidden paths and her love waned, that might be pardoned, although there could never, he reasoned, come a renewal of the old ties,--in that direction he believed himself implacable. He had ‘neither reproached nor pitied, but had agreed to shield her from the consequence of her mad act even to the point of concealing the truth from the daughter. In fact, he was more than anxious to compass the latter task. Dot in her innocence was persuaded that her mother, perhaps imprudently but with no wrong intent, had accompanied the gambler on an afternoon ride, and that both would have returned before the night fell had not the tragedy intervened; and that the shock and horror of being an unwilling witness to the assassination had been too much of a nervous strain, resulting in prostrating her, There was but one thing to do, -nurse her back to health; then all would be well again. And there were compensations for Dot. The patient was kept under the influence of sedatives, and there were many pre~. cious minutes during the day when she could be left to slumber, minutes when, seeking the porch, Dot\ found: the waiting Rance. Glorious hours they were, made happier by confident youth and trusting love planning life's \pilgrimage together; a future serene and untroubled; a paradise in tow which the two would enter with no. angel with\flaming sword to bar the way. Happy daydreams they were, and Rance was careful to cast no doubting shadow on the roseate prospect. Wakefield, who had taken up his abode in the office and begun in earnest sharing the supervision. of the mine with Mike, visited the house daily to inquire as to the sick woman's condition, seemingly anxious to learn of her progress ‘toward recovery; but his stay was brief and somewhat perfunctory, although he was always pleased to hear of her improvement. At the’end of a month she had regained sufficient strength to be pronounced out of danger; when satisfied of this he had a’ confidential talk with Rance, in which, much, to the latter's surprise, he announced his determination to wreak revéhge on the murderous gang responsible for her wrongs. "T can never rest easy," he insisted, "so long as they cumber the earth. It is not a question of bringing them to justice; I am possessed with the desire to exterminate them-the thought of their living keeps me at fever heat. Ihave a lust for revenge, and until, it is satisfied I cannot have a moment of content. "No, Rance," he continued, in reply to -his: comrade's expostulations, "it may be a mania, but you need not fear for my reason. I have concluded that it is my duty to mete out to them the punishment which you will not dispute they deserve. Now that my wife has regained her health, or is in a fair way to do so, I can safely commit her to your and Dot's care, and leave you all for a time. If I don't come back, what difference? Perhaps it would be better. Rance,''--and Wakefield was fairly overcome by emotion,--"I could not love you more if you were my own son; and what little happiness is left for me is the knowledge that Dot is to become your wife. You are sure that this thing has made no difference in your feelings toward her?'' and he looked wistfully at Rance for confirmation of his hopes. Rance indignantly repudiated the possibility of. any change. in the state of his affections and renewed his efforts to dissuade his partner from what he pronounced a mad project, "What can you do single-handed against such a gang of murderous villains?" he pleaded, "Why not abandon’ them to the inevitable fate that will overtake them? They run their race, and in the end perish like dogs. Let us leave the mine to Mike--that will be no hardship to him, although he is delighted to think that you are coming back to share the responsibility of managing it, and we will indulge in a holiday. We are rich enough to afford it. Take your wife and go with Dot and me to the South, It will be well to leave The City of Six, for a time at least, and forget the incidents of the past month or two." Wakefield shook his. head negatively. "No, Rance, it is impossible, happily, \Dot knows nothing of the truth, and why need she? Why ‘bring this misery into her young life* when she can be spared? Hurry up the marriage and take her away from here. Make your visit to your old home and leave me to my devices." (to be continued) rs afta