A GIRL TO LOVE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9091, 16 May 1908, Page 2

A GIRL TO LOVE.

By BERTHA M. CLAY.

Author of " Thrown on the World," " Her Mother's Sin," Beyond

Pardon," " The Lost Lady of Haddon," " Dora Thome,"

" An Ideal Love," etc,

CHAPTER XXll.—Continued. He crossed a fifty-acre field, and plunged into narrow byways; then through a labyrinth of squalid houses, intersected with foul-smelling, tor- ' tuous alleys, until the great coal-fields were before him, presenting, in the weird light of the moon, a scene of terrible desolation. To the left of him were the Stonewall pits, and even at that distance he could hear tho engines throbbing and panting. The pumping had to go on both night and day, without stopping. Jasper Trenwith had said that the coal brought to the surface didn't pay for the cost of keeping the mines dry. To the right of him was his own colliery, and the only sign of life now were half a dozen flaring fires, built in braziers on the banks of the pits. So brightly did these fires glow in the wind, that Victor was unable to see at that distance if there were lights burning in the office windows. Well, if Harry Owen wasn't there, he would go back to his lodgings' and wait. He was positive row that things were all wrong, and his confidence in Harry was dead. He had deceived him wilfully and shamefully. Victor was almost racing over the uneven mounds. Another qaurter of a mile! He shielded his eyes from the blinding glare of the grazier fires, and saw that the window of the private office was alight. Yes, Hatry Owen was. there! Nearer—nearer! He caught the glint of the canal. A score of huge boats lay at the wnarf —all empty. Long trains of skips stood on the rails—all empty. "Looks bad" thought Victor, "mighty bad." He passed on, with a sickening sensation at his heart. There had evidently been no coal for days and days, but any amount of worthless shale. It was as Jasper Trenwith had declared —the mines were completely worked out. And for the deeper shafts the pumping-power would have to be on a tremendous scale—so large'that, even if big beds of coal were discovered, it wouldn't pay to work them. Victor Pelham was slow to anger, but a feeling of strong resentment was rising within him. It seemed particularly hard that his closest friend should be his worst enemy. "He would have ruined me," he muttered. "Asolutely. The liabilities wojld have been too heavy for me to pay, even if spread over many yeais, and my good name dragged in the mire! And my wedding-day tomorrow. It is awfu' to contemplate! Oh, Isla—my darling!" He was within twenty paces of the office now, and wus making his way to the window, when it seemed that the heavens had closed in neon hiir. threw up both hands, and fell prone to the earth, without a cry. Then two rnen bent over him, and the faces of both were deadly white, and the eye 3 of both were blazing with baleful fires. "He's done for, Owen," whispered one of the men hoarsely. "That blow would have killed an ox. The sound of it will be in my ears forever." "Bah! What's to be done with him, Ireland? He's brought it upon himself. Haven't I warned him to let me alone?" But the ground-bailiff's face had become ghastly in its whiteness. He reeled, and clutched at the air. ■ "Brandy!" he gasped. "Come hack to the office, Owen. Let him remain lure for a bit. The v.atchman'3gone." He glanced at the fallen man, and then tottered away. "The fool!" muttered Hurry Owen. "He is big at talk, but when the 'do' comes— — My nerves are shaking, too. He tossed aside a heavy pikeshaft, and followed the gound-bailiff. Ha was afraid to look back at the victim, and his brow was moist with a clammy sweat, as cold as ice. , Ireland was seated in one of the office chairs, and gulping down cn| - ious riraft3 Df brandy. Twice he essayed to speak, and failed. "He's brought it upon himself," Owen repeated doggedly. "What was he spying about here for at midnight. You know that it was his determination to ruin both you a:.d me. 1 know that I've overshot the mark a bit, but I've begged of Pol ham to come to the office; 1 wanted to break it to him gently. It'll be all right in the end. You've assured me of that, Ireland, and if anybody know what's in the middle of the earth, it's you." Tho ground-bailiff glared at him, and his lips moved; then his widestaring eyes looked away through the open door, and he pointed and jabbered. "You cur!" Owen banged the office door shut, and whiped his brow. you don't keep your nerve, I'll say that you struck him down. Leave it to me; I shall inform the police myself. There waa a light in the dark , -the man was upon our premise.-; at midnight, and well, let them make what; they can cut of that. I'm ready to iaeu it. One of us hit him, and we don't knew which one. Now the pumps shall go on, until our pumps arc ready to work. I'D have Pelham here, and va we can convince him that tie fortune is half earned. His ere \\Js gx>d, and ho can raise a few t'icusantid more o:i his property. He nas simply got to do it." He opened the office door again, and looked out. The mor.n was shining pitifully upon the stricken man. "Look! look!" screamed the gro'irrJ-bnililF. "Jlv's movirg! I saw nim." "Hush! You wishy-washy thing." Owen whispered savagely. His eye:; narrjwed, and he stared at the figure. "He's still enough; it's the wind stirring the collar of his ulster." He j shuddered. "Oh, Heaven, if-I could j only undo the past hour's work! But < I hav j put my hand to the plough,

CHAPTER XXIII

THE EMPTY CAGE

and there's no turning back now. Jasper Trenwith is dead—killed by US!" He raised his voice, and glared at the ground-bailiff. "Do you hear? Killed by US!" Mr Ireland nodded, his teeth chattering the while. "He was your enemy, Ireland, and he was my enemy. You have kept me alive to that fact, and now he is out yonder, and I am going to the police station. Come!" He gripped the ground-bailiff by the shoulder, but Ireland shrank back, horrified. "Not yet—not yet, Owen; I can't —I can't. Look at him first; perhaps I was mistaken, but—but " He shivered and sobbed. "Look at him? Yes, I will look at him and satisfy you that no man could live after a blow like that. Pah! You haven't as much backbone as a fish-worm!" He set his teeth hard, and walked straight to his victim. He laid one handover the man's heart; it was still. He bent down, and stared at the white face. Then he threw up his hands with a terrible cry: "Oh, Victor, the truest friend that man ever had—what have I done!"

Harry Owen beat has hands together, and sobbed despairingly. Again and again he felt for Victor's heart, and called to Ireland for brandy. He chafed the cold hands, and kissed the dead face—yes, he was sure that, his chum was dead. The ground-bailiff stood by, bewildered and awe-stricken. But thj semiparalysis which had ber.unbed his brain was clearing away, and he was beginning to realize his awful position. He was a man with many responsibilities —a wife and half a score of children. His ruin meant starvation for them; his disgrace wa3 their disgrace. These responsibilities had induced him to accept bribes in unholy causes. He had been completely enveloped by the greater personality of Jasper Trenwith. Trenwith had betrayed him to Victor Pelham —or intended to do ?o, and he | ha ed him for it, but in his maddest I moment he had never thought of killj ing any man. And he and Harry ' o.ven had met that very night, when they could talk without fear of interruption, so that the future should be made plain. Ireland was determined to undeceive Owen, and retire from the business. There was coal somewhere below, but only to be brought to the surface at a loss of 'ten shillings a ton. Now that Jasper Trenwith had repented and deserted him, he had nothing at stake, and it would be his own fault if his part in the shameful conspiracy were made public. He had threatened Trenwith, but a glance from the great financier hai seemed to shrivel him up. And so he had returned to the colliery at eleven o'clock, resolved to tell Harry Owen the whole truth. The old pits had yielded nothing but shale for a week, and Owen spent his nights as well as his days in the office, brooding upon his fears. Owen knew that there was coal below —millions of tons of it, but the money was gone, and the colossal figure of Jasper Trenwith overshadowed everything. He had tried bullying—he hid tried conciliation only to meet with smiles and sneers. j Oh, how he hated the man! I When Ireland turned into the ] office, he Was pacing about like a caged beast. (To be continued.)