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Miss Blanche Wentzell and Miss
Annie Lemon are spending this
week as the guests of Mrs. 1. D.
Crawford near Inman.
Mr. Tom Moseley, of Manches
ter, was in our city Saturday.
His many friends here wish him
abundant success in his new
home.
r abbage plants 20 cents per 100
at W. B. J. Ingram’s.-
adv.
Read the Board of Trade Com
mittees in The Weekly, see which
you are on, and get to work tor
McDonough.
Mrs. W. J. Sloan and children,
of Atlanta, left Monday for La
crosse, Florida, after spending the
holidays with he parents, Mr. and
Mrs, J. L. Atkinson.
Mr. T. M. McConnell made a
business trip to Yatesville Mon
day.
Go to W. B. J. Ingram’s for
Georgia Cane Syrup at 50 cents ;
per gallon. Adv. I
Miss Fay Simmons, of Gaines
ville, is the attractive guest of Miss
Ruth Turner.
Mr. Carl Jackson has returned
to his home in Atlanta, after spend
ing the holidays with his home
folk in McMullen’s district.
Mr. and Mrs. Z W. Copeland
and baby spent a few days during
Christmas with his parents here.
Fine shoats for sale at Ed Good
win’s Stable. Adv.
Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Collins were
at home to a few of their friends
during the holidays.
Mrs. Adams, of Alabama, and
Mr. Waiter Griffin, of Alabama,
were in our city Saturday.
Fine shoats for sale at Ed Good
win’s Stable. Adv.
Mr. R. L. Duke, of Thomaston,
was in our city Monday and visited
The Weekly, lie is a former citi
zen of McDonough district and
has many friends here who are
glad to have him visit us again.
Misses Agnes Dunn, Lucy Rea
gan, and Alla B. Carmichael will
attend matinee in Atlanta to day.
Mr. C. R. McKinley, of Zebulon,
was in our city visiting friends
during the holidays. The Weekly
enjoyed a visit from him.
DYNAMITE at W. B. J. Ingram’s.
Adv.
Mr. J. B. Rowan, of Flippen
district, visited McDonough Tues
day.
Miss Marcie Tucker, of Carroll
ton, spent sevearl days with iMiss
Evelyn Pendley during the Christ
mas holidays.
Mr. Roy Manley spent the holi
days with his home folk at Elber
ton.
Cabbage plants 20 cents per 100
at Ingram’s. Adv.
Mr. A. M. Stewart spent Mon
day in Macon.
Mr. A. M. Stewart visited At
lanta Tuesday.
Mr. J. M. Green, of McMullens
district, was in our city Tuesday.
FOR RENT —Blacksmith shop at
Flippen. J. B. Rowan, F.ippen,
Ga. Adv.
Mrs. R. A. Sloan spent the holi
days with her parents at Bulloch
ville.
Mr. Levi Bledsoe, of Broxton,
visited relatives near McDonough
a few days this week. H s many
friends and schoolmates are glad
that he is prospering in his South
Georgia home.
Will pay best price for hides.
Adv. J. V, Upchurch.
FOR RENT —residence recently
occupied by A. F. Lemon. Mrs.
Annie M. Nolan. Adv.
Mr. Frank C. Turner, of Phila
delpeia spent Christmas herewith
his mother, Mrs. Tommie Turner.
His many friends here were glad
to see him again.
Miss Hattie Sue Lowe left Tues
day for a severai days visit to At
lanta. She was a guest at the
Sigma Nu dance there Wednes
day evening.
If you are a member of the
Board of Trade, you are on a Com
mittee See The Weekly and learn
where you are.
Last Thursday Mr. and Mrs.
Tom Brown and the children, Dr.
and Mrs. J. G. Smith, with their
little girls, went to Flovilia to be
present at a family gathering.
I most of the children and grand
! children were there. A most pleas
ant day was spent, but mixed vith
sadness as it would be the last
gathering there, as the old home
i place is soon to be sold.
MR. AND MRS. I. M. WOODRUFF
ENTERTAIN.
On Tuesday Mr. and Mrs. Idus
Woodruff entertained most de
lightfully at a turkey dinner.
There were present: Mr. and j
Mrs. J. N. Woodruff, Mr. and
Mrs. Thrasher, Mr. an d Mrs.
George Green, Mr. and Mrs. W.
F. Hand, Mr. and Mrs, Jim Stroud,
and Miss Hope Thrasher.
Last Thursday Mr. and Mrs.
Jim McDonald had with them all
their chi dren and a few friends, |
to enjoy a Christmas dinner, a 1
most delicious dinner. Analteget! -
er good time was had by all pres
ent.
Mr. and Mrs. E. D Tolleson,
Misses Alla B. Carmichael, Lucy
Reagan, Ruth Turner, and Messrs
Pierce Stewart, Paul Turner, Tom
Tolleson, an d Gordon Dickson
attended the Christmas dance in
Jackson last Friday night.
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Green enter
tained at dinner on Christmas day.
All the children and many other
relatives were there, and a most
enjoyable day was spent.
Mrs. J. G. Smith and two little
daughters were in Atlanta Tues
day and Wednesday with Mrs.
Smith’s father and Another, Prof,
and Mrs. Landrum.
Miss Stevie Brogden, of .Sewa
nee, was the much admired guest
of Miss Ethel Sowell Christmas j
week.
Miss Emma Arnold has returned
to Lagrange.
Mr. Tom Wall has returned to
Charlotte.
The many friends of Mr. Arthur
Bowden regret to learn of his
illness and trust he nny soon
recover his health.
%
Among these entertaining at
Christmas dinners were Mr. and
Mrs. B. B. Carmichael, Mr. and
Mrs. E. M. Copeland, and others.
Mrs. Wade Hooten.of near Snap
ping Shoa’s, went to Newnan to
spend Cnristmas with her mother.
Mr. Tom Tolleson, of Fayette
ville, spent last week here.
i .Mrs. Verna Wright and children
were here visiting her parents a
few davs last week.
Mrs. Tom Woodruff and thr°e
children, of W llacoochee, have
b' en with relatives h ;re for a
w j ek.
| Mrs.
mas in Atlanta with herj children.
The Prodigal Judge.
Ho Distinguished Several Men.
turned to the door. To say that he
was amazed when he found it locked
would have most Inadequately de
scribed his emotions. Breathing deep,
he fell back a step or two, and then
with all the vigor he could muster
launched himself at the door. But it
resisted him.
“It’s bolted on the other side!” he
muttered, the full measure of Peg
loe’s perfidy revealing itself to his
mind. He was aghast. It was a plot
to discredit him. Pegloe’s hospitality
had been Inspired by his enemy, for
Pegloe was Fentress' tenant.
Again he attacked the dcor; he be
lieved it might be possible to force it
from its hinges, but Pegloe had done
his work too’ well for that, and at
last, spent and breathless, the judge
dropped down on the edge of his bed
to consider the situation. He was
without clothes and he was a pris
oner, yet his mind rose splendidly to
meet the difficulties that beset him.
His greatest activities were reserved
for what appeared to be only a sea
son of despair. He armed himself with
a three-legged stool he had found and
turned once more to the door, but the
stout planks stood firm under his
blows.
"Unless I get out of* here in time
I’m a ruined man!” thought the judge.
"After this Fentress will refuse to
meet me!”
The window next engaged his at
tention. That, too, Pegloe had taken
the precaution to fasten, but a single
savage blow of the stool shattered
glass and sash and left an empty space
that framed the dawn’s red glow. The
judge looked out and shook his head
dubiously. It was twelve feet or more
to the ground, a risky drop for a gen
tleman of his years and build. The
judge considered making a rope of his
bedding and lowering himself to the
ground by means of it; he remem
bered to have read of captives in that
Interesting French prison, the Bas
tille, who did this. However, an equal
ly Ingenious but much more simple
use for his bedding occurred to him;
it would form a soft and yielding sub
stance on which to alight. He gath
ered it up into his arms, feather-tick
and all, and pushed it through the
window, then he wriggled out across
the ledge, feet first, and lowering him
self to the full length of his arms,
dropped.
He landed squarely on the rolled-up
bed with a jar that shook him to his
center. Almost gaily he snatched up
a quilt, draping it about him aft£r the
manner of a Roman toga, and thus
lightly habited, started across Mr.
Pegloe’s truck-patch, his one thought
Boggs’ and the sub. It would have
served no purpose to have gone home,
since his entire wardrobe, except for
the shirt on his back, was In the tav
ern-keeper’s possession, besides he
had not a moment to lose, for the sun
w-as peeping at him over tho horizon.
Unobserved he gained the edge of
the town and the highroad that led
past Boggs’ and stole a fearful glance
over his shoulder. The sun was clear
of the treetops, he could even feel the
lifeless dust grow warm beneath his
feet; and wrapping the quilt closer
about him he broke into a labored run.
Some twenty minutes later Boggs’
came in sight. He experienced a mo
ment of doubt—doubtless Fentress
had been there and gone! It was a
hideous thought and the Judge
groaned. Then at the other end of the
meadow near the woods he distin
guished several men, Fentress and his
‘’rionds beyond question The Judge
laughed aloud. In spite of everything
he was keeping his engagement, he
was plucking his triumph out of the
very dregs of failure. The judge
threw himself over the fence, a cor
ner of the quilt caught on one of the
rails; he turned to release it, and in
that instant two pistol shots rang out
sharply In the morning air.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Solomon’s Last Night.
It had been with no little reluctance
that Solomon Mahaffy accompanied
Yancy and Cavendish to Belle Plain:
he would have preferred to remain in
Raleigh in attendance upon Judge
Price, Intimately acquainted with the
judge's mental processes, he could fol
low all the devious workings of that
magnificent mind; he could fathom
the simply hellish ingenuity he was
capable of putting forth to accom
plish temporary benefits. Permitting
his thoughts to dwell upon the min
gled strength and weakness which
was so curiously blended in Slocum
Price’s character, he had horrid vi
; sions of that great soul, freed from
| the trammels of restraint, confiding
his melancholy history to Mr. Pegioe
in the hope of bolstering his fallen
credit at the City Tavern.
Always where the judge was con
cerned he fluctuated between extremes
of doubt and confidence. He felt that
under the urgent spur of occasion his
friend could rise to any emergency,
while a sustained activity made de
mands which he could not satisfy;
then his efforts were discounted by
his insane desire to realize at once on
his opportunities; in his haste he was
tor ever plucking unripe fruit; and
though he might keep one eye on the
main chance the other was fixed just
as resolutely on the nearest tavern.
With the great stake which fate
had suddenly introduced into their los
ing game, he wished earnestly to be
lieve that the judge would stay quiet
ly in his office and complete the task
he had set himself; that with this off
his hands the promise of excitement
at Belle Plain would compel his pres
ence there, when he would pass some
what under the restraining influence
which he was determined to exert;
in short, to Solomon, life embraced
just the one vital consideration,
which was to maintain the judge in a
state of sobriety until v after his meet
ing with Fentress.
The purple of twilight was stealing
over the land when he and his two
companions reached Belle Plain. They
'earned that Tom Ware had returned
from Memphis, that the bayou had
been dragged but without results, arid
that as yet nothing had been heard ,
from Carrington or the dogs he had
gone for.
Presently Cavendish and Yancy set
off across the fields. They were go- i
ing on to the raft, to Polly and tho
six little Cavendishes, whom they had
not seen since early morning; but '
they promised to be back at Belle J
Plain within an hour.
By very nature an alien, Mahaffv
sought out a dark corner on the wide
porch that overlooked the river to
await their return. The house had
been thrown open, and supper was be
ing served to whoever cared to stay
and partake of it. The murmur of
idle purposeless talk drifted out to
him; he was irritated and offended by
it. There was something garish in
this indiscriminate hospitality in the
very home of trhgedy. As the mo- i
ments slipped by his sense of dis I
pleasure increased, with mankind in
general, with himself, and with the
judge—principally with the judge—
who was to make a foolish target of
himself in the morning. He was go
ing to give the man who had wrecked
his life a chance to take it as well.
Mahaffy's cold logic dealt cyntcaLly
with the preposterous situation his
friend had created.
In the mid3t of his angry medita
tions he heard a clock strike in the
hall and counted the strokes. It was
nine o’clock. Sure'y Yancy and Cav
endish had been gone their hour! He
quitted his seat and strolled restless
ly about the house. He felt deeply
Indignant with everybody and every
thing. Human intelligence seemed
but a pitiable advance on brute tn
stinct. A whole day had passed and
what had been accomplished? Car
rington, the judge, Yancy, Cavendish
—the four men who might have
worked together to some purpose—
had widely separated themselves; and
here was the duel, the very climax of
absurdity. He resumed his dark cor
ner and w’aited another hour. Still
no Carrington, and Yancy and Caven
dish had not come up from the raft
“Fools!” thought Mahaffy bitterly
“All of them fools!”
At last he decided to go back to
the judge; and a moment later was
hurrying down the lane in the dlrec
tion of the highroad, but, jaded as ho
was by the effort he had already put
for that day, the walk to Raleigh
made tremendous demands on him,
and it was midnight when he entered
the little town.
It cannot he said that he was alto
gether surprised when he found their
cottage dark and apparently desert
ed. He had half expected this. Fn
tering, and not stopping to secure a
candle, he groped his way upstairs to
the room on the second floor which
he and the judge shared.
“Price!” he called, but this gained
him no response, and he cursed soft
ly under his breath.
He hastily descended to the kitch
en, lighted a candle, aud stepped into
he adjoining room. On the table was
a neat pile of papers, and topping the
pile w r as the president’s letter. Be
ing burdened by no false scruples,
and thinking it might afford some
due to the judge’s whereabouts, Ma
aaffy took it up and read it. Having
mastered its contents he instantly
glanced in the direction of the Citr
Tavern, but it. was wrapped in dark
ness.
"Price is drunk somewhere, wa»
his definite conclusion. "But he'll be
at Boggs’ the first thing in the morn
iUg_most likely so far gone he can
hardly stand!”
The letter, with its striking news,
made little or no impression on him
just then; it merely furnished the
clue he had sought. The judge was
off somewhere marketing his pros
pects.
After a time Mahaffy went up
stairs, and, without removing his
clothes, threw himself on the bed. Ho
was worn down to the point of ex
haustion, yet he could no. sleep,
though the deep silence warned him
that day was not far off. A hat if
but he would not let the thought
shape itself in his mind He had wit
nessed the judge's skill with the pis
tol, and he had even a certain irra
tional faith in that gentleman's des
tiny. He prayed God that Fentress
might die quickly and decently witn
the judge’s bullet through his brain.
Over and over in savage supplication
he muttered his prayer that Fentress
might die.
Mahaffy watcb-:d for the coming of
the dawn, but before the darkness
lifted he had risen from the bed and
gone downstairs, w in: re be made him
self a cup of wretched coffee. 1 hen
he blew out his candle and watched
the gray light spread. He was im
patient now to be alt. and tulLy an
hour before the sun, set out for
Boggs’, a tall, gaunt figure in the
shadowy' uncertainty of that October
morning. lie was the first to reach
the place ct meeting, but he had
scarcely entered the meadow when
Fentress rode up, attended by Tom
Ware. They dismounted, and the
co onel lifted his hat. Mahaffy bare
ly acknowledged the salute; he was
in no mood for courtesies that meant
nothing. Ware was clearly of the
same mind.
There was an awkward pause, then
Fentress and Ware spoke together in
a low tone. The planter’s speech was
broken and hoarse, and his heavy,
blood-shot eyes were the eyes of a
haunted man; this'was all a part of
Fentress’ scheme to face the world,
and Ware still believed that the fires
Hicks had kindled had served his des
perate need.
When the first long shadows stole
out from the edge of the woods Fen-
tress turned to Mahaffy, 'whose glance
w is directed toward the distant cor
ii >r of the field, where he knew his
friend must first 3> ear
‘Wh«r are we Wd i<rj n g sir?” he
oianded, his tone cold and formal.
“Something has occurred to detain
Price,” answered Mahaffy.
The colonel and Ware exchanged
looks. Again they spoke together,
while Mahaffy watched the road. Ten(|
miuutes slipped by In this manner,
and once more Fentress addressed
Mahaffy.
“Do you know what could have de
tained him?” he inquired, the ghost
of a smile curling his thin lips.
“[ don’t,” said Mahaffy, and relapsed
Into a moody and anxious silence. He
held dueling in very proper abhor
r nee, and only his feeling of intense
but never-declared loyalty to his
friend had brought him there.
Another interval of waiting suc
ceeded.
“[ have about reached the end of
m.? patience; I shall wait just ten
minutes longer," said Fentress, and
drew out his watch.
“Something has happened—” began
Mahaffy.
“I have kept my engagement; he
should have kept his,” Fentress con
tinued, addressing Ware. “I am sor-
The Pistol Slipped From Hie Finger*.
ry to have brought you here for noth
ing, Torn ”
Walt!" 3aid Mahaffy, planting him
self squarely before Fentress.
“I consider this comic episode at
an end,” and Fentress pocketed hta
watch.
“Scarcely!’’ rejoined Mahaffy. His
i.ong arm shot out and the open palm
of his hand descended on the col
onel’s face. “I am here for my
friend,’’ he said grimly.
