Show = 2we I s ltd DELUGE s C DAVID GRAHAM PHttURS Author of 72ZECaS3c > t a7z2 dydx BC7 RSI L Ct1 1N3J CHAPTER xxv Continued he IMOU will sayo me I continued I lit in transfer to you in a blocky d block-y Coal holding They will be t n fh double my total liabilities with met rte monthsas soon as tho re iliation Is announced I leave it ray ly I to your sense of justice her i shall have my part of them f t when this storm blows over ty didnt you go to Roebuck = ked without looking up he Lcauso It Is ho that stuck the Into mo II by I I dont know I suspect the Mart tln Llo properties which I brought ode tho combine have some value dim In ino one but Roebuck and per itti I Langdon knows aboutand that some way was dangerous to them ae gh that fact They havent give 1 giv-e time to look into it I Igrlm smile flitted over the face Ive been too busy getting mar n ehr PDb achy said I Its another case as jntmckllng for tho weddltlg l feast feq getting assassinated as a pen Do you wish me to explain any ght on that listdo you want any lit its of tho combine of the Coal ht Is there I dr hid lot necessary ho replied As I thought with that enormous mao I att i ma-o his for drawing in informa and with that enormous mem r of hIs for details he probably de r more about the combine and its m rUes than I did is lou have heard of the lockout of 9 aired for I wished him to know no intention of deceiving him agt the present market value of 1 S i stocks ate ebuck has been commanded by o hod ho said to eject the free flcan labor from the coal regions loop to substitute Importations of labs Huns and Bohemians Thus ane kicked American laborers will be dl t ened for trying to get higher 31g s and cut down a pious mans nda nds and the downtrodden cool 11 fill bo brought where they can ate the blessings of liberty and of dot reaching of Roebucks mission ittloo ughed though ho had not smiled ad spoken as if stating color iat facts And righteousness and hi luck will prevail said I frowned slightly n sardonic grin P1a flag the straight thin cruel line ge i lips Ho opened his tables ono I Idlsp ace iff drawer and took out a pad pencil He wrote A few words olhm c lowest part of the top sheet It tore off the part he had u s bled on returned till pad and hick 9 gljto the drawer handed tho scrap per to me I will do it ho said t this to Mr Farquhar second heft Ito the loft Good morning ghlb In that atmosphere of vast affairs 5IG Illy dispatched his consent with Vgument seemed and was the G trotcourse ear lt wed Though he had not saved l s a favor to me but because as t Bed In with his plans whatever tam were my eyes dimmed I r sn 1 forget this said I my voice su uto steady know it said ho curtly Iou I-ou I oat oslo all that his mind had already illal DIe out I said no more and lard row When I loft the room it lied recisely as it had been when I d it except the bit of paper vho from tho pad Dut what a dlf e at e to me to tho thousands the eds of thousands directly and I of ell ly interested In tho Coal com one land Its strike and its products I tcek presented by those few almost dt Ie scrawllngs on that scrap of al C Iuntll I had gone over the situ ill 5 ° with Farquhar and we had roan and exchanged the necessary e set s did I begin to relax from the apjl how great that strain was I coot ed a few weeks later when the ales appeared thick at my temples Chr ere wag iu my crown what was ndet eh a shock as mine a thin spot jast saved said I to myself von etc fa long breath as I stood on thee the-e Pur i ° f dulloways establishment I i hourly was transacted business I sal affecting the welfare of scores Iut Illons of human beings with ho Gallownys poruonnUlntorcst as applld Ple guIdIng principle Saved I is ated and not until then did It i i In tbs before me I must leave pain a d tul I ad Price Ho would never have nted < l to Interforo with Roebuck 1 hat n fls I asked hIm to do It un hero t had been some powerful dtei e It I had had my wits about I Ill ocouhl havo mailo far better al Why hadnt F my wits about Anita wuy my instant answer so d oWn questltn Anita again I 1 bad attack of family mans a In And thus it camo about that fit 1 back to my c flee feeling as If Offered a f vero defeat in 01 Jubilant ov r my narrow CD lady jld followed mo Into my den t lUck asked he la the tone s i F J of a mother waylaying tie doctor as I ho issues from tho sickroom Luck said I gazing blankly at him Youve seen tho latest quotation havent you In his nervousness his temper was on a fine edge No replied I indifferently I sat down at my desk and began to busy myself Thou I added Woro out of tho Coal combine Ive transferred I our holdings Look after these things I please And I gave him the checks notes and memoranda of agreement Galloway ho exclaimed And then his eye fell on the totals of tho stock I had been carrying Good God Matt ho gasped Ruined I i And ho sat down and burled his face and cried like a cblhlit was then that I measured the full depth of the chasm I had escaped I made no such exhibition of myself but when I tried to relight my cigar my hand trembled so that the flame scorched my lips Ruined I said to Joe easily enough Not at all Were back in tho road going smoothly ahead only at a bit less stiff a pace Think Joe of all those poor devils down In the mining districts Theyre out clear outand thousands of em dont know where their families will get i I 1 3YI E l 1s Itj 1 i E Ii F 7 I I I Y TURNED 1113 BACK ON HE AND GAZED OUT TOWARD LONG ISLAND IS-LAND bread And hough they havent found it out yet theyve got to leave the place where theyve lived all their lives and their fathers before them have got to go wandering about in a world thats as strange to them as the surface of the moon and as I bare for them as the Sahara desert I Thats so said Joe Its hard I luck But I saw ho was thinking only of himself and his narrow escape from having to give up his big house and all the rest of it that softhearted soft-hearted and generous though ho was to those poor chaps and their wives and children ho wasnt giving a thought I Youve done a grand two hours work said Joe Grander than you think replied 11 i I Ive set the tiger on to light the bull Galloway and Roebuck Just that said I And I laughed started up sat down again No Ill put off the pleasure said I Ill lot Roebuck find out when the claws catch In that tough old hide of his XXVI A CONSPIRACY AGAINST ANITA On about tho hottest afternoon of that summer I had the yacht take me down the Sound to n point on the Connecticut Con-necticut shore within sight of Dawn Hill but seven miles farther from Now York I landed at the private pier of Howard Forrester tin only brother of Anitas mother As I stepped upon the pier I saw a tlno looking old man In the pavilion overhanging over-hanging the water Ho was dressed all in white except akytiiuo tie that harmonized with the color of his eyes Ho was neither fat nor lean and his smooth skin was protesting ruddily against the ago proclaimed by his woolwhite hair lie rose ns I came toward him and whllo I was still several yards away showed unmistakably unmistak-ably that he knew who I was and that he was anything but glad to seo mo Mr Korrester I asked Ho grew purple to tho line of his thick white hair It is Mr Black lock said ho I have tho honor to wish you good day sir And with i that he turned his back on mo and gazed out toward Long Island I have come to ask a favor of you sir said I as polite to that hostile back as if I had been addressing a cordial face And I waited Ho wheeled round looked at mo from head to foot I withstood tho Inspection calmly when It was ended I noted that In spite of himself he was somewhat relaxed from the opinion opin-Ion of me he had formed upon what i ho hail heard and read But he said I do not know you sh and 1 do not wish to know you You have made me painfully aware of that replied I But I have learned not to take snap judgments too seriously I never go to a man unless I have something to say to him and I never leave until I have said it I perceive sir retorted he you have the thick skin necessary to living liv-ing up to that rule And tho twinkle In his eyes betrayed the man who delights de-lights to exorcise a real or imaginary talent for caustic wit Such men are like nettles dangerous only to tho timid touch On the contrary replied I easy in mind now though I did not anger him by showing it I am most sensitive sen-sitive to Insults Insults to myself But you are not insulting me You are insulting n purely imaginary hearsay person wlio is I venture to assure you utterly unllko me and who doubtless deserves to be Insulted In-sulted Ills purple had now faded In afar a-far different tone he said If your business in any way relates to the family into which you have married I do not wish to hear It Spare my patience and your time sir I It does not was my answer It I relates to my own familyto my wife I and myself As you may have heard I she Is no longer a member of the Ellersley family And I have come to you chiefly because I happened to know your sentiment toward the Ellersloys I have no sentiment toward them sir he exclaimed They are nonexistent non-existent sir nonexistent Your wifes mother ceased to be a Forrester when she married that scoundrel Your wife Is still less a Forrester True sold h She is a Black lock Ho winced and it reminded me of the night of my marriage and Anitas expression when the preacher called her by her new nuino But I held his gaze and we looked each at the oilier fixedly for it must havo been full half a minute Then ho said courteously cour-teously What do you wish I wont straight to tho point My color may havo been high but my voice did not hesitate as I explained I wish to make my wife financially Independent I wish to settle on her au income that will enable her to live as sire has been accustomed I know she would not take It from mo Sot So-t have como to ask you to protend to give It to hmI I of course giving It to yuu to give Again wo looked full and fixedly each nt tho other Como to the house lllncklock he said at last inn in-n tone that wail the subtlest of com illmonts And he linked < < I his arm In mIne Hnlfwnv to the ambling stone house severe In its lines yet line and homelike quaintly icsemhlltii its own or as n mans house always should ho paused I owe yon an apology said ho After all my experience ol this world of envy and malice I mould have recognized tho man ovoi in his caricatures of his enemies And you brought tho best possible ere dcnttals you are well hated To bt well hated by tho human race and by the creatures mouhtcd on its back is a distinction sir It is the crown ot the true kings of this world We seated ourselves on the rS3o veranda ho had champagne and water wa-ter brought and cigars and wo proceeded pro-ceeded to get acquaIntednothIng pro motc8 cordiality and sympathy like an Initial misunderstanding It was a geed hour before this kindhearted hatjj soft typical oldfashioned New Englander reverted to the subject of my visit Said he And now young man may I venture to ask some extremely ex-tremely personal questions In the circumstances replied It you have the right to know everything every-thing I did not come to you without first making sure what manner of man 1 was to find At this ho blushed pleased ns a girl at her first beaus first compliment And you Mr Forrester can not bo expected to embark in the little adventure I propose pro-pose until you have satisfied yourself your-self First the why of your plan I nm In active business replied I and I shall be still more active That means financial uncertainty His suspicion of me started up from its doze and rubbed its eyes Alit You wish to Insure yourself Yes was my answer but not In I the way you hint It takes away o mans courage just when ho needs it I most to feel that his family Is involved in-volved In his venture Why do you not make the settlement settle-ment direct ho asked partly reassured reas-sured Because I wish her to feel that It Is her own that I have no right over It whatever lIe thought about this His eyes were keen as ho said Is that your real reason t I saw I must ho unreserved with him Part of it I replied Tno rest isshe would not take it from wo The old man smiled cynically Have you tried he Inquired If I had tried and failed she would have been on tho alert for an indirect attiuph Try her young man said he laughing In this day there are few people anywhere whod refuse nny sum trout anybody for anything And a woman and a i > w York womanand a Now York fashionable fash-ionable woman and a daughter of old Ellerslyshell tako it as a baby Jikes the breast I She would not take it said I My tone though I strove to keep angry protest out of it because I needed him caused him to draw back Instantly I beg your pardon said he I forgot for the moment that I was talking to a man young enough still to have youths delusions about women Youll learn that theyre human hu-man that its from them wo men inherit in-herit our weaknesses However lets assume that she wont take it Why wont she take your money What is thero about it that repels Kllerslys daughter brought up In the sewers of fashionable New York the sewers sir Sho does not love mo I answered I havo hurt you he said quickly in great distress at having compelled me to expose my secret wound Time wound does not acho tho worse said I for my showing It to you AnW that was tho truth I looked over toward Dawn 11111 whoso towers could just be seen Wo live there I pointed Sho Islike a guest in my house When I glanced at him again his face betrayed a feeling of which I doubt if any one had thought him capable ca-pable in many a year I lice that you love her he told gently ns a mother Yes I replied And presently 1 went on The idea of any ono love being dependent on mo In a sordid way Is l most distasteful to mo And since she does not love me does not oven like me It Is doubly necessary neces-sary that she be independent I confess I do not quite follow you said he How can she accept anything from me If she should finally bo compelled com-pelled by necessity to do It what hope could I havo of her over feeling toward to-ward me as a wife should feel toward to-ward her husband At this explanation of mine his eyes 1 sparkled with anger and I could not but suspect that he had at ono tlmo In his life been faced with a problem like mine and had settled it the other oth-er way My suspicion was not weakened weak-ened when he went on to say Boyish motives again They show you da not know women Dont bo deceived by their delicate exterior by their pretenses of superreflnoment They affect to be what passion ue hides us Into thinking them Hut theyre clay sir Just clay and fur less sensitive than we men Dont you seo young man that by making her Independent youre throwing away your best chance of winning herj Women are like dogs llko dogs tlr They lick the hand that feeds em lick It and like It TO HE 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