Show i ju j WALTER MARGUIS Sil ATHA BERGER ikney thal the people of hempstead despised him and he returned their with interest it was not altruism he reasoned that made them frown when he prop erty of some improvident to liquidate an honest debt it was anotn ing more than their v of hs w achu if the idiots wera so come insolvent they must be prepared to tike the consequences berger never smiled his appear ance bore out the general estimate of his character everybody said he was a close fisted miser Hs long sour face was sharper and more cunning than usual faced the attorney across the besl the law ier shook his head and a bit of advice y 1 it wouldn t be a wise thing to do jut at this time air berge he ar paid mrs trotter Is not well and to be turned out of her home would be a liard blow and tomorrow Is christmas it you don t mind berger snapped run my own business oh of course the attorney returned with i shrug only the people of this town have been in an ugly mood since you evicted the babbitt family lou hiven t forgotten that there was some hot headed talk of tar and feathers mr balne berger snarled 1 I pay you to obey orders not to tell me how to conduct my affairs this trotter woman has not paid her rent and I 1 do not intend to be swindled out of it 0 it ane goes and if ou won t attend to it find another attorney who will sir but tomorrow Christmas day out she goes serl ot another hour w I 1 give her I 1 busst have a return on my Investments 1 all right said the lawyer with a taji and berger stalked out As he trudged through alie streets back scowl for scowl as he I 1 ui mcd his enemies the citizen of the words of the attori ti recurred and goaded him to new christmas I 1 hat was christmas to him he turned in at his great banike house mut ind dropped into a chair in his cold living room A day of torturing mem oriff it was just twenty years ago or was it twenty one that soung bior ice berger had stamped out of his fathers hone in a temper vowing ner to return he had brhen the boy out bergar reflected his ayran rance with the young mans alfs had resulted in this dalsas ter which biad left him alone twenty years of lonely h 1 how it had hardened him then ha had been respected a model citizen in moderate in those twenty icara was it hal grown rich rich 1 gouging the poor the rabble called his roath berger jerked and forced his thoughts from their unpleasant trend they were welcome to call it what they would the rabble was nothing to him his son had fled from him or diversion he biad turned to mab ing monay hy blame him years of mone mactag and nw a bent old nan of seventy he was left alone alone with ills wealth alac with the hatred of the rabble D n the rabble aliat liat did he care what they thought there had been some talk of tar and feathers nad alere ow dinst to worry onit in eliat direction it was all 1 ilk all bluff lie rousi have dozed for n time he aroused in a sort of cloud of aery 1 ad half ons clou tha like alu abbed in the air acre was down the hoarse cries eliat chilled it was corn ing nearer a f berger went 0 o the window an 1 peered out fron behind the curtal nl there w as a mo A half block agaj in the thick idols I 1 something glinted if the att from the street lamps tar buckets of tar berger shrank back from the win dow w alte with hla fright ue glanced at the telephone he must help but god lie had ordered the instrument disconnected after a row with the operator he was always having rows with somebody isolated H was cut off from the world A mob howled before his adoor a mob with tar and feathers and he was clone alone with his wealth he laughed insanely then shrieked aloud A band burst into taue before the house he felt himself falling berger slowly came back to consciousness he was lying on his bed and at first he recalled nothing of the nights terror it all swept back he held his hands away fron him afraid that they would feel feath ers sticky with tar those shouts they had sounded like a band playing he opened his eyes cautiously and looked about his gaze fixed itsell upon the face of a min beside the bed obviously prosperous strangely familiar berger s gaze became a start horace he whispered then cried incredulous yet glad horace my son horace berger reached down and gripped his fathers hand bard the features of the miser softened and he smiled then terror leaped at him again his eyes grew wide horace he the cobl you came in time to save me from the mob the younger man smiled and ed his fathers hand once more it gasn wasn t a mob father he said berger was unbelieving 0 o mob he echoed to cobl io tar no feathers horace shook his head the old man covered his face trembling conscience 1 he whispered guich conscience it has hounded roe all day and tomorrow Is chrit mas hb was weeping openly while his son sat beside him presently but what r ave been taking liberties with your name father horace explained 1 I turned over onis money oh quite a bit of money to the mavor and told hl n to arrange a merry christmas for the poor a real merry christmas I 1 bieard about the babbitt finlly sou turned out and I 1 bought the carson cottage and told tho mayor to give it to them christmas present I 1 told the or I 1 had come home to append the holidays and you were celebre cele brt ng 1 I me yes I 1 did it all in your name and the the the neav or out lie hand and crowd followed to serenade sei enade you ihly left alwn I 1 told them vou had become I 1 biks said they never un derbwood god berger cried and again he was weeping doing penance now for ewt nt barren he got up and started iarossi alie room but he paused the telephone biad been ordered discon lecter unless frill chance the biad neglected to turn in th t churlish order he lifted number please berger algosi shouted the number he was 0 o pleased in a moment kaine listen krainc this Is berg r make out a deed transferring hat contag cot tag in toto to mrs trotter 11 sign it in the morningto tj horace berger laid his hand upon ils fathers arm their eyes met and filled with mist either of them coald speak watern dippl NiP Pl anlon |