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Show By H. M. EGBERT. When Allan Gray walked out of the Office-of Suitor's -YVkekly,- after having hav-ing applied successfully in response to an advertisement for an assistant, he thought that his future was assured. as-sured. Twenty-four, just out of college, col-lege, with all the enthusiasm of a young man facing the struggle of life, he appealed to Smith, although for different reasons than those which Smith outlined. "We're here to fight corruption in Bender," said the middle-aged editor and proprietor, thumping his fist down on the table. "And we're going to clean up the rottenest town in the whole state. That Is my purpose, and that's what we are going to do together, to-gether, Mr. Gray." There was a girl in Allan Gray's life. Her name was' Mildred and' she was twenty-two. She was earnine a 'living in the metropolis two hundred miles away. Each of them was putting put-ting by money toward the day the great day when Allan would be able to earn an Income for both of them. At the end of his first month of service Gray's salary was raised from fifteen dollars to twenty-five. Smith was rapidly handing over to him the charge of the Weekly. The young man's stinging editorials in particular aroused the editor's approbation. "Give it 'sm hot!" said Smith. "Well done, young man! I see I -made no mistake in taking you." Wit) more sophistication Allan might have suspected that something was wrong. Actually, he was delighted. delight-ed. He detailed the entire situation to his sweetheart in his twice-a-week letters. Certainly the appearance of the new weekly created a prodigious sensation in a town of 100,000 inhabitants. Together To-gether Smith and Allan assailed the boss with horsewhips of invective. What had he got for the franchise traction? Why was a convict manager mana-ger of the waterworks department? "I've Got a Lunch Appointment." Who got the contract for the roads, and why? On the day following the appearance of the first issue a deputation deputa-tion of local merchants made their appearance and announced that Smith need look for no advertisements from them. Smith was not counting on advertisements. ad-vertisements. He laughed them out of his office. When the circulation ran up to 30,000 he guffawed. Smith's Weekly was a success beyond all doubt. Everyone bought it, from Ross Gregory to the high school boys. At the end of three months Allan was writing nearly all the editorials, under Smith's guidance. The older man confessed that the youngster could beat him at his own game. Then Allan wrote gleefully to Mildred: Mil-dred: "The time is coming, clear. After the approaching elections we shall have a new government. Then business busi-ness will flow our way, Gregory and his satellites will be consigned to the outer darkness, I shall be raised again, and we will be married! Think of that! Married!" Four weeks before the elections, to his amazement, the young fellow was waited on by a deputation of citizens at his boarding-house. They wanted him to run for the office of sheriff, paying $2,500 yearly. "But I don't know anything about the work!" exclaimed the boy delighted. de-lighted. "I am afraid, Mr. Gray, there Is vry little chance of your election," said the chief of the deputation candidly. can-didly. "The sheriff's post has always gone to a Gregory man. You know, Tr.m Vincent bu an enormous following fol-lowing of heolara. He has had the position ten years now. Still, thert must be a turn-over there must. And you may get in. Let us put you on the ticket." Gray accepted and told Mr. Smith enthusiastically next morning. To his surprise his employer was not overenthusiastic. To his greater surprise, sur-prise, that day Smith told him to "go slow" instead of to "ginger up." "We mustn't overdo it," he explained ex-plained lamely. "We don't want to create a reaction." While Allan stared at him, speechless speech-less in surprise, Smith put on his coat and hat. "I've got a lunch appointment," he said. "See here, young man, are you as stupid as you appear to be or?" He got no further, for at that moment mo-ment he was struck down with apoplexy. apo-plexy. An ambulance was called and the doctor took the man away to the hospital. "He'll probably get well," he said. "But it will be some time before he can use his pen or do any work again." Allan, left alone in the office, did not know what to do. Therefore, he started to do his ;work exactly as though the unexpected had not happened. hap-pened. He was hard on a biting editorial edi-torial when the shadow of a man in a silk hat fell across his desk and caused him to start round. Behind him, immaculately dressed, his heavy jowl set in asneering smile, stood Gregory himself. "This is bad news about Mr. Smith," said the boss. "I should hardly expect you to take it that way, sir," suggested Allan. The old boss took a chair at his side. "So you are the young t an that has been holding me up before the public gaze as a scoundrel!" he said. "I am, sir," answered Allan, "and I believe conscientiously that " The boss laid a hand on his arm. "Now, if I had a young man like you with me," he said, "what wouldn't I be able to do?" "I can't be bought, Mr. Gregory," said Allan. "I don't need to buy you, my boy," answered the other. "At least, I don't think I do. But Smith can't talk, and what's the good of owning him?" "I don't understand " Allan began. "1 know you don't," answered the other. "I never thought you did from the beginning. Your editorials had the ring of truth; his didn't. Well, then, my friend Jim Smith started this paper pa-per to get bought out.1 Understand that? I wouldn't buy at his price. I didn't believe he could hurt me. He could. I was wrong for once in my life. When I came up to his terms he went higher. So we played teeter till four weeks before election day. Yesterday we agreed on terms. And this is my paper." Allan listened in horror, and gradually grad-ually he began to understand many things that had been mysteries to him. No wonder Smith had encouraged encour-aged him ,to write more stinging invective in-vective till th:it same morning. "You will show me the ;;reen ent," suggested Allan. "Mr. Gray," said the boss, "I never bluff. It wasn't signed by Mr. Smith. He was to have signed in my office today, after lunch." "Then," said Allan calmly, "I shall run the paper alone. I shall be true to what I believed my employer's principles to be." "Wait a minute," said Gregory, pulling pull-ing a letter out of his pocket. "Read this not so close, young man. Do you think this letter, offering tc ac cept my terms, would read well in the newspapers? And this, you see, is signed.". Yes, that was Smith's signature. Allan sank back - helplessly in his chair. He coulfl say nothing more. "Now, my young friend," Gregory continued, "how much influence do you suppose will remain to 'Smith's Weekly' when this letter is published and you are jointly involved with our friend in what you would call 'a shameless conspiracy'?" "None," admitted Allan. "Then," said the boss, "will you suspend publication or drag a dying man's name down to infamy to gain a reputation for sincerity in which no one will believe?" Allan thought hard. Then, "I will suspend for that letter," he answered. "Now you're talking sense,"- answered an-swered the boss. And he placed the letter in Allan's hands. He knew Hint he had not misjudged his man. There was a good deal of quiet talk about Smith during the period preceding preced-ing the elections. The story of his dishonesty became gradually known. But nobody ever suspected the Integrity Integ-rity of Allan Gray. That, doubtless, was why he secured the election as sheriff by a majority of nearly four hundred votes. And that, too, was why he was enabled to write to Mildred just two days afterward. after-ward. "Come, dearest," he said. And when he saw Gregory among the spectators at the wedding he did not feel anything but goodfellowshlp. He even took the boss' hand. Ex-boss', rather. For Gregory would never hold power in Bender again, even though Smith's Weekly had perished. per-ished. (Copyright. 1914, bj- W. G. Chapn an.) |