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Show i ' J ' J- IRWIN MYERS i: m ' Copyright by Harper A Brothers , t !; thuslasm for his city, and they .Intimated .Inti-mated that a gang of professional land-gamblers was soon to perpetrate an enormous theft, leaving the public holding the sack. Still, there must be a middle course somewhere. At any rate, he could use Conwanl's story about the land sale. That whs news legitimate news. Of course. It might be a falcd sale faked for Its news value but reporters are not paid for being detectives. The Evening. Call' carried a statement Of Conward's sale, an J on that statement was hung a column col-umn story on the growing prosperity of .he city and its assured future, ow-inj, ow-inj, to Its exceptional climate and iiuiLiral resources, combined with its commanding position on transportation transporta-tion routes, both east und west and north and south. r i' Read what happens lo Dave in the next installment. (TO BE CONTINUED.) DAVE BECOMES STAR REPORTER. RE-PORTER. Synopsis. David Elden, son of 3 drunken, shiftless ranchman, almost al-most a maverick of the foothills, is breaking bottles with his pistol from his running cayuse when the first automobile he has ever seen arrives and tips over, breaking the leg of Doctor Hardy but not Injuring Injur-ing his beautiful daughter Irene. Dave rescues the Injured man and brings a doctor from 40 miles away. Irene takes charge ot the housekeeping. Dave and Irene take many rides together and during her father's enforced stay they get well acquainted. They part with a kiss and an implied promise. Dave's father dies and Dave goes to town to seek his fortune. A man named Conward teaches him his first lesson les-son in city ways. Dave has a narrow nar-row escape. Is disgusted and turns over a new leaf. Fate brings him Into contact with Melvln Duncan, who sees the Inherent good in the boy and welcomes him to his home, where he meets Edith, his host's' pretty daughter. Dave becomes a newspaper reporter. f vw w w SiW V MS H H MS SC natural elements which make a country coun-try or city a desirable place to live? I'll tell you. Climate, transportation, good water, variety of landscape, opportunity op-portunity of independence. Given these conditions, everything else can be added. Then there's trannporta-tion. trannporta-tion. This is one of the few centers In America which lias a North-and-Sor.th trade euual to its East-and-West trade. We're on the crossroads. Every settler who goes into the North and it Is a mighty North means more North-and-South trade. I tell you, Dave, the movement is on now, and before long it'll hit us like a tidal wave. I've been a bit of a gambler all my life, but this is the biggest jack-pot ever was, and I'm going to sit in. How about you?" "I'd like to think It over. Promotion Promo-tion doesn't come very fast on this job, that's sure." "Yes, and while you are thinking It over chances are slipping by. Don't think it over put It over. I tell you, Dave, there are 'big things In the air. one bad only told me, when I was your age,' she said." "Why do you tell me this?" he suddenly sud-denly demanded. "Did you ever feel that you just hud to tell some one?" It was his turn to pause. "Yes," he confessed, at length. "Then tell me." So he led her down through the tragedy of his youth and the lonely, rudderless course of his boyhood. She followed sympathetically to the day when Doctor Hardy and his daughter Irene became guests at the Elden ranch. Hut before the end be stopped. stop-ped. Should he tell her all? Why not? She had opened her life to him. So he told her of that last evening with Irene, and the compact under the trees and the moon. Her hand had fallen into bis as they talked, but here he felt it slowly withdrawn. But he was tired with the flame of love which bad sprung up In the breath of his reminiscence. reminis-cence. . . . And Edith was bis friend and his chum. "And you have been true?" she said, but her voice was distant and strained. "Yes." "And you are waiting for her?" "Yes, 1 am waiting. ... It must be so." "It Is cold," she said. "Let us go home." CHAPTER VI. Whatever the effect of this conversation conver-sation bud been upon Edith, she concealed con-cealed It carefully, and Dave counted It one of the fortunate events of his life. He bad been working under the spur of his passion for Irene, but now this was to be supplemented by the friendship of Edith. That It was more than friendship on her part did not occur to him nt all. but be knew she was Interested In him and he was doubly determined that he would Justify her Interest and confidence. But Just at this time another Incident Inci-dent occurred which was to turn the Hood of his life Into strange channels. Dave had been promoted to the disthfo-tion disthfo-tion of a private olllce a little slx-hy-slx "box stall." as the sport editor described de-scribed It but, nevertheless, a distinction dis-tinction shared only with the managing manag-ing editor ami Bert Morrison, compiler of the woman's page. Hit name was Roberta, but she was masculine to the tips and everybody called her Bert. Into Dave's sanctuary one afternoon after-noon In October came Conward. Ills habitual cigarette hung from Its accustomed ac-customed short tooth, and bis round, florid face seemed pullior than usual. His aversion to any exercise more vigorous vig-orous than offered by a billiard cue wasi beginning to rolled Itself In n premature rotundity of llgure. " 'I.o, Dave!" he said. "Alone?" "Almost." said Dave, wit limit looking look-ing up from bis typewriter. Then, turning, he kicked the door shut with his heel and said. "Shoot !" "This strenuous life Is spoiling vour WmSm "If a Man Does Not Become Rich by Work He Has No Right to Become Rich at All," Dave Retorted. as, :; CHAPTER V Continued. 9 He was at the Duncan house earlier than usual Sunday afternoon, but not too early for Edith. She was dressed for the occasion ; she seemed more fetching than he had ever seen her. She led the way over the path followed fol-lowed the Sunday before until again they sat by the rushing water. Dave had again been filled with a sense of Reenie Hardy, and his conversation was disjointed and uninteresting. She I tried unsuccessfully to draw him out j with questions about himself; then took the more astute tack of speaking of her own past life. It had begun in an eastern city, ever so many years ago Chivalry could not allow that to pass. "Oh, not so very manyl" said: Dave. "How many?" she teased. "Guess." "Nineteen," he hazarded. "Oh, more than that." "Twenty-one?" "Oh, less than that." And their first j confidence was established. i "Twenty," thought Dave to himself, j "Reenie must be about twenty now." j "And I was five when when Jack died," she went on. "Jack was my brother, you know. He was seven. . . . Well,- we were playing, and I stood on the car tracks, signaling t lie motor-man, motor-man, to make him ring bis bell. On came the car, with the bell clanging, and the man In blue looking very cross. Jack must have thought I was waiting too long, for he suddenly rushed on the trncK to pull me oft." She stopped, and sat looking at the rushing water. "I heard him cry, "Oil. daddy, daddy!' dad-dy!' above the screech of the brakes." "Sorrow Is a strange . thing." she went on, after a pause. "I don't pretend pre-tend to understand, but It seems to have its place In life. I guess It's a natural law. Well " She paused ! again, and when she spoke It was In a lower, more confidential note. I "I shouldn't have told you this, Dave. I shouldn't know It myself. But j They are beginning to move already. Have you noticed the strangers In town of late? That's the advance guard " "Advance guard of a real estate boom ?" "Hish! That's a had word. Get away from It. Say 'Industrial development.' devel-opment.' "Let me elaborate. We'll say Alkali Lake Is a railway station where lots go begging at a hundred dollars each. In drops a well-dressed stranger buys ten lots at a hundred ami fifty each and the; old timers are chuckling over sticking him. But In drops another stranger and buys a block of lots at two hundred each. Then the old-timers old-timers begin to "under If they didn't sell too soon. By the time the fourth or fifth stranger has dropped In they are dead sure of It. and they are trying try-ing to buy their lots back. All sorts of rumors get started, nobody knows how. New railways are coming, big factories are to be started, minerals have been located, there's a secret war on between great moneyed Interests. The town council meets and changes the name to Silver City having re-g:ii;l. re-g:ii;l. no doubt, to the alkali In the slough water. The old-timers, and all Ihal great. Innocent public which is forever hoping to get something for nothing, are now glad to buy the lots at tivo hundred to ten thousand dollars each, nnd by the time they've bought it up the gang moves on. It's the smoothest ganio In the world, and every community will fall for It at least twice. . . . Well, they're here. "Of course, It's a Utile different In this case, because there really Is something some-thing In the way of natural advantages to support It. It's not all hot air. ".Now, Dave, I've been dipping In a Utile already, and It struck me we might work together on this deal. Your paper bus considerable weight, and If (hat weight falls the light way you won't find me stingy. For Instance, an Item that this tiroperly" he produced pro-duced a slip Willi, some legal descriptions descrip-tions "lias been sold for ten thousand dollars to eastern Investors very conserval Ivo Investors from the Fust, don't forget thai nilghl help to turn another deal that's Just hanging. Sorry lo keep you so long, but perhaps you can ciileh the press yet." And with one of his friendly ma nnerlsms Conward Con-ward departed. Dave sat for some minutes In a quandary. He was discouraged wllh his salary, or, rallier, wllh the lack of prospect of any Increase In his salary, ('onunrd's words had been very unset-lllng. unset-lllng. They pulled In opposite dlrec-I dlrec-I lulls. They lii vi I hliu w llh a new en mkmm i good manners, Dave, my boy." said ! Conward. lazily exhaling a thin cloud I of smoke. "If work made a man rich I you'd die a millionaire. Hut It Isn't I work that makes men rich. Ever think j of that?" "If a man does not become rich by work he has no right to become rich at all." Dave retorted. "What do you mean by that word right,' Dave? Define It." "Haven't time. We go to press nt lour." "That's the trouble wllh fellows like oii," Conward continued. "You haven't lime. You slbk loo close to your Jobs. You never see the belter liiances lying all around. Now suppose sup-pose you let them go lo press without you today and you listen to mo for n while." Dave was nbont to throw him out when a gust of yearning for the open i splices swept f.ver lilm again. It was j true enough, lie was giving his whole life to Ids paper. Promotion was slow, and there was no prospect of a really big position at any time. He remembered remem-bered Mr. Duncan's remark about newspaper training being Hie best preparation for something else. With sudden decision be closed Ills desk. "Shoot 1" he said again, but this lime wllh less liana I lenee. "That's heller." aald Conward. "Have you ever thought of the future of this town?" "Wi.il, I can't say that I have. I'vo been busy wllh lis present." "That's what I supposed. You've been too busy wllh the details of your llllli) Job to give allenllon lo bigger lliliigs. Now let nie pass you a few pieces of Inforinalloii things you mtiHt know, but you have never put them together before. What are the "Did You Ever Feel That You Jut,t Had to Tell Some One?" before that things hadn't been well. Just as good as I hey might In our himie. . . . They've been different since." The shock of her words brought him upriftH. To him It, seemed that Mr. and !fV;. Duncan were the Ideal father and mother. H was Impossible to associate as-sociate then! wllh a home where things "hadn't been Just as good as they might." But her half-confession left no room for remark. "Mother told me," she went on, nf-ter nf-ter a long silence, nnd without looking at him. "A few years ago, 'If some |