Show I I 1 m THE REAL MAN MANBy ti By FRANCIES L Copyright ht by br Charles Charle Scribners Scribner's Sons Soni SMITH FINDS A LOVE AFFAIR BREWING AND IT MAKES HIM UNCOMFORTABLE UNCOMFORTABLE-HE HE IS WARNED TO PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT PRO PRO- HIMSELF FROM VIOLENCE Synopsis J. J. J Montague Smith cashier of Lawrenceville Bank and anel Trust company society bachelor engaged to marry Verda heiress knocks his employer er Watrous Dunham senseless leaves him for tor dead and flees the state when Dunham accuses Smith of dishonesty dIshonesty dishonesty dishon dIshon- esty and wants him to take the blame for embezzlement actually committed committed committed com com- by Dunham Several weeks later Smith appears appear as a tramp at a town in the Rocky mountains and gets a laboring joti jobin In an nn Irrigation Irrigation irrigation tion ditch construction camp His Intelligence draws the attention of ot Williams the superintendent who thinks he can use the tramp John Smith In a more Important place The ditch company is In hard lines financially because Eastern financial Interests are working to undermine undermine undermine under under- mine the local crowd headed by Colonel Baldwin and take over valuable valuable valuable able property Smith finally accepts appointment as fiS financial secretary secretary secretary sec sec- of Baldwins Baldwin's com company pan He has already struck up a pleasant acquaintance with Corona Baldwin the colonels colonel's winsome daughter As plans for financing the new company materialize Smith makes good goodat at his new job but his past history bobs up to trouble him CHAPTER XI XI Continued 9 9 It had been n a day of ot na nagging gin lons A rumor had been sent afoot afoot afoot- by y Stanton as Smith made no doubt doubt- hinting that the new dam would be unsafe un- un safe afe when it should be completed that Its ts breaking with the reservoir behind It t would carry death and destruction to o the lowlands and even to the city Timid stockholders seeing colossal damage suits In the bare possibility had lad taken the alarm and Smith had spent pent the greater part of the day In tying to calm their fe fears rs For this cause dad and some others he lie was on the ragged edge when Baldwin dropped In Inon Inon inon on his way home from the dam and ana protested Look here John youre you're overdoing this his thing world without end You break break reak it oft off short right now and go home lome with me and get your dinner and anda a n good nights night's rest Get your coat and hat lat and come along or Ill I'll rope you down and tie hog you For once In a n way Smith found that there here was no fight left in him and he lie yielded telling himself that another acceptance of the Baldwin hospitality 1 r r t lt Yi tL 1 You Down Broken Samson more or less could make no difference But no sooner was the colonels colonel's gray roadster headed for the bridge across the than thun the time exhilarating reaction set in In a twinkling the Business cares and the deeper worries as well fled fied away and In their place hunger heart was loosed After dinner a meal at which he ate little and was well content to satisfy the hunger of his soul by the road of the he eye ee Smith went out to the portico to o smoke The most gorgeous of mountain mountain mountain moun moun- tain sunsets was painting Itself upon the sky over the western but he had hud no eyes for natural grandeurs and no ears for any sound save one the one the footstep he was listenIng listening listening listen listen- ing for It came at length and he tried to look as tired as ns he lie had been when the colonel made him close his Ills desk and leave the office tried and apparently succeeded You poor down broken-down Samson carrying all the brazen gates of the Philistines money on un your shoulders You had to come to us at last didn't you Let me be your Delilah and fix that chair so that it will be really com corn She he said It only half mockIngly mockingly mockingly mock mock- and he forgave the sarcasm when she arranged some of the hammock hammock hammock ham ham- mock pillows In the easiest of ot the porch Dorch chairs and made him bury him him- self luxuriously In them Still holding the Idea iden brought over from that afternoon of the tIle nu name o questioning questioning questioning ques ques- that she had bad In some way discovered discovered discovered dis dis- dis- dis covered his tru true identity Smith was watching narrowly for danger sl signals danger als when he thanked her and said You say It just as QS It Is I had to come But you could never be anybody's anybody's any any- body's Delilah could you She was a betrayer if you recollect He made the suggestion purposely but It was wholly ignored and there was no guile In the slate slate gray gray eyes You mean liean that you didn't want to comeT come No not that I have wanted to come every time your father has asked lie ae Je But there are reasons reasons good good rea- rea kons why tons why I shouldn't be here I If she knew v say any of the reasons reason she sire Made no sign She Sho was sitting 1 la in the hammock and touching one toe to the flagstones for the swinging push From Smiths Smith's Ith's point of view she had for a n background the gorgeous sunset but he could not see the more distant glories We Ve owe you much and we are going going gooIng go goo- ing to owe you more she said You mustn't think that we dont don't appreciate you on at your full value Colonel daddy Colonel daddy thinks you are the most wonderful somebody that ever lived and so do a alot alot alot lot of ot the others And you he couldn't resist saying i Im just plain ashamed for ashamed for the way I treated you when you were here before Ive I've been eating enUng humble pig Ver LYer since Smith breathed freer Nobody but a n most consummate actress could have simulated her frank trank sincerity He had Jumped too quickly to the small sum- sum in addition conclusion She did not know the story of the absconding bank cashier I dont don't know why you should feel that way he said eager now to run where he be had before been afraid to walk I do And I believe you wanted to shame me I believe you gave up your place at the nt-the the dam and took hold hold with daddy more to show me what an Inconsequent inconsequent inconsequent incon Incon- sequent little Idiot I was than for any other reason Didn't you really He laughed In quiet ecstasy at this newest and most adorable of th the moods Honest confession Is good for the soul I did he lie boasted Now beat that for frankness If if you can I cant can't she admitted laughing back at him But now youve you've accomplished accomplished your purpose I hope you are not going to give up That would be a little hard on colonel colonel daddy Oh no Im I'm not going to give up up- up until I have baye to Does that mean more than It says Yes Im I'm afraid it does She was silent for the length of ot time that It took the flaming crimson in the western sky to fade to salmon The colonel had bud mounted the steps and was coming toward them The young woman woman woman wom wom- an slipped from the hammock and stood up Dont go got said Smith feeling as ns if he were losing an opportunity and leaving much unsaid that ought to be said But the answer was a quiet good night and she was gone Smith went back to town with the colonel the next morning physically rested to be sure but In a n frame of mind bordering again upon the sar sar- donic One thing tiring stood out clearly he was most unmistakably in love Baldwin I with Corona Hence Dence there was another high resolve resolve resolve re re- re- re solve not to go to again until he lie could go as a free man a resolve which It is perhaps needless to say was broken thereafter as ns often as ns the colonel asked him togo to go Why In thelast th the thelast last resort Smith should have finally chosen a confidant In the person of William Starbuck the reformed cowpuncher cowpuncher cow cow- puncher he lie scarcely knew But It was to to Starbuck that he appealed for advice advice ad advice vice when the sentimental situation had grown fairly desperate Ive told you enough so that you youcan youcan youcan can understand the time vise-nip vise of ot it Billy Dilly he said to Starbuck one night when he had dragged the mine owner up to the bathroom suite In the House and had told him Just a little enough to merely hint at his condition You see sec how It stacks up Im I'm in a n fair fall way to come COlUe out of this the biggest biggest biggest big big- gest scoundrel alive the alive the piker who takes advantage of the Innocence of or a n good girl Im I'm not the man she thinks I am I am stun standing over a volcano pit every minute of the day If It blows up Im I'm gone obliterated wiped out Is it aiming to blo blow up asked Starbuck sagely I 1 dont don't know any more about that than you do It is the kind lelnd that usually usual usual- ly Iy does docs blow up sooner or later Ive I've prepared for It as well as I can What Colonel Baldwin and the rest of you needed was a financial manager and High Line has hns Its It fighting chance which chance which was more than TIman- TIman yoni Ditch had when I took hold If I should drop out now you yon and Maxwell and and the colonel and Kinzie could go on onI I 1 and make the fight but that doesn't help out In this other matter Starbuck smoked in silence for a n along along long minute or two before he said Bald Is there another woman In it ft John Yes but not in the way you mean menn a mighty fine little girl Irl John said Starbuck slowly Any Anyone Anyone Anyone one of a dozen fellows I could name namo would give all their old shoes to swap chances with you That Isn't exactly the kind of advice advice ad nd- vice Im I'm needing was the sober re- re Joinder No but It was the kind you were wanting when you tolled me off oft up here laughed the ex cowpuncher I know the symptoms Had em myself for about two years so bad that I could wake up In the middle of ot the night and I taste em Go in and win Maybe the great big stumbling-block stumbling youre you're worryIng worrying worrying wor wor- about wouldn't mean anything at nt all to an op open minded n young woman womanlike womanlike womanlike like Corona most likely It If she could know the whole truth and and believe It it said Smith musingly You tell her the truth and shell she'll take care of the believing part of It all nil right You needn't lose any sleep about that Smith drew a long breath and removed removed re re- re- re moved d his iris pipe to say I haven't the nerve Billy and that's the plain fact I have already told her ber a little of It She Ehe knows that I I- I Starbuck broke In with a laugh Yes its it's a n shouting pity about your nerve I 1 Youve You've been putting up such a blooming scary fight In this Irrigation business that we all nil know v you haven't any nerve If It I had your job In that Id I'd be going around here toting two guns and wondering if I couldn't make rO room m In h In the holster for tor another Smith shook his head I was safe enough so long as ns Stanton Stanton Stanton Stan- Stan ton thought I was the resident manager manager mana mann ger and promoter for a new bunch of big money In the background But he hehns has hns had me shadowed and tracked until until until un un- til now I f guess he ho Is pretty well convinced convinced con con- vinced that I actually had the audacity to play a lone hand and a bluffing hand at that That makes a difference difference differ differ- ence of course Two days after I had climbed Into the saddle here he sent a couple of ot his strikers after me after after- me I dont don't know Just what their orders were but they seemed to want to fight fight and and they got sot It It was In n Blue Petes Pete's up at the camp Guns queried Starbuck Theirs not ot mine because I didn't have any nay I managed to get the shoot shoot- Irons Ing-Irons away from them before we had bad mixed very far Youre Just about the biggest long- long eared stiff-backed stiff stubborn wild ass assof assof of ot the wallows that was ever let loose In a half reformed half reformed gun country grumbled the ex Youre fixIng fixing fix fix- ing Jag to get yourself all killed up Smith Haven't you sense enough to see that these rustlers will rub you out In two twitches of a dead lambs lamb's tall if they've made up their minds that you are the High Line main guy and the only one Of course courses courses' said the wild ass easily If they could lay me up for a month or two two two- Lay up nothing I retorted Starbuck Star- Star buck Lay ULay you down about six feet underground Is what I mean Pshaw l exclaimed the one whose fears feurs ran in a n far different channel from an that could be dug by mere corporation violence This Is AmerIca America America Amer Amer- ica In the tho twentieth century We dont don't kill our business competitors nowa nowa- days Dont we snorted Starbuck That will be bo all right too Well We'll suppose I Just for the sake of ot argument that my respected and respectable daddy in law or whatever other silk old mone money bags bags happens to be paying Crawford Stanton's salary and commissIon commission commis- commis sion wouldn't send seed out an order to have you killed off Maybe Stanton himself wouldn't stand for it if 11 you'd put it that barefaced But in daddy law and Stanton and all nil the others hire blacklegs and and gunmen gunmen gunmen gun gun- men and thugs And every once in a awhile awhile awhile while s somebody takes a wink for a n nod and and bung bring goes a gun Well what's the answer said Pete Simms be and Tote Toto an nn arsenal yourself ready to shoot first and ask questions afterward That's the only way you youcan youcan can cnn live peaceably with such men as uS Jako and and Simms Smith got out of his chair and took tooka a n turn tum up and down the length of at the tho room When he came back to stand before Starbuck he said I did that Billy Ive I've been carrying a n gun for a week and more not for these ditch pirates but for tor somebody else The Theother Theother Theother other night when I was out at nt Hillcrest Hillcrest Hill Hill- crest Corona happened to see It Im I'm not going to tell you what she said but when I came back to town t the 9 next morning I chucked the gun into n a desk drawer And I hope Im I'm going to be belUan beman beman man lUan enough not to wear It again Starbuck dropped the subject ab abruptly abruptly lb- lb and looked at nt his watch You liked to have done it pulling me off up here he remarked Im due to be at the train to meet Mrs Billy and Iv got just about three minutes So long U Smith changed his street clothes leisurely after St Starbuck had hud gone ant and when he went downstairs stopped atthe at atthe atthe the desk to toss his room key to th the clerk The hotel register was lying open on the counter and from force of oC habit he heran heran heran ran his eye down the list of ot late ar ar- rivals At the end of the list In sprawling characters upon which the Ink was yet fresh he read rend his sentence sentence sen sen- tence and for the first time In his life knew the meaning of panic fear Tho The newest entry was Josiah and daughter Chicago Smith was not misled by the place- place name There was only one Josiah In the world for him and he knew that the Lawrenceville magnate magnate magnate mag mag- nate In registering from Chicago was only following the example of those who for tor good reasons or no reason use the name of their latest stopping place for a registry address CHAPTER XII A Reprieve Smiths Smith's blood ran cold and there was wasa a momentary attack of ot shocked consternation consternation consternation con con- comparable to nothing that any past experience had to offer But there was no time to waste In curious speculations as ns to the why and where where- fores Present safety was the prime consideration With |