| Show OUTLAWS OU LAWS of EDEN N 0 by peter B kyne ad T berries by b rotor peter a myne kvan C CHAPTER XIII continued 0 17 babson got out ills his life insurance policies and road read their provisions easefully aro eare rully fully ue he knew there was a clause in them which nuIl lied them it if tho no ln while or inasa wit wa A cortin period the ike of the policy YM res that tant kimol lind now pawl passed ne lie had two aundre 1 thousand dollars worth of life insurance tn in force anil and his wire wife was the beneficiary ilia hia creditors creditor could not levy on that so he wrote his wife a letter instructing how to invert the insurance money safely to yield six ix per cent enclosed this note la in in an envelope nad and returned tt it to the tin box marked IS S B personal this box he placed in the bank vault where it t would be found readily then he left a note for mr nook by got in his car and drove away up country I 1 two weeks later rube tenney found his body floating beside the he adgate at t lake babson A gentle wind was blowing across the labeard lak eard mr hir lab tons sons body was bumping the be adgate gently and persistently as if he still insisted it be opened I 1 CHAPTER XIV t when silas babson failed to come home for dirtier dinner the night the bank sat valley center eld closed aed fore forever ver his wife waited until eight and then telephoned henry upon mr rook by immediately fell a suspicion that something tragic Imperil Im led tie he found bal sons tin box unlocked 0 oe o he opened it and found babions Bab sons letter to its his wife la in the envelope with vie llie lire life insurance policies Shil shilling king slightly with apprehension mr air went into ills his cage and round there xu it addressed to tr t him it was from babson and read deir dear henry I 1 cant stand it if I 1 lire lim mr m wife lind and children will be pauper and ill be the most hated man la in this ti county I 1 could never beat backs hack and rin im too old to try and im toot to otred jred look loo for me in lake baboon agod by anil and good booi gooi luck S B so mr telephoned the superintendent Intend in eDt of state slate banks at the capitol to send somi somebody body up tip to take charge of the bank of valley jalley center then he pasted a the window announcing noun cing the closing of the bank the payment of the semiannual semi annual interest bad been due on july 1 alas I 1 tile the funds of the district had teen been deposited in the bank of valley center and all but 30 per cent of them had been lost in the collapse ot of the bank so GO tile district not knowing what the holders ot of its bonds purposed doing defaulted on the interest dayment yay ment on july 2 the trustee for the bond holders bolders notified the district that unless payment of the defaulted interest was made by august I 1 legal action would tie be taken to foreclose the deed of trust given to secure the bonds the directors of the district held a meeting they recoiled recalled nate alche nors threat to buy the bonds from the original purchasers was he scheming to delude the farmers of forlorn valley into growing more and nore more alfalfa and planting trees thus enriching his bis land to a point where ills his threatened foreclosure would make tile the disaster all the greater the secretary was instructed to write to lors attorney and ask him tor for a frank exposition of nate Tich enors intentions rack back came a prompt reply to the effect that nors intentions were sere unknown to his attorney that tichenor was in europe A A mass meeting was held but while there was waa much talk there was no concerted action since nobody knew what tc do nothing was done and on the first day of august the lil interest litterest payment was still in default on the second day of august suit was filed by the trustee to foreclose the deed ot of trust and forlorn valley realizing that milk all was over sat dumbly and patiently awaiting the alie end the farmers could do nothing else they had no place to go ho he they waited to be dispossessed formally by the sheriff sli erin on december 30 20 nate tichenor and Ws wife came home darby met them with avith the limousine when they got off the train at cold ron and noticed that they aliey were accompanied by a nurse who held a two months old baby in her arms kello bello said darby 1 I see I 1 got another boss 11 A boy darby we had to have hare an bi andr ir to eden valle valley Y you know 1 I suppose youve heard the news about forlorn valley ye YM yes s sir air seems seem pretty bitter medi bno but bot they asked for it as rube says my and they got ILI it you roil bet they got it it nave any of the farmers in ili the district moved out ino S oj I 1 dont think so joe I 1 rainerd yos they any place ta t go so BO hanging ing on hoping tile the new owners will lease the ho farms faring back 1 ack to them sir air well that might be stow tik bt bags darby said ail lets go we must be b out a edlea mihey tor for luncheon halfway through forlorn valley they met one farmer who had bad decided oot not to wait to be evicted lie ile was driving a four horse team attached to a farm wagon upon which were piled his household goods and on an old mattress atop the load four our children sat his wife was on the front seat with him and following up tip the wagon came a fourteen year old boy on horseback herding dang before him some loose work horses two cows and their calves there was about the sorry cavalcade an atmosphere incredibly forlorn the woman was weeping ns as the tichenor car slid by the farmer gazed at its occupants apathetically and raised his bis hand to in a gesture that was half a greeting half a farewell theres one of them moving out sir air darby said over his bis shoulder its terrible of tile the bondholders bond holders to dispossess them in tile the middle of winter lorry declared the man that kicked my ribs loose from my spine her husband reminded her still now that ills his kicks are only a memory I 1 cant say im enjoying his pitiable condition as much as I 1 thought I 1 was going to he waved to you nate ile he appear to be hostile oh he knows me pretty well I 1 went to school with him an ignorant chop chap but not a bad fellow I 1 wish him luck her hand stole across and over his 1 I always knew you hold a grudge darling im afraid it has to be fed regularly in order to thrive lorry and my grudge against the people of forlorn valley has been starved for nearly a year I 1 well I 1 wont went through with it just as I 1 promised them I 1 would just as I 1 promised you I 1 would I 1 can forgive my own enemies I 1 think but forgiving yours Is quite a different matter ive felt the same about you and your persecutors nate still I 1 wish we met that man and his little family lie he stared stolidly ahead would there be any sense in paying payam our debt of hate if we see our enemies suffer he demanded oh ob natel he looked at her and saw her eyes were moist with emotion were still hillbillies hill billies dear we should have stayed outside several years epars more were not quite civilized ed yet are you chiding me lorry I 1 cant recall having heard you put in a kind word for t these ase people heretofore 1 I know iti it nate kate I 1 had my share of conceit too tile words came tremblingly blin gly 1 I thought I 1 could hold a grudge better than you could and I 1 told myself mi sole I 1 had to be strong for your sake I 1 was afraid weaken and I 1 wanted you to triumph in a big way well I 1 had figured on a very different sort of triumph sweetheart I 1 wanted to let the people know that something fine could come out of eden valley cut but my back Is still a little weak sometimes it hurts just enough to keep my hate alive just enough to make me think that mercy would be weakness poor dear so youve been having a rough time also im glad I 1 think we ought to fight our fights together and in the open I 1 think too nate we ought to be strong for our sons sake ile he Is so dear to us why we forget our triumph over our enemies and teach him to love humanity even it if human beings often prove unlovable youre a quitter he charged there are two little cemeteries up in eden valley that are sound arguments in favor of quitting nate we had our code an eye for an eye and a tooth tor for a tooth and we lived up to it but it seems to me we never derived any happiness from it I 1 cant be happy in eden valley any more because every time ill leave it ill ID have hare to drive through this tills this desolation this place where men have lived and loved and fought and struggled and dreamed their futile little dreams and went away in despair ill never forget that wherever these dispossessed people may wander always hate you and me we can get along without their approval lorry but can we get along without the approval of nate tichenor chenor Tl and lorry kershaw young robin tichenor chenor Tl and those that please god will come after him darby I 1 f yes sir turn the car around and overtake that farmer we just passed I 1 they passed the man and at alche nors command darby stopped the car and tichenor chenor Tl got out and walked back to the approaching wagon the man pulled up set ills brake and waited tor for tichenor chenor Tl to speak nello hello dan said tichenor chenor Tl youre dan clanton arent you we went to school together in valley center clanton nodded where are you headed dan god knovies knows I 1 dont the bond holders foreclosed on my farm and told me to go tell you what you do dan turn around and go back to your farm and stay there until youre evicted lf if that happens while theres snow on the ground you just pull out to the old bar 11 II headquarters in eden valley and put up there the old house Is furnished and you can remain there until spring be very comfortable january Is a bad month to be out on the road with your wife and children besides I 1 think I 1 can give you a fair job looking after our golf coarse turn around dan have time to get back to the old farm house get your beds and the cook stove set up and be settled after a fashion before sunset you moan mean that tichenor of course I 1 do after what I 1 done to you atut tut tut dan that was a bully fight while it lasted I 1 would have forgotten it it if you reminded me of it ne lie smiled at the man and his wife and entered his limousine which had turned and was now wal waiting t alongside Cl antona win farm TOis 44 Sart I 1 X 17 in silence they drove on toward d valley center drive around to joe braan ads plant nate ordered darby as they came into valley center obeying the imperious summons of the horn joe brainerd came out and welcomed them tichenor chenor Tl explained joe I 1 have a big story tor for you so big I 1 think its worth getting out an extra estra and having it in the post office tonight this Is the thirtieth of december and the day after tomorrow willbe new years day I 1 have a curious desire to give forlorn valley a happy new year and I 1 have also a curious desire to write the head for your story which must be seven columns wide and in the biggest and blackest type in your shop ill run your head if I 1 like it nate like it the line Is forlorn valley saved A I 1 a great head nate 1 I thought like it dryly joe I 1 made up my mind to smash silas babson and I 1 did but in order to smash him I 1 had bad to smash his bank and in order to smash his bank I 1 had to smash forlorn valley then something of tremendous importance happened ily wife presented me with a son and I 1 was so grateful to her I 1 bought from that new york bank all of the lands of the forlorn valley irrigation district which had come into its possession by foreclosure I 1 paid that bank just halt half what the lands had cost them and I 1 have since deeded the lands to my wife just a little gift for presenting me with a son of courso course I 1 the slightest idea what lorry intends doing with forlorn valley but I 1 be surprised if she decides to deed back to those people tile the farms they have lost taking a first mortgage to secure her for the amount each individual farm was bonded that will give her better than a half million dollar profit and then let the farmers have free water nate joe you are much too optimistic I 1 a word to say about that water last year I 1 killed the mountain valley power company and deeded the darn dam site and the lake site back to the bar H land and cattle company just abandoned that dream then I 1 married lorry and we merged the circle K and the bar 11 into a new dew corporation known as the eden edea valley land and cattle company with powers under our charter to sell water however the circle K was a larger and more valuable ranch than the bar n U and after lorry had thrown her cattle into the deal ill be hanged if she emerge from it with a controlling interest la in the cap I 1 dan turn around and go back to your farm and stay there until you are evicted I 1 tal ital s stock t k K consequently she controls the 10 wa wafer X r valley creek and she owns most of forlorn valley and lake babson and a whole smear of canals and laterals literals late rals so it if slie she asks my advice ln in the matter ill suggest that she hire a good engineer to run her irrigation system and a bookkeeper to bill the water to the farmers and eel collect the money and give the poor devils the water at a nominal price for enough years to enable them to catch up even on the losses they suffered when babions Bab sona sons bank went bust nate fine as far as it goes and provided your wife follows your advice but this valley cant function without a bank im iam supplying that joe the bank buil building dim has been ready for months and I 1 lve have a charter chartee from the superintendent in of state banks and will open for business in a week or two ive hired a good man to be cashier and manager and have told him to be a banker not a pawnbroker I 1 think ill take on babions Bab sons old board of directors they know more about this valley and its needs than I 1 do and those that lost their stock in babions Eab Bab sons bank will be permitted to pay for it out of their dividends and the increased valuation of the stock as tho the years go by do you know lorry I 1 think we should put in another nine holes of golf and build a nice little club house up in eden valley and throw it open to the boys and girls of forlorn valley get their minds on galfond golf and oft off rural gossip you know duck buck em cm up and make em feel less provincial after all Is there any reason why farmer boys and girls iris play golf lorry made a dive for him her arms went tight around ills neck oh nate you fakiri you fraud you greathearted great hearted schemer and then s she to i w was a s weeping w ee p I 1 n g tears of jo joy y in his arms this Is certainly a whale of a story joe brainerd mumbled and wiped his eyes on the hem bern of his all villainous old compositors apron dont you think rd id better put a box bos in tile the center of the page in black type to the effect that mr and mrs nathan Tic tichenor benor wish forlorn valley a happy and prosperous now new year nate nodded come up for dinner new years day joe there are a number of things I 1 want to talk over with you sort of stand at my right hand and hold the bridge with rne me thanks happy new year folks now it if excuse me ill fly at that extra I 1 want to write tile the story well and I 1 want to get out what babson used to call a rousing editorial ile he proffered ed an inky paw to nate and lorry in turn its a pretty good old world after all it it Is said lorry it you make it so that so darling it Is nate Tic tichenor replied with a wink at joe brainerd even it if one has to clug tip it to make it behal ETHE TUE END |
