Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-23
him the detrimental side, which she


What good will it do him? She
i hasn'ta penny, and he has nothing but
his debts"
Some women, my DEAR" said the big
gunner oracularly, "are treasures with
out penny. As for Langdons debts"
he added, with sigh 81 wish / saw as
clear sky ahead"-a speech which ru-
med the serenity Of Mrs. Cannon's usu-
ally sunny temper as much as week.
and Cannon's coffee was cold and
streaky on the morrow. That visit
was quite the episode Of midwinter at
PaWnee in ways more than one. Ma
than, Torrance and Santley, who had
oeen quite close community, had
hare up of some kind and parted COM
pany. This was quixotism No. this
RIP TO Pawnee and to the defense of
Lieutenant Santley, according to Cress-
Wells views. He was for duel when
first the story of Sankey's malignant
persecution Of his new partner reached
bis ears. 1t was nearly vain effort
for Langdon to tell him the story was
grossly exaggerated. 1t had all the ele-
ments of probability, said Cresswell,
and he hardly knew what to make of
Langdons Indifference. Then, several
months later still. as the result Of
Cresswells persistent proddings. there
were indications that the NJ. Y. people
were actually bestirring themselves
over that old safe business. and one
April morning Brentwood was excited
by the story that young Frewen. an
! English lad whose father had died in
4 the service of the road six years be-
fore, was behind the bars awaiting
trial on charge of being the safe rob-
Der. This was certainly not what
Cresswell had been working for. He
believed that Belts junior was the
man. as he had the safe combination
and access to the office at all hours.
Frewen had neither. Brett senior was
'up the road" the night preceding the
discovery of the loss, and Langdon had
been in the office alone for an hour
after the money was placed in the
drawer and before he took the evening
train to Gunnison. The officers of the
road at the time seemed certain that
everything pointed to Langdon, but it
transpired later that every cent he had
(, spent could otherwise be accounted for.
] Young Belts was something of q
swell in his way. gallant among the
Brentwood girls. but he had spent no
money beyond that which he received
rs salary and that given him by his
father," which statement the senior
confirmed. For time it looked as
though the thief had been scared into
hiding his plumber and was waiting I'M
til the hue and cry was over before
unearthing and using it. Frewen was
shy. quiet little fellow who lived
with his widowed mother and gave her
most of his scanty salary, but he was
In love with a pretty Brentwood girl,
| who favored his suit at first, but tired,
of the prospect of long engagement
and began tormenting him by going oc-
casionally with Belts and others to
evening entertainments. Frewen was
jealous and unhappy awhile, and then
came change. He returned from q
brief visit to Omaha, appeared for the
first time in his life in stylish raiment
and began to cut a dash in social cir
cles, Joined the rifles, then in the hey
day of their fame and fortune, and
took pretty Aileen to parties where
Belts was not even hidden, and in
April came the crash. 1t would have
lifted the last prestige Of suspicion
from Langdon's name had Frewen
been convicted, but he wasn't, for
Langdon, his captain, turned to and
proved him innocent. 1t was simple
matter. The contemplation of her boys
misery had been too much for even a
grasring and parsimonious woman.
Mrs. Frewen had money stored away
that she had scraped and saved for
years, but denied, fearing that the pen
sion paid her by the road would be
stopped If ever the management found
i she was fairly well to do. Langdon's
almost laughing development Of that
case was q joy to the Brentwood yarn
spinners for long months later, but it
put 'the road" in bad light, notably
the house of Belts, and won him more
enmity. Therefore did Cresswell call
him contumacious and quixotic. Both
Belts and both roads We're arrayed
against him now, and CressweH fret
ted. What was he to do with partner
who made enemies among the seats Of
| the mighty and would not trucllle to
the Mammon Of unrighteousness?
Langdon saw unerringly what was
passing in the seniors mind and that
summer told him so. "You. have been
good friend to me. and l must not
hamper your hopes and plans, colonel, ;"
said he. t'Tf you should be nominated
for congress, I'll take the stump for
you. If not, they need active lawyers
in the far northwest where the road is
pushing through the Idaho mines. I'll
| swing my single out there"
Two things happened to add force to
the project. For the very reason that
his opponents proved him to be "cor-
poration lawyer" the farmers and ar
tisans Joined forces against Cresswell,
and he failed to capture the conven-
ton, man of far inferior mold becon-
Ing the nominee for congress. 1t sour
i nl hn Ii Al,