The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-29


borne in the fulfilment Of that threat,
but who would live to see the sun shine
ron his triumph, the tribute the convention
would bring him as gift from COM
munity that loved him. His name needed
not to be told: it was on every lip that
morning, and in every heart.
Tom was eagerly watching his COM
panion as he read. Harkless fell back on
the pillows with drawn face. and for, a I
moment he laid his thin hand over his
eyes In gesture of intense pain.
What is it?" Meredith said quickly.
"Give me the pad, please
What Is 1t, boy?'
The others teeth snapped together.
& What is it?' he cried. What Is it?
It's treachery, and the worst ever knew.
Not a word of the accusation demanded |
lying praises instead!2 Read that edi-
torial-there, there!" He struck the page
with the back Of his hand, and threw the
paper to Meredith. - Read that miserable
lie!'' One who has won the love and re-
spect Of every person in the district"-|
One who has suffered for his champion
ship of Righteousness! Righteousness!
Save the mark!'' -:t at -
what does it mean?'- -. re-
Mean! 1t means McCune-Rod Nc
Cune, who has lived under threat for
years'-my threat. I, swore would print
him out Of Indiana If, he ever raised his
nSaQ again, ana ne knew, i FCOutQ. ALMOST
overborne in the fulflnent Of that threat!
Almost! It's a black scheme, and see it
now. This man came to Plattville and
went on the Herald for nothing in the
world but this. It's McCunes hand all
along. He daren't name him even now,
the coward! The trick lies between Nc
Cune and young Fisbee-the old man Is
innocent. Give me the pad. Not almost
overborne.; There are three good days
to work in, and, by the gods OF perdition,
If Rod McCune sees congress 1t will be In
his next incarnation!'' y = ~.
He rapidly scribbleG a few lines on the
pad and threw the sheets to Meredith
Get those kilograms to the Western
Union office in a rush, please. Read them
first" n. .5ys r. ~ t.
With a very red face Tom read them.
One was addressed to H. Fisbee:
You are relieved from the cares Of
editorship. You will turn over the man
agement of the Herald to Warren Smith
You will give him the McCune papers. If
you do not or if you destroy them, you
cannot hide where shall not find you.
John Harkless."
The second was to Warren Smith,:
"Take possession Herald. Dismiss H.
F'isbee. This your authority. Publish
McCune papers 50 labeled which H. Fis-
bee will hand you. Letter follows. Beat
McCune. John Harkless."
restlessly on his couch but the reader
Of them stared incrudulous and dunn
| founded His jaw fell, and his open
mouth might have betokened a being smit
| to imbecility; and, haply, he might! be,
| for Helen had written him from Plattville,
pledging his honor to secrecy with the
| first words. and it was by her command
| that he had found excuses for not supply
ing his patient with all the papers which
happened to contain references to the
change of date for the Plattville conven-
| ton. And Meridith had known for some
| time where James Fisbee had found
| young relative" to be the savior Of the
Herald, for his benefactor's sake.
"You mean-you-intend to-you dis
charge young Fisbee?" he stam-
mered at last. .'
Yes! Let me have the answers the
instant they come, will you, Tom?" Then
Earkless turned his face from the wall
and spoke through his teeth: IT mean to
see H. Frisbee before many days; I want
! to talk to Shirn!' -; "' ' 80
| But, though he tossed and fretted him
self into what the doctor pronounced a
| decidedly improved state, no answer came
to either telegram that day or night. The
next morning messenger boy stumbled
up the front steps and handed the colored
! man, Jim, four yellow envelopes, night
messages. Three of them were for T1ark-
| less, one was for Meredith. Jim carried
them upstairs, left the three with his
| masters guest, then knocked on his mas
| ter's door.
':What is it?" answered a thick voice.
| Meredith had not yet risen.
"A telegraph, Mist Tawm.%
There was a terrific yawn. "O-o-oh!
Slide it--oh-under the-door."
! "Yessuh." ... . .~ =.
Meredith lay quite without motion for
several minutes, sleepily watching the
7 yellow rhomboid in the crevice. 1t was
a hateful looking thing to come mixing
in with pleasant dreams and insist upon
being read. After a while he climbed
groaningly out Of bed, and read the mes
sage with heavy eyes, still half asleep.
| He read 1t twice before it penetrated:
i Suppress all newspapers to-day. Con-
i vention meets at eleven. If, We succeed
\ a deleg egation will RoueI1 this aft
ernoon. They will come. Helen
Tom rubbed his sticky eyelids ). and
shook his head violently in Spartan ef-
i fort to rouse himself; but what more ef-
fectively performed the task for him were
certain sounds issuing from Harkless
room across the hall. For some minutes,
Meredith had been DULY conscious, of a
rustic and stir in the invalid's chamber,
and he began to realize that no more toss
Il ing about bed would account for noise
that reached him across wide hall and
through two closed doors Of thick walnut.
Suddenly, he heard a quick, heavy, heavy
tread, shod, in Harkless' room, and a
, resounding bang, rs some heavy object
struck the floor. The doctor was not to
. come till evening; Jim had gone down
stairs. Who wore shoes In the sick man 8
Eroom He rushed across the hall in his
pyjamas and threw open the unlocked