Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-01-16
A X nave of
Conscience
By FRANCIS LYNDE.
lCopyrighs 1900, By Francis Lynde.)
CHAPTER xvn.-CoNr1NuED.

Gr1SwOldS pale race nuShed, ana
his fnger-tips tingled again, "You
are very kind; kind and charitable.
l think sympathy has been an I'M
known quantity in my equation.
May l really come to see you as
friend?"
Haven't 1 said it?'' she asked; and
she might have emphasized it had
not Raymer come to take Griswold
home.
Raymer's sorrel had covered half
the distance from the lake edge to
Mrs. Holcomb's before its owner.
said:
"Well, how near do we come to
aping the manners of the oeffete
east?'' q .
I'm no authority" said Griswold;
adding as salve: 81 enjoyed It." Is
'sThen you weren't boredY'
81 fancy Miss Grierson doesn't
often bore people, does she?"
NO; she has q knack of stroking
you the right way. 1t takes her ia
Their to do the other thing"
1.-The magnate? Il thought you
said he was public benefactor."
Did I? We've told ourselves that
till we've come to believe it. But
he's principally for Jasper Grierson
at bottom" "a
Naturally. Greed is the iJugger
maui of this end Of the century
"Bah! THAT'S sheer platitude in
your mouth. Griswold. You don't,
know anything about it, you men of
savage fight for survival. dand the
man with the money wins" y
"Yes? L believe I've said some
such thing myself. - But I've Gbeen
hoping you'd manage to escape"
II might have escaped. I was do
ing we'll enough, but couldn't
stand it to see the town growing
away from me. So borrowed
money and spread myself: and now
I'm fighting for dSar life with the
rest of them"
Griswold's comment was brief and
to the point. "Tell me about it." he
said
Its short horse and soon cur
ried." said the iron master, bitter
". ."fwo months ago 1 borrowed
$4,000 of Jaspeio Grierson's bank. I
gave him 6O-day note and a mort
gage. with the verbal understanding
that / was to have my own time for
payment. The 90 days will be up
Tuesday. and he1has notified me that
must lift a third of the indebted
ness on that day q
"a third!" .
Yes. Of course it's preposterous.
He knew all the circumstances at
the time; that the loan was a build
ing fund which couldn't abear fruit
until 1T was planted" Is
Griswold shook his head. "You
certainly took terrific chances"
Didn't L? It proves what a man
will do when he is greed-bitten
And the worst of it is that three
fourths of the original capital be-
long to my elother and sister. and
taey were both distrustful of the
s.sread-eagle move with Grierson as
baci1er.'
Gris,vold was silent while the sor-
rel was measuring a full square.
Then he said: What is Grierson's
obiect?"
II don't know. To break me or to
ow n me. suppose"
There may be an alternative;
what was it you told me this morn
ing about the little social melee?"
Raymer pulled the sorrei up short.
s-lTeavens. you don't suppose she
has put him up to it for that
= suppose nothing that involves
Miss Grierson. But isn't it possible
that her father may be resentful for
her? believe if you could persuade
your mother and Miss Gertrude to
call
Raymel's laugh was not mirthful.
.You W auld be the last man IN the
uorid to ret upon suggestion of
that sort urseIf. GriswoId- .