Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-17
HEY stood and watched them
CHAPTER xxx1v

writer, fascinated.
The grandeur Of the sacrifice had
struck them dumb. They did not I'M
derstand the motives beneath it all, but
the fact was patent. Big Junko broke
down and sobbed
After a time the stream of logs
through the gap slackened. In mo-
ment more, save for the inevitably
stranded few, the booms were empty.
A deep sigh went up from the atten-
tive multitude.
"She's gonev said one man, with the
emphasis of a novel discovery, and
groaned.
Then the awe broke from about their
minds, and they spoke many opinions
and speculations. Thorpe had disap-
peared. They respected his emotion
and did not follow him.
"It was just plain foolishness, but
It was great" said Shearer. "That no
account jackass Of Big Junko amt
worth as much per thousand feet as
good white pine"
Then they noticed group of men
gathering about the Office steps, and
on 1t some one talking. Collins, the
bookkeeper, was making speech
Collins was little Ratchet faced
man, with straight, lank hair, near
sighted eyes, timid, order loving dis
position and a great suitability for his
profession. He was accurate, unemo-
tional and valuable. All his actions
were as dry as the sawdust in the
burner. No one had ever seen him ex-
cited But he was human, and now
his knowledge of the company's affairs
showed him the dramatic contrast. He
knew. He knew that the property of
the firm had been mortgaged to the
last dollar in order to assist expansion,
SO that not another cent could be bor-
rowed to tide over present difficulty.
He knew that the notes for 100000
covering the loan to Wallace Carpenter
came due in three months. He knew
from the long table of statistics which
he was eternally preparing and COM
pairing that the seasons cut should
have Melted profit of 100000, enough
TO pay the interest on the mortgages,
to take up the notes and to furnish a
working capital for the ensuing year.
These things he knew in the, strange
'ncf1te aritfhetical manner of the
ro1ttfrfe bookkeeper. Other men saw
desperate phase Of firm rivalry. He
saw struggle to the uttermost. 9th
er men cheered rescue. He thrilled
over the magnificent gesture of the
gambler scattering his stake in largesse
to Death.
1t was the simple turning of the hand
from full breathed prosperity to life
less failure.
His view was the inverse Of his mas
ter's. To Thorpe it had suddenly be-
come very little thing in contrast to-
the great, sweet, elemental truth that
the dream girl had enunciated. To
Collins the affair was miles vaster than
the widest scope Of his own narrow
life.
The firm could not take up its notes
when they came due; 1t could not pay
the interest on the mortgages, which
would now be foreclosed; it could not
even pay in full the men who had
worked for it-that would come under
a courts adjudication.
) He had therefore watched Thorpe s
desperate sally to mend the weakened
chain in all the suspense Of a man
whose entire universe is in the keeping
of the chance moment. 1t must be re-
membered that at bottom, below the
outer consciousness, Thorpes final de-
cision had already grown to maturity
On the other hand, no other thought
than that of accomplishment had even
entered the little bookkeeper's head
The rescue and all that it had meant
had hit him like stroke of apoplexy
and his thin emotions had curdled tt
hysteria. Full Of the idea he appeared
before the men.
With rapid, almost incoherent speech
he poured it out to them. Professions
caution and secrecy were forgotten
Wallace Carpenter attempted to pusl
through the ring for the purpose o
stopping him. A gigantic river mai
kindly but firmly held him back.
II guess it's just as well we hear
this" said the latter.
1t all came out-the loan to Carpen
ter, with hint at the motive-th
Vaccinations of the rival firm on tn
board of trade; the notes, the mort
cages. the necessity of big season.
cut; the reasons the rival firm had TO
wishing to prevent that cut from al
irving at the market; the desperate an,
varied means they had employed. TIL
men listened, silent Hamilton, hi
eyes glowing like Goals. drank in ever
word. Here was the master motive h
had sought; here was the story grea
to his hand
"That's what ace ought to get!' erie
Collins, almost weeping. and no1
we're gone and bust just because tina
Internal river hog had 20 fall off
boom! It's a shame! Those scalawae
have done us after all!''
Out from the shadows Of the wood
stole Injun Charley. The whole bea
ing and aspect of the man had chanl
ed. His eye cleaned with distan
farseeing fire of its own, which toe
no account of anything but some r
mote vision. He stole along almo
furtively, but with proud, uprigl
narrfaup of his neck. q backward II