The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-11-24

the lies he had told for miserable gain.
all the miserly self denial he had prac-
ticed, all the clients he had cheated
and robbed, all the hatred he had won
from others, availed him not His con-
temptible soul and his life almost now
hung by miserly 2 cents.
Seventy three-a quarter-an eighth
-seventy-three-now seventy-two sew
en-eighths- e-quarters- five-eighths
-three-quarters split-now five-eighths
"a half-a halfr'
Pandemonium was raging in the Chi
cago wheat pit, and the t1cker's teeth
clicked like mad
Seventy two--a half-a half-three-
eighths-a half three-eighths-a quar-
ter-seventy-twov'
Cold beads of sweat gathered on
Frye's forehead. One cent more and
he was ruined.
september wheat now seventy-one
seven-eighths - seven eighths - three
understanding split-now the
three-quarter -fve-eighths- half "a
half fve-eighths- half-a half again
-three-eighths-a quarter-an eighth
Quarter-an eighth-a quarter-an
eighth-an eighth-a quarter split-an
eighth
Seventy -one!'
Frye was ruined.
He gave one low moan, the first and
only one during those three long weeks
of agony.
The DEVILS teeth kept swapping; the
endless coils Of tape kept unwinding.
The boy continued his drawl, but Frye
paid no heed. Only those spider legs
on the wall seemed kicking at him, and
that fatal seventy-one -one-one-kept
ringing In his ears. He arose and
staggered out and with bowed head
made his way to the Office.
Whir-r-r-r-r!
Click, click, click!
Seventy -one-one! 1t was the
last he heard, and then he sank for
ward on his desk in stupor
At this moment Uncle Terry, with
Frye's letter in his pocket and right
eous wrath in his heart, was speeding
toward Boston as fast as steam could
carry him.
The clear, incisive strokes Of an ad-
jacent clock proclaiming midnight
awoke Frye. He raised his head, arose,
lit the two gas jets and sat down.
Seventy -One-One-One!
They brought it all back to him, and
now, alone in his misery, he groaned
aloud, and with his despair came the
dread Of the morrow, when he must 90
forth crushed, broken, despairing, pen
niless.
All would know it, and all would re-
5oice. Out Of the many that hated or
feared him not one would feel a grain
Of pity, and he knew it.
Then his past life came back to him.
He had never married, and since he
had looked down upon his dead moth
er's face no woman's hand had sought
his with tenderness. All his long life of
grasping greed had been spent in money
getting and money saving. No sense
Of right or justice had ever restrained
him. Year after year he had added tc
his hoard, carefully invested it, and
now it had all been swept away!
He took pen and wrote a brief let
ter. Then he went to his tall safe
| opened both doors and, taking a small
fiat packet from an inner till, returned
to his desk, placed that and the letter
In one long envelope and sealed and di
| rected it.
Once more his head sank forward or
the desk, and he groaned aloud. Fol
long time he remained thus, living
over the past three weeks Of agony
and then there smote upon his tortured
nerves the sound of many clocks strik
ing 1. It sounded as if they were mock
ing him, and from far and near, some
harsh and sharp, some faint in the dis
lance, came that fatal, one, one, one
He arose and, going to small locker il
his room, grasped half filled bottle OF
liquor and drank deeply.
He arose again and, taking a letter
opener, crowded bits Of paper into the
keyhole of the door and up and dowr
the crack. Then he closed the one win
dow, turned out the two gas jets anG
| opened the stopcocks again. An odo,
| Of gas soon pervaded the room, into
which came only faint light from the
statehouse DOME