Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-08
CHAPTER XIX.


ali its history had such excitement been
provided for enjoyment in fine weather.
The publication of the lie in THE Express
for the papers which Billy had distributed
had passed from many hands to many
hands-had created uproar and caused such
rablduess of discussion as the town had
never known before.
Cooper might have saved himself If he
had been willing to go upon the streets and
deny the llSel 10 the folk who knew him.
but he would not. Early in the morn ns he
marched grimly to the polls. looking neither
to tine right nor to the left. Ignoring the
ealutations of Eeighhors WHO beheVed IN
him and voted for him as completely as ne
ignored the side glances and avoidances OF
those who had been affected by the mlser-
able Islander. Calmly, defiantly, with set
Jaw and face that was almost as gray IN
its skin as was the hair of his grlzzled
beard, he deposited his ballot, ana mafcheo
home again.
AT the house he was no less different
from the big. CHEEKY man his family had
known for all those years. He stopped any
effort at discussion OF the matter WIN an
uplIfted hand and would listen TO no word
concerning 1t. After his breakfast was
overland it was little indeed that he ale
of tho went to the barn and spent the
morning with the stock, caring for the ami
mails petting them, looking over harness
and implements and trying with ali MS
power Of will to keep his mind by hard ana
had happened. o,,,,
1t was not entirely the fact that he would
probably lose his election that troubled "a
leh COoDer More, 1t was the defectlon d!
Jack Selkirk. He had tossed the chlid anu
ridden him upon his shoulders when ne hau
worn skirts and after, knlckerpockeIs ne
had watched his course in college, ana re-
Iolced with the old judge when the youtn
had come home from Rutgers with good
record of hard work and many fTlends' he
had been delighted when the young man
,fyraA N
River and edit there the newspaper "hlct
Cooper had read religiously ever since its
first publication day. He had Whtgleu ~, tnr
growing attachment between ms uausntes
and the editor with gratihed pride lie nau
given his consent to their marriage at LEI
that morning of wild nonsense Win d Iu,A
and thankful heart. He had been continual
ly delighted by the mans alert soou sehS Sc
While they had been working together III
.be campaign. and he had learned TO love
him. 1t was that that maue 'He So"''0''
cut-hiu to the quick.
II was late in the afternoon When ne az
peared around the house again. ne 49,
10 sDsak cheerfully TO the girls ana i5etSes,
hut his face belied his words, ana .lleS
knew that he was suffering. Now II nap
nened that not one person, so Tar as d.. d..
sew Robbn knew. had the least susPlcioli
that it had been she wnc had cause tta nie si
disaster in the Express once tne his Il
before The pressmen had had their packs
turned toward her as was Iecessais ~
their work; Billy had been behind the pT rtS
been in the back room, and the thng re-
NAMED a mystery. Her presence In the
office had not been especially noted lol
within two minutes from the tune tne
thing had happened there had been many
there Even Mercy. who knew that sne
had gone there declaring that she wou io
stop the publication of the lie. hau ~
idea that she could have been the CAUSE
Of such q disaster as that which oVertook
the great machine If any one knew ausii.
of the part she had played In the a1lalr 1t
,1lf hn
was Billy, and he had lain all tne aoi hInnS
white-faced and weak from loss or pioou
with a head that throbbed and throppeu
and throbbed in the little room upstaiis
with his mother at his side He had gwen
no sign that he believed that the dress,
maker had wrecked the press, and she hau
decided thai re did not think so.
It's awfully lucky that there WASH none none
of us hurt worse there yesterday S'iu
Betsey, tentatively. -
she was willing TO talk of anything that
might possibly pull Cooper from his mood
of black depression.
you amt heard no news have you as
70 inst what happened?" asked Cooper.
NO" said Betsey. truthfully.
And the subject slipped from their talk
after she had assured him that Billy was
doing well. ,,,
At the express office in the afternoon
an orderly confusion had come out OF
chaos The men employed there were, as,
indeed, was every one, quite ignorant OF
who or what had caused the wreck. but
they were doing what they could 10
straighten matters out. Inc steel p pa
thrust into the whirling cylinder hao
crashed against two uprights in the cast
iron framework of the press, broken them
and left the frame on that side in a COM
plete ruin Then. loosed from its fasten-
ings the heavy cylinder had torn up
through the press wrecking the upper
works and doing much damage TO other
parts of the machine
At the station Frank Bernard was at
his post as usuel. although the rest of the
world might be free to take holiday. He
Wondered with much puZzlement on what
had happened. He glad that he had
not sent the messages, although ne knew
that If Selkirk made complaint OF MIN
TO the company he would lose his situa-
ton. HIS thoughts We're busy with the
editor There was no doubt in his mind
he could find no excuse for doubt-that
Selkirk had planned the desertion and po-
H. .cal ruin OF Cooper. and his mind was
flied with resentment toward the editor.
He could make no excuse whatever Tor MIN
in his thoughts, but he was amazed that
ne had never shown the cloven hoof be-
fore. There were many details of the sit
uation which he knew nothing of. but
many of them had been told to him by
Bess. and others he supplied, as best he
could for himself His conclusion was that
Selkirk was a scamp. He reached 1t with
real sorrow, for the young editor had been
one of the younger fellows heroes lie
had known him well and been proud when
Selkirk had shown feeling of complete
equality by dropping In at the station
IOf q Cflat. OF WntN lity Hdu met at TIC
Cooper house and Selkirk had before them
all deferred to his opinion in some matter,
or otherwise showed that he believed him
TO be q youth Of promise, not likely to
be stuck at small telegraph office all
his life He tried to reconcile what had
happened with his previous good opinion
of the man, and failed.
II was while he thinking of these
things that the call. Blk" "B-x." Blk"
came rafting from the wire, and he re-
piled, pulling his blanks TO him with
the other hand as he did so. 1t al
most shocked him when he found that the
message was for himself, and that there
fore, II must come from Selkirk.
Tell office" IL said slowly, Ito do best
they can. Sorry could not communicate
before VIII explain later. Best wishes
for Cooper and congratulate tons In advance.
Tell Miss Bobbin everything all right. Hard
pull. but won Congratulations Mercy and
Bess, congressman's daughters.
tSigned JOHN SELkIRK."
Bernard's fingers flew they wrote
the message, and the instant it ended he
broke in on the wire. But the message had
been relayed at Philadelphia. having come
originally from a small station to the south
ward. Bernard communicated with this
station.
''Is man sending this message still there 9''