The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-10-25

in the evening and is a judge OF books
and pictures. Lawyers are the doof-
| keepers and the messengers OF the pls
| dive; and these lawyers, though tney
| stand the highest and get the biggest
fees, are just what you would expect
human beings to be who expose them,
| selves to such temptations, ana ylelu
whenever they get an opportunity, as
eager and compliant as a cocotte.
My lawyers had sold me out: l, fool
that l was, had not guarded the only
weak plate in my armor against my
companions-the plate over my PACK,
to shed assassin thrusts. Roebuck ana
Langdon between them owned the gov
| ernor he owned the canal commission;
my canal, which gave me access TO
tidewater for the product OF my Man
asquale mines, was as good as Closed.
l no longer had the whip-hand In Ma
tional Coal. The others could sell me
out and take two-thirds of my fortune
whenever they liked-for of what use
were my mines with no outlet now TO
| any market, except the outlets the coal
crowd oWned?
AS soon as I had thought the situa-
ton out in all it's bearings ! realized
| that there was nc escape for me now,
that whatever chance to escape 1 might
have had was closed by my uncover
ing to Sake and kicking him. But 1
| did not regret; it was worth the money
it would cost me. Besides, l thought l
saw how I could later on turn 1T to
| good account. A sensible man never
makes fatal errors. Whatever he does
is at least experience, and can also be
used to advantage. If Napoleon hadn't
been half dead at Waterloo, l don't
doubt he would have used it's disaster
as a means to a greater victory.
Was I downcast by the discovery that
those bandits had me apparently at
their mercy? Not a bit. Never in my
life have I been downcast over money
matters more han a few minutes. Why
should I be? Why should any man be
who has made himself all that he is?
AS long as his brain is sound, his cap
ital is unimpaired. When I walked into
Mowbray Langdon's Office l was like a
thoroughbred exercising on a clear
frosty morning; and my smile vas as
fresh as the flower in my buttonhole.
I thrust out my hand at him. Il con-
graduate you," said I.
He took the proffered hand with a
questioning look.
"On what? 2" said he. 1t is hard to
tell from his face what is going on in
his head, but 1 think I guessed right
when I decided that Sake hadn't yet
warned him.
II have just found out from Sake"
I pursued, 'about the canal BILL"
What canal bill?" he asked.
THAT puzzled look was a mistake,
Langdon," said I, laughing at him.
"When you don't know anything about
a matter, you look merely blank. You
overdid it; you've given yourself
away"
He shrugged his shoulders. Gas you
please" said he. AS you please was his
favorite expression; a stereotyped
irony, for in dealing with him., things
u,o,o oy,o n q y,1nocnI Inf n1yunuc
as he pleased.
Next time you want to dig a mine
under anybody" 1 went on, don hire
SAKE. Really 1 feel sorry for you-to
have such a clever scheme messed by
such an ass"
what you're talking about" said he,
with his patient, bored look.
"As you and Roebuck w the gov
ernor, 1 know your little law ends my
little canal"
Still don't know what you're talk
ing about" drawled he. you are al
ways suspecting everybody Of double
dealing. 1 gather that his is another
instance of your infrmity. Really,
Blackjack, the world isn't wholly made
up of scoundrels."
81 know that" said I. "And I will
ever admit that it's s%coundrels are sell
dom made up wholly Of scoundrelism.
INS1l IkOCOoSh Woo1o ! w IL Nv
cent thing, if he can do it without en-
dangering his personal interests. AS
for you'll regard you as one Of the
decentest men l ever knew-outside Of
business. And even there, 1 believe
you'd keep your word, as long as he
other fellow kept his"
THANK YOU" said he, bowling ironi-
cally. "This f1attery makes me sus-
pect you've come to get something"
"On h contrary said /. Il want
to give something. ! want to give you
my coal mines"
II thought you'd see that our offer
was fair" said he. and I'm glad YOU
reling with your best friends. We can
be useful to you, you to us. A break
would be silly"
That's the way it looks to me-" /
assented. And 1 decided that my sharp
talk to Roebuck had set them to esti-
mating my value to them.
Sam Ellersly," Langdon presently
remarked, tells me he's campaigning
hard for you at the Travellers. l hope
you'll make it. We're rather a slow
crowd: a few men like you might stir
things up"
I am always more than willing to
give others credit for good sense and
good motives. 1t was not vanity, but
this disposition to credit others with
sincerity and sense, that led me to be-
lieve him, both as to the coal matter
and as to the Travellers club. Thanks,
Langdon." I said; and that he might
look no further for my motive, I added:
"I want to get into the club much as
the winner Of a race wants the medal
that belongs to him. I've built myself
up into a rich man, into n Of the
powers in finance, and / feel I'm en-
titled to recognition"
Continued Next Weekly