Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-10-03


he exclaimed. For you know you did
break Mary's heart! She'd have got
over waking up In the midst of your
luxuries to find she'd left her heart in
my cottage If you'd only treated her
properly"
"Silence, sir, silence!" said Raymond,
sternly, white to the lips.
I'm not saying you treated her bad
", man; but you didn't take her right.
And what with this and that she pinned
you know she did, And you'd see
her daughter pine in some swelPs house
and my boy eating out his heart rather
than allow her to marry the son Of a
workingman
81 think you have forced this topic
on me very unfairly, Mr.. Allen" said
the iron founder.
'My boy will be rich"
every unfairly. l was under the i'm
preston you wished to see me on
matter Of business"
you're on your last legs, man-you
know you are! You're running your
furnaces simply to bluff your bankers,
In the hope you will get the Casehall
contract"
81 think you had better be going, sir"
said Raymond, evenly. 81 have"
mot yet. I've one more thing to say.
1 have worked for this hour. 1 said to
you thirty years ago, as you stood stiff
| and cold and held that door open for
me-a broken-hearted mani said that
the aim of my life would be to ruin you
I didn't speak rashly, for even then
had ideas In my mind. But now
give you a chance! Let them marry
they love each other! Their hearts
have sought each other in spite of every
obstacle; they were born for each other
Give your consent"
81 have some letters to write" Ray
mond murmured, glancing over his table
deprecatingly.
"You won't?" said Allen, harshly.
"Well, look at that!" He tossed a pa
per under the iron founders eyes.
'Trhat's the Casehall contract, Mr.. Ray
mond, that you depend on getting for
your financial salvation. I've secured
| 1t, backed by Banksides, who've had
their knife in you some time. The con-
tract is the price Of my partnership
with them, and means fortune. At
one stroke l go up and you go down"
Raymond nervously picked up the
contract and began to peruse it. As
he did so the cloud that had gathered
on his face faded, and he smilingly
tossed the paper back to Allen.
81 wish Banksides joy" he said, in
a thin voice. "They can't produce pig
iron at the price"
"Yes, we cam" returned Allen, conf
IDENTIFY. "Under my process we can sell
at that price and make u per cent bet
ter profit than you can. l give you
chance, Raymond Let Phyllis marry
my boy, and you shall have this con
tract and my process on the same terms
on which / go to Banksides."
"You ought to give me credit for hay
ing more fixed ideas"
you won't"
Exactly; 1 won't. 1 am very much
obliged for your magnanimous offer, all
the same"
"Well, presently you'll come knocking
at my door asking me to buy your
daughter for my son to put bread in
your mouth We shall see You love
the girl and you loved Mary, but in
your pigheadedness you'd spoil the
girls life and my Bob's as you spoiled
her mothers and mine. l wish you
good evening, William Raymond"
"Good evening, Mr.. Allen" said the
iron founder, courteously, moving IN
easily in his chair.
"You won't? Remember, I'm a man
of my word"
"Good evening" Mr.. Allen" repeated
Raymond, softly, touching the table bell
for a servant.
'No, Bob, dear; 1 couldn't do 1t.
Fathers getting an old man, and he has
frightful worries just now. Can 1, his
only child, the only person he has to
love and to love him, absolutely defy
his wishes? We must wait, as we have
waited, and derive patience from the
knowledge that youth and fortune are
on our size. 1 have the distant memory
Of my mother to think Of, and my
heart tells me she would bid me wait"
You're quite right my DEAR" said
John Allen, before his son could speak,
resting his arms on his great office desk
and smiling benignly at the girl. "It
can't hurt either of you to wait a
little longer, after waiting so long. We
all have to bide our time. You can go
on preparing the gilded cage, Bob; Ray
mond will come round"
Robert Allen glanced at his father
quickly, and dropped his sweetheart's
hand as if he had suddenly been re-
minded of something he had to say.
"He stopped me this afternoon" he
| said after Insulating ssIt 1uas unrrr