The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-11-22
VDI copyrigh. by tho III
n ODE Deluge H
- BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS *
-; ~
BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS


that helpless creature added amazing
~. iudicrousiy. to that dangerous ella
tion which, MS I can now see. had been
growing I'm me ever since the day Roe
buck yielded so readily To my demands
an To- National Coal. The whole trouble
with me was that up TO that time !
had won all my victories by the plain
est kind Of strnightaway hard work.
was imagining myself victor In contests
az wit against wit. when, In fact. no
one with any special equipment OF
brains had ever opposed me: all the
really strong men had been helping me
because they found me useful. Too
easy success--therc In the clue to the
Wild folly that seems utterly incon-
sistent with the reputation for shrewd-
ness had. and seemed tn have earned.
can ind n certain small amount OF
legitimate excuse for my falling under
Langdon's spell. He had. and has. fas-
cinations. through personal magnetism.
which u Is hardly In human nature to
resist. But for my sclf-hypnoilsm I'm
the case OF Roebuck. I ind no excuse
whatever for myself.
JIc sent for me and told me wha;
share In National Coal they had 6e-
cid I 10 give me for my Mannsquale
niiies. "Langdon and Melville" said
he. think me too liberal: far too l.ber-
nj. my boy. But I insisted-in your case
I felt we could afrord to be generous
as well M just" All this with an air
and the parent.
! can't even offer the excuse OF not
! havirg seen that he was n hypocrite. i
felt his hypocrisy Mt once. and my first
impulse was To jump for my breast
works. But instantly my vanity got
behind me. held me IN the open. pushed
me on toward him. II you will notice.
a., VAlx fs.~
success chiefly upon cnlisting mans
! vanity Ia play the traitor to his judy
ment. So. instead OF reading his lib
/ crafty as plain proof OF Intended
! trcachery. I read IL az plain proof OF
I my own greatness, and OF the fear II
| had inspired I'm old Roebuck. Laugh
with me II you like: but. before you
/ laugh at me. think carefully-those OF
YOU who have ever put yourselves TO
/ the test on the field OF nction-think
carefully whether you have never found
I that your head decoration which you
thought n crown was In reality the
peaked and beiied csp OF the fool.
But my vanity was not done with me.
Q Led ON by II. proceeded To have one
: OF those ridiculous generous impulses"
Il persuaded myself that there must
! DE some dccency In this libcrality.
| In addition tn the prudence which
I fattered myself was the chief
cause. II have been unjust
Ia Roebuck." I thought. Il have been
misIudglng his character" And In
/ credible though u seems. said To him
with "A good deal OF genuine emotion:
I Il don't know how 10 thank you. Mr..
Roebuck. And. instead OF trying.
want 10 apologize to you. have
I thought many hard things against you:
have spoken soire OF them. i had bet
/ ter have been attending 10 my own
] - rrls Hsig IN -
I yours
/ I had often thought his face about
the rost repulslve. hypocrisy-slazed
I concourse OF evil passions that ever
fronted u nend In the flesh. IL had
seemed TO me the hitting result OF n
4 long career which. according To COM
mon report. WAS stained with murder.
| with rapacity and hcartless cruelty.
! with the most brutal secret scnsuality.
ana which had left IN its wake the
\ ruins OF lives and hearts and fortunes
innurerabic. had looked on the vnst
wealth he had hcaped mountain high
as u monument to devil dnring-other
IRON had, no doubt dreamed Of doing
I the fcrocious things he had done. but
their weak. hur'nn hearts failed when
/ 2, cape Ia cNy cutting such horrible acts.
aud they had to be content; with small
er fortunes. with tho comparatively
small fruits of their comparatively
small infnmics. He had dared all. he
had won: the most powerful bowed
with quakinv knees before hi~'. and
trembiei lest they might. by blunder-
b ing look or word excite his anger and
cause him To snatch their possessions
from them.
Thus I hpd rcvnrdcd him. accepting
the universal judgment. believing the
thousand pud one stories. But ne his
eyes, soficned by his hugely generous
n
amazed that hid so misjudscl him.
! In ttnt face which hal thought
there was. Ia my hvpnotizcd gaze. the
took az strong. sincere-yes. holY--hcnu-
~ nud power--the look OF mn nrchaugel.
Thank You. Elacilock." Eaid he In
"A voice that made me- feel as IL ] were
p little hoy In the crossroads church.
believing could ALMOST sec the angels
floating above the h"nds 81 the singers
in the choir behind the preacher.
| Thank you. 7 nm not surprised that
YOU have uisiuiccd me. God has given
me y great work tn DO. and those who
do Ills will In this wicked world must
expect r1artyrdon. I should never have
hnh the courage 10 10 what I have
done. what He hns done through rre.
Ind lie not ruldcd my every step. You
are not n religious man."
"f try To 10 what's square" said l.
'Iiut I'd prefer not To talk about that"
THAT'S flgh's Inat riHnts ne ap-
proved earnestly. "A mans religion ~
- matter between himself and his God
Hut hope Matthsy. YOU win never for
get that. unless YOU have daily. hourly
communion with Almighty God. you
will never he able to bear the great
burdens. to do the great work. fearless
IS, disrcgarding tho lies az the wicked
and hardest az all Co endure. the hon-
.stiy mistaken judgments of honest
men"
I'm iouk into T.. said I. And I don't
Euow la what lengths az foolish speech
should have gone had I not hcci
saved by nn Office boy intcTrupt.ng
I with 4 card for him.
All. here's Walters now" said he
Then to tao boy. Bring him IA whcr
] rinC."
rose TO go.
"Nu. ~, down. ElacElock." he insisted
You arc In with W. now. ana You MAY
learn something by seeing how I dca
With thc iarscr problems that face mcI
in these large undertakings. the prob
i-ms that have faced me iu eIrh new
enterprise ! have mauguratcd TO Ia
glory ~ God.
NATURALLY / accepted with onthusi
aSm.
: Ns.,, ,..ttf.t 80, I.tl.,x ,,,...