The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1906-11-22
THE
| CRAFTERS
BY
FRANCIS Lynn DE
CHAPTER xxiIr.-CoNrISuED.


She was pacing back and forth in
front Of his chair in a way that was
almost man-iike; but her contemptu-
Gus impotence made her dangerously
beautiful. Suddenly she stopped and
turned upon him, and there we're sharp
claws in the kitten-buffetings
do you know you're spelling fu-
ture that most men would hesitate TO
throw away?" she asked. while you
have been a man Of one idea in this
railroad affair, we haven't been idle
your newspaper and political friends,
and Ormsby and l. You are ambitious;
you want to succeed; and we have been
laying the foundations for you The
next election would give you anything
in the gift of the state that a man of
your years could aspire TO. Have you
known this?"
81 have guessed it," he said quite
humbIy.
"Of course you have. But IL has all
been contingent upon one thing: you
were to crush the grafters In this rail-
road struggle-show them up--and
climb 10 distinction yourself on the
ladder from which you have shaken
them. II might have been donep it
was in a fair way to be done. And
now you turn back and leave the plow
In the furrow!"
There was more of a like quality
a good bit more: some OF it regretful;
all of it pungent and logical from
Miss Van Brooks point of view; and
Kent was no rock not to be moved
by the small tempest of disappointed
vicarious ambition. Wherefore he es-
capped when he could. though only to
begin the ethican battle all over again;
10 fight aud wander among the tombs
in the valley OF INDIGESTION for a week
and day, eight miserable twirlings
Of the earth in space, during which in :
terval he was invisible to his friends
and innocuous to his enemies.
On the morning of the ninth day
Editor Hildreth telephoned Miss Van
Brock to ask II she knew where Kent
could be found. The answer was
rather anxious negative; though the
query could have been answered af-
nrmatively by the conductor and mot
orman of an early morning electric
car which ran to the farthest out
skirts Of the eastern suburbs of the
city. Following boyish habit he
had never fully outgrown, Kent had
once more taken his problem to the
open. and the hour after luncheon
time found him plodding YEARLY back
TO the end OF the car line, jaded, dusty
and stiff from much tramping of the
brown plain. but with the long duel
finally fought out to some despairing
conclusion.
The city hall clock was upon the
stroke of three when the inbound troll
ley-car landed him in front of the
Clarendon. 1t was a measure OF his
purposeful abstraction that he went
on around the corner to the Security
bank, dusty and unpresentable as he
was. and transferred the packet OF in
eliminating afiidayits from the safety
deposit box to his pocket before going
20 his rooms in the hotel.
This paper weapon was the centering
point Of the struggle which had now
lasted for nearly a fortnight. So long
ss the weapon was his to use or to
Gust away. the outcome of the moral
conflict hung in. the balance. But now
he was emerging from the night wan
derings among the tombs OF the unde-
cided.
Il cant give it up; there is too much
NJ stake he muttered. as he trudged
heavily back to the hotel. And before
he went above the stairs he asked the
young woman at the house telephone
exchange to ascertain If Governor
Backs we're in his Office at the capitol,
ard IL 50. II he were likely TO remain
there for an hour
When hs reached bis rooms he flung
the packet of papers on the writing
tabs and went 10 ffeshen himself with