The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-25

Co.-quick! quick" Then he closed the door, hung over Welchs desk and. grip ping the standard of the desk telephone, turned again toward Dane. If l had | revolver. Caspar Dane,' he said T | would shoot you for hound.
 But, old man." said Shinn cajolingly you're not sold out you know; how could you be?"
 At the window" Tweed answered in 1 breathess, quiverng voice. .I saw Vance my broker. 1 suppose he knew of this meeting and was looking across. l gave him his signal-to sella''
 The telephone bell rang and Tweed caught up the instrument
 This you Vance? This Is Tweed. Did l you sell Valdez? What. all of it? What price? Down as low as what? Forty-hye or. fifty"
 'tFifteenn' he cried Fifteen! Less than l I paid-and l counted on it to pull me i through!''
 He went tottering to the table, and. sinking into d chair. laid his face upon his outstretched arms.
 Well" said Wech, fifteen Is better than nothing. And you thought you had nothing a little while ago That was pretty foxy scheme you tried to play on us-and that was why you wouldn't come into the pool-"
 Hold on, Welchr' Dane cried sternly. '1 might have let you send your mes sage from this room"
 Welch turned on him furiously, And by what right" he demanded, :" do you come here to lie to us and tempt us and sit in judgment?'
 .Yes!' cried Shinn stepping up beside the lawyer and confronting Dane, How dare you trife with us? You lied-you lied-you will 5e held to account. Decent men will not speak to you.9
 He stopped. quivering with. passion, speechless for want of breath; his chest aKaA fnll Hon his eyes flashed. Dane looked at him | sadly, disregarding the lawyer
 q can't say anything" Dane admitted. q want to do what I can
 He turned suddenly and sat down at | Welch's desk. And while he was sitting there Shinn stood over him, pouring out the tirade that had momentarily been choked.
 You dared-to play with us-to mock us-and torture us-for your sport! Wed done nothing to you-nothing-we were your friends. By God. Caspar Dane, | you're a disgrace to humanityi'
 Dane, who had indorsed three of the five certificates that he had handed to | the lawyer for safe keeping, sat silent un- der this scourglng. Now he rose, with the papers In his hand, and said quietly to Shinn:
 You're right to fell that way-from what you know; I'll say nothing I'm through with the game; you gentlemen may think of me as you will
 He passed in front of Shinn and went up to Tweed, who was stlll sitting at the table with his head on his outstretch- ed arms.
 Tweed" said Dane, touching his shoul- der. The old man did not look up. Across the table Paul Herrick raised his eyes, and Dane saw the contempt and dstrust in his glance. Tweed" said Dane again gently, you and I have been friends a uyhf And of1f f. fot. fun-mighty poor fun I've found it. I don't know how much you've lost-but here are three certificates for a thousand shares each--and you've got to take em. In six months Valdez will be worth a hundred dollars a share-and if I know anything about mines, our great grand sons will be drawing dividends from it as well as ourselves. Come. old man: you won't turn me down on this?''
 Then, as Tweed still did not raise his head, Dane forced the papers into the mans outstretched hands
 For moment Tweed looked up Thank you, Dane" he said; then he dropped his head again and wept The others stood silent and wretched Tweed turned with sudden attempt at bravery.
 "In take 1t, Dane," he said. 'I can't | pretend to be proud-after-after the hn- initiation of this hour. | swear to you men-maybe you can't believe it. but 1 swear-that in all my life until now 1 have never once done dishonest thing and then in an hour, to be exposed as a swindler and traitor and q hypocrite. I-I can't afford to be proud. IT wouldn't have believed 1t of myself an hour ago.
 Dane, with a sudden inspiration. strode vigorously to the head of the table and rapped upon it for order.
 | "Gentlemen, he said, with a faint smile and in voice of authority, '1et us take up the business of this meeting"
 That evening Casper Dane sat in his library, reading in the evening newspaper of the regular gyratons performed by Valdez mining stock-of it's astonishing plunge in one hour from 45 down to 15 and of it's upward shoot. following immed- lately upon the dividend declaration, to 50 The antics which for a brief time had thrown the street" into such consterna. ton were regarded inexplcable-the only surmise being that some one. not an "inslder" had become scared at the last moment and thrown over huge block of stock regardless of sacrifice. While Casper Dane perused the financial writer's sapient comments on the demor- alizing episode, his daughter Helen sat on the other side of the lamp. The maid appeared at the door and announced, MT. | Paul Herrickn
 As Helen rose her father laid down his newspaper and looked at her; she re- sponded with shy and hopeful glance.
 HIIelen," he said. holding out his hand, tell the young man it's all right. I'm sure he's straight"
 "Oh, father" she murmured, with her arms around his neck and her face against his cheek q know he is; I've always known it. Oh, I'm so glad And I'll bring him right up to you now"
 So serenely happy was she that she never guessed how awkward was that meeting for both the young man and the old. Paul Herrlck stood before Dane in the same attitude of deference and with the same bright-eyed defiance with which he had confronted the older man thas morning, and Dane read in PauIs face q proud antipathy and dlstrust
 Late that evening Helen came into the library where her father sat alone and thoughtfuf He smiled up at her radiant face he gave sigh of contentment when she perched herself on his knee and stroked his hand. And looking at his fair-haired girl with the shining eyes and gentle lips and the profile so like that of the other dear woman. no longer of this world who had seen the truth clearly when he had often blundered, Caspar Dane recalled her answer-"Why, of course, I've always known
 1 Have you been sitting thinking all the evening"" asked Helen. What have you | been thinking?'
 "A funny thing for me. he answered q was thinking that with human beings