Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-11-13
CHAPTER VlIl.-Continued.

CHAPTER vlII.-continued.
"Jim, you gave me an awful scare"
he said brokenly. Don't ever do it
again. l have little left to live for.
To be sure l have some feeling for
mother Fred, and sisters. But for you
have q love second only to that I
should have felt for Beulah had been
allowed to have her. The thought,
Jim, that I had wrecked your life,
with all you have to live for, would
have been the last straw. My life is
purgatory. Beulah is only an ever
present curse to me-a ghost that
rends my heart and soul, one minute
with a blind frenzy to revenge her
wrongs, the next with an icy remorse
that I have not already done so. If
did not have her, perhaps in time
could forget; perhaps I might lay
out some scheme to help poor devils
whose poverty makes life unendur-
able, and with the millions have
taken from the main shaft of hell
might do things that would at least
bring quiet to my soul: but it. is i'm.
possible with the living corpse of
Beulah Sands before me every minute
and that devil machinery whirling in
my brain all the time the song, Re-
venge her and her father, revenge
YOURSELF It is impossible to give it.
up, jim must have revenge. must
stop this machinery that is smashing
up more American hearts and souls
each year than all the rest of earth's
grinders combined. Every day I de-
lay become more f1endish in my de-
sires. Jim, don't think l do not know
that I have literally turned into a
fiend. Whenever of late see myself
in the mirror, l shudder. When
think Of what I was when your father
stood us up in his Office and started
us in this heart-shrivelling, soul-cal-
lousing business, and what am now,
I cannot keep the madness down ex-
cept with rum. You know what it
means for me to say this, me who
started with all the pride of a Brown
ley; but it is so, Jim. The other night
l went home with my soul frozen with
thoughts of the past and with my
brain ablaze with rum, intending to
end 1t all. I got out my revolver, and
woke Beulah, but as I said, Bob is
going to kill Beulah and himself she
laughed that sweet child's laugh and
clapping her hands said, Bob is so
good to play with Beulah,' and then
I thought of that devil Reinhart and
the other f1ends of the System be-
ing left to continue their work unhin-
dered and I could not do it. I must
have revenge; must smash that
heart-crushing machinery. Then I
can go, and take Beulah with me.
Now, Jim, let us have it clearly under.
stood once and for all"
Remorse and softness were past;
he was the Indian again. II am going
to wreck that hell-annex some day,
and that some day will be the next
time start in. Don't argue with me,
don't misunderstood me. To-day you
stopped me. l don't know whether
you meant what you threatened; 1
don't care now. It is just as we'll that
I stopped. for the Systems machine
will be there whenever 1 start in
again. It loses nothing of It's f1end-
ishness. none of it's destructive powers
by grinding, but on the contrary, as
you know, 1t increases It's speed every
day it runs. Now, Jim Randolph, I
want to tell you that you must get
yours and the houses affairs in such
shape that you won't be hurt when L
60 into that human rat-pit the next
time, for when l come from It the
New York Stock Exchange and the
System will have had their spines
unJointed. Yes, and I'll have their
hearts out, too. Neither will ever be
able to take from the American people
their savings and their manhood and
womanhood and give them in ex-
change unauthorized torment. am
going to be fair with you, Jim; this
is the last time will discuss the sub
ject. After this you must take your
chance with the rest of those who
have to do with the cursed business.
When strike again, none will be
spared. will wreck the Street, and
the innocent will go down with the
guilty, II they have any stocks on
hand at that time.
my power, Jim, is unlimited: moth
ing can stay it. am not going to
explain any further You have seen
me work. You must know that my
power is greater than the SYSTEMS
and you and and the Street have al
ways known that the System is more
powerful than the government, more
powerful than are the courts, legisla-
lures, congress, and the president of
the United States combined, that it
absolutely controls the foundation on
which they rest-the money of the
nation. But my power is greater, q
thousand, yes, million times greater
than theirs. Jim, they say that have
made more money than any man in
the world. They say that have five
hundred millions of dollars, but the
fools don't keep track of my move
ments. They only know that have
pulled five hundred millions from my
open whirls, the ones they have had
an opportunity to keep tab on. But I
tell you that, have made even more
IN my secret deals than the .amount
they have seen me take. Il have had
my agents with my capital in every
deal, every steal the System has
rugged up. The world has been throw.
ing up it's hands in horror because
Carnegie, the blacksmith of Pittsburg,
pulled of three hundred millions of
swag in the Steel hold-up-yes, swag,