Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-02-28
CHAPTER x (continuedo


feet which this name would have on
her hearers. But to her surprise
neither her father nor Stott displayed
the slightest emotion or even interest
Puzzled az this cold reception she re-
peated:
Did you hear, father-John Burkett
Ryder will come to your assistance. 1
came home on the same ship as his son
and he promised to secure his fathers
aid" ~
The judge puffed heavily at his pipe
and merely shook his head, making no
reply. Stott explained:
We can't look for help from that
quarter, Shirley. You don't expect a
man 10 cut loose his own kite, do your
What DO you mean?" demanded
Shirley, mystified.
Simply this that John Burkett
Ryder Is the very man who is respon-
sible for all your fathers misfor-
tunes"
The girl sank back in her seat pale
and motionless, as if she had received
blow. Was it possible? Could Jeffer-
sons father have done them such
wrong as this? She we'll knew that
Ryder, ST.. was a man who would stop
this she had demonstrated conclusive
ly in her book but she had never
dreamed that his hand would ever be
directed against her own flesh and
blood Decidedly some fatility was
further and further apart First, her
naturally have separated them. And
hot Sc
father had done hers this wrong. All
idea Of marriage was henceforth out
of the question. That was irrevocable.
OF course. she could not hold Jeffer-
son to blame for methods which he
himself abhorred. She would always
think as much Of him as ever, but
whether her father emerged safely
from the trial in the Senate or not
no matter what the outcome of the
Impeachment proceedings might be,
Jefferson could never be anything else
than a Ryder and from now on there
would be an impossible gulf between
the Rossmores and the Ryders. The
dove does not mate with the hawk.
"Do you really belive this, that John
Ryder deliberately concocted the
bribery charge with the sole purpose
Of running my father?" demanded
Shirley when she had somewhat re-
covered
There Is no other solution Of the
mystery possible" answered Stott.
1.-THE Trusts found they could not fight
him in open. in a fair, honest way. so
they plotted in the dark. Ryder was
the ruan who had most to lose by your
fathers honesty on the bench. Ryder
was the man he hit the hardest when
he enjoined his Transcontinental Rail-
road. Ryder, am convinced, is the
chief conspirator."
"But can such things be in civil
zed community" cried Shirley in
dignantly. Cannot ne be exposed,
won't the press take the matter up,
cannot we show conspiracy?"
''It sounds easy, but it isn't" replied
Stott. 81 have had heap Of exper-
fence with the law, my child and l
know what I'm talking about. They're
too clever to be caught tripping They
we covered their tracks we'll, be sure
of that AS to the newspapers when
did you ever hear of them champion
ing a man when he's DOWN."
"And you, father-do you believe
Ryder did this?"
IT have no longer any doubt of il"
answered the judge. 81 think John
Ryder would see me dead before he
would raise finger to help Inc. His
answer to my demand for my letters
convinced me that he was the arch
plotter."
What letters do you refer to-" de-
named Shirley.
The letters I wrote to him in re-
GARD to my making an investment. He
advised the purchase of certain stock.
/ wrote him two letters at the time,
which letters If I had them now would
go along way to clearing me of this
charge of bribery, for they plainly
showed that regarded the transaction
as a bona fide investment. Since this
trouble began wrote to Ryder asking
him to return me these letters so l
might use them in my defence. The
only reply I got was an insolent note
from his secretary saying that Mr..
Ryder had forgotten all about the
transaction. and in any case had not
the letters I referred TO-"
Couldn't you compel him to return
them?' asked Shirley.
1--WE could never get at him." inter
rupted Stott 1.-THE man is guarded as
carefully as the Gear"
"still," objected Shirley, cit is pos.
sible that he may have lost the letters
or even never received them"
ooh, he has them safe enough" re.
piled Stctt. "a man like Ryder keeps
every SCRAP of paper, with the idea
that it may prove useful some day. The
letters are lying somewhere in his desk
Besides, after the Transcontinental de-
cision he was heard TO say that he'd
have Judge Rossmore off the Bench
inside of year"
"And it wasn't vain boast-he's
done it," muttered the judge.
Shirley relasped into silence. HeI
brain was in whirl. 1t was true then
This merciless man of money, this ogre
of mcnopolistic corporations, this hui
man juggernaut had crushed her father
merely becauie by his honesty he In
terfered with his shady business deals!
All, why had she spared him in hel
book? She felt now that she had beer
a