Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-26

a successful man Well, to make my
successes a good many poor devils
have had to fail. know that I'm
under no obligation to consider them
none whatever. And yet, as | grow
old, I'll be hanged if don't think of
them a good deal Perhaps it's nerves
or perhaps it's nothing but the living
every day with such creature as
that little girl of mine Whatever
the reason, there's the fact that l
should be glad to shuttle back some
OF this useless money into the hands
OF those who used to-well, who need
1t more than l. at any rate
How would you propose to do it,"
Wiltshire asked. putting quietly.
There you've got me. That's
where l don't see my way. | sup,
pose to you it seems easy"
NO; on the contrary, can quite
understand that it might be ticklish
job"
TITS Internally ticklish. It's one
Of the queer elements of the stun
ton. Here am, a well.meaning man
with no other longing than to do good
and I'll be hanged if l can. could
give you the names of a dozen people
old enemies or old enemies
widows and orphans-whom should
be willing to set up for life, and yet
l doubt il they'd let me. You'd hard
ly believe that"
ooh, yes" Wiltshire replied, dryly,
"a little knowledge of human nature
makes the thing clear enough"
That's it. You've got that know.
ledge. and so ! thought that You
| might help me-"
"Oh!"
Wiltshire withdrew his cigar from
| his lips and looked round with some
| establishment.
| 81 mean Trafford explained, half
apologetically, chat If, in any particu-
| lar instance, you had the chance TO
| facilitate the thing
"Of course, of course. Were you
thinking of any one especially?"
'No-no-that isl know you've
befriended the family of that-that
young Winship-who-wh o-painted
a portrait"
quite so. We were speaking of
him at lunch this morning if you re-
member"
You may not be aware that his
father was an old opponent Of mine"
81 know the circumstances vaguely"
Then | won't go into them further
than to say he was the kind of old
fellow you couldn't spare. did my
best to save him and his family from
ruin, but when they were bent on
running into 1t. / had to let them.
That's all over years ago Now he
! has this son and an old-maid daugh-
ter Don't you understand, Wiltshire,
that with more money than | know
| what to do with-with money of
which I could take three fourths and
bury it in hole in the ground and
still remain rich man-don't YOU
understand that | should be glad"
He stopped as If searching for a
81 quite understand" Wiltshire has
tened to say. But isn't it the case
that Winship is getting beyond the
peed of generosity of that sort?"
! "No one is beyond the need of what
he can get And whether he's so or
not, want the fellow to have tn,
money. | want to know that he's
taken 1t. What he does with it aztec.
wards, or what his sister does with
1t, won't matter a twopenny damn as
far as I'm concerned! but | want to
know that they've had It, I'd leave It
on his door step, I'd stuff it down his
throat, just for the satisfaction of
getting rid of It,"
He laughed grimly, and threw the
stump of his cigar on the ash-tray.
Why don't you tell him so?"
1--WE done So" Trafford answered,
after a moments hesitation. "He
wouldn't take it,
Then what would you expect me
to DOR
DO? Do anything, so long as they
take the money. don't care a lot
about their knowing it's from me- I'll
give you million dolars-two humid
red thousand pounds-to juggle into
their pockets by any tale you can In
vent. Gad when think how easy
it's been to make money it seems
like the irony of the very Lord above
to find it SO difficult to throw it away
/ There were several pertinent re-
marks In Wiltshire's mind, but he
withheld them AS matter of fact,
he was slightly appalled, by the lifting
of this corner of the veil. on the rich
mans conscience. From the begin.
ming of their acquaintance he had
been interested in Trafford, as the
type of American success, while he
had been drawn to him by a GER
tain bigness and generosity in Traf-
ford's character; but he shrank from
contact with the details of his busi-
mes career, with the distaste of the
hereditary grand seigneur. It was a
relief to him when Trafford rose, and
assuming another tone, affected to
take the matter lightly. He himself
tried to do the same
..Winship is AS pig-headed chan as
was ever driven to market he said, as
they went towards the drawing-room
"but I know him pretty well and, if
it's any service to you, I'll try to in
f1uence him for his good"
CHAPTER XXI.
The appearance in the New York
Magazine of the famous series of arti
cles in which the history and methods
Of the Vermont Mining Company were
exposed, had clarifying effect on
Paula's chaotic though. Till then she
| had not been without the persistent