Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-31
CHAPTER I.-(Continued).

i ocooocoooo oocooco
CHAPTER Ii Continued).
tits no question of a cheque this
time. The road could not buy Judge
Rossmore with 100000. He is abso-
lutely unapproachable in that way"
The apoplectic face of Mr.. Grimsby
looked incredulous.
1t was hard for these men who plot
ted in the dark, and cheated the widow
and orphan for love of the dollar, to
understand that there were in the
world, breathing the same air as they,
men who put honor, truth and Justice
above mere money-getting. With a
slight tinge of sarcasm he asked:
rs there any man in our public life
who is unapproachable from some d.
rection or other?"
Yes, Judge Rossmore is such a man.
4 He is one of the few men in American
/ public life who takes his duties seri.
ously. In the strictest sense Of the
term, he serves his country instead of
serving himself. am no friend of his,
but must do him that Justice"
Il He spoke sharply, in an irritated
tone, as If resenting the insinuation
Of this vulgarian that every man in
public life had his price. Roberts knew
that The charge was true as far as he
and the men he consorted with were
concerned. but sometimes the truth
hurts. That was why he had for. a
moment seemed to champion Judge
Rossmore, which, seeing that the Judge
himself was at that very moment I'M
der cloud, was an absurd thing for
him to do.
II He had known Rossmore years be-
fore when the latter was city magis-
trate in New York. That was before
he, Roberts, had become a political
CRATER and when the decent things in
life still appealed to him. The two
men, although having few interests In
common. had seen good deal of one
another until Roberts went to Wash
ington when their relations were com
pletely severed. But he had always
watched Rossmores career. and when
he was made judge of the Supreme
II Court at a comparatively early age he
was sincerely glad If anything could
have convinced Roberts that success
can come In public life to man who
A pursues it by honest methods 1T was
the success of James Rossmore. He
could never help feeling that Rossmore
had been endowed by Nature with GER
tain qualities which had been denied
to him, above all that ability to walk
straight through life with skirts clean
4 which he had found impossible him
4 self. Today Judge Rossmore was one
of the most celebrated judges in the
country. He was a brilliant jurist and
a splendid after-dinner speaker He
was considered the most learned and
able of all the members of the judi
4 ciary,. and his decisions were noted as
much for their fearlessness as for their
wisdom. But what was far more, he
i enjoyed "a reputation for absolute in
tegrity. Until now no breath of SLAM
4 der, no. suspicion Of corruption, had
ever touched him. Even his enemies
acknowledged that. And that is why
there was a panic today among the
directors of the Southern and Trans
continental Railroad This honest, up
right man, had been called upon in
the course Of his duty to decide mat
tiers OF vital Importance to the road,
and the directors were ready to stan.-
pede because, in, their hearts, they
knew the weakness of their case and
the strength of the Judge.
Grimsby. unconvinced. returned to
the charge.
What about these newspaper
charges? Did Judge Rossmore take n
4 bride from the Great Northwestern or
4 didn't he? You ought to know"
II do know" answered the senator
cautiously and somewhat curtly. "but
until Mr.. Ryder arrives can say moth
4 ing, believe he. has been inquiring
! Into the matter. He will tell us when
he comes"
4 The hands Of the large clock in the
outer room pointed to three. An
active, dapper little man with glasses
and with books under his arm passed
j hurrielly from another Office into the
directors room.
! There goes Mr.. Lane with the min
utes: The meeting is called. Where's
i Mr.. Ryder?"
There; was general move of the
scattered groups of directors toward
the committee room. The clock over
head began. to strike. The last stroke
4 had not died away when the big swing
Il ing doors from the street were thrown
4 open and there entered a tall, thin
man, gray-headed, and with slight
stoop, but keen eyed and alert. He was
4 carefully dressed in well-ftting frock
Il coat. White Walstcoat, black Tie and
A silk hat. S
It was John Burkett Ryder, the Col
4 ossus.
{ CHAPTER II.
AT ffty-six John Burkett Ryder was
j ~ surprisingly we'll preserved. With
4 the exception of the slight stoop, al
ready noted, and the rapidly thinning
snowwhite hair, his step was as light
and elastic, and his brain as vigorous
and alert, as in a man of forty. OF
old English stock, his physical make
up presented all those strongly marked
characteristics Of our race which.
] sprung from Anglo-Saxon ancestry. but
modified by nearly 300 years of differ
ent climate and customs, has gradually
produced the distinct and true Ameri-
can type as easily recognizable among
/ the family of nations as any other Of
the earth's children. Tall and dis
tinguished looking, Ryder would