Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-08-01
CHAPTER xxv.-continued.

EFF you will save me-" l continued,
az will transfer to you, in a block,
all my Coal holdings. They will be
worth double my total liabilities with
in three months-as soon as the re-
organization is announced. l leave 1t
entirely to your sense Of justice
whether l shall have my part of them
back when this storm blows over"
"Why didn't you 60 to Roebuck?"
he asked without looking up.
Because it is he that stuck the
knife into me-"
"Why?"
II don't know. / suspect the Man
asquale properties, which I brought
into the combine, have some value,
which no one but Roebuck, and per-
haps Langdon, knows about-and that
1 in some way was dangerous to them
through that fact. They haven't Civ
en- me time to look into it."
A grim smile fitted owe the face.
you've been too busy getting mar
ried, eh?"
Exactly" said l. It's another case
of unbuckling for the wedding-feast
and getting assassinated as a pen;
atty. Do you wish me to explain any
thing on that list-do you want any
details of the combine-of the Coal
stocks there?"
mot necessary. he replied. AS |
had thought, with that enormous ma
chine of his for drawing in informa-
ton, and with that enormous mem
DRY of his for details, he probably
knew more about the combine and its
properties than I did.
"You have heard of the lockout"
1 inquired-for l wished him to know
I had no intention of deceiving him
as to the present market value OF
those stocks.
'Roebuck has been commanded by
his God" he said, ito eject the free
American labor from the coal regions
and to substitute importations OF
coolie Huns and Bohemians. Thus,
the wicked American laborers will be
chastened for trying to get higher
wages and cut down a pious mans
dividends; and the d~owntrodden cool
les will be brought where they can
enjoy the blessings Of liberty and Of
the preaching of Roebuck's mission
aries"
I laughed, though he had not smiled,
but had spoken as if stating color
less facts. "And righteousness and
DooL,aIr mill orouoiI - sold 7
He frowned slightly, a sardonic grin
breaking the straight, thin, cruel line
of his lips. He opened his tables one
shallow drawer, and took out a pad
and a pencil. He wrote a few words
on the lowest part of the top sheet,
folded it, tore off the part he had
scrubbed on, returned the pad and
pencil to the drawer, handed the scrap
of paper to me. 81 will do it," he said.
"Give this to Mr.. Farquhar, second
door to the left. Good morning"
And in that atmosphere of vast affairs
speedily dispatched his consent with
out argument seemed, and was, the
matter-of-course.
l bowed. Though he had not saved
me as a favor to me, but because
it fitted in with his plans, whatever
they were, my eyes dimmed. 4
shan't forget this" said |, my voice
not quite steady.
81 know It," said he CURLY. Il
know you"
l saw that his mind had already
kryrrad ~ nxf 4 cold M rnrra onh
withdrew. When l left the room it
was precisely as 1t had been when |
entered it-except the bit of paper
torn from the pad, But what a diff
ference to me, to the thousands, the
hundreds of thousands directly and
Indirectly interested in the Coal COM
bine and its strike and its products,
was represented by those few, almost
illegible scrawlings on that scrap OF
paper.
Not until I had gone yer the stu
alton with Farquhar, and we had
signed and exchanged the necessary
papers, did l begin to relax from the
strain-how great that strain was |
realized a few weeks later, when the
gray appeared thick at my temples
and there was in my crown what was,
for such a shock as mine, a thin spot.
81 am saved" said l to myself, ven
turing q long breath, as l stood on the
steps Of Galloway's establishment,
where hourly was transacted business
vitality affecting the welfare of scores
of millions of human beings. with
James Galloway's personal interest as
the sole guiding principle. Saved"
I repeated, and not until then did it
fash before me, II must have paid a
frightful price. He would never have
consented to interfere with Roebuck
as soon as | asked him to do 1t, un.
less there had been some powerful
motive. If | had had my wits about
me, could have made far better
terms" Why hadn't | my wits about
me? Anita" was my instant answer
to my own question. Anita again. |
had a bad attack of family mans
panic" And thus it came about that
! went back to my office, feeling as II
I had suffered a severe defeat, in
stead Of jubilant over my narrow es-
cape.
Joe followed me into my den.
what luck?" asked he, in the tone
of a mother waylaying the doctor as
he issues from the sick-room.
"Luck?" said |, gazing blankly at
him.
You've seen the latest quotation,
haven't your In his his
temper was on a fine edge.
NNoU rne1iod T tndtepo,ou+yr .o&