Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-23
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ragged than this footwear king.
Beet by Test d
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| ne was quite calm when he turned
back to Mr.. Bulpitt 81 imagine" he
said, politely to that gentleman, who
was snorting and shaking like a
motor trying to start, that there is
nothing left to be said, and that this
conference may be considered at an
end"
| But Bulpitt had much talk still left
in him. These noises he was making
only indicated that it was surging to
the surface. He lurShed forward to
his feet, shook his first under Van
draken's nose, and exploded: do you
know who you're talking to? Do you
know what you're up against? You
fight the associated trusts! You-you
pinhead dude! You'll come back to
America sooner than you think, and it
will be in cold storage! Well refer
your case to the strong-arm depart
ment, my friend. If we let you rip,
you'd be in a funny house, with
paresis, before three years-but the
American people would do us dirt long
before that. Well deal with your
executors
| Vandraken started Assassination,
Ell? Hired assassination" He faced
his adversary excitedly 81 can play
| the game, too. l shall put price on
your head, Mr.. Bulpitt, and go on rails
ing that price till l get the damned
thing. All have got to do is to
finance a brace of anarchists, and, if
necessary, can do the same for each
OF your accompiices. I'll buy the
whole Malta organization and turn it
loose on your Amalgamated Society of
Industrial Corporation Presidents. I'll
get you first, though, Mr.. Bulpitt! I'll
orphan that footwear trust!"
The big man turned pale. 1t had
not occurred to him that dude would
show fight He had applied the time
honored methods which had never fail
ed before to crack the toughest nuts
of opposition, but instead of submits
sion, defiance and blood-curdling
threats had resulted. Wholesale as
sassination of the greatest men in
/ America was referred to as lightly as
though they were Kentucky feudists,
! whose lives weren't worth anything;
and he, the great o. K Bulpitt, was TO
be put in the forefront of the battle!
a Horrid feeling, as of knife feeling
is way through the folds of fat to some
vital spot. gave him goose-f1esh SEN
sation He looked at Vandraken, as
though to assure himself that the
young man was only joking, and per-
ceived that he seemed to be already
lost in calculations, with most blood
thirsty look in his queer brown eyes
He changed his tone completely.
Have you no feeling, Mr.. Van
draken? Have you got no conscience?
allow shouldn't have said what
4 did say, but man amt used to oppo
sition. OF course, about that strong
arm department, was only joking
You were joking about financial an
archists, and that?"
'Not in the least, Mr.. Bulpitt.
hadn't thought of it until you made the
suggestion, but l realize that wealth
has its duties as we'll as it's privileges
and l don't see to what better use
could put some of the wealth the
American people lavish on me than
exterminating men like you, Mr.. Bull.
pitt"
But you're one of us. Mr.. Vandra,
ken, and your money was all made
by our system. You oughtn't to GO
back on us-you really oughtn't!" The
big man dropped his domineering
tone and spoke pleadingly, even tear
fully.
That's where you are wrong" an
swered Vandraken, walking up and
down the room I'm not one of you
l get lot Of money without working
for It,; that, however, is only ques.
ton of degree; thousands do the
same on smaller scale. But l don't
use that money to fasten a system OF
business feudalism on the people
against their wills. I'm satisfied with
what I've got; but you chaps are
money hogs, that's what you are -
money hogs, and the people never
| will be able to satisfy you. Have any
/ conscience? No, | haven't; but I've
got certain amount of gratitude and
I'm thankful for that strong arm sug
gestion. l see my duty clear before
me. If the American people once take
to lynching you chaps, as they always
do in the end, when the law has been
proved ineffective, they will go and
lose their heads, and upset the milk
jug. Whereas, if l attend to it, il
will be done in calm, business-like
way. | may be menace to you, but
you are certainly menace to me anC
all other property owners If the life
! am leading stirs up the people tt
smash your system, and lose three
quarters of my fortune, I'll still be
able to rub along. I'm not spread al
j over creation on ten per cent mar
gin as you fellows are. And the way
feel now, I'd give three-quarters o.
my fortune to see you smashed.
don't know when anyone has rubbed
me the wrong way as much as yol
have done, Mr. Bulpitt. They should
have chosen someone more suave :
not that 1t would have made any diff
ference in my decision, but I wouldn'
have had that strong arm idea sug
gested to me. believe bombs in you
bedroom are the latest fads of the en-
terprising anarchist Good afternoon
Mr.. Bulpitt!" and he threw open tn,
door,
The unhappy footwear king passet
out in a dazed condition, leaving OF
the floor a typewriter paper which
had fallen from his wallet
Vandraken picked it up, and seems
his own, name on the outside, had n
hesitation in reading it. He found