Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-08-21

J~ogeo oo''o' and his locom0.
tive within On hours drive, stroiled
with Sylvia ON the eve Of her depart,
IRE for Lenox with Leila Mortimer;
then when their conference was ended
he returned to Agatha calmly uncon'
scious of impending events.
Harrington at Seabright paced his
veranda awaiting this same judge, an
moved as two boats came In without
the expected guest And never for one
instant did he dream that his creature
sat closeted with Plank, tremulous, sal
low. nearing the edge Of cringing avow
al. only held back from utter collapse
by the agonizing necessity of complet-
ing a bargain that might save himself
from the degradation Of the punish
ment that had seemed inevitable. All
day long he sat with Plank. Nobody
except those two knew he was there.
And after a very long time Plank con.
scented that nobody else except Siward
and Harrington and Quarter should
ever know. So he called up Harring-
ton on the telephone, saying that there
was In the office somebody who de.
sired to speak to him. And when Har-
rington caught the judges first faint,
stammered word he reeled where be
stood, ashen, unbelieving, speechless.
Harrington was an old man, very
old man, MORALLY hurt, but he stead
led himself along the wall OF his study
to the desk and sank into the chair.
After little while he passed a thin
hand over his eyes, over his gray head,
over the mouth that all men watched
with fear, over the shaven jaw now
grimly set but trembling. His hand,
too, shook with palsy as he wrote,
painfully picking out the words and
figures of the cipher from his code
book, but he closed his thin lips and
squared his unsteady jaw and wrote
his messageto Quarter:
1t Is all up Plank will take over Inter
county. Come at once.
Plank slept the sleep of utter ex'
haustion that night. The morning
found him haggard, but strong. cool In
his triumph, serious, stern faced, al
most sad that his work was done, the
battle won.
From his own house he telegraphed
q curt summons to Harrington and to
Quarter for conference In his own
office, then, finishing whatever bust
ness his morning mail required, put
on his hat and went to see the one
man in the world he was most glad
for.
"Its all over, Siward," he said, with
a laugh. Harrington knows it. Quar-.
rier knows 1t by this time. Their
Judge crawled In yesterday and threw
himself on our mercy, and the men
whose whip he obeyed Will be on their
way to surrender by this time. Well.
haven't you word"
Many" said Siward slowly. too
many to utter, but not enough to ex.
press what I feel. II you will take
two on account here they are In one
phrase-thank you"
"Debts cancelled" said Plank, laugh
Ing. "Do you want to hear the de-
tails?"
The narrative exchanged by Plank
in return for Siward's intensely inter
ested questions was q simple, limpid
review of short but terrific campaign
that only yesterday had threatened to
rage through court after court. year
after year. In the sudden shock OF the
cessation from battle, Plank himself
was a little dazed., Yet he himself had
expected the treason that ended all.
He himself had foreseen 1t.
plank" said Siward at last, 'there
Ia nothing In the world that men adj
mire more than man. 1t Is good
deal of a privilege for me to tell you
So"
Plank turned red with surprise and
embarrassment, stammering out some
thing incoherent.
That was all that was said about the
victory. Siward, unusually gay for
awhile, presently turned somber, and 1t
was Plank's turn to lift him out OF 1t
by careless remarks about his rapid
conyalescence and the chance for va
cation he so much needed.
Once SIward looked up vacantly.
where am l to go?' he asked. I'D
as soon stay here"
"But I'm going" insisted Plank.
"The Fells ls all ready for u.s."
''The FEELS! can't go therev'
"You once promised
"Plank, I'll 60 anywhere except
there with you. I'd rather be with
you than with anybody. Can I say
more than that?"
II think you ought to. Siward. A
a fellow feels the refusal Of bis Of
fered rooftree."
MAN! Man! 1t isn't your roof I am
refusing. want to go. I'd give any
thing to go. If 1t were anywhere ex-
cept where 1t is, I'd go fast enough.
Now do you understand? If-if Shot
over House and Shotover people were
not next door to the Fells I'd 90. Do
you know what's the matter with me.
Plank 2"
Il think So"
II have wondered. I wonder now
how much you know"
every little, Siward."
"How. muchT /.
Plank looked up, hesitated and shook
his head, "One infers from what one
hears
''Infers what?"