Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-03-13
tchapter Continued,

After a 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 shayen jaw now
grimIy 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 message to 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
a curt summons to Harrington and to
Quarter for a 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
laugh Harrington knows 1t. Quar-
rier knows it by this time. Their
Judge crawled In yesterday and threw
himself on our mercy, and the men
whose whip he obeyed viii be on their
way TO surrender by this time. Well,
haven't you a word?"
MANY" said Siward slowly, ''too
many to utter, but not enough to ex-
press what | feel. If you viii take
two on account here they are in one
phrase-thank you"
"Debt's cancelled" said Plank, laugh
ing. "Do you want to hear the de-
fails?"
The narrative exchanged by Plank
in return for Siward's intensely inter-
ested questions was a 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 little dazed Yet he himself had
expected the treason that ended all.
He himself had foreseen it.
plank" said Sfward at last, there
As nothing In the world that men adj
mire more than a man. 1t is good
deal of 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. Slward, unusually gay for
awhile, presently turned somber, and it
was Plank's turn to lift him out of it
by careless remarks about his rapid
convalescence and the chance for va
cation he so much needed.
Once Siward looked up vacantly
Where am l to go?" he asked. "Pd
as soon stay here ea
"But I'm going" insisted Plank
1.-THE Fells Is all ready for u.s."
"The Fells! can't go thereP'
''You once promised"
plank, I'll go anywhere except
there with you I'd rather be with
you than with anybody. Can say
more than that?"
Il think you ought to. Siward. A
o fellow feels the refusal of his Of
fered rooftree."
Man. Man! 1t isn't your roof am
refusing. want to go. I'd give any
thing to GO If it 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 FEELS I'd 60 Do
you know what's the matter with me,
PIankT'
Il think soH
Il have wondered. l wonder now
how much you know"
Every little, Siward."
How much2'
Plank looked up, hesitated and shook
his head, lone infers from what one
hears"
''Infers what"
THE truth. suppose" replied Plank
simply
'tAnd what" insisted Siward ''have
you inferred that you believe to be the
truth? Don't parry, Plank. 1t isn't
easy for me, and II never before
spoke this way to any man. 1t is
likely l should have spoken to my
mother about IL. | had expected to. 1t
may be weakness-I don't know, but
I'd like to talk little about it to some
body. And there's nobody fit to listen.
except You. You know what pillow
is TO a tired mans shoulders. ] want
to use your sane intelligence to rest
on moment It's my brain that's
fired, Plank"
Although everybody had cynically
used Plank. nobody had ever before
found him a necessity.
go on" be said unsteadlly "If
can be OF use to you. Siward, in Gods
name let me be. for l have never been
necessary to anybody in all my life"
Siward rested his head ON one
ciinched hand. Elbow much chance do
you think / haye? he asked YEARLY.
@Chance to get well?"
Eyes"