The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-11-12


And now -
Gideon Hope had divulged his plan: To
degrade. to humble. to drag down to Bit
ter defeaf person who must answer
to him laying of the one being
on cart lom all his love and
hopes itered
Thus hat the sleeping city"
became ing ruin, and the mag
niicent n the hill a closed, aban-
doned was given out that the
Tremain gone abroad, to exhaust
in pinci drement the remnant of q
once gre fo-tune.
But all the while tile hidden hand of
the master genius behind the scenes work
ed deftly. cautiously, slowly, the wires
that were soon to focus on this man Kane,
a purpose bitter as death and cruel as
the grave.
In the eastern story, the heavy slab
that was to fail on the bed OF state in the
flush of conquest was slowly wrought out
of the quarry, the tunnel for the rope TO
hold it to its place was slowly carried
through the leagues of rock, the slab was
slowly raised and fitted to the roof, the
rope was rove % it. and slowly taken
iron ring.
All being made ready, with much labor.
and the hour come, the sultan was aroused
In the dead of the night, end the sharp
ened ak that was TO sever the rope fro n
the great iron ring was put into his hant.
and he struck with it, and the rope part
ed, and rushed away and the ceiling fell
So, in the case of Gideon Hope-the
man with a purpose-all the work, near
and far, that tended to the end was being
accomplished, and in an instant the blow
was 20 be struck. and the roof OF Percy
Kane's stronghold was TO drop in upon
him
Midnight!
Gideon Hope stood where a ledge OF
rock, fir-fringed to the extent of a semi
circle, looked out upon free, broad ex-
panse-down, towards stretch that
would have awed and puzzled the unfa-
miliar beholder.
The moonlight shone like day. 1t IRA
dated vast valley. fecked far as the
eye could see witt. dots, splotches, vivid
bursts of light-E-1e, a mammoth blast
furnace, opening its hot. molten throat to
shoot out and upwards darts OF spectral
FIRE; there-and everywhere-the myriad
coke ovens, uncovered to show dazzling
mesh of red. seething cinders.
The world seemed spread at his feet
for good or bad, ii lay before him. When
he reflected, with some of the old-time
managerial vim. how he. a master hand
at inception and direction, might turn the
sixty thousand souls in that valley as pup
pets to his designs-he, a being of will
ard Resource gided fash of opulence
tempted for moment.
,rhen came the infusion Of the one great
purpose of his life-the wan, sad face of
his brother seemed to float before him.
and the sudden, stern Wilderness of his own
told that no temptation of wealth or
honor could turn him from his plan.
The soft. tender Influences of the holy
hour mingled with the memory of a fairer
face vision of home blessed with
love, life crowned with the gladness of
children's voices, of old woes forgotten in
the soothing bliss of a ncv experience,
stole over this mans soul.
He shut il out-all out. His face was
lifted towards heaven in sudden sternness.
".
wild, spasm of passi0n-noi no 1! no. The
die was cast He lived prayed, for but
one consummation to verify what he
knew, to prove what he suspected, straight
as an arrow to the targets heart, fate
must impel him towards the moment when
Percy Kane should stsnl before him un-
masked, at his mercy
There was a rustic of the near shrub
berry. Hope turned. A haIf-eager SEN
tfment swept his face, then he was sim
ply imperturbable, expectant
A man stood before him. masked to the
lips. For moment he was tragic, statu-
esque, in his pose. Then he reached out
q hand-calm. rigid, as one o. iron
'You are the man:" he said, simply.
by this token"
Hope drew from his breast a disc of
steel, or silver.
The glinting moonlight showed craven
symbols upon it. IL passed into the pos
session of the other. His voice fell low
He began TO speak in the tone Of one re-
citing set story:
''You are admitted to the secret council,
I know not how. You have been given
the right to command the service of every
louSc anu ClTtic VI ti-t great
gamated Association. | know not why
1t is mine, as the representative of the
heed of an order comprising eight hun
dred thousand loyal acolvtes, to deliver to
you power that can call to your COM
mand an army in a twinkling. that can
destroy every mill and machine in opera
ton in sixty minutes time. Your hand
is thus placed on an engine of destruc-
ton or progress, as you elect. Take heed
how you use this power :"
Eventually, for the aggrandizement of
the order, swear it J" said Gideon Hope,
salemnly.
Take"
With this simple word the speaker
placed In Hopes palm what resembled a
broken coin, a medal fragment-what not.
only that as it lay there momentarily,
curiously and keenly regarded by its new
possessor. there showed the half-surface
of some official seal.
You have promised certain results
began the giver.
ITO push forward the cause ten years
in six months time - interrupted Hope
"You have given me the power; now show
me how to use it.
"You have announced two objects" pur-
sued the other. ITO reach the man con-
trolling the patents ON the KaneLatimer
metal process