The Dolores star., 1909-06-25
CHAPTER u.


had not expected this. There was
barred the way to subterfuge. The
lie died unspoken, and he dropped his
gaze and began to dig up the turf with
the toe Of his shoe.
rs 1t my father. John?"
Yes. Oh. Kate" with despairing
gesture. I'm the most miserable fel-
low alive, To think that this should
fall into my hands, OF all hands in the
world"
Perhaps 1t is better So" quietly.
Nothing is without purpose. 1t
might have come to test your honesty.
But you are sure. John: It is not
guesswork?''
"All the evidence is in my pocket.
Say the word. and the wind shall car
ry It down to the sea. Say the word,
heart O mine!"
He made a quick movement toward
his pocket. but she caught his arm.
DO nothing foolish or hasty. John.
Tearing up the evidence would not
undo what is done. Sooner or later
murder will out II my father is culp-
able. II In his thoughtless greed for
money he has robbed the poor, he
must be made to restore what he has
taken. know my father: what he has
done appears perfectly legitimate to
him. Can he be put In prison?"
1T all depends upon how well he
defends himself" evasively.
She went on. Il have been dreading
something like this: so 1t Is no great
surprise to me. He Is money-mad.
money-mad; and he hears. sees, thinks
nothing but money. But 1t hurts,
John: l am proud woman. My
grandfather-" Her lips shut sudden.
ly. Money" with passionate wave
of the hand. "HoV | hate the name
OF 1t, the sound Of 1t. the thought Of It!
l love my father" with a defiant
pride; he has always bee. tender
and kind to me; and I should not be
Of his flesh and blood had not the
desire to- shield and protect him. =
The remedy is simple and close at
hand" suggested Darlington. gently.
Simple, but worthy of neither OF
us. | abhor anything that is not who'll.
ly honest. 1t is ona of those strange
freaks of nature (who holds herself
accountable to no one) to give to me
honesty that is the cum total of what
should have been evenly distributed
among my ancestors. II were to tell
all l know. all | have kept locked in
my heart"
Don't do IT, girl; It wouldn't matter
In the least. You are you: and that
is all there is to love. Why, | could
not love you less II your great-great.
grandfather was a pirate" lightly.
Love asks no questions; and ances-
tors worry me not at all; they are all
comfortably dead"
Not always. But II my perception
OF honor were less keen, ! should
"Laugh?"
Yes. indeed. / very well under
stand the tremendous power OF
money"
Not more than l." sadly.
She laughed brokenly. More than
you. can picture to you just what
will happen" She rose. There will,
OF course. be great newspaper clam
or: the interstate commissioners will
put their heads together; there will be
investigations by the government
That will be the attack. The keenest
lawyers are on the side of corpora
tons; that is because the state is
niggard with her pay. Let me outline
the defense. Father will resign from
his high office. to be reelected later
when the public cools OF. new di-
rectorate will fill the place of the pres.
ent one. Suddenly falsified entries
VIII be discovered; the head book
keeper will have disappeared All
fingers will point to him. He will be
in South America, having been paid
several thousand to go there. All this
will make the passing of the dividend
perfectly logical The matter will
never be tried in court Money will
do all this"
My dear little woman, you reason
like Pythagoras; but" Darlington
added. gravely, when / undertook to
untangle this affair, realized its huge
proportions. For every redoubt your
father has, have an assault, for every
wall catapult, for every gate a
petard. But, as said before, you
have only 10 say the word, and for the
present nobody will be any the wiser"
If l permitted you to do this,
should destroy my faith in both of u.s.
1t would erect barrier which would
be insurmountable. That is not the
way out"
Il have weighed all these things"
discouragedly.
He took the document from his
pocket and caught It in a way that
indicated how easily it might be
ripped into halves. the halves into
quarters. the quarters into infinitesi-
NAL squares Of meaningless letters.
Once more. shall l. Kate?"
mo, John. That would only make
our difficulties greater. But do ask