Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-07-16
Copyright. by Bobbs-Merrill Coz
CHAPTER !.


" CHAPTER I.
Darlington folded the document and
thoughtfully balanced 1t on his palm.
What an ironical old world 1t was!
There was a perpendicular wrinkle
about his nose, and his lips had
thinned into a mere line which dropped
at the corners. The drone OF type
writer in the adjoining room sound
ed above the rattle-tattle OF the street
below. Through the open windows
came a vague breath Of summer redo
lent Of flowers and grasses: for 1t was
but eleven O'Clock Of the morning. and
the smell Of sun.baked brick and as
phalt had not yet risen through the
air. Far beyond the smoking. ragged
skyline Darlington could see the shift
ing. glittering river and the great
ships going down to the sea. Present.
ly the ashes from his dead cigar fell
in a gray cascade down his coat and
tumbled across his knees, but he gave
no heed.
Ironical old world, indeed! Here.
suddenly and unexpectedly. he found
himself upon the battlefield Of love
and duty, where all honest men find
themselves. sooner or later. To pit
the heart against the conscience, i'm
pulse against calculation! Heigh.ho!
Duty is an implacable goddess. and
those who serve her most loyalty are
most ruthlessly driven. She buffets
us into this corner and into that. digs
pitfalls for the hesitant foot. and
crushes the vacillating.
As all men will. Darlington set
about to argue down his conscience:
the heart is SO insistent q counselor.
Why should he give up the woman he
loved. simply because duty demanded
he should? After all. was not duty
merely social obligation? What was
It to him that the sheep were sheared?
Was II right that he. of all men.
should divide the house. throw the
black pail Of dishonesty over 1t, de
stroy his own happiness and hers.
when SO simple a thing rs n match
would crumble into nothingness this
monument to one mans greed and
selfishness? The survival OF the ft-
test: II he put aside Self. who would
thank him? Few. and many would
call him n fool or a meddler. So many
voices spoke that he seemed TO hear
none distinctly.
He alone had made these astonish-
ing discoveries: he alone had fol-
lowed the cunningly hidden trail Of
the serpent. He could stop where
he was and none would be the wiser.
To be sure. 1t was only a question of
time when the scandal would become
nj rh an n
that event he would not be held re-
sponsible for bringing about the catas-
trophe. Besides. the ways of the SER
pent are devious and many. and other
investigators might not come so close
TO the trail.
He had gone about his investiga-
tions without the least idea where
they would lead him. AT the begin.
ming he had believed that the guilty
ones were none higher than petty off,
cials: but presently he found himself
going over their heads, higher and
higher. until. behold. he was at the
lair OF the old serpent himself. A
client had carelessly dropped bit
of information. and 1t had taken seed
with this surprising result. Henry
financier. trust magnate, director in
a hundred money gathering concerns
Henry Cavenaugh, the father of the
girl he loved and who loved him!
Could 1t be he. indeed? 1t seemed in
credible.
II was not a case of misappropria
tion of funds, such as man may be
guilty of when temporarily hard
pressed. II WIS bold and fraudulent
passing OF dividends that rightfully be
longed to the investors; of wrongfully
issuing statements OF bolstered ex
penses, lack OF markets. long strikes
(promoted by Cavenaugh and his as
sociatesD, insufficient means of trans
portation. An annual dividend oi
seven per cent. of many millions that
had been dishonesty passed over. The
reports that there would be no dIvi
dends encouraged n slump In the list
ed price OF the stock, and many haC
sold under par value, thereby nettint
to Cavenaugh and others several mil
lions. And the proof of all this lay
in his hand!
1t had been a keen hunt. Many ant
many a blind trail had he followed
only to come back to the start again
All that now remained for him to de
was to pass this document on TO tn,
hands of the intrepid district attorney
and justice would be meted out to tn,
guilty.
Her father! The picture Of him ros,
suddenly and distinctly In his mind
Tall. powerfully built, a hooked nose