Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-26

listener more lAdu dHy lAAh6 hS a'~N
heard. He jumped out Of his chair
and began pacing the room, talking
more rapidly. You're man; you
know what wanted to do"
xiii somebody, suppose should"
Gust that l ran Atkins to cover
That boy is one of the noblest fellows
that ever lived; yes, sub. He was
going to help poor Phil. Phil's room
mate had told him. All those boys
look a-t.ere, Col Winter, II ever any
body talks to you about Harvard fell
lows being Indifferent"
II shall tell him he can't get under
the American surface. "A Harvard
boy will do anything on earth for his
friends"
They were mighty good to me. 1t
was Endy found out about Atkins, Just
from MY description Of him. found
out about Keatcham for myself. And
you are quite right-for little while
/ wanted to kill them both Looked
like / Just naturally had to kill them!
But there was my mother. There was
nobody to take care Of her but Sis and
me, and trial for murder is terribly
expensive. or course, anybody can
get off who has got money and can
spend it; but 1t takes such an awful
heap Of money And we were all
ruined together, for what little was
left was all in the company, and that
promptly stopped paying dividends. |
couldn't risk 1t. l had to wait. had
to go to work to support my mother.
to pay Sis and her back, don't you
see? We came here. I got a job
well-paid one. too, through Enjoys ia
Their. reporting on the condition OF the
mills-sl kind Of examiner. And the
job was for Keatcham."
why did you take 1t? know,
though. You did 1t to familiarize him
with your appearance, so that he
would not be warned when your
chance came"
How did you know that?"
"a man l knew in the Philippines
q Filiplno-was wronged by white
man, who took his wife and threw her
aside when he tired of her. The girl
killed herself. Her husband watched
his chance for year, found 1t at last
thanks to that very fact that his
victim wasn't on guard against him
and sent his knife home. He'd been
that fellows servant. I picked the
dead man up. That Filipino looked as
you locked a minute ago."
What became of the Filipino?" IN
quired his listener.
The colonel had not told the story
quite without intention. He argued
subconsciously, that II Mercer were a
good sort under all, he would have a
movement Of sympathy for more
cruelty wronged man than he; If not,
he would drive ahead to his purpose,
whatever that might be. His keen
eyes looked little more gentle as he
answered: He poisoned himself. The
best why out, reckon. should hate
to have had him shot after knew the
story. But there was really no option.
But I'm interruptfng you. You did
your work we'll and won Keatcham's
confldence?"
"He isn't very confiding man. l
didn't see him often. My dealings
were with Atkins. He didn't know
that had found him out; he thought
that he had only to explain his two
names, and expected gratitude for his
warning, as he called it. He is Shiny;
but was able to repay little Of my
score with him. / was employed by
more than Keatcham, and l saw a
good many Industrial back-yards. Just
chance, came on clew, and Endy
Tracy and worked it up together.
Atkins was selling information to
Keatcham's enemies. We did not
make out complete case, but enough
Of one to make Keatcham suspect him,
and at the right time. But that hap
uened later-you see, don't know
how to tell story even with so much
at stake" He pulled out his handker-
chief, and Winter caught the CLEAN Of
the beads on his sallow forehead. 1T
was this way" he went on. "At first
l was only looking about for safe
snake Of an Atkins; but then 1t grew
on me; 1t was all too easy a punish
ment--just a quick death, when his
victims had years Of misery. / wanted
him to wade through the hell had
to wade through. I wanted him to
know why he was condemned. Then
1t was / began to collect just the cases
I knew about-just one little section
Of the horrible swath Of agony and hu.
initiation and poverty and sin he and
his crowd had made-the one knew
every foot of, because I'd gone over
It every night wasn't so dead tired
had to sleep. God! do you know what
1t is to have the people who used to
be running out of their houses just to
say hc,wdy to you, curse you for a
swindlar or a fool or turn out Of one
street and down the other not to pass
you? Did you ever have little wom-
an who used to give you frosted cake
when you were boy push her Grape
veil off her gray hair and hand you the
envelope with her stock, with your
handwriting On the envelope, and beg
you-trying 50 hard not to cry, twas
worse than IL she had-beg you to lend
her Just half her interest money-and
You couldn't do It? Did you-never
mind. I said I waded through hell.
l did, Not l alone-that was the
worst--all the people that had trusted
mel And inst that aono rich man