The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-02-05
THE Shadow Between"
S1LAs K. HOOKING.
SILAS K. HOOKING.

he continued. still further mixing his
metaphors, lis not a bit of use unless
you've got your boat ready"
And you've %prospered yer since?'
she questioned, ~innocently.
WELL" he said, smiling a little ex'
pansively. when a thing is fairly
startled down hill it goes Of ITSELF"
And it is getting rich going down
hill?"
He hesitated for a moment and
then laughed uneasily.
"Oh, l don't mean it in that way"
he said. Il wanted to point out that
a thing goes by it's own momentum,
shall l say? You see, Isoon had a
thousand hands at work, and l made
a profit out of every n of EN-"
"Yes?"
"And l paid 'em good money, too.
l never believed in cutting wages
down believe the market price. Live
and let live has been my motto.
Treat your men we'll and they'll treat
you we'll"
And are you still in business?"
ooh, no. l retired years ago. And
a good thing l did, mind you, for soon
after I wen out there came an awful
slump in the woollen trade, and big
fortunes were lost much moro rapidly
than they were won"
You saw the bad time coming?"
ooh, no., l didn't. It was only that
I hankered after something different.
Money is not everything, after all.
You see, | was always fond of books
and pictures and that sort of thing,
and l wanted time and opportunity
to read and think
You have a very fine library, my
brother says"
Il think it is fine. I should like
you to see it some day. But to come
back to your brother, I am paying him
a salary. 1t is all right so far as it
goes. but he will never get rich on it.
AS | said just now, no man will get
rich merely by his own labor. What
l want is to see your brother started
on his own account, and | think it can
be managed, too. 1t will depend on
several things, of course. He will
need a friend at his back at the be-
ginning, but with a good start he will
go ahead. He has knowledge, taste,
pluck and ability. Oh, yes, | see great
possibilities"
Esther did not like t ask what
those possibilities were, and the con-
versation drifted away into other
channels. But the subject occurred
to her again and again during the
day, and during the following day
also.
son was proposing marriage. She
saw as in a lash-or fancied she saw
that her own and her brothers for
tunes were bound together. 1t shut
her lips in silence, when she would
have spoken on the impulse of the
moment.
Mr.. Jackson was very honest and
straightforward in his declaration.
There could be little or no doubt
about his sincerity. Esther knew by
instinct what was coming, and would
have prevented him speaking If she
&C aid. But Mr.. Jackson was a deter
mined man, and usually got his own
way.
There was nom Of the burning pas.
sion of Grayton's simple avowal-'T
love you! l love you! l love you!"
But in his OWE way he showed that
his heart was deeply and sincerely
touched.
Ecfh0r uotphoI hic vo~<o~ IL
appear owe the hill and then re-
turned to the house, almost like n
in a dream. For an hour she shut
herself up in her own room and tried
to think.
When she came down stairs again
all the issues were before her clear
and distinct. She could not miss see-
ing them If she tried. II her mother
guessed anything. she kept her own
counsel. But in her heart she Sc
cretly hoped that Mr.. Jackson had
proposed to her, and IL he had the
fortune Of the whole family was
made. for she could not imagine that
Esther would be so blind to her own
interests as to fling away the chance
of a lifetime.
Esther scarcely slept at all that
night. She saw her mothers point
Of view clearly enough. 1t needed no
lantern to show her that. She saw
what her acceptance of Mr.. Jackson's
offer would mean to her brother. She
also saw what the acceptance would
mean to herself.
She was by nature Of a generous
disposition. ready at all times to sac
rif1ce herself for the good Of others,
and the first question that rose in her
mind was. did flial love or s~isterly
duty demand that she should make
so great a sacrifice as this?"
Another question arose a little later.
How would she be able to endure
Mawgan Chase and her mother if she
refused the offer? Life was not a bed
of roses at the best of times. The
pinch Of poverty was felt every day,
and In the main she was the one who
felt it most. Her mother o black
constantly, and wanted but few dress
es: but she, being young and sensi.