The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1909-02-04
"The Shadow Between"
=B "
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 ever since?"
she questioned, i~nnocently.
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, / don't mean 1t in that way"
he said. Il wanted to point out that
a thing goes by its own momentum,
shall | say? You see, Isosn had a
thousand hands at work, and I made
a profit out of every one of EN-"
"Yes?"
And | paid 'em good money, too.
| never believed in cutting wages
down believe the market price. Live
and let live has been my motto.
Treat your men well and they'll treat
you we'll"
And are you still in business?"
"Oh, no. retired years ago. And
a good thing / did, mind you, for soon
after I went out there came an awful
slump in the woollen trade, and big
fortunes were lost much more rapidly
than they were won"
You saw the bad time coming?"
ooh, no, | didn't. 1t 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 | wanted time and opportunity
to read and think"
You have a very fine library, my
brother says"
II think it is fine. l should like
you to see it some day. But to come
back to your brother, | am paying him
a salary. 1t is all right so far as it
goes, but he will eve get rich on it.
AS | said just now, no man will get
rich merely by his own labor. What
| want is to see your brother started
on his own account, and | think it can
be managed, too. IL 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 to 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.
1t occurred to her while Mr.. Jack,
son was proposing marriage. She
saw al in a flash-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 CIld. But Mr.. Jackson was a deter.
mined man, and usually got his own
way.
There was none of the burning pas.
sion of Grayton's simple avowal-"l
love you! love you! love you!'
But in his W way he showed that
his heart was deeply and sincerely
touched.
Esther watched his motor car dis
appear over the hill and then re,
turned to the house. almost like one
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 If he had the
fortune of the whole family was
made, for she could not imagine that
Esther would be SO blind to her owr
interests as to fling away the chance
of a lifetime.
Esther scarcely slept at all thaf
night. She saw her mothers poinr
of view clearly enough. 1t needed M
lantern to show her that. She saw
: what her acceptance of Mr.. Jackson
offer would mean to her brother. Sh,
also saw what the acceptance would
mean to herself.
She was by nature of a generou.
> disposition. ready at all times to sac
rifice herself for the good of others
: and the first question that rose In he
!, mind was. did flial love or ~sisterl,
; duty demand that she should max,
, SO great a sacrifice as this?"
Another question arose a little later
i How would she be able to endur,
Mawgan Chase and her mother If sh,
refused the offer? Life was not a be
{ OF roses at the best of times. TIL,
pinch OF poverty was felt every day
and In the main she was the one VIII
felt 1t most. Her mother wore blacI
q constantly, and wanted but few dress
es; but she. being young and sens
tive to the influence of new and beat
3 tifui things, was always in want, an
only on rare occasions could get wha
q she wanted.
:, Bu' 4 she refused this offer, wha