The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-24

"TelI me. Ea." 1 ass:ad. more Llisera-
BILE than he. ARE you going over to
Carmichael to get some more pay for
this?'
Maybe. II did,. he replied sullen-
". ltd he some better than it Is work
ing for YOU"
Il don't think so-not long. Folks
like you aren't worth much. Come.
Ed! Did I ever do q mean thing to
you? Didn't l give Is cents when
we hadn't but % between US: What
were you thinking when you did this
dirty piece OF business? Just tell me
would have given you ten times n
much as you ever got from them to
know you couldn't do it.'
Then he began to so to pieces and
cry. and he told me all wanted to
know. 1t was q plain case Of the pol
son OF envy. I was rich and on top.
and he was working for $50 week for
me. His wife. who had always kept q
grudge against ME for not making up
to her In the old days. had tainted him
for taking his wages from me. She
kept telling him that did nothing for
him. and when she found out about his
dealing with Lucas Smith for me she
saw her chance. Somehow Frost got
on his track. and evidently they
thought his Information was worth
paying something for. That was the
whole story.
While We were talking Slocum slip
ped out Of the room. 1t was q pitiful
scene.
Ed" said finally. "you must so
back to the country. That is the only
place for you. You'll grow worse in the
city the longer you stay. Your 5elly's
got bigger than your brain. and your
heart is tainted ut the core. will start
, you on a ranch I've got in Texas.
| Think 1t over and get out of this place
as soon as you can. I'm sorry for you.
| Ed. for you have done something the
taste Of which will never get out Of
your mouth
He left my Office without q word, and
that was the last ever saw Of him.
| When he had gone Slocum came back
and sat down.
1T was a pretty tough thing for Ed
to do" he remarked calmly. looking
out into the muddy street. where men
were hurrying along the pavements. l
made no remark. and he added In the
same faroff tone OF voice: That's the
worst Of any piece of crooked business.
1t breaks up the man you work with
Ed is a rascal now-and he was never
that before-'
That's true enough" assented
gloomily.
Slocum advised me to leave the city
for awhile. because should the Nation
| alist charges be Investigated BY the
| grand jury It might be awkward for
me. But l refused to leave the city.
| No matter what happened I was not
the man to run and hide. The Demo
cratic papers made all they could out
Of the affair. and then after the cleo
ton it died away. Garretson was re-
elected, and that was a kind OF vindi-
cation for him.
| But the insiders in the city knew
that something had been wrong, and.
as Slocum said, the scandal connected
with quashing that injunction follow
ed us for many years. 1t was OF less
importance to me than to Slocum, for
| the men with whom I dealt were used
to stories like mine. They believed
what they had a mind to aud did bust
ness. But for SlOcum 1t was more
serious.
The worst Of 1t for me was at home.
Sarah broOded over the newspaper talk
until she was morbid. refusing to 60
almost anywhere she would be likely
to meet people she knew. The Bible
classes had been given up. and. nat
urally enough, we never went back to
Mr.. Hardmau's church nor returned
to our old church. Sarah and I talk.
ed about 1t once or twice, but we got
nowhere.
II should think you would care fos
the Children she would cry. persist.
ing In considering me as a criminal.
You'll see that 1t won't make the
smallest difference to any one a year
hence IL you'll only hold up your
head"
well, l don't understand business
but May thinks it pretty bad, I know,
because she doesn't come to the house
any more when you are at home"
"She has no reason to act that way
And l don't mean to have you or May
or any other woman holding me ur
with your notions Of what's right and
wrong Just because the newspaper
make q lot Of talk"
That ended the matter between US
but for a long time Sarah avoided oul
old friends, and the house was I'M
usually quiet.
What troubled me more than the
racket In Chicago was the way that
Dround and Farson and Q few otheI
OF our hackers might take the story
The Grounds were in Egypt, but they
would hear the news quickly enough
Mr.. Dround was the president Of oul
corporation and the most influential
single stakeholder. With his ideas h<
might become q nuisance or draw out
altogether. which would be awkward
In the present condition Of the com
pany.
As for Farson. I always counted q
good deal on that crusty bit Of rock
and he had never failed me yet On(
thing after another had come up in the
last four years. and he and his friend,
had backed me solidly. We were pref
ty deep in other enterprises than THU
packing business-railroads and land