Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-02-24

ctef, even paSsiFeiy 10 ala ID DTefkilS
the laws. 1t is my duty tc rescue and
free Mr. Keatcham."
Before he could speak further Msr
Ger lifted hand in apologize inter
ruption Would Col. Winter. excuse
him, but he must ask Mr.. Tracy to go
back to the patio and have an eye On
The detective. Endicott only ex-
changed single glance before he
obeyed. Mercer's eyes followed him.
1T was not to be helped" he said,
half to himself, but have been sorry
more than once that | had to take
hiIn into this
Winter looked at him, more puz-
zled than he wanted to admit to HIM
self; iHdeed he was rather glad to
have the next word come from Mercer.
81 have a few things ! want to say
to you. they go easier when we are
alone-but won't you sit downwWhen
the colonel had seated himself he went
on: I'D like to explain things bit
I'D like to have you" answered the
soldier. Il think you have the clew to
Archie's whereabouts and don't recog
nize it yourself; SO put me wise, az
the slang goes"
Then, without preface, in brief, nor-
vous sentences, spoken hardly With
culver Of muscle OF q wavarins
cadence Of the voice, yet nevertheless
instinc. with a deadly earnestness,
Mercer began to talk He told of his
STRUGGLING youth on the drained plan
tation, mortgaged so that after the in
terest was paid there was barely
enough to set the meagerest living
for mother and sister and little broth
er; Of his accidental discovery of iron
ore on the place. of his working as
common laborer in the steel mills; Of
his being rooster" "strand-boy,"
"rougher, heater" ROLLER" during
three years while he was waiting for
his chance; of his heart-draining toll;
of his solitary studies.
Il never was the kind of fellow to
make friends he said, in his soft,
monotonous voice, so | expect | was
the fonder of my own kin. I'd mighty
/ good mcther, sir, and sister; and there
was Phil-my little brother. We were
right happy all together on the old
| place that's been in our family for 100
/ years, and n wcs all we asked to stay
there; but 1t had every dollar Of
mortgage it could stand, and the soil
all worn out, needing all kinds OF
things; and l wish you could have
seen the makeshifts we had for ma
chimes, | was blacksmith and carpen-
ter and painter-just 16, and not an
especially bright chap but mighty will
ing to work. and my mother and sis
and I've did a heap. When | stun
bled on the ore | couldn't be sure, but
| wrote to Aunt Rebecca Winter. She
sent a man down. He looked up
things. 1t would take heap of money
/ to work the mines, but it might be a
big. thing. She paid off the mortgage
and took another First to last, she's
been mighty kind 90, us. She would
have done more had we let her. So
went to Pittsburg and learned my
| trade, and made enough to pay inter-
est and the people at home got fair
ly good living When | was u ! was
back. home, and got a company started
| and put up min You know how
those things have to creep up. But
there was ore, all right and I under
stood my business and taught the
! hsnds. We'd a right sweet little mill.
Wei, ! don't want to take up your
| time, sub. Those next 10 or ~ years
were right hard work, but they were
happy, too We prospered we helped
the whole county prosper. We paid
! Aunt Becky, We were in good shape.
sWe went through 1913 paying our divi.
/ dends Just as regular and making
them, too though we> didn't much
| nore--it was close sailing. But we
/ were honest; we male4a mighty good
article; and everybody trusted us.
/ Tnen came the craze. for mergers. and
"a number Of rs got together. sui we
weren't yerys big but we were big
enough to be listed ISdidh't want it,
but some of the men Thought It, Wasi a
! terrible fine Nhing to be Iron Kings
sThat was how. Keatcham, was. look
inc over the country for fish for his
! net; he somehow heard that here Was
4 a heap. Of good ore and new mills. The
+ first intimation we had was his sec.
! retafy coming as q northern INVALID
why, he stayed at our house because
We were SO sorry for him, the hotel
being in new hands and not right com.
! Portable. He seemed so interested in
) our. mills, and bought some stock, and
sent presents to Phil and my mother
4 after he vent
"That was Keatcham's private secre.
tary, You say?p s.
Yes, sub. Atkins. You met him on
the traint-as sleek and deadly a little
scoundrel as ever got rich quick. oh,
I he's deep. Well. sub, you. know the
usual process. Convinced of the, value
OF the property Keatcham and-one OF
two others set out to buy it. They
got little blocks of 1t here and there.
/ Then Atkins wrote me in confidence
! that some men, we're after the con-
trolling interest and meant to squeeze
us all out--offered to lend me money
to buy--of course, on margin. And
( was plumb idiot enough to be tOlled
z. snta hie trani who had never sDac.