Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1910-09-14

=, $3.50 4oAeS ioSS 10 ali promptlnSS OF
the grace that saves and softens could
LOOK unmoved fon the burnings and
riotings. the cruel wastings and the
bloodlettings. one would say.
When he was not gallopine Salad;n
afar In the country roads to the land
ward side of Paradise, Tom Gordon
was tdling purposefully In the Leban IN
forests, with the fowling -piece under
his arm and Japhets Pettigrass'
dog trotting soberly at heel, as care
free to all appearances. as schoo.-
boy home for q holiday. x
1t was on an evening a Fortnight
after the furnace had gone out of blast
for lack Of fuel that Caleb followed his
son out on the veranda. The Indian
summer was still at Its best, and since
the early frosts there had been 4 n !.
turn Of dry weather and mild tempera-
lures. with warm. soft nights when the
blue haze seemed to hold all objects IA
suspension.
Tom had pushed out a chair for his
father when he suddenly became aware
that the still air was once more thrum.
ming and murmuring to the familiar
orb and sigh OF the great furnace
blowing -engines. He started up ouick-
ly.
What's that?" he demanded. .sure-
ly they haven't blown in again Z.
Il reckon so. Colonel Duxbury n.
lowed to me this mornin' that he was
about out O. the woods-in spite ~
you, he said; as II you'd been the one
that was doin' him up
''But he can't bel" exclaimed Tom
so earnestly and definiteiy that the
mask fell away and the father was no
longer deceived.
Tim only tellin' you what he allowed
to me. son. reckoned he was about
all in. quite spell ago: but you can't
tell nothing by what you see-when
it's Colonel Duxbury. He got two car
loads O new men to-day, ana he's
shippin' Pocahontas coke. and gettln'
It here. too" rs
.You feazed me titus At first: nut
think know now what has happen
sed.'s B
Caleb took time to let the remark
sink in. II carried differences.
Buddy. been suspectin' for q good
while back that you know more about
this sudden smash-up than you've let
on. Do your"
Y know all about It" was the quiet
rejoinder. s5i,T
You dot" 5
Tom held up his hand for sllence. A
man had let himself in at the roadway
gate and was walking rapidly I'M ths
path TO the house. II was Norman.
and after a few hurried words In pri.
vate with Tom he went az he had
come. declining Calcb's Invitation 10
stay.
When the gate latch clicked at Nor
mans outgoing. Tom had risen ana
was knocking the ash from his pine
and buttoning his coat. i
Y was admitting that I knew" .,e
said. II can tell you more now that I
could q moment ago. because the time
for which I have been waiting has
come. You remarked that you thought
the Farleys were at the end Of their
rope. They weres not until to-day. but
to-day they are. Every piece OF prom
erty they have. Including Warwick
Lodge, is mortgaged to the hiit, and
this afternoon Colonel sDuxbury put
his Chiawassee stock into Henniker.s
hands az security for final loan-so
Norman tells me. Perhaps It would I'm
terest you a tribe to know something
about the figure at which Hennikor
accepted IT,"
TT would. for fact BUDDY a.
We'll. he took 1t for less than the
annual dividend that 1t earned the year
we ran the plant; and between VI two.
he's scared to death. At that"
why. Buddy, son! we're plum. ruin
ed--and SOS old Major Dabney!.
Don't you worry. pappy. Our part,
since Colonel Duxbury saw at to freeze
US out. is to say nothing and saw wood.
II the Major comes to you, you can tell
him that my word to him holds good:
he can have par for Ardea.s stock any
time he wants IT and he could have Ii
JUST tne same II Chiawassee were
wiped on the map-as it's going to
be-"
But Tom; tell me"
Not yet, pappy: be patient just q
little while longer and you shalt know
all there is to tell. I'm leaving you
with clean COINCIDENCE to say to any
one who asks that you don't know
Caleb had struggled up out Of his
chair, and now he laid hand ON his
sons shoulder.
Y aln't askin'. Buddy" he said. with
tremulous quaver In his voice; II
amt askin' Twin thing. I'm Just a.
hopin'-hopin' III wake up bime-by
and find it'sion.y a bad dream" Then,
with sudden and agonizing emphasis:
They been butcherin' one mother down
yonder for four long weeks!"
Il can't help that!" was the savage
response. Its battle to the death,
and the smoke OF II has got into my
blood. II i believed in God. as I used
to once. I'd be down onamy knees to
Him this minute. asking Him to let mo
live long enough to see these two hypo-
critical thieves-thugs-sand
hit the bottom!" 0
He turned away. walked to the north
end of the veranda. where the flare Of
the rekindled furnace was redly visible
over the knobs. and presently came
back. si
Il said you should know after lit
tie: you may as well know not. plan
ned this thing: set out to break
them; and. as 1t happened. wasn't a
moment too soon. In another week you
and Major Dabney would have had a
chance to sell out for little or nothing,
or lose 1t all. Farley had 1t fixed to be
swallowed by the trust. and this is how
It was to be done. Farley stipulated
that the stock transaction should figure
as forced sale at next to nothing, in
which all the stockholders should par
ticipate. and that the remainder OF the
purchase price, which would have boon
a fair figure for all the stock. should
be paid to him and his son individually
as bonus!"
The old iron-master groaned. In
spite of the hard teaching of all the
years. he would have chung to some
poor shadow of belief In Duxbury Far
ley II he could have done SO.
That's ALL" Tom went on, strident-
ly; AL but the turning Of the trick
that put them in the hole they were
digging for you and the Major. vint
Farley had no notion of letting Ardea
bring her money into the family of her
own free will: he planned to rob her
first and marry her afterward. Now
Pm going down to tell them both what
they're up against! Don't sit up for
4 me-"
/ He had taken a dozen strides down
the graveled path when he saw some
one coming hurrledly across the lawns
from Deer Trace. and heard voice
the voice OF the woman he loved-call.
ing to him softly in the stiffness:
Tom! o Toni" is said. please wall