The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-09-30
CHAPTER XIV


York
When the comfortable arrangement
with the pipe trust threatened TO mis-
carry, all he did was to urge Vincent
to hasten the day when Miss Dabney's
stock could be utilized as a Farley as
set Pressed gor particular reasons, Inc
turned 1t Off lightly. A young man N
the fever Of ante-nuptial expectancy
was a mere pawn in the business
game let II be over and done with, SO
that the nominal treasurer Of CHA
wassee Limited could once more be-
come the treasurer IN fact
Whereupon Vincent who rode badly
at best, bought new saddle -horse and
took his place at Miss Dabney's whip
hand In the early morning rides. the
place formerly filled by Tom Gordon
which was not the part Of wisdom, one
would say. Contrasts are pitiless
things; and the wary woman hunter
Will break new paths rather than tra-
verse those already broken by his RI
val
Tom, meanwhile, had apparently re-
lapsed into his former condition of dis
interest, and was once more spending
his days on the mountain, seemingly
bent on effacing himself socially as he
had been effaced business wise by the
Farley overturn.
A week or more after the relapse, as
he was crossing the road leading over
the mountains shoulder, he came on
The morning riders walking their horses
toward Paradise and saw trouble in
Miss Dabney's eyes, and on Farleys
impassive face a mask of sullen anger.
With the negotiations for the sale to
the trust so abruptly terminated. the
promoter president set instant and
anxious inquiry afoot to determine the
cause. 1t was soon revealed and when
Mr.. Farley found that the pipe-pit pat
ents had not been transferred with the
Gordon plant, and that Major Dabney
had given Caleb Gordon a power of at
torney over Ardea's stock in the com
/ pany, there were hard words said In
the town offices of Messrs Trewhitt &
Slocumb, Chiawassee attorneys, and a
torrent of persuasive ones poured into
the Majors ear-the latter pointing 10
, the crying necessity for the revocation
Of the power of attorney. summarlly
and at once.
The Major proved slngularly obstin-
ate and non-c -committaL "Mlstah Caleb
Gordon is my friend, sub, and I was
mighty proud to do him this small ia =
veh. What his object is makes no man
neh of Offence to me, sub; no man
neh of diffeence, Whateveh," was all an
anxious promoter could get out of the
old autocrat of Deer Trace. But Mr..
Farley did not desist; neither did he
fall to keep the telegraph wires to New
80
appeals for a renewal of the negotia-
tions for surrender.
When the wired appeals brought
forth nothing but evasive replies, Mr..
Farley began to look for trouble, and
1t came: first in a mysterious closing
Of the market against Chiawassee pipe. !
and next in an alarming advance of
freight rates from Gordonia on the |
Great Southwestern.
Colonel Duxbury doubled his field |
force and gave his travellers a free |
hand on the price list. Persuasion and |
diplomacy having failed, a frenzy Ike |
that Of one who finds himself slipping |
into the sharp -staked pitfall prepared |
for others seized on him. It was the |
madness of those who have seen the |
clock hands stop and begin to turn |
steadily backward on the dial of sue
cess.
Ten days later the freight rates went
up another notch, and there began TO
be a painful dearth of cars in which to
ship the few orders the statesmen were
still able to place. Mr.. Farley shut his
eyes to the pOrtents, put himself recl5-
lessly into Mr.. Vancourt Henniker's
hands as a borrower, and posted a no
tice of a slashing cut in wages at ths
works.
AS a matter of course, the cut bred
and tumultuous trouble with
the miners, and in the midst of 1t tho
president made a flying trip to New
York; to the metropolis and to the Of
ices of American Aqueduct to make a
ANAL appeal In person.
But the door was shut. Mr. Dracott
was not to be seen, though his assist
INT was very affabIe. No; American
Aqueduct was not trying to assimiIate
he smaller plants, or to crush out all
as the public seemed TO
believe. With fifty million dollars in
rested it could easily control market
or its own product, which was all the
demanded. Was Mr.
farley in the city for some little time?
md would he not dine with the assist
mt at the Waldorf Astoria?
Mr.. Farley took fast train, south
,ound, instead, and on reaching South
7redegar, wired his New York broker
o test the market with a small block
f Chiawassee Limited. There were no
lkers at the upset price, and the high
st bid was less than half of the ask
ng. Colonel Duxbury was writing let
ers at the Cupola when the brokers'
elegram was handed him. and he broke
rule which had held good for the bet
ar part of a cautious, self-contained
fetime. The following morning the a
liners and all the white men employ a
In the furnace and foundries ana /
oke yards at Gordonia went on strike a
DuXley Farley had resources, a COM v
1rtable fortune as country fortunes "
o, amassed by far-s seeing shrewdness, y
calm contempt for the well-being of
Is business associates, and most of all r
Y a crowning gift in the ability to a
ecognlze the psychological moment at Il
'hich to let go. fl
But under pressure or the combined +
isasters he lost his head, quarrel
ith his colder blooded son, and il
oite Of Vincents angry protests, began n
le suicidal process Of turning his
7ailable assets into ammunition for :,
10 fighting Of a battle which could :,
i've but ons possible outcome. =
Strike breakers were imported at
bulous expense. Armed guards under y
" swarmed at the valley foot and
ound the company's property else u
here. BY hook or crook the foundries Il
ere kept going, turning out water II
pc for which there was no market, m
ID which, owing to the disturbances al
a