The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-10-20

lOoh unInOVed on the burnlngS ana
riotings. the cruel wastings and the
bloodlettings, one would say.
When he was not gallopins Saladin
afar in the country roads to the land
ward side of Paradise, Tom Gordon
was idling ~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 a schooi-
boy home for a holiday.
1t was on an evening a fortnight
after the furnace had rome 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 frests there had been a re-
turn Of dry weather and mild tempera-
lures. with warm. soft nights when the
blue haze seemed to hold all objects In
suspension.
Tom had pushed out q 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 quick
ly.
What's that?" he demanded. Sure
Iy they haven't blown in again?"
Il reckon so. Colonel Duxbury al
lowed to me this mornin' that he was
about out o. the woods-in spite Of
you, he said; as if you'd been the one
that was doin' him up"
But he can't bel" exclaimed Tom.
so earnestly and definitely that the
| mask fell away and the father was no
| longer deceived.
I'm only tellin' you what he allowed
to me, son. / reckoned he was about
all In, quite a 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. and he's
shippin' Pocahontas coke. and gettin'
IL here, too"
You feazed me a little at first: but
I think I know now what has happen
ed"
Caleb took time to let the remark
sink in. 1t carried differences.
Buddy, l been suspectin' for a good
while back that you know more about
this sudden smash-up than you've let
on. Do your"
II know all about it." was the quie.
rejoinder.
"Yon doT"
Tom held up his han for silence. A
man had let himself in at the roadway
gate and was walking rapidly up the
path to the house. 1t was Norman:
and after a few hurried words In pri-
vate with Tom, he went as he had
come, declining Caleb's invitation to
stay.
When the gate latch clicked at Nor
mans outgoing, Tom had risen and
was knocking the ash from his pipe
and tuttoning his coat.
It was admitting that I knew" ne
said. Il can tell you more now that I
could a moment ago, because the time
for which / have been waiting has
come. You remarked that you thought
the Farleys were at the end Of their
rope. They were not until to-day, but
to-day they are. Every piece of prop
erty they have. including Warwick
Lodge. is mortgaged to the hilt, and
this afternoon Colonel Duxbury put
| his Chiawassee stock into Henniker's
hands as security for a ina loan-so
Norman tells me. Perhaps 1t would in
terest you a trife to know something
about the figure at which Henniksr
accepted It."
1T would. for a fact, Buddy"
We'll. he took 1t for less than the
annual dividend that it earned the year
we ran the plant: and between US two,
he's scared to death. at that"
why. Buddy. son! were plum ruin
ed-and SOS old Major Dabney!"
Don't you worry. pappy. Our part.
since Colonel Duxbury saw fit to freeze
US out. is to say nothing and saw wood.
If 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 rants II, and he could have il
just the same II Chiawassee were
wiped of the map-as it's going 10
be-"
But Tom: tell me-"
Not yet. pappy; be patient just q
little while longer and you shall know
all there Is to tell. I'm leaving you
with a clean conscience to say to any
one who asks that you don't know"
Caleb had struggled up out of his
chair. and nov he laid a hand on his
sons shoulder.
Il amt askin', Buddy" he said, with
a tremulous quaver in his voice; Il
amt askin' a Twin thing. I'm just A.
hopin'-hopin' I'll wake up bime-by
and find it's on'y a bad dream" Then.
with sudden and agoniz1ng emphasis:
They been b%utcherin' one mother down
yonder for four long weeks!"
7 can't help that!" was the savage
response. It's a battle to the death.
and the smoke of 1t has got into my
blood. II 1 believed in God. as 1 used
to once. I'd be down on my knees 20
Him this minute, asking Him to let me
live long enough to see these two hypo-
critical Observation-Disclosures
hit the bottoml"
He turned away, walked to the north
end Of the ~veranda, where the flare of
Re rekindled furnace was redly visible
er the knobs. and presently came
back.
Il said you should know after a lit
tie: you may as well know not. 1 plan
ned this thing; l set out to break
them; and. as ii happened. l wasn't a
moment too soon. In another week you
and Major Dabney would have a 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
1t was to be done. Farley stipulated
that the stock transaction should figure
as a forced sale at next to nothing. In
which all the stockholders should par
ticipate. and that the remainder of the
PAACCp hAS WOQAu AIdsC DCtn
a fair figure for all the stock, should
be paid to him and his son individually
as a bonus!"
The old iron-master groaned. In
spite Of the hard teaching OF all the
| years, he YOU have chung to some
/ poor shadow of belief In Duxbury Far
ley IL he could have done so.
That's ALL" Tom went on, strident-
ly; "all 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 Ardez
bring her money into the family of her
own free will: he planned to rob her
first and marry her afterward. Now
I'm going down to tell them both what
they're up against! Don't sit up for
re-"
He had taken a dozen strides down
the graveled path when he saw some
one coming hurriedly across the lawns
from Deer Trace. n heard a voice
the voice of the woman he loved-call-
ing to him softly in the stiffness: