Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-17

Jeff was no man TO come crlnglng in the hour
OF failure at the feet of his enemy, asking inn
fnunltv on the strength OF such a relation
ship as that which existed between them.
Ii had been clear to Jeff all night long that if
he lost his fight he could never face General
Bent with the truth That was the real bit
| terness of defeat.
But if he won. The long years of dishonor
through which he had struggled, without a
name, without kindred, without friends,
doomed large before him,-mutc, mercilcss
years of struggle, privatlon, and emptiness.
Ii he won, there was more than one victory
10 be gained in this fight, "a moral victory as
well as physical one, the triumph of an
eternal truth the vindicatlon of a forgotten
wrong. Ii he won, he would tell General
Bent the truth: not as son to father;
but as one mcrcllcSS enemy to another, ask
ing no quarter and giving none.
The only connection for Kinney at Sagu
ache was with the later train; but Jeff had
arranged for a motorcar which took him
over the Pass and landed him at Kinney in
time for the twelve OK clock train for Denver,
where he arrived at six o'clock that evening.
7 AIRY met him at the station, smiling
- broadly Il think we've put spoke in
their wheel, Jeff, he laughed; "but We must
keep dark. Tomorrow morning when the
banks open you're going to take up that
stock; then we're going to call on the Gen
eral"
is everything all right"
"Ies. Svmonds is standing pat; but they
don't know it, The new general manager
comes in tomorrow: but Symonds orders
will go through first That train will run,
Jeff-sure!"
"Poor old Larry! a fine honeymoon your re
having. Where's Your wife,"
AT the Wetheral Ranch. Went out
there last night. Her mother has been out
to see her 1t looks as though they might
come around. It's too bad | had to go
against them just now; but Janney forced
my hand, and | had to. You understand,
don't you, jeff"
And, explaining as they went, Berkely
followed Jeff out of the station, into motor
car that was awaiting them.
Chapter XIV. The Crisis
InNE of the rooms in Janney's suite had
- been turned into an office for General
Bent, and here it was that all the conferences
between the officers Of the Amalgamatcd
Reduction Company and their undcrlings
had taken place The big men of Denver
had all called to pay their respects to the
bigger men from the East, and some of them
had taken part in the business of rcorganlz-
ing the Denver & California and its sub
sidiary companies.
But, in spite of the conditions that had
made Bent's control OF the railroad possible,
and the money the crowd would make out Of
it, everybody in this intimate circle knew
that the real object Of the Generals financial
operations was the fight OF the Amalgamatcd
Reduction Company for the ownership of
the Saguache smelter. The reorganization
OF the Denver & California had now been
completed, and this morning orders had
gone forth removing Clinton Symonds and
all the old crowd from the active manage
rnent of the road.
General Bent sat at the end of the long
desk table in conference with Curtis Janncv,
Cortland Bent, and young-old keen eyed
man in 4 cutawav coat with white waiStcoat
This was Henry McCabc of Denver, attor-
ney for the Amalgamated, the shrcwdest
lawyer west of the Missouri River, and one
OF the shrewdeSt east of it. In front of Nc
Cabe on the desk was a leather portfolio,
from which a number of papers protrudcd
Behind him sat a clerk who had been taking
down in shorthand his questions and the re-
plies of two men at the farther end of the
table These men were roughly dressed
| and, though at the present moment each of
them smoked one of Curtis Janney's remark
able cigars, they sat aloof and uncomfortable
on their gilt chairs. assuming attitudes of