The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-13


is lame duck. you know. like every
other man this side OF Crosswater
Summit. present company excepted"
"a lame duckf" repeated Lidger-
wood.
"yes. a man with a past. Over in
the ranch country beyond the Tlman-
yonis they lump us all together and
call us the outlaws"
"Not without reason" said Lidger-
wood.
"Not any," asserted Benson. with
cheerful pessimism. 'The entire Red
Butte Western outfit is tarred with
the same stick"
II know" said Lidgerwood. "But
you were speaking Of Dawson, weren't
your"
"Yes. and that's what makes me say
what I'm saying. He is one of them,
though he needn't be II he weren't
such a hopelessly sensitive ass. He's
b. 3. In NJ b.. or he would have
been IL he had stayed out his senior
year in Carnegie. but also he hap
pened to be football fiend, and In
the last intercollegiate game Of his
last season he had the horrible luck
to kill a man. and the man was the
brother Of the girl Dawson was going
TO marry"
"IIeavens and earthw exclaimed
Lidgerwood. us he that Dawson?"
'The same" said the young engineer
laconically. at was the sheerest ac-
cident, and everybody knew 1t, and
nobody blamed Dawson. happen TO
know. because l was a junior In Car
negie at the time. But Fred took It
hard let It spoil his life. He threw
up everything. left college between
two days and came to bury himself
out here. For two years he never let
his mother and sister know where
he was; made remittances to them
through a bank in Omaha so they
shouldn't be able to trace him. Care
to hear any more?"
Eyes: go on" said the superintend-
ent.
IT found him." chuckled Benson,
"and took the liberty of piping his
little game Off to the narrowed women.
Next thing he knew they dropped in
on him. and he is just crazy enough
to stay here and to keep them here.
That wouldn't be SO bad IL 1t wasn't
for Gridley. Fred's boss. You won't
believe 1t. but he has actually got the
nerve to make love to Dawson's sister.
And he widow man, old enough to be
her fatherr'
Lidgerwood smiled. 1t is the privilege
of youth to he intolerant of age In its
rival. Gridley was. possibly. forty two
or three. but Benson was still on the
sunny slope of twenty-five "You are
prejudiced. Jack" he criticised "Grid-
ley is still young enough to marry
again il he wants to--and to live long
enough to spoil his grandchildren"
"But he doesn't begin to be good
enough for Faith Dawson" countered
the young engineer stubbornly.
isn't he? Or is that another bit OF
your personal grudge? What do you
know against him?'
Pressed thus sharply against the I'M
yielding fact. Benson was Obliged to
confess that he knew nothing at all
against the master mechanic. nothing
that could be pinned down to day and
date. Gridley was well known to be a
hard hitter. and now and then, when
the blows fell rather mercilessiy. the
railroad colony called him a tyrant and
limited that he. too. had past that
would not bear inspection. But even
Benson admitted that this was mere
gossip.
where do I come in on all this.
Jack2 You have an AK to grind, l
take It," said Lidgerwood.
II have Mrs. Dawson wants me to
take my meals Mt the house. I'm in
clined to believe that she is bit shy
of Gridley. and maybe she thinks I
could do the buffer act But as n get
between I'd be chiefly conspicuous by
my absence"
SORRY I can't give you an Office
job" said the superintendent In mock
sympathy.
$50 am I, but you can do the next
best thing. Get Fred to take you home
with him some of these fine evenings.
and you'll never go back to the Celes-
tial. not If you can persuade Mrs
Dawson to feed you. The alternative
Is to fire Gridley out of his job"
"This time you are trying to make
the tail wag the dog" said Lidger-
wood. "Gridley has twice my back
Ing In the L. S. w. board Of directors.
Besides, he's good fellow. and IL 20
up on the mesa and try to stand him
of for you it will be only because
hope you are better fellow"
Prop it up on any leg you like. only
co." said Benson simply. "Tll take It
as personal favor and do as much
for you some time. suppose I don't
have to warn you not to fall in love
with Faith Dawson yourself-or, on
second thought, perhaps had better"
This time Lidgerwood's laugh was
mirthless.
mo. you don't have to, Jack. You
can safely deputize me, guess"
"All right. and many thanks. Here's
2O2 coming in, and I'm going over to
Navajo on it Don't wait too long be-
Tore you make up to Dawson. You'll
find him well worth yyhile oftar vou,va