The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-07-15

nurse whom Dexter was to send. Inc |
physician had been an hour gone, leav-
Ing her in a state more tranquil, reas-
sured. West was by no means out OF
danger, but the chances were IN his
favor.
The man was in a drugged stupor,
squirting his laggard heart
action, morphine soothing him. Pres
emily the woman bent forward, very
cautiously, and slipped the clinical
thermometer between his parted lips.
West stirred uneasily, and his teeth
clicked against the glass tube. Then
again he lapsed into coma. She With
drew the thermometer, saw that it re-
corded an even one hundred, and was
glad.
A second later, entirely without
warning, West had cast the blankets
aside, and was sitting bolt upright,
jabbering in a frenzy Of delirium. The
woman gave hurried order to the
waiting scr rant = tee telephone Dexter.
and returned to her husbands side.
sBelden-" he was iterating with
savage emphasis; "Belden-- Bel
dem"
flush, DEAR Gently she forced
him back, until his head rested upon
the pillow, and as gently sponged his
moist brow with ice water. He proved
tractable enough, and seemed CRATE
full for the cold applications; but the
morphine was stimulating his unhelm-
ed imagination with a wavelike &C.
.tion; and he would talk, and did, by
fits and starts.
By degrees, listening intently, she
began to piece together comprehen-
sive statement Of what lay upon his
mind, that had Slapped his strength IN
til the sun had found him an easy vic
tim. One phrase-"Belden broke
th''-served as a starting point;
with 1t as a guide she was able to se-
lect fragments from Vests incoher-
ent rankings, and to join them to-
gether, mosaic-like, until she under
stood it all.
"Belden broke faith-promised to
buy at eighty-broke his CONTRACT
said he'd examined roadbed and roll
ing stock come to conclusion that
bonds were not worth the market
would pay sixty-damned scoundrel-
need cash for Ontario deal-square
with fim-desperate fx-million put
me on my feet, easy-make him pay
par
Under the treatment of the physi-
clan and the nurse West subsidized into
silence. But the woman had heard
enough to enable her to grasp the
situation very completely.
She debated the matter throughout
the long, dreary night, an odd, hard
light cleaning in her eyes.
That morning the market opened
firm; Net Common was in demand at
one hundred and nineteen, an advance
of two points overnight; Bennington
Fours had dropped four points, to
fifty-fve.
Belden smiled grimly, as he scanned
the opening prices on the tape. To his
ears the gossip Of the ticker was
sweet music; everything was going as
he had wished. Nothing could be bet
ter, from his point Of view.
He dropped the paper ribbons into
the ticker basket, and began to pace
up and down the length of his private
Office. with stealthy, catlike tread,
glancing from side to side with some
+b;per f.,r%;x,o ~ hsc ,,oanrar TI3c horde
were clasped behind his back, and lie
allowed his head to droop as he chuck
led sourly.
Tausig, his partner, read the covert
triumph in Belden's manner, and him
self consulted the tape. He likewise
smiled a broad, contented smile, as he
turned away from the basket; but a
moment later he began to think.
"Belden,'' he began, aggressively.
He was his partners precise antithe-
sis-a heavy, rotund, red-faced, push
| ing" type.
"Eh?" Belden desired to know
! stopping and facing him.
| Tausig dotted his aggressiveness I'M
der that searching scrutiny. elbow
much higher are you going to let Net
go?" he inquired, with plaintive defer
ence.
Before decide to liquidate?" ask
ed Belden, leering. '.Well, say one
hundred and twenty-five, Tausig. Their
we can begin to 1oad-quietly, yor
know-and besides, Bennington Four!
will be down to fifty by that time"
Tausig sucked uneasily at an ex
pensiye cigar.
Il thought you said you would casl
in this morning" he defended him
self, surlily.
Il did, did," squeaked Belden
"But things happen you know. I'v'
changed my mind; I think now it,
safe to boost Net Common q littl
higher, and to hold off on the bonds
wee bit longer"
WHY" demand Tausig, fatty
l There's West
Haven't you heard the news?" Be!
denis tone was expressive of extrem
surprise. sWest's out of the running
we've got a clear track ahead of u.s.
What struck West?" Tausig's SINAI
eyes Widened.
1.-THE sun struck West" sneere
Belden. He went away from her
rather excited yesterday afternoon. III
didn't seem to think had treated hir
prettily. suppose he ran around an