The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-08

big man in the pivot chair.
You forget that have known you
pretty much all your life, Howard.
Let me recall one of the boyhoOd pie
lures that have never faded. 1t was
just after school one hot day in the II
| linois September. Our crowd had gone
down to the pond back OF the school
house. and two OF us were padding
around on n raft made of sawmill
slabs. One OF the two-who ALWAYS
had more daredeviltry than sense I'M
der his skull thatch--was silly enough
10 rock the boat and IL went to
pieces. You couldn't swim, Howard,
but If you hadn't forgotten that trifling
handicap and wallowed i'm to pull poor
Billy Mimms ashore / should have
been murderer"
Lidgerwood shook his head.
You think you have made your case.
but you haven't. What you say is true
enough l wasn't afraid of drowning
didn't think much about 1t either way.
/ guess. But what / say is true also.
There are many kinds of courage and
quite as many kinds of cowardice.
am coward of men"
"Oh, no, you're not; you only think
you are" protested the one who
thought he knew But Lidgerwood
would not let that stand.
i Know / am. Hear me through
and then judge for yourself What I
am going to tell you l have never told
to any living man. but it is your right
TO hear II. God, Stuart, you don't know
what fear means-the DEGRADATION. the
hot and cold chils of self l0athing. the
misery Of having your own
soul turn upon you to rend and tear
you like rabid dogp
NO. ! don't know what IL means"
said the other man, moved more than
he cared to admit by the abiect con-
fession.
or course you don't Nobody else
can know. am paying the price here
ana now This is the fourth time I |
have had TO refuse good offer that
carried with it the fighting chance"
The vice presidents heavy eyebrows
slanted in questioning surprise.
You knew in advance that you were
going to turn me down. Yet you came
thousand miles TO meet me here. and
you admit that you have gone the
ength OF looking the ground over"
bidgerwoods smile was mirthless.
"A regular recurring phase Of the
disease. IL manifests itself in n de-
termination to break away and do or
lie In the effort to win little self
aspect"
The vice president was still a young
nan. and he was confronting n prob
EN- that annoyed him. lie had been
'alling himself, and not without rca-
ION, fair judge of men, Yet here
vas nah whom he had known in
from boyhood, who was but
ust now revealing a totally unsuspect
d quality.
How do You know you wouldn't
'uck up when the real pinch comes?"
Ie demanded.
because the pinch came once, ana
didn't buck up IL was over year
go, and to this good day can't think
almly about IL. You will understand ,
When | say that it cost me the love Of
he one woman in the world"
The vice president did understand.
Being n married lover himself. he
ould measure the depth OF the abyss .
lto which Lidgerwood was looking.
lis voice was MS sympathetic as n
when he said "Go ahead and
ase your mind; tell me about. IL You
an, Howard. It's barely possible that
GU are not the best Judge OF your q
wn net" ,
1t was in the Montana mountains" !
ald Lidgcrwood. 81 was going I'm 10 1
o bit of expert engineering for her
lther incidentally | was escortinp /
or ana her mother from the railroad q
arminus 70 the summer camp I'm the {
Ills. where they were to Join a coach !
lg party of their friends for the Vel .
'wstone tour We had 10 drive forty ,
lilies In stage. and there were six OF 7
$, the two women and four men. On 7
ne way the talk turned 10 stage rob. ),
cries and holdups. With the chance :,
4 the real thing as remote as n v,s,,
rom Mars, ! could be an ass and a q
rusgart One Of the men, salesman V
pr a powder company. gave me tho
Dpc wherewith to hang myself. IIe n
'Bued Tor nonresistance. ana ro. Ill
'ehpcr that grew sarcastic over tha h
pectacle afforded by grown man
,na eu anu IN possession of his five IN
'nses' permitting himself to be robbed it
i'llout attempting TO resist. You can to
ness what followed" ~
"a rather hear you tell t., so,d ,,o Il
''e"er NJ superintendent Leckhard's ly