Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-05-04

could q moment ago, because the time
for which I 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 Hennikers
hands as security for final loan-so
Norman tells me. Perhaps it would In
terest you trifie to know something
about the figure at which .Henniker
accepted It,"
TT would. for a fact. Buddy"
well, he took it 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, sonl we're 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 wants 1t, and he could have II
just the same II Chlawassee were
wiped off the map-as it's going to
be-"
But Tom; tell me"
mot yet, pappy; be patient just
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 now he laid hand on his
sons shoulder.
II amt askin', Buddy" he said, with
a tremulous quaver in his voicei Il
amt askin' Twin thing. I'm just a
hopin'Ehopin' I'll wake up bime-by
and find it's ony bad dream" Then.
with sudden and agonizfng emphasis;
They been butcherin' one mother down
yonder for four long weeksl"
Il can't help thatl" WAS the savage
response TITS 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 to
Him this minute, asking Him to let me
live long enough to see these two hypo-
critical thieves-thugs-san aggers-'
hit the bottoml"
He turned away, walked to the north
end Of the veranda, where the flare of
the rekindled furnace was redly visible
over the knobs, and presently came
back.
Il said you should know after a lit
tie: you may as we'll know not. plan
ned this thing; I set out to break
them, and, as 1t happened, I wasn't
moment too soon. In another week you
and Major Dabney would have had
chance to sell out for little or nothing,
or lose it all. Farley had it 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
purchase price, which would have been
a fair figure for all the stock, should
be paid to him and his son individually
as a bonusl"
The old iron-master groaned. In
spite of the hard teaching of all the
years. he would 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; AL 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 Ardea
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
me-"
He had taken a dozen strides down
the graveled path when he saw some
one coming hurriedly across the lawns
from Deer Trace, and heard a voice
the voice of the woman he loved-call-
ing to him softly in the stiffness;
Tom! o Toni" is said, please wait
just one minutei"
But there are emotions mightier, mo-
mentarily, than love, and vengeance is
one He made as If he did not see or
hear; and lest she should overtake him.
left the path to lose himself among
the trees and to vault the low boun-
Diary wall into the pike at a point safe.
ly out of sight from the. gate.
(To be- continued)
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