Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-12-21
CHAPTER lI.-(continued.)

f1aIuday and pretty care W lALoil-
CHAPTER Il-(continued.)
I happened to meet Bruce one day
at our noon luncheon. It was Satur-
day afternoon and my work was I'm
ished for the week He came into the
place where I sat and dropped heavily
into a. seat beside me. His appearance
caused me TO whirl upon him. His
face was drawn tense as the skin Of
a drum, his eyes were heavy as
though with a great WEAKNESS, and
his hands aspen in their shakiness.
He had the haunted look Of a man
who has been crushed. soul and body,
by some appalling disaster. Marvel
Ing at the evil transformation which
had come over him, I let my hand
fall upon his shaking fingers.
What is it, BruCe?" I cried sharp
ly. He blotted the perspiration from
his face and answered me hoarse as a
crow.
1T is all up. They have wiped me
out clean as a whistle. Had every
LLAA8 LDA4A ldAC anu oil GhJC OAA
System stock. and she has gore
straight to the bottommost pit Of in
fernO And I was forty thousand to
the good and was going to quit for
ever alt fifty thousand and marry
Clare" He burst into tears. And
now / can't marry her, for l am
ruined, busted blown up. shot to
pieces. If any one should give me
an automobile I couldn't raise the
wind to fill its tires" His head
dropped forward, and Wiping his eyes
dry he sat with chest heaving. L
stared at him.
How much did it sfnk?" I asked
slowly after a moment He waved his
hands helplessly.
1T didn't sink; it didn't take time
to do that It just plunged, Owed
sounded-dropped like a ton of lead
in a vacuum. I was wiped out before
/ could yell keno and crook a finger.
Oh, the miserable shame of it, ASS
unspeakablet Fooi unmentionabIe!
Idiot unutterabIe! Asst Idiot! FOOL"
Shocked but helpless | surveyed
him in silence. Presently his voice
arose again this time angrily.
But that stock is only temporarily
knocked down, and is bound to come
up smiling long before the count 1t
was that damnable published lie that
started the panic, and the scare will
be over in "a hours when the truth is
known If I only had $4,000 more
/ could get back in good shape in no
time. But / can't beg, borrow or steal
one-tenth of that sum. I'm an alley
infesting. freedmen pauper who can't
even sell his soul because Old Nick
figures he'll get it anyway free gratis.
And there's our dear Uncle Abner sit
ting up there in his den this very min.
ute blowing his fingers and nose
through $4,000 that he has just col
leCted in currency. | was up to see
him In a dying effort to get him to
stake me, but he only grinned at me
Ike q totem pole and kept on count
Ing the bales Of yellow backs until
wanted to yell and had to run away
to get shut Of &C." He got upon his
feet and in his anger banged the table
with a metal object which he had
tightly clenched In his fist
But I've simply got to get ten thou
sand for a month or two, I tell you
and I'm going to do it." Then sud
denly subsiding he turned to me il
helpless Importantly. You couldn't
spare me anything in the shape of al
advance, could you, old MANI
The pathos of the appeal touched
me. but I shook my head No, Bruce
can give you nothing to speculate
with, I replied quietly He got III
with a despairing shrug Of his shout
ders, nodded a hurried goodby anC
was off on what was doubtless some
last despairing quest. I saw no gooC
in attempting to detain him and there
fore made no effort to call him back
Thoughts of what he had told m,
filled my mind to the exclusion of al
else 1t was bad news. very bad news
indeed. and I knew that Glare woul'
knew she did. she would take hi
troubles deep into her own heart. AnC
1t was a miserable shame too Fort,
thousand dollars was magnihCen
start along the road to fortune for ;
man only twenty-eight years old, ant
it would probably be many years be
fore he could climb that high again
The suddenness of the catastrophe
was a distinct shock to me- For al
hour | pondered over it deeply. then
arising, took my own departure home
ward.
Uncle Abner was still nosing aroun
among his stacks of currency as
entered. He glanced up at me quicl
ly as I opened the door, then, ignorin
me. picked up a. thousand dollar bi
and began talking to it,
Look at me, you beauty. OF cours
you don't know how I got you. bu
I'm going to tell you l scheme
for you days and laid awake for 70
nights. I sweat for you and Sc
traps for you and denied myself fo
you. and finally I got you. You he
me a pretty chase, but in the end
captured you because had my sol
set upon you. And why did I wan
you? Because you are the concentrt
ton Of stored energy. All have
do is turn you loose in the world an
Sit back in my chair and watch. I