The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-02-28


II dont mean that" she said,
though I know about II. too. and
cant say that like II. But II Is your
1ife IN general. your business. There
are women In the world who could
marry man like you and be happy.
but I couldn't And the more cared
Tor such man. the more unhappy
should be. You see. my unhappiness.
In turn. would tend to make him un-
happy. I should make mistake. and
he would make an equal mistake.
though his would not be so hard on
him because he would still have his
business"
''Business!" Daylight gasped,
Whats wrong with my business?
play fair and square. There's moth
iug underhand about IT, which can't
be said OF most businesses. whether Of
the big corporations or Of the cheat
ing. lying. little orner-grocerymen.
play the straight rules Of the game.
and I don't have to lie or cheat or
break my word"
Don't you see," he went on, the
whole game Is q gamble. Everybody
gnmbles In one way or another. The
farmer CANDLES against the weather
and the market on his crops. So does
the United States Steel Corporation.
The business Of lots Of men Is straight
robbery Of the poor people. But I've
never made that my business. You
know that. I've always gone after the
rUbbers."
Il missed my point" she admitted.
Wait . minute"
And for space they rode In d
Aence.
II see II more clearly than I can
state II. but it's something like this.
There II legitimate work. and there's
work that--weil. that isn't legitimate.
Tie farmer works the soil and pro-
duces grain. He's making something
that 10 good for humanity. He actual
~. In o way. creates something. tho
grain that win al! the mouths of the
hungry.-
And then the railroads and market
r1sgers and the rest proceed to rob
htm Of that same srdn." Daylight
broke ir.
There amt much difference be-
tween playing halfway robber like
The railroad hauling that farmers
vhsat to market. and playing all rob-
bor and robbing the robbers like I do.
And. besides. halfway robbery Is too
slow a game for me tn SIT In. You
don't win quick enough for me-"
But what do you wait to win fory''
Dede demanded. You have millions
and millions. already: why can't you
do good with all your raoneyr
Daylight laughed
Doing good with your money!
Amt II funny. 10 60 around with brass
knuckles and . big club breaking
folks heads and taking their money
-sway from them until I've got q pile.
and then. repenting VI my ways, going
around and bar laying up the heads
the other robbers are breakingf I
ssave Il 10 you. That's what doing good
With money amounts to. Every once
IN q while some robber turns soft
hcarted and takes to driving an am
buiance. That's what Carnegie did.
He smashed heads In pitched battles
af Homestead. regular Wholesale head
breaker he was. held up the suckers
for q few hundred million, and now
no goes around dribbling II back to
them. Funny? leave It to you"
He rolled a cigarette and watched
her half curiously. half amusedly. His
replies and harsh generalizations of a
harsh school were disconcerting. and
she came back to her earlier position.
Il can't argue with you. and you
know that. No matter how right
woman Is. men have such way about
them--well. what they say sounds
most convincing. and yet the woman
10 still certain they are wrong. But
there Is one thing. the creative 10y:
and It's higher Joy than mere gam
bling. Haven't you ever made things
yourself-a log cabin up In the Yu-
kon. or canoe. or raft. or something?
And don't you remember how salts
. Ned you were. how good you felt.
while you were doing II and after you
had u done?"
While she spoke ais memory was
busy with the associations she recall
ed He saw the deserted fiat on the
river bank by the Klondike. and he
saw the log cabins ami warehouses
spring up. aud all the log structures
he had built. and his snwmills work.
ing night and day on three shifts.
Why. dog-gone II. Miss Mason,
you're right-in a way. I've built
hundreds Of houses up there, and I
remember / was proud and glad TO
see them 90 up. I'm proud now. when
I remember them. AMI there was
Ophir-the most God.foisaken moose
pasture Of n creek you ever laid eyes
on I rJado that into the big Ophir.
Why. l ran the water I'm there from
the Rinkabilly. eighty miles away.
They oil said couldn't. but I did it,