Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-27
CHAPTER II-Continued.

ness of the young egoist who sat Sc
cure, his own millions safe, on the
ruins of the enterprise from which
they were derived. The questions, that
had been bland with suave innuendo.
acquired an acrid sarcasm. barbed
and singing satire, which at length
touched indiscretion. He allowed him.
self a scornful reference to the elder
Valiant as scathing as it was unjusti-
| fled.
To the man in the witness chair this
had been like an electric shock. Some
thing new and unguessed beneath the
husk of boredom, the indolent pose OF
body, had suddenly looked from his
! blazing eyes: something foreign to
Vanity Valiant, the club habitue, the
spoiled scion of wealth. For brief
five minutes he spoke, in fashion
that surprised the court room-a pas
sionate defense of his father. the prin-
ciples on which the Corporation had
been founded and it's traditional
policies: few sentences, but each hot
as lava and quivering with feeling.
Their very force startled the reporters
bench and left his inquisitor for mo-
ment silent.
The latter took refuge in a sardonic
reference to the Corporations salary
list. Did the witness conceive, he
asked with effective deliberation, that
he had rendered services commensur-
ate with the annual sums paid him? The
witness thought that he had, in fact,
received just about what those serv-
ices were worth. Would Mr.. Valiant
Re good enough to state the figures OF
the salary he had been privileged 10
draw as a vice president?
! The answer fell as slowly in the sar'
donic silence. Il have never drawn a
salary as an officer of the Valiant
Corporation"
| Then it was that the irritated ex-
aminer had abruptly dismused the wit
ness. Then the ripple had swept over
the assemblage, and Katherine Fargo,
gazing, had smiled that slow smile in
which approval struggled with mingled
wonder and question.
| The jostling crowd flocked out into
the square, among them a fresh faced
girl on the arm of a gray bearded man
in black frock coat and picturesque
broad brimmed felt hat. She turned
her eyes to his.
$50 that" she said, "is John
Valiant! I'd almost rather have missed
Niagara Falls. must write Shirley
cambridge about it. i'm so sorry I lost
that picture of him that I cut out of
the paper
II reckon he's not such bad lot"
said her uncle. 81 liked the way he
spoke of his father
He hailed a cab. Grand Central sta
| I, r1o OF u io
watch, land be quick about 1t. We've
Just time to make our train"
| "Yessir! Dollar'n half, sir"
The gentleman seated the girl and
climbed in himself. II know the legal
fare" he said, 1f am from Virginia.
And If you try to beat me out of more,
you'll be sorry
| Some hours later, in an inner office
of a down town skyscraper, the newly
appointed receiver of the Valiant Cor
poration, a heavy, thick set man with
narrow eyes, sat beside table on
which lay a small black satchel with
paddock on it's handle, whose con-
tents-several bundles of crisp papers
he had been turning over in his
heavy hands with look of incredu-
1ous amazement. A sheet containing
mass Of figures and memoranda lay
among them.
| The shock was still on his face when
a knock came at the door, and a man
entered. The newcomer was gray
Haired, slightly stopped and lean
jowled, with a humorous expression
on his lips. He glanced in surprise at
the Uttered table.
Fargo" said the man at the desk,
do you notice anything queer about
me?"
His friend grinned. mo, Buck" he
said judicially, unless it's that nick
tie. It would stop a Dutch clock
:Hang the haberdashery! Read this
from young Valiant" He passed over
a letter.
Fargo read. He looked up. "Se-
curities aggregating three millions!"
he said in hushed voice. "Why, I'M
less I've been misinformed, that rep
resents practically all his private for
tune
The other nodded. Turned over to
the Corporation with his resignation
as a vice president, and without a
blessed string tied to 'em! What do
you think of that?"
Think! It's the most absurdly
idiotic thing ever met Two weeks
ago, before the investigation but
now, when it's perfectly certain they
can bring nothing home to him He
paused. "Of course suppose it'll save
the Corporation, Ell? But it may be ten
years before his securities pay divi-
dends. And this Is real money. Where
the devil does he come in meanwhile?' %
The receiver pursed his lips. Il
knew his father" he said. "He had the
same crazy quixotic streak"
He gathered the scattered docu-
ments and locked them carefully with
! the satchel in a safe. "Spectacular
young asst" he said explosively.
'I should say SOL" agreed Fargo.
do you know, used to be afraid my
Katherine had leaning toward him.
But thank God, she's sensible girl"
/ CHAPTER TIT