The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1913-08-01
MIGHTY MEAN Trick
Story Of Love, Railway Fran
chises, Financial Deals and
Cracked Ice.
By CHARLES p BUSH.

about to acknowledge the corn and
admit that he was not half SO wise as
1 be had thought, himself when he grad
uated from college and started out to
set the world afire.
He had worked hard and been faith
full to his quest for the almighty dol
lar, but somehow it had eluded him.
oh, to be sure he had earned de-
cent living, but the big killing" he
had so fondly hoped for was still pain
fully absent
He would not have cared SO much
had it not been for Alice just to
show his confidence and like many
other youngsters both wiser and
more foolish than himself-he had
married the girl Of his choice before
he had made fair start. And as the
successes Of his dreams failed to ma
terialize and he saw Alice riding in
street cars instead of her carriage,
and practicing all kinds of nasty lit
tie economies which grated so on his
nerves, he became rather sore regard
ing himself and the world.
Sometimes he got little discon-
tented with fate or luck or whatever
he happened to call 1t upon different
occasions, and 1t did seem to him now
and then that If he could have had a
little help at critical times he could
have swan out OF the shadows. Par
ticularly had it seemed to him in mo-
ments OF extreme depression that Old
Williams, his wife's father, might
have smoothed the road at times with
out hurting. For, be 1t known, Old
Williams had made the killing F1em-
ing longed for so ardently and was
ever ready. apparently, to make in
vestments financing any other old
scheme in the world with the excep-
ton of the schemes mapped out by
him. But old Williams policy could
not be questioned. because the old
man was uniformly successful In his
ventures and Fleming had not yet
shown any conspicuous success. Still
Old Williams had done much for his
other children, and Fleming some
times thought that it would be nice
thing If he would help him out in
some of his plansor at least bright
en- up Alice's path bit.
Not that Fleming ever had applied
to the old man for assistance. He had
explained his plans at times, but as
for suggesting that Old Williams in
vest with him, It was furthest from
his thoughts; he would have gone to
Shylock himself first.
Now all these things being under
stood and the further fact that the
Flemings had cast their lot in the
west, where at the critical point of
this story Burton was stranded high
and dry with plan for an interurban
electric road. the promise Of which
was admitted by everybody, but the
capital for which was not forthcom-
ing, 1t may be imagined with what
emotions he learned that Old Viii
liams was about to favor his wife and
himself with visit of uncertain du-
ration
At this particular time the finances
of the Flemings were at their lowest
ebb, because, while Burton could al
ways make very decent income
from his profession as ciVil engineer,
he had conceived the ideasof the cleo:
.tric line some months before and had
anent his time in working out certain
natural obstacles which alone had
stood for years in the way of building
the road. This, with the securing OF
.the franchises and options On rights
a wav had not only used up his
;smalI savings hut had taxed his Dor.
rowine canacity to the full And
there the thing stuck. He could NOT
Z flnance the road without giving up ali
t,t most conference.-the share 10 the
men Who MT m the money. and hay
,ng done that sort az thing several
t;rnas ba Aatlv refused. said he would
starva f,rst and the road never would
he hu,lt unless he was the dominan,
eorca q tbe cornoration
n ! result the Elemings we're iiv
--s - = 1880 49, 100 - =.