Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-25
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Hohhs Nerriu

the humiliating knowledge of his own
uselessness. In those profitless seas
ons through which he had sauntered.
as he had strolled through his casual
years of college, he had given least OF
his time and thought to the concern
which had absorbed his fathers young
manhood. He, John Valiant--one of
it's vice-presidents! waster, on whose
expenditures there had never been q
limit. who had strewn with the fool
ish tree-handedness Of prodigal! Id
Ter, with reputation in three cities
as leader of cotillions!
Fool" he muttered under his breath
and on the landscape outside the word
stamped itself on everything as though
little devils had suddenly turned them
selves into letters Of the alphabet
and were skipping about in fours
Valiant started as the other spoke
at his elbow. He, too had come to the
window and was looking down at the
pavement. How quickly some news
spreads"
For the first time the young man
noted that the street below was filing
with a desultory crowd. He disting-
uished knot Of Italian laborers talk.
ing with excited gesticulations- a
smudged plasterer, tools in hand
clerks, some hatless and with thin al
paca coats-all peering at the voice
less front Of the great building, and
all. he imagined with a thriving fear
in their faces. AS he watched wom-
an, coarsely dressed. ran across the
street. her handkerchief pressed to her
eyes.
"The notice has gone up on the
door, said the manager. II sent word
to the police. Crowds are ugly some
times"
Valiant drew sudden sharp breath.
The Corporation down in the mlre.
with crowds at it's doors already to
clamor for money entrusted to it. the
aggregate savings Of widow and Or
phan, the piteous boarded sums earned
by labor over which pinched sickly
faces had burned the midnight oil!
The older man had turned to the
desk to draw a. narrow typewriter
slip Of paper from the pigeonhole.
Here" he said. sis a list of the bonds
Of the subsidiary companies recorded
in your, name. These are all. Of course,
engulfed In the larger failure. You
have, however. your private fortune.
IF you take my advice. by the way"
he added Significantly. you'll make
sure Of keeping that"
What do you mean" John Valiant
faced him quickly.
The other laughed shortly. "a word
to the WISE" he quoted. cts very
good living abroad. There's a boat
leaving tomorrow"
A dull red sprang into the younger
face "You mean"
Look at that crowd down there
you can hear them now. Therell be
legislative investigation, Of course.
And the devil'll get the hindmost." He
struck the desk top with his hand.
"Have you ever seen the bills for this
furniture? Do you know what that
rug under your feet cost? Twelve
thousand-it's an old Persian. What
do you suppose the papers will do TO
that? Do you think such things viii!
seem amusing to the rabble down
there?" His hand swept toward the
window. ITS been going on too many
years, I tell you! And now some one'll
pay the piper. The lightning won't
strike me-I'm not tall enough. You're
vice-president."
"Do you imagine that knew these
things-that I have been party to
what you seem to believe has been a
deliberate wrecking!" Valiant lowered
over him. his breath coming fast. his
hands clenched hard.
"You?" The manager laughed again
an unpleasant laugh that scraped the
others quivering nerves like hot sand
paper. ooh. lord, no! How should
you? You've been too busy PLAYING
polo and winning bridge prizes. How
many board meetings have you attend
ed this year? Your vote is proxied as
regular as clockwork. But you're
supposed to know. The people down
there in the street won't ask questions
about patent-leather pumps and ponies.
they'll want to hear about such things
as rotten Irrigation loans In the Stony
River Valley--to market an alkali des-
ert that is the personal property Of the
president Of this Corporation.
Valiant turned a blank white face
"Sedgwick?"-
Eyes. You know his principle: ITS
all right to be honest. if you're not too
Damn HOHcSl. TIC wv llo tIc SlpDS-
River Valley bag and baggage. 1t was
a big gamble and he lost"
For a moment there was absolute
silence in the room. From outside came
the rising murmur Of the crowd and
cutting through it the shrill cry Of
newsboy calling an evening extra.
Valiant was staring at the other with
a strange look Emotions to which In
all his self-indulgent life he had been
a stranger were running through his
mind and outre passions had him by
the throat Fool and doublv blind,
A poor pawn, catspaw raking the
chestnuts for INSCRIPTIONS men whose
ignominy he was now called on. Der.
force to share. In his pitiful egotism
he had consented to be figurehead.
and he had been made a tool. A red
rage surged over him. No one had
ever seen on John Valiant's face such
a look as grew on it now.
He turned, retrieved the Panama,
and without a word opened the door
The older man took a step toward
electric forces in the air-but the door
him-he had sense of dangerous
closed sharply in his face. He smiled
L. I L.