Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-09-26
CHAPTER Vi.-ContInued.

CHAPTER Vi.-ContInued.
Then he paused. The rugged mask
of face had not changed. But the
pupils of the half-shut eyes had sud-
denly contracted as though binding
light had been flashed before them.
Yet, a second later, when Blake spoke
again, there was no trace Of pain or
resentment in his dry drawing voice.
"Blackmail?" he said once more.
How about the way Standish dragged
up that franchise affair of mine last
year? What was that but blackmail?"
WELL" demanded Tom, In the stark
snercilessness Of youth, "you were
stealing the franchise. weren't you,
tad?"
"Yes," asserted Blake with de-
nghtful absence Of all false modesty,
II sure was. And | was doing 1t neat
~, too. Not ripple, not kick, till
Etandish butted in with his measly
teformers and queered the whole job
and cost us a half million dollars.
Son, every time l think of that. want
10 chase some one with an ak | don't
lie awake nights thinking how cum
ming our friend Standish would look
with seaweed in his hair and sand I'M
fer his nails. But l keep that fran
chise memory and few others fresh
on the Ice And it sure doesn't break
my heart to have a chance now Of
getting back at him."
But" persisted Tom, that was a
public matter. 1t doesn't justify you
In dragging his private life into the
lime-light"
THE deuce it doesn't? Who told
you that?"
my self-respect."
ooh! I thought maybe you might
have got the tip from some reliable
source. Go ahead. son. Doesn't justi-
fy me. hey?"
mo, dad, II you want truth, It
doesn't It isn't-clean!"
Clean? Say, son, this Is politics.
Not a prayer-meeting. You've got In
the wrong pew
"If the right pew justifes dirty
work like that" flashed the boy, I'm
glad / have. And / want to stay there.
This business of making political cap
ltal of mans dead-and-buried sins
Is enough to turn the stomach of
camel. thousand times more so
when one considers the Woman"
Well" queried Blake, in high good
humor, as he always was when he
could stir up quarrel between his
adored only son and himself What
about herr"
Everything. She made fool of
herself. Presumably when she was
young. She has probably repented
1t bitterly, ten thousand times. She
may have atoned for what she did.
She may even be wife and mother,
now, Respected, loved All the world
and Heaven, besides, to her husband
and children. And, just to pass a rot
ten railroad bill, you are going to drag
Der out into the glare Of the newspa-
per world and cruelty her! You are
going to strip from her her husbands
love; you are going to make her
friends shun her as an outcast; you're
throwing black shame on her innocent
cntidren's name. You are"
Excuse me. son." interrupted Blake.
But I'm not doing single one Of
those terribly dramatic things.
Btandish Is doing tor, rather, he
has done It. Not l. Catch the idea?
II Standsh committed a murder and
found the body. would you call me
murderer? Hey? Well, that's what
has happened this time. When Stand
ssh took the lady on that little left
handed wedding trip, five years ago
In March. he rendered her liable to all
chat and worse. A man doesn't think
of such things at the time. Neither
Goes woman, l guess. This one
sure didn't, or she'd never have
thrown over her one hope of safety
by fitting him."
Listen, dad" returned Tom, chok-
ing back hot answer. Ever since
you brought me here into the thick of
the fight, you and l haven't agreed
about politics. But I've stood with
you. through and through. I've work
I'd hard for the party, because l felt
was working for you. But-well-
this time I'd rather be working for the
sther side. Because believe they're
Tight and we are wrong"
We'll, them" blazed his father, In a
dry gust Of unwonted wrath, why
FONT you work for the other side? Go
ahead! It's no great loss to u.s.
You know perfectly we'll why
cont. It's because you are on this
side--the wrong side just now
coo over to them!" snapped Blake,
kia rsra az Cas sSfJI prsaopt ssrrb nv a