The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-02-18

NV - NhAS" Ia VAN hillA III
we'd whip the others, even yeti I'd
get 1t all back In my hands even yet,
I tell you!
But my God! Why do | stand talk
ing about such things? What's the
use? I'm down and out! I'd just as
well be dead!"
We'll, John, what I always said Of
you was, that you seemed to know
how to get things around the way you
wanted them. | said to myself, what
a shame 1t was he should have no
money, when he needed 1t. I've got
enough set aside to keep me, ! reckon,
for my few years. And here's what
you gave mccullough, Grace-of
course, John, | want enough used to
put Grace and the baby away. The
rest is yours"
He stood looking at her dumbly, as
| at last she extricated from the bag a
thick bundle of folded papers, green,
brown, pale pink.
II got the bank TO keep them for
| me-" she said simply. 1T is what you
L EoNV lC"N Y 4 hDlL htlG"
He still stood looking at her, chok
Ing.
Laura" said he. Has God come
TO my aid? This can't believe it!
It's a million dollarsl It's a million
d~ollarsl" His voice rose, breaking al
most to a shrek. TITS a. lisa
miilion-dollars!"
well, take 1t, John, it's yours;
you're welcome to 1t. / don't want 1t.
It's done me no good. It's done none
OF us any good. All I want is, that
you should take care of Grace's flu.
neral, for that's only right, John. She
/ was my girl, my baby! Take care OF
her. John, | have got to go back
home!"
In the next ensuing moment or SO,
what swift changes 20 were wrought
| in the late despair of our friend and
| hero, Mr.. John Rawn, master OF the
international Power Company, already
in imagination controlling in good part
the d~estinies of a people-the great
John Rawn, philanthropist, kindly en-
phOJC WloC IttChA vi AllC OC6 ldNOicu
ones of earth; the beneficent, kindly,
omnipotent John Rawn? Why had he
despaired, why had he aver doubted,
why had he ever set himself even mo-
mentarily apart from that original des-
tiny which always he had accorded to
himself? Was he not a leader-had
he not been devised to be so in the
plans OF the immortal gods, ages ago?
Was he not one of the few select ones
assigned to rule his fellow-men?
John Rawn stood before the old.
gray woman, and scarcely heard her
last words. He sighed deeply. His
self-respect was coming back to him
in waves, great. recurrent waves. At
last a smile crossed his face. The I'm
perious glance of the born ruler, OF
one better than his fellow-men, the
look of the man set apart and licensed
to rob and rule-returned once more
to his eye.
Its a million dollars!" he cried
aloud. ~exultantly, once more. It's God
mas sent 1t to me! I'll take it as a
sign. Watch me In the morning! I'll
make them hunt their holes yet. BY
God! will"
John. John, you mustn't Q IL
isn't right! John!"
Il beg your INTERPRETATIONS"
he rejoined. with fine condescension,
every instant now becoming more
himself. "In fact, l want to thank
Tou-it's clever of you. / must say. 1t
sn't every woman who'd have done
what you have done, I'm sure"
why wouldn't they, John? 1t isn't
money a woman wants 70 make her
happy. I've tried that. Grace tried
Il. II doesn't work. II takes some
thing else besides money, / reckon.
We're lucky when we find that, any
Of US. ! reckon. III we don't, we've
got to take Just what God gives us.
But money doesn't buy everything in
the world. John, sometimes l think
|t buys about as little as anything
you can think Oft" She gulped just
4 little In her thin throat.
"AIl the same" said he firmly and
generously, by this time almost fully
the great John Rawn once more, sit
was very decent of you, Laura
We'll. never mind about that, John.
1t was you who made 1t. / w did
understand how you earned 1t SO fast.
I'm glad IL 1t will do you any good.
And see. JOHN she added shyly, FUN
bling again In her bag. Il brought you
a little present, John. I've been do
Ing these. you see. ! make quite a
lot out of It, I never used any Of that
money you gave me. at ALL did these
things-the way / did before, when
we we're getting u start together,
John. you know. l thought-maybe-
you'd like a pair"
She held out to him a pair of braces,
embroidered carefully In silks. He
took them In his hand. She also looked
at them closely, In professional scru-
tiny, her steel bowed spectacles on
nose. She pronounced them good.
"But, JOHN" she added ~curiously-
you know. while / was up there, do
Ing what I could for Grace and the
baby--it seemed to me like as IL l
heard some funny sort of noise down
hare-something like a shot What