Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-01-07
5,335iiJlS,3 ~ ~ El 4 . "a
I CHAPTER Continued.

Z Then he paused. The rugged mask
$5of q face had not changed. But the
pupils Of the halt -shut eyes had sud.
denly contracted as though binding
\ light had been flashed before them
Yet, q second later, when Blake spoke
again, there was no trace OF pain or
!s$ resentment In his dry drawing voice.
s.Blac kmail ~ he said once more.
How about the way Standish} dragged
1 up that franchise affair Of mine last
year? What was that but blackmail e
Well" demanded Tom, in the stark
mere lessness Of j youth, you were
stealing the franc ise,EE weren't you.
dad ~ "
Yes, 2, asserted Blake with a de
slIghtfuI a bsence Of all false modesty,
I sure was. And il was doing It neat
nv. too. Not q ripple. not q kick, till
3sStandish butted Id with his measly
sreformers and queered the whole Job
and cost Suslg a half million dollars.
Son, every time i think Of that, want
ITO chase some one with an az. y don't
slie awake nights thinking how cum
ming our friend Standish would look
with seaweed In his hair and sand UNI
der his nails. But i keep that fran
chise memory and q few others fresh
I on the ice. And itSssureS doesn't break
my heart to have q chance now of
getting back at him. .$.
tut persisted Tom, that was q
I public matter. It doesn't Justify you
in sdragging his private life into the
lime light hi
~ The deuce IT doesn't? Who told
\ you that NJ ii;s
self -respect. & Il. Il
..Oh! Il thought maybe you might
have got the tip from some reliable
source. Go ahead. son. Doesn't Justi-
ssfy me. hey &, FL
sS s.s'N 8. G dad, II you want truth. It
doesn't. It ism lean I! x
Clean? Say, son. this d politics.
Not i prayer-mee citing. You've got In
the wrong pew III III
Il ssssa.If the right pew; Justif1es dirty
work like that, I" flashed the boy, I'm
glad 7 have. And / want to stay. there.
This business Of making political cap
fsllital OF - mans dead-and-buried sins
lis enough to turn the stomach OF q
camel. a thousand times more n 80
when one considers the Woman
well q queried Blake, In high good
humor, as he always was when he
could stir up a quarrel between. his
\ adored only son and himself. What
about her 3, iG$ Il
4 N g Every thing. III She made q fool OF
4 herself. Presumably when she was
!, III %<A
1t bitterly. ten thousand times, She
may have atoned for what she did.
She may even be a.. wife and mother,
now. Respected loved. All the world
L and Heaven. sbesid les, to her husband
and children. II And, just to pass gar rot
ten railroad bill. you are going to drag
I her out into the glare Of the newspa-
sper 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
children s name. You are ~ q
Excuse me. son. = interrupted Blake.
s.ssBut I'm not doing 10 single one Of
those terribly dramatic things.
@standish Is doing or, rather. he
\ has done It. Not I. Catch the idea?
IL Standish committed q murder and
III found the body. would you call me.
"a murde rer NJ Hey TN ell. that's what
has happened this time. When Stand
s3ish took the lady on that little left
handed wedding trip. five years ago
An March, hefrepde her liable to all
!! that and worse A man doesn't think
OF such things at the time. Il Neither
does a woman. I guess. This one
sure didn't, or she'd never have
thrown over her one hope OF safety
by fitting him" RI # }. Il.
~ Listen, dad" returned Tom, chok-
ing back hot answer. Ever since
you brought me here into the thick Of
the fight, you and I haven't agreed
about politics. But I've stood with
You. through and through. I've work
ed hard for the party. because I felt
a was working for you. But-well-- ~
this time I'd rather be working for the
other side. Because j believe they're
right and we are wrong. 81 III
Well, them = blazed his father, in a
dry gust Of unwonted wrath. why
don't you work. for the other side Go
ahead !! It's no great loss to u.s." 35G
+ III You know perfectly well why II
don't It's because you are on this
I side-the wrong side just now" f.E hi
go over to them!s" snapped Blake.
his rare anger still unspent. They'd