Evening star., 1914-11-22

by this curt disposal of his proposition, and
was little irritated by his visitors air of
dogged persistence fighting for another loop
hole. Steadily the old frontiersman returned
to the attack. Time and again his auditor
declined to consider the proposal and looked
at the clock. At last he spoke lrrltably,
bluntly, harshly:
absolutely nothing doing Besides" he
added, wishing to make his refusal distinctly
positive, "there is no firm that would think
of taking this project up on-well-one
mans word. You have practically nothing
to offer but-pardon me-pract1cally moth
ing but your own Judgment and reliability.
He could not entirely conceal the sneer in
his voice, the intolerance for one who came
with neither standing, references, nor back
ing.
CLOWLY the old mans eyes turned full
- on him with hurt, puzzled stare, and
then cleared to harsh and angry frown.
Even his patience was at an end. i've
waited long time, little more'n seventy
years. he said sternly, "to have my honesty
questioned that too by the son of the
man who once slept under the same blankets
with me! My reliability is somethin' you
could have found out by telegraphin' to the
West where come from, out there where"
his own words of his great home hunger, of
his faithful trust that his old friend would
prove his rock of refuge in storm, of the days
and nights when they together had shared
the trail, and his fierce protest was dissipated
in flood of old memories. The elaborate
office, the muff1ed clangor of streetcars far
below, the strange hum and noisy throb OF
the great maelstrom into which he had wan
dered unwittingly, were gone, and once
more he was back in his young manhood,
treading the hills, loving the plain, homely
girl that to him would ever be young, work.
ing, planning, fighting, side by side with the
father of this man who had the power to
save, but withheld even hope in this great
emergency when everything, even honorable
solvency, was at stake. He spoke almost
to himself, indignant, yet sorrowful.
"I've played the game fair, as l saw
how. I've owed nothin' l didn't pay. I've
made no promises 1 didn't keep. Other men,
all my life, have taken my word. And now
in my need for someone to stand behind me,
when my backs against the wall, it S the son
of Toluse Oakes that turns me away! Some
how, if it had been someone else, it wouldn't
have hurt quite so bad. 1t would have been
leetle easier to go back home, licked for the
first time, and tell Nav that it was someone
else that did it."
He got to his feet, a tired, trembling old
man, and Strengthened himself to his gaunt
height, and looked down at the embarrassed
fnancier who was watching him.
"I've been fool" he said in a thoughtful
voice. u carried all my eggs in one basket
because had faith in friend, and because
| didn't know the ways of men who have SO
much money in their hands. You've made
me see it. But you're net the kind that un
derstands me, nor that understand. You're
not like the men who worked with their
hands, as your father did, and as did, men
whose words were worth more than all they
had in the bank. amt sure that you're to
blame for not bein' of and like such men;
but, young Mr.. Oakes, I'm damned sure l
don't want to be like you-though l don't
wish your fathers son any hard luck!"
Quite dignifed and concealing his wounds,
he walked to the door, out into the hall
way, and down the twenty flight of stairs
that led him to the street of the heartless
world in which he had been rebuffed
REHIND him the financier, product of en-
u vironment and education, reached for a
push button to summon his next visitor
then failed to push it. He wavered in un-
accustomed hesitation and incertitude. The
room still echoed with that quiet arraign-
ment. 1t was still filled with a sturdy, patri-
archal, trusting figure of honesty that had
come across continent, confident and