Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1914-02-19

by labor over which pinched sickly
faces had burned the midnight oil!
The older mar had turned back tc
the desk to draw a narrow typewrit,
ten slip of paper from a pigeonhole
Here" he said, lis a list of the bonds
of the subsidiary companies recorded
in your name. These are all, OF
course, engnlfed in the larger failure,
You have, however, your private for.
tune. If you take my advice, by the
way" he added significantly, you'll
make u of keeping that"
What do You mean?" John Va
liant faced him quickly.
The other laughed shortly. IA 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. Theren be
a legislative Investigation, of course.
And the deyillI get the hindmost."
He struck the desk-top with his hand.
Have you ever seer 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 will
seem amusing to that rabble down
there?" His hand swept toward the
window. ITS been going on for too
many years, I tell you! And now
some one1l pay the piper. The light
ming won't strike me-Tm not tall
enough. You're a vice-president-"
DO you imagine that 1 knew these
things--that l have been a party to
what you e to believe has been a
deliberate wrecking?" Valiant tow
cred yer him, his breath coming fast,
his hands clenched hard.
Your" The manager laughed again
an unpleasant laugh that scraped
the others ~quivering nerves like hot
sandpaper. "Oh, lord no! How should
you? You've been too busy playing
polo and winning bridge prizes. How
many board meetings have you at
tended this year2 Your vote is prox-
led 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 desert that is the personal
property Of the president of this cor
poration."
Valiant turned a blank white face.
"Sedgwick?"
Yes. You know his principle: It's
all right to be honest, if you're not
too damn honest He owns the Stony.
River Valley bag and baggage. 1t was
a big gamble and he lost"
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 doubly blind!
A poor pawn, a catspaw raking the
chestnuts for INSCRIPTIONS men whose
ignominy he was now called on, per-
force, to share! In his pitiful egotism
he had consented to be a figurehead,
and he had been made a tool. A red
rage surged over him. No one had
seen on John Valiant's face such
a look as grew on it now,
He turned and without O word
opened the door. The older man took
a step toward him-he had a, sense Of
electric forces in the air
but the door closed sharply in his face.
smiled grimly. mot crooked" he
to himself; merely callow. A
wellmeaning. m~anicured young fop
surrounded by men who knew
what they wanted!" He shrugged his
shoulders and went back to his chair.
Valiant plunged down in the eleva-
tor to the street. He pushed past the
guarded door, and threading the
crowd, made toward the curb, where
his bulldog, with a bark Of delight.
leaped upon the seat Of a Furnished
car, rumbling and vibrating with pent-
up power. There were those in the
sullen anxious crowd who knew whose
was that throbbing metal miracle, the
chauffeur spick and span from shining
to polished brown puttees,
and recognized the white face that
went past, pelted it with muttered
sneers. But he scarcely saw or heard
them, as he stepped into the seat, took
the wheel from the chauffeur's hand
and threw on the gear.
He drove mechanically past a hun
dred familiar things and places, but he
saw nothing, till the massive marble
fronts Of the upper park side ceased
their mad dance as the car halted be-
fore a tall iron-grilled doorway with
wide glistening steps, between win
dows strangely shattered and dark.
He sprang out and touched the bell.
The heavy oak parted slowly; the con-