Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-01
CHAPTER xxn-@ontinued).

All, llIdI VIII dO-lIldI VIII 10. TSICo
rubbed his palms and smiled. "Thank
you, Mr.. Curran." He hurried on as
If some elaborate program was to be
arranged for Mr.. Curran. Mr.. Curran
looked about the group of county poll
ticians. The red-necked Boydston was
still. 1t was Curran's moment of
triumph. He went leisurely down the
street with his mail. Mrs. Van Hart
was driving into The square. She did
not notice Curran, of the News, but
Curran smiled airily. He could afford
to be complacent 10 High street now.
He was Curran, the i%nsurgent leader
of the south countless: he had broken
the ranks of the reserve. He was a
friend of the governor. Best of all, the
country folk knew him. He was their
man." He wished he could see Janet.
He would have liked to tell her this.
At 11:30-purposedly he had kept
Rice waiting Is minutes-he strolled
over to the bank corner The door
a small one at the side used by the Of
ficers-opened before he touched it. He
had had an impression that Rice had
been watching him from the shade OF
the window in front and had scurried
back to let him in. That was another
sense of his winning. Even now Rice
bowed and trotted ahead down the
gloomy bank corridor.
This way. Mr.. Curran. All. late?
Not at all-not at all! He opened the
door to his private office and the
guest went in. 1t was rather dark. but
Curran knew that a number of men
were there. He paused. surprised to
see RansdelI, the editor of the Earlville
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. But then. Thad con-
trolled the Journal. Boydston. the SUI
pervisor. whom Curran had fought for
was there, sitting obviously i'll at ease
by the door: and Ole Thad, the wizened
county boss. in his swivel chair before
the bank directors table. Curran
looked them over with a belying calm.
They We're a representative gathering
of his ancient enemies-men of the old
regime in politics. in wealth and social
place in the county. He was received
in a silence that somehow was slowly
%strangling the fine glow of confidence
in which he had come. He felt him.
self intuitively brace as one does to
whom a physical peril is imminent. The
air was hostile. 1t breathed evil; the
room had the menace of a trap.
Thad was cutting a cigar leiSurely.
d. He did not rise nor extend a hand.
When he spoke it was with a precision
as one stating a prearranged program.
Good evening, Mr.. Curran. We were
expecting you.'
$50 I imagine"
Tanner sat forward. his brows con-
tracted over his narrow eyes. Then. in
his rapish voice. with the direct dis
regard of courtesy which always made
his authority. with a weaker nan take
the aspect of bullying, he went on:
w sent for you, Curran. to ask you
to withdraw our candidacy before
the people of the Eighteenth district.
had been his revulsion. SO sure was
he of a trap, that he had steeled him
self. He had al instant struggle TIC
speak with the coo satire which was
all they saw.
"Gentlemen. you ask a good deal
The other stirred. They had expect
ed amazement, at least.
Tanner eyed the victim shrewdly
ITS u duty to ask a good deal. The
party's welfare, the good name of oul
people, may say the purity of oul
homes-demand it. l presume yol
know what l mean"
Curran ooked steadily at him. :.
presume, in turn. that you mean {
story of my early marriage-a stor!
brought to this town and to your at
tention by Maurice Ladeau?"
Thad was irritated at this cool per
tinacity and frankness. He had boastet
a. moment before to Judge Van Har
that he would make the News mar
cringe and crawl.
Yes. An incredible story. Curran
an intolerable story! A girl you de
serted-and without marriage"
There was a marriage"
I'VE have the facts. They came t
light strangely enough. You left thi'
girl - Adrienne lie Gania-in New
Orleans in 1891. She died the fol
lowing year during an epidemic o
yellow fever Thad was looking a
a slip of memoranda. and with eacl
point he tapped the table with hi
pencil, his face, under the light, pal
lid, craven mercilessly as that of
prosecutor of an inquisition. He locke
up briefly: Am 1 right in these facts.
quiet confidence. Again Tanner lev
eled an eye. for the ONE non
plussed, upon him.. You left her an
went to Mexico. She lived on at a
old woman's house-Madame Artois-
and died there the following yea
leaving a child!". ;.
The man standing before them di
not move. His eye vas as steady a
Tanners own. But he twitched in
wardly with the shock.
You recall thatT
mo. l never knew of that-and it
He had broken from his spell {
last. He started forward with a hi
Ia :.
Thad raised his hand deprecatingl,
but IT'S ETH Oi Triumph SaAAic. III 10
made his boast good to the others ths
he would crush the editor.
There was" he went on laconica
IL. "a child born on h third day
June, in a hospital on Rampant stree
We have the name. The child VIZ
bantized on the first of August. "
Rave the name-the name of tt
priest; it was taken charge of by q
institution-we have the name of th'
institution. We have the after histol
Of that child-we nov it's identity t.
day. Do you follow i;'n, Alr. Curral