Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-10-30

CdTIlcu " SAlIeHieS. nave your per-
mission to a that the stories are
let us say, overdrawn?"
You have not. Lies too short To
enter into a contest with rumor.-
But your silence"
els my affair."" Mark answered pnn.
ly, rising. You may say to your
meticulous friend that I'm about to
resign from this club"
Baker. too. rose. looking at Mark
keenly.
"oh. come. Truitt," he began.
that's"
But Mark cut him short. AT least
Il will save him and his sort the ne
cessity Of setting a precedent that
would decimate the club. Good eve
ming"
Henley. who had been out of the
city when Mark returned, came back
soon after the latter took up his resi-
dence in the hotel. Mark approached
him with the inward shrinking that
preceded every new meeting just then
You've picked up physically" Hen
ley remarked after a cool hxndshake-
six months In the woods
for that"
I'D think. If it was doing you 20
much good. you'd have stayed"
In other words?"
In other words" said Henley, why
did you come back now?"
Mark laughed hollowly. Il didn't
know I'd become a notorious char
acter."
How, In heavens name,' Henley
exclaimed. did you let yourself get
caught in a divorce court scandal1 I'd
have thought that you, Of all men,
If you lad to play the fool, would at
least have used tinesse."
So eve Henley believed the rumorsT
AT any rate, no one but myself is
hurt"
That's not true. Every n who
had anything to do with you is more
or less hurt. The company is reflected
on. l." Henley concluded with an air
that declared the Indictment to be-
complete and. unanswerable, u am be-
smirched, because we're known to be,
in so many things together"
That" Mark returned coldly, can
be easily cured. We can wind up our
affairs. And I'm ready to resign from
the company"
You can't cure the fact that we
have been together. And o can't
resign. Are you going to add to the
scandal by marrying that woman?
What woman?" Marks voice waA
cool and steady.
THE one that turned your head and
your wife was smart enough to dis
cover" i
you've heard names, then?"
NO." growled Henley. She's Al
mysterious as the rest of your d.
does"
LAS mythical, you mean," Mark an
swered in a voice that did not betray
his relief. There was no woman"
What! You mean these stories
aren't true?"
You'd seen me almost every day for
years. You might have guessed that"
But last year-those women"
AN experiment in idiocy-DothinE
worse. There were no women, except
at arms length"
Henley surveyed him keenly. Then
| how did these stories get out7 But
you needn't answer. l can guess. A
oma is never clever except when
she's up to mischief.
However" he went on, "this puts
a different face on the matter. As you
say, l might have guessed the truth"
This, for Henley, was abject apof,Ky.
Mark shook his head. MY resssRa-
ton holds just the same"
Are you going to let a little t<Vk
drive you out?" Henley demanded.
1T isn't that. l had decided before,
l knew of it. I'm tired of the scramble.
l want-peace.' Mark laughed dis
cordantly. "And I'm getting it with q.
vengeance"
LAS much as you'll ever get it"
Henley returned promptly. 4 know
what you want. Who doesn't? Some
time or other every man warts, or
thinks he wants, peace. And II we
had it, we'd want to die. l tol< you.
once before-things are. Accept them
fit yourself to them, forget theories
that lead nowhere. Pick out the thing
you want most end fight until you get
it. Then fight to keep it. Besides. yGu
| aren't a misft. The trouble with y5u-
is, your strength is YOU greatest
weakness-you've too much imagina-
ton. And you're not a well man yet.
10 UdCh " yOul WOOdS uLl11 you ~
cured. Then you'll feel the itch to
get into the scramble again and break
a few heads
But Henley the philosopher had
done. He resumed his usual crisp
manner
Moreover, o cant resign. Tho.
new agreement with the men comes.
up next year and the Quinby company
faces the fight of its existence. Wen
need every good head we've got. And
if thai Isn't enough, your withdrawal
would leave me to fight Quinby alone.
| And-I made you, don't forget that.
You've got what you wanted out II
the company and me. You cant drop
| out easily now and shirk the respon~
sibilities."
You say, can't?"
81 say. can't You've got a ense
OF obligation, haven you?"
IF l have" said Mark grimly, "it's
the last proof that I am a misf1t."
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