New-York tribune., 1914-10-25
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR OCloDIN N' '

Steele went wrong. Any decent man could
have saved him at the right time. We gcI
a friend who says the papers were iuli oi MS
disgrace. Why didn't someone step up anu
say, My boy, you've made an awful pun,
der; but you've just got to iltt your Hcau
up and start over again, ana come 70 ','c
TO steer you straight Nobody said tha' 10
Young Steele Somebody just lett that poor
careless, reckless, ignorant young chap DC
slaughtered without a chance. by bod, DIT.
il took me until / was thirty years ola, III
stead Of but twenty, to learn that no man
ever gets and profits by anything ne haSn |
earned. 1t took me that long 10 una OUT
that a green cloth and painted ball are IKE
red skirt and a painted worat,-Sure
damnation And all the difference DctWech
me and lack Steele is that he didn learn
till it was too late Give the boy chance!
Tll stand good for him. III pay you every
dollar it cost you for what ne stole, ana ior
what it cost to land him. That all you are
out. Then he can 60 back West WITH me-
ON a clean slate. hold his head up like any
body else, and prove that when man gGt
tine RIGHT stuff down at bedrock ne don I
make the same mistakes twice, hand run
min.
LIE might have said more, being imbued
IL with the eloauence of great appeal;
but fine 6uancier suddenly threw off his
mask of urbanity and declared, as II TO cild
tho interview. you are wasting your time.
IN make an example of that thief II 1t
costs more than YOU probably could ever
pay | don't know who you are ana 10" =
care. !
lie got no further; for, startled, he shrank
back from something more terrifying than
me had ever seen. II was the flaming, dead
". fighting face Of a man who had many
times unfaltcringly taken the risk Of beng
killed. and had killed without hesitation, the
face of the angered fearless wherever they
bc on the stripped edges Of the world. 1t
was thrusting itself slowly forward toward
his. He recoied into his chair, conyulSvely
irving 10 reach button that would summon
a private policeman but a harsh hand
clutched his wrist, wrcnchcd his arm until
ne was twisted from his seat and groveled
in agony on his carpet, and snarling, wins
pcring. almost whining voice shot into ms
consciousness:
you'll know who | am before I'm
through. and when YOU do know you'll not
forget. and you'll need to remember prayers
too,'
When the financier looked up, gasping, the
door was open and his visitor had departed.
In frenzy he sprang to the telephone, in
tent on laying a charge Of assault against
this barbarian from the West; then, re-
mcmbering that so virie a character might
have unexpected means to fight back, hesi-
tated wavered, and considered the diplo-
macy Of such action This might prove to
be a very different matter from causing the
arrest of some poor, impecunious wretch
who had thrust himself in the way. In fact,
it was a different sort Of trouble from any
he had ever before met. And there was
something about the man Wharton, some
dreadful significance, that caused Wardhelm
to pause and stare wildly toward the open
door as if fearful of his return.
WITH set jaws, clenched fists, and sG0wl- &c.
w ing eyes, the rutiian from the West
was making long strides toward Neredith'S
offices, and there, tramping backward and
forward, he told of his futile interview.
THAT man. he roarcd, "has as much
human kindness as a rattlesnake as much
common deccncy as a ella monster, and the
liberalitv Of a starved wolf with a new-found
bone What did he do? Turned me down,