News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-11-04
lie came around to the Table.

Ou &. I1S uIdlll6u IuS t5h<lo
and looking down:
What brought you around tonight
1t wasn't just to be sociable, or YOU'D
have come before. What was it,"
Suppose the answer involved a lee
,ture?" Dick asked. lie smiled encour
agingly, however, and added briskly
"But it doesn't, Bob To tell you the
truth, I have heard that you've beer
up against it and today, by accident
learned what you've been up against
Somebody's been telling you fairy
tales" Reynolds retorted with an all
of assurance. do l look like a pau
PERI"
He was calm enough, but student
of facial expression would have seen
premonitory symptoms Of a sinister
apprising. Dick, unawed, ignored his
question.
mo, they're not fairy tales" he per-
sisted, they're Geld, hard, immutable
facts. don't wonder at your recourse
to that stuff" lie pointed to the bot
tie.
Never mind the sermon, Dick.
What do you know, or what have you
heard?"
Il know that you're broke; that to-
day they left you fat. Sheared you
and trimmed you and shaved you. You
don't have to affirm, or deny it, but l
know. Now you know why I'm here"
who told you that?'
Your broker. Is that good enough?"
'My broker? You mean to say that
Henning told-a stranger my private
affairs-my confidential dealings with
him? ?"
"Im not stranger, Bob, and conf
dental business is only confidential
while you have money. When you're
cleaned it's different. Nc, don't mean
that" he interjected. Il don't want TIC
rub it in On Henning. | heard part of
the story from another source and
then | Wormcd it out CT him. l hap
pened to do Henring favor once and
when l told him | was friend of yours
he didn't feel so much reluctance about
,confessing up. l know what you lost
and you know, but there is something
you are not so well informed about.
You don't happen to know, do you,
that your munificent friend Mr.. Brand
won about two hundred thousand dol
lars on the stock you lost on and that
your forty thousand is comfortably re-
posing in the Eastern National bank
tonight to his credit"
Infnitesimal is the difference be-
tween love and hate; in the lapse of
second the coward becomes the fear
less hero; despair is but the herald of
desperation, and in the brief moment
that Reynolds sat digesting the full
force of the reporters words he
changed from the crushed aud hope
less puppet and sat erect, vibrant,
ide-eyed-stripped of has ass skin.
He had been buying the stock of the
Consolidated Wire company on the
advice of Brand. He had talked to
Brand over the telephone the day be-
fore and Brand had given him no warn
ing of the collapse. Consolidated Wire
had dropped Is points and Brand had
dduCu q ldI pOl llOll " LIS LOi hhhS'
Well, Brand would do the explaining.
Dick, having done his worst, was
now all commiseration. He had not
come to taunt, but to help. He went
to Bob's side and put a hand on his
shoulder. His voice rang with sincere
solicitude.
"Come on, old man. he begged
"and get out of this. Close up here
tomorrow and start again. Tell Jane
the truth and come over to the bunga-
low with mother and me. It'll work
out all right. You've had your fling
among your would-be patricians and
you've failed. What do you say Bob?
Will you do it? VIII you come back
with me?"
He stood with his arms outstretched
in mute appeal, but Reynolds raised
his hands in depreciation.
Its too late, Dick" he answered
"If l wanted to l couldn't do it now.
I've got to stay and fight it out"
Eight It out! With what, Bob?
Why. you were beaten before you
b lNEAL luill5 yOu hLlON NhCJ II
be taking the butter and eggs out of
your icebox and you'll be hungry"
They've done that already, Dick.
but I'll fight, just the same" He
Jumped to his feet and grasped the
writer's arm with trembling hand. 81
tell you I've got to fight, Dick. You
think you know the worst. You know
only half of It. signed an overdraft
for $4,000 today and it's gone through.
The bank telephoned me this after
noon and I've got to raise the money
or go to Jail. But won't go to Jail.
Don't worry. l know the man that'll
keep me out of it. He's coming here
tonight and when he leaves I'll have
another grubstake. I've been bought,
Dick; bought-but haven't been paid
fer"
CHAPTER XXI.
Brand, the lmmutable.