Evening star., 1914-10-25
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR OCTOBER rs. 1914

Steele went wrong Any decent man could
have saved him at the right time. I've got
friend who says the papers were full of his
disgrace. Why didn't someone step up and
say, My boy, you've made an awful blum.
der; but you've just got to lift your head
to steer you straight Nobody said that to
young Steele. Somebody just left that poor,
careless, reckless, ignorant young chap be
slaughtered without chance. By God, Sir!
it took me until was thirty years old, in
stead of but twenty, to learn that no man
ever gets and profits by anything he hasn't
earned. 1t took me that long to find out
that green cloth and a painted ball are like
a red skirt and painted woman,-sure
damnation! And all the difference between
me and Jack Steele is that he didn't learn
III stand good for him. I'll pay you every
dollar it cost you for what he stole, and for
what it cost to land him. That's all you are
out Then he can go back West with me,
on clean slate, hold his head up like any,
body else, and prove that when a mans get
the right stuff down at bedrock he don't
make the same mistakes twice, hand rum
nin'"
|HE might have said more, being imbued
= with the eloquence of a great appeal;
mask of urbanity and declared, as if to end
the interview "You are wasting your time!
I'll make an example of that thief if it
costs more than you probably could ever
pay! | don't know who you are, and don't
care. L"
He got no further; for, startled, he sl1rank
back from something more terrifying than
he had ever seen. 1t was the flaming, dead
1y, fighting face of a man who had many
times unfateringly taken the risk of being
killed, and had killed without hesitation, the
face of the angered fearless wherever they
be on the stripped edges of the world. 1t
his He recoiled into his chair, convulsively
trying to reach a button that would summon
a private policeman; but a harsh hand
clutched his wrist, wrenched his arm until
he was twisted from his seat and groveled
in agony on his carpet, and a snarling, whis-
pering, almost whining voice shot into his
consciousness:
| you'll know who I 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 charge of assault against
this barbarian from the West; then, re-
membering that so virile 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 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 Wardheim
to pause and stare wildly toward the open
door as if fearful of his return.
MYTH set jaws, clenched fists, and scowl-
" ing eyes, the ruffian from the West
was making long strides toward Meredith's
offices, and there, tramping backward and
forward, he told of his futile interview.
@That man," he roared, @has as much
human kindness as rattlesnake, as much
common decency as ella monster, and the
liberality of a starved wolf with a new-found
bone! What did he do? Turned me down,
and if 1 hadn't tumbled in time would have
had me chucked out of his office. I'd give
| just one hundred thousand cold hard dollars
to have him alone with me for one minute,
either in the borders of the Mojave Desert
or hell-it wouldn't matter much which,"
| AIoroJ,+1, taI f~r of