The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-09-18
CHAPTER XVII.
The Forward Light.

The Forward Light.
During the days which followed his
setting up of the standard of indie
pendence in Mrs. Holcomb's second
floor front, Griswold found himself en-
tering upon a new field-a world cor
responding with gratifying fidelity to
that prefgured future which he had
struck out in the waking hours of his
first night on the main-deck of the
Belle Julie.
Wahaska, as a fortunate field for
the postgraduate course in Expert
mental Humanity, was all that his
fancy had pictured it. When he came
to go about the town, as he did daily
after the pleasant occupation of re-
furnishing his study and bedroom was
mysterious manner his fame had pre-
ceded him. Everybody seemed to
know who he was; to be able to place
him as a New Yorker, as an author in
search of health, or local color or en-
vironment OF some other technical
quality not to be found in the crowded
cities; to be able to place him, also.
as Miss Margery Grierson's friend and
benefciary-which last, he surmised
was his best passport to the good
graces of his fe:low-townsmen-
Coincidently he discovered that, II
the same mysterious manner, every
body seemed to know that he was, in
the Wahaskan phrase, "well-fxed"
Here, again, he guessed that some
thing might be credited to Margery.
AS to the manner of conducting the
war against inequality and the crime
Of plutocracy, the plan Of campaign
had been sufficiently indicated in that
white-hot moment of high resolves on
the cargo-deck of the Belle Julie. For
the propaganda, there was his book;
for the demonstration, he would put
the sacred fund into some industry
where the weight of it would give him
the casting vote in all questions in
vOlving the rights of the workers.
With the rewriting of the book fair
ly begun, he was already looking about
for the practical opportunity when the
growing friendship with Edward Ray
mer promised to offer an opening ex-
actly fulfilling the experimental re-
| quirements. Raymer had overen-
| larged his plant and was needing more
| capital; and some of Raymer's half
| condolences had led him to suspect that
the need was. or was likely to become.
imperative. Griswold waited patient
| ly; he was still waiting on the
Wednesday afternoon when Raymer
called him over the telephone and
made the appointment for a meeting
at the house in Shawnee street
your pair of minutes must have
found something to grow upon, .
laughed the patient waiter, when Ray
mer, finding Mrs. Holcomb's front door
open, had climbed the stair to the
newly established literary workshop.
I've had time to smoke a pipe and
write a complete paragraph since you
called up"
Raymer flung himself into chair
at the desk-end and reached for pipe
in the curiously-carved rack which had
been one of GriswoId's small extrava-
gances in the refurnishing.
yes" he said; "Margery Grierson
drove up while I was unhitching, and
1 had to stop and talk to her. Which
reminds me: she says you're giving
Mereside the go-by since you set up
for yourself. Are you?"
I'm not likely to-" was the sober
rejoinder. MY debt to Miss Grierson
is a pretty big one, Raymer; bigger
than you suspect, l imagine"
I'm glad to hear you put the debt
where it belongs, leaving her father
out of it. You don't owe him anything
not even a cup of cold water. There's
a latter-day buccaneer for you!" he
went on, warming to his subject like
man with a sore into which salt has
been freshly rubbed. THAT old tim.
ber-wolf wouldn't spare his best
friend-allowing that anybody could
be his friend. By Jove! he's making
me sweat blood, all right"
How is that?" asked Griswold.
I've been on the edge of telling you
two or three times, but next to a quit
ter l do hate the fellow who puts his
fingers into a trap and then squa wks
when the trap nips him. Grierson has
; got me down and he is about to cut my
throat, Griswold."
Tell me about it." said the one who
had been patiently waiting to be told
"Grierson a year ago tried to get {
finger into my little pie. He wanted
to reorganize the Raymer Foundry an6
Machine works, and offered to furnish
the additional capital and take fifty
one per cent of the reorganization
stock Naturally, / couldn't see it
: This spring we had the capacity limi
, in the old plant and the only thing Il
do was to enlarge. I borrowed tn
2 money at Grierson's bank and did ii
t My borrow was one hundred THOUSAND
s dollars, and there was a verbal under
t standing that it was to be repaid on
e of the surplus earnings, piecemeal.