Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-09-30
CHAPTER XVII.
The Forward lioht.

The Forward Light.
During the days which followed hi
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 col
responding with gratifying fidelity I,
that prefigured future which he ha,
struck out in the waking hours of hi
first night on the main.deck of tn,
Belle Julie.
Wahaska, n a fortunate field fol
the postgraduate course In Expert
mental Humanity. was all that hi.
fancy had pictured 1t. When he came
to go about the town, as he did dali,
after the pleasant occupation of re
furnishing his study and bedroom was
a pleasure past, he found that in some
mysterious manner his fame had pre-
coded him. Everybody seemed tc
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 or ONE 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
beneficiary-which last, he surmised
was his best passport to the good
graces Of his fe.low-townsmen.
Coincidently he discovered that, IN
the same mysterious manner, every
body seemed to know that he was, in
the Wahaskan phrase. "well-ixed.'
Here. again, he guessed that some
thing might be credited to Margery.
AS to the manner of conducting the
wal 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 1t 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.
1--WE had time to smoke a pipe and
write a complete paragraph since you
called up"
Raymer flung himself into a chair
at the desk-end and reached for a pipe
the curiously-carved rack which had
been one Of Griswold's small extrava-
gances in the refurnishing.
YES" he said; "Margery Grierson
drove up while I was u%nhitching, and
l had to stop and talk to her. Which
reminds me: she says you're giving
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
q pretty big one, Raymer; bigger
than you suspect, / imagine"
I'm glad to hear you put the debt
It belongs, leaving her father
out Of 1t. You don't owe him anything; |
not ever a cup OF cold water. There's
a latter-day buccaneer for you!" he
on. warming to his subject like
4 man with a sore into which salt has
been freshly rubbed. THAT old tim
wouldn't spare his best
'riend-allowing that anybody could
his friend. BY Jove! he's making
ne sweat blood. all right"
How is that" asked Griswold.
I've been on the edge of telling you
or three times, but next to a quit
.er ! do hate the fellow who puts his
ingers into a trap and then squawks
when the trap nips him. Grierson has
got me down and he is about to cut my
hroat, Griswold."
Tell me about It," said the one who
lad been patiently waiting to be told.
"Grierson a year ago tried to get a
into my little pie. He wanted
o reorganize the Raymer Foundry and
iachine works. and offered to furnish
he additional capital and take fifty.
me per cent Of the reorganization
took. Naturally. I couldn't see It.
his spring We had the capacity limit
a the old plant and the only thing to
o was to enlarge. I borrowed the
Money at Grierson's bank and did 1t.
fy borrow was n hundred thousand
ollars, and there was a verbal under
landing that 1t was to be repaid out
I the surplus earnings. piecemeal. III