The Yale expositor., 1915-12-09
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Penduium-Swing. .

all destinations likely TO prove uni
formly disappointing. Turning his
back upon the iron works in the day
of defeat with no very clear idea OF
what he should do or where he should
go, Griswold pushed through the
strikers picket lines, and, avoiding the
militant suburb, drifted by way Of sun
dry outlying residence streets and
country road to the high ground back
of the city.
In deserting Raymer he was actu-
ated by no motive &c disloyalty. On
the contrary, so much OF the motive as
had any bearing upon his relations
with the young iron founder sprang
from a generous impulse to free Ray
mer from an incubus. If it were the
curce of the Midas-touch to turn all
things to gold, it seemed to be his own
peculiar curse TO turn the gold to
dross; to leave behind him a train of
disaster, defeat and tragic depravity
The plunge into the labor conflict had
merely served 10 afford another strik-
ing example of his inability TO break
the evil spell, and Raymer could well
spare him.
On the long tramp TO the hills the
events of the past few months mar
shaled themselves in accusing review.
No human being, save one, OF all those
with whom he had come in contact
since the day OF dragon-bearding in
the New Orleans bank had escaped the
communicating touch, and each in turn
had suffered loss. The man Gavitt
had given his name and identity; the
mate of the Belle Julie had sacrificed
what little respect he may have had
for law and order by becoming, poten
TALLY, at least, a criminal accessory
The little Irish cab-driver had sold
himself for a price; and the negro
deckhand had earned his mess of fried
fish. The single exception was Char
lotte Farnham, and he told himself
that she had escaped only because she
had done her duty as she saw it.
And as the bedeviling thing had be-
gun, so it had continued, losing none
of its potency for evil. In the little
world of Wahaska, which was to have
been the theater Of Utopian demon.
stration, the curse had persisted. The
money, used with the loftiest inten-
tions, had served only as means to
an end, and the end had proved to be
the rearing of an apparently impas
sable wall Of bitter antagonism be-
tween master and men. And the Sc
| ~. ;o.tv 4 s-s
ton, which was to have Deen so easily
cast aside and ignored had become a
! soul-sickness incurable and even con-
tagious. Griswold was beginning to
! suspect that it had attacked Margery
Grierson; that it had subconsciously,
| if not otherwise, thrust itself into
Charlotte Farnham's life; and the
] days lately past had shown him into
what depths it could plunge its
wretched guardian and slave.
Now that the plunge had been taken
and he had been made to understand
that he must henceforth reckon with a
| base and cowardly underself which
would not stop short of the most helm.
Gus crime, he told himself that he must
! have time to think-to plan.
Caring nothing for its roughness, he
! followed the country road into a valley
forest of oaks. After an hour of aim.
! less tramping he began to have occa-
sional near-hand glimpses of the lake:
and little farther along he came out
upon the main-traveled road leading to
the summer resort hotel at the head of
De Soto bay.
| Still without any definite purpose in
mind he pushed on, and upon reaching
| the hotel he went in and registered for
a room. Here he drew the window
shades. and lay down, and since the
week of strife had been cutting deep
ly into the nights, when he awoke it
was evening and a cheerful clamor in
the dining room beneath told him that
IL was dinner time.
Ii is a trite saying that many a gulf,
seemingly impassable. has been safely
bridged in sleep. Bathed, refreshed
and with the tramping stains removed,
Griswold went down to dinner with the
lost appetite regained.
Early on the following day he sent a
note to Mrs. Holcomb by one of the
inn employees; but the copy of the
Daily Wahaskan laid beside his break
fast plate made 1t unnecessary to tele-
phone Raymer. The paper had a full
account of the sudden ending of the
lockout and the resumption of
work in the Raymer plant, and
he read II with a curious stir
ring of self-compassion. AS he had
reasoned IL out, there was only one
way in which the result could have
been attained so quickly. Had Raymer
taken that way, in spite of his wrath.
full rejection OF the suggestion? Doubt
less ne had; and on the heels of that
conclusion came sense OF deprivation