River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-12-16
CHAPTER XXVIIi.
A Matter of Conscience.


Gail stood at the rail Of the White
cap, gazing out over the dancing blue
waves with troubled eyes.
Penny for your thoughts" The i'm
possibly handsome Dick Rodley had
strolled up, in his blue jacket and
white trousers and other nautical en-
bellishments.
"The news in the paper" she told
him. tits so big"
Dick looked down at her critically.
She was so new a Gail to him that he
was puzzled, and worried, too, for he
felt, rather than saw, that some
trouble possessed this dearest Of his
friends.
Eyes, it is big news" he admitted;
"big enough and startling enough to
impress anyone very gravely." Then
he shook his head at her. "But you
mustn't worry about it, Gail. You're
not responsible"
Gail turned her eyes from him and
looked out over the white-edged waves
again.
'It is a tremendous responsibility"
she unused, whereupon Dick, as be-
came him. violently broke the thread
of thought by taking her arm and
drawing her away from the rail, and
walking gayly with her up to the for
ward shelter deck, where, shielded
from the crispness of the wind, there
sat, around the big table and amid 3
tangle of Sunday papers, Jim Sar-
gent and Rev. Smith Boyd, Arly and
Gerald Fosland, all four deep in the
discussion of the one possible topic
of conversation.
"Allison's explosion again." objected
Dick, as Gail and he joined the group,
and caught the general tenor Of the
thought. Il suppose the only way to
escape that is to jump off the White
cap. Calls worse than any of you.
find she's responsible for the whole
thing"
Arly and Gerald looked up quickly.
II neither said nor intimated any
thing of the Sort" Gail reprimanded
Dick, for the benefit of the Foslands,
and she sat down by Arly, Whereupon
Dick, observing that he was much Of
Tended, patted Gail on the shoulder,
and disappeared in search of Ted.
I'D like to hand a vote Of thanks to
the responsible party" laughed Jim
Sargent, to whom the news meant
more than Gail appreciated. with
Allison broke, Urbank Of the Midcon-
tinent succeeds to control of the APP,
and Urbank is anxious to incorporate
! the Towando Valley In the system. He
told me SO yesterday"
The light which leaped into Calls
eyes, and the trace of color which
flashed into her cheeks, were most
comforting to Arly; and they ex.
changed smile of great satisfaction.
They clutched hands ecstatically un-
der the corner of the table, and want
ed to laugh outright. However, it
would keep.
"The destruction of Mr.. Allison was
feat of which any gentleman's con-
science might approve" commented
Gerald Fosland, who had spent some
time in definitely settling with himself
the ethics of that question. "The
company he proposed to form was a
menace to the liberty of the world and
the progress OF civilization"
"The destruction didn't 20 far
enough" snapped Jim Sargent. CLARK,
Vance, Haverman, Grandin, Rabbit,
Taylor, Chisholm; these fellows won't
be touched, and they built up their
monopolies by the same method ALI
son proposed; trickery, force and
plain theft!"
Harsh language, Uncle Jim Sar-
gent, to use toward your respectable
acknowledgment" chided Arly, her
black eyes dancing.
CLARK and Chisholm" and Jim Sar-
gents brows knotted. They're not
my acknowledgment. Either they go
or dol"
Il would like you to remain" quiz
city stated Rev. Smith Boyd. Il hope
to achieve several important altera.
tons in the ethics of Market Square
church" He was grave this morning.
He had unknowingly been ripening
for some time on many questions; and
the revelations in this mornings pa
pers had brought him to the point of
decision. Il wish to drive the money
changers out of the temple, he added,
and glanced at Gail with a smile in
which there was acknowledgment.
"A remarkably lucrative enterprise,
eh Gail?" laughed her Uncle Jim, re-
Numbering her criticism on the occa-
sion OF her first and only vestry meet
ing, when she had called their atten-
ton to the satire of the stained-glass
i window.
"You will have still the scribes and
pharisees. doctor; those who stand
praying in the public places, so they