Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-10-28
CHAPTER xxli-continued.

The Federated Iron Workers.
suppose"
Not in a thousand years! They
are only the means to an end" The
fitting chair squeaked again. and he
went on: IF I'm going to show you
how you can dodge this fight, I'll have
to knock down a door or two first
II | blunder in where I'm not wanted,
you can kick me out. There is one
way in which you can cure all this
trouble sickness without resorting to
surgery and blood-letting."
Name it." said Raymer eagerly.
Il will; but first I'll have to break
over into the personalities. Have you
made up your mind that you are going
to marry Margery Grierson?"
Raymer laughed silently, leaning his
head back on the cushion Of the lazy.
chair until his cigar stood upright.
That's a nice way to bin a man in
the dark" he chuckled. But II you're
IN earnest I'll tell you the straightfor.
ward truth: l don't know"
You mean that Margery Grierson
doesn't measure up to the require.
ments Of the Wahaskan Four Hun.
dred?" There was satirical scorn in
the observation. but Raymer did not
perceive II.
oh. ! don't know as you would put
1t quite that BADLY" he protested.
but you see. when It comes t mar.
rying and settling down and raising a
family. you have to look at all sides OF
the thing. The father, as we all know,
is a cold.blooded old werewolf; the
mother nobody knows anything about
ave that-happily. in all probability
she isn't living. And there you are.
Yet ! won't deny that there are times
when I'm tempted to shut my eyes
and take the high dive. anyway-at
the risk Of splashing a lot OF good
people who would doubtless be prop.
erly scandalized."
BY this time Griswold was gripping
the arms of his chair savagely and
otherwise trying to hold himself
down; but this Raymer could not
know.
You have reason to believe that It
rests wholly with you, I suppose?'
came from the fitting chair after a
little pause. Mics Grierson is only
waiting for you to speak,"
That's a horrible question to ask a
Va Knnnath-ounn In thu Inrlr To
| say yes to 1t, 1t can't sound any other
way than 5oastful and-and caddish
Yet I honestly believe that Oh,
hang It all! can't you see how impos.
sible you're making It, old man?"
Not impossible; only a trife' diff.
cult" vas the qualifying rejoinder. 1T
is easier from this on. That ia the
peaceful way out Of the shop trouble
for you, Raymer. When you can go to
Jasper Grierson and tell him you are
going to marry his daughter, the trou.
BILE will be as good as cured. This
labor trouble that Is threaten.
ing to smash you is Jasper Grierson's
reply to the move you made when
you let me In and choked him on. He
Is reaching for you"
Raymer held his peace and the at.
mosphere Of the room grew pungent
with tobacco smoke.
I'm feeling a good bit like a yellow
dog, Kenneth" he. said, at length.
After what I've admitted and what
you've said. I'm left in the position OF
the poor devil who would be damned
n he did and be damned " he didn't.
You have succeeded in fixing 1t 30 that
! can't ask Margery Grierson to be my
wife. however much Id like to-"
That isn't the point" insisted Girls
void half ~savagely. How you may
feel about 1t. or what your people may
say. is purely secondary. The thing to
be considered is. what will happen to
Miss Grierson?"
why. see here. old man: II you
were Madge's brother, you couldn't be
putting the screws on any harder.
what's got into you tonight?'
Griswold was memorable.
Miss GriersoD hasn't any brother,