Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-08-24
CHAPTER XVII.
The Forward Light.

During the days which followed his
setting up Of the standard OF inde-
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 prefigured future which he had
struck out in the waking hours of his
first night on the main-deck Of the
Belle Julie.
Wahaska, as q fortunate field for
the post graduate 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
a pleasure past, he found that in some
mysterious manner his fame had pre-
ceded him. Everybody seemed to
know who he was; to be able to place
him as New Yorker, as an author in
search Of health, or local color or en-
vironment or 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
beneficiary-which last, he surmised,
was his best passport to the good
graces Of his fellow townsmen.
Coincidently he discovered that, in
the same mysterious manner, every
body seemed to know that he was, in
the Wahaskan phrase, "well-fixed.'
~ ha fhof oQfhin0
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 voice in all questions in
volving the rights Of the workers.
With the rewriting Of the book fair
ly begun, he was already looking a
bout for the practical opportunity
"ISh lilS lilCh0ohip win
Edward Raymer promised to offer an
opening exactly fulfilling the ex-
perimental requirements Raymer
had overenlarged his plant and was
Raymer's halfconfidences had led
him to suspect that the need was, or
was likely to become, imperative.
Griswold waited patiently; he was
still waiting on the Wednesday after
noon when Raymer called him over
the telephone and made the appoint
ment 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
Raymer. finding Mrs. Huicomb's front
door open, had climbed the stair to
the newly established literary work
shop. I've had time to smoke pipe
and write complete paragraph since
you called up"
Raymer flung himself into a chair
at the desk-end and reached for
pipe in the curiously-carved rack
which had been one Of Griswold's
small extravagances in the refurnish-
ing.
YES" he said; "Margery Grierson
drove up while 1 was unhitching, and
/ 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 1 imagine"
I'm glad to hear you put the debt
where it belongs, leaving her father
out of it. You don't owe him any
thing; not even cup of cold water
There's a latter-day buccaneer for
you!" he went on, warming to his
subject like a man with a sore into
which salt has been freshly rubbed.
THAT old timber-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 quit
ter 1 do hate the fellow who puts his
fingers into a trap and then squawks
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 re-organiZe the Raymer Foundry
and Machine works, and offered to
furnish the additional capital and
take fifty-one per cent Of the re-or-
ganiZation stock. Naturally, l couldn't
see it. This spring we had the capacity
limit in the old plant and the only
thing to do was to enlarge. / borrow
cd the money at Grierson's bank and
did it. My borrow was one hundred
thousand dollars, and there was q
verbal understanding that it was to
be repaid out of the surplus earnings,
piecemeal. told Grierson that
should need year or more, and he
didn't object
This was all in conversations" said
Griswold mo writing?"
Don't rub it in. I'm admitting that
l was all the different kinds of fool.
There was no definite time limit men,
toned. l was to give my personal
notes and put up the family stock as
collateral. A day or two later, when
| went around to close the deal, the
trap was standing wide open for me
and n baby might have seen it. Grier-
son said he had proposed the loan to
his directors. and that they had kicked
on taking the stock as collateral. He
offered to take my paper without an
indorser if I would cover his personal
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