Meade County news., 1915-11-18
CHAPTER XVIII.


from nllnSelI, all roads are equal ana
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 shoulG do or where he should
go, Griswold pushed through the
strikers pickle: 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 of disloyalty. On
the contrary, SO much of the motive as
had any bearing upon his relations
with the young iron foundel sprang
from a generous impulse to free Ray.
mer from an incubus. If it were the
curse Of the Mldastouch to turn all
things to gold, 1t 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 to afford another strik-
ing example of his inability to break
the evil spel., 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 a 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
cret of the moneys origin and acquisi.
tion, 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 1t had attacked Margery
Grierson; that 1t had subconsciously
If not otherwise, thrust itself into
Charlotte Farnham's life; and the
days lately past had shown him into
what depths 1t 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 It's 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
1t was dinner time.
1t is a trite saying that many a gulf.
seemingly impossible, 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 full
account Of the sudden ending OF the
lockout and the resumption Of
work In the Raymer plant. and
he read 1t with a curious stir
ring Of self-compassion. As he had
reasoned 1t out, there was only one
way In which the result could have
heen attained 30 quickly. Had Raymer
taken that way, in spite OF his wrath
full rejection Of the suggestion? Doubt
less he had; and on the heels Of that