The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1915-07-17


LAnra stopped to the little child.
and gathering her In her arms she
sought TO give her some Of that moth.
Or comfort she would never know
again. Yielding TO an impulse she
opened her purse and poured its con
tsuts into the hand OF the little one.
Dasily Influenced - children are.
Betty grabbed the money from
LAurA's hand and running sayly to
her fathers side she tuEged at his
sleeve and lisped in her childish pratt
tie:
See what the lady gave me-"
DULY Karl raised his pain-laden
syss and gAxed dumbly at the pretty
benefactor who stood ut the foot OF
the bed In borrowing embarrassment.
Autely he nodded his dumb thanks.
y will be back to do what can
later" And Laura. sobered and chas.
toned BY what she had seen. slowly
left that house Of sorrow. But her
unpleasant experiences were only be-
ginning. Psndemonium reigned at
the house three doors away the
house OF Tim Shand-sggressive Tim
6hand. champion Of the men and the
spokesman OF the committee that had
bearded Powers In his own home at
the Colonial party the day before.
Furniture was piled high on the
sidewalk and men wearing the badges
OF the sherif's once were carrying
moro OF II into the street despite the
violent protests of the wildly d.
shsvsled Mrs. Shand.
LAura's interest was aroused. less
By the spectacle itself than by the
fact that Perry Travis. her fiancee
and her fathers legal adviser. was d.
rsctins the work Of the despoilers.
And what does this mean. Perry"
abe demanded In tones that compelled
. prompt reply.
These men are strikers. They must
90. They won't work. We need the
houses for others who will" His re-
ply was jerky and stilted.
:. But thought these people had
paid for their homes out OF their
wages" she persisted.
He remained silent. both to her
question and to the insistent demands
Of Mrs.. Shand. whose excitement and
hysteria were growing with each pass
Ing moment.
Answer. mel" and Laura stamped
her pretty foot In anger.
They are only partly paid for" The
answer came slowly. They are only
partly paid for and as they remain
in your fathers possession until EN-
tfrely cleared. and As the men, are
earning no money and cannot con-
tinue payment, we are foreclosing the
mortgages. That Is ALL"
80 you rob them OF their homes.
For shame. I'll stop that" And Lau-
70. showing Indignation In every pose
Of her dainty little body. hurried away
to hnd her father.
An hour passed-an hour freighted
with frightful portent for the actors
n the tragedy OF toll and tyranny
that 10 rapidly nearing its final cur
tain. In that hour Laura had found
her father. and with arms around his
esok had begged him to have mercy.
You must take pity on your poor
totlsrs. father" she had pleaded, and
he had laughinSly put her of. In
that hour Mrs. shand had stormed the
meeting of the strikers In the vacant
lot and had. in an impassioned plea
OF crude eloquence. dashed them into
. fury for revenge. In that hour Karl
Hurd. q vow for vengeance In his soul.
had left the body OF his dead wife and
gone to Join the maddened strikers.
Though he did not yet realize 1t.
David Powers, for the hrst time In
his life, had reached q point where
events were getting beyond his con
troll. A higher hand than his was deal
ing the cards. Fate had taken part In
the game. And 30 1t happened at the
very moment that his daughter Laura
had decided to slip from the house
and 20 down herself and help the
stricken families OF her fathers en-
Dloyess, tho strikers themselves had
decided to hold up her fathers auto
and give him the beating up they felt
he 90 richly deserved.
Skillfully shand disposed his forces
At point of vantage In turn OF the
road Just beyond the Powers man
sion. The men were armed with clubs,
and at q point In the boulevard where
they were hidden until the auto was
almost upon them, logs were thrown
across the highway. Hurd volun-
tsersd to act as lookout and Shand.