Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-09-09

and miles away. Mr.. Haviland makes
them human; you can see the flesh
and blood people who have made
them and use them.
The red went to my ears. Was that
what I'd been talking about?
The father turned to me again. i
reckon I'd be kind OF an old imposi-
tion." he said with pretended sadness.
"old people like me are tiresome,
guess, in this great. big city"
Alice patted his hand and looked up
at him roguishly. Now, daddy" she
chided laughingly. You're fishing
for compliment. Mr.. Haviland will
tell you that you're not Old at all, and
I'm sure he'll say that you couldn't be
tiresome IL you lived to be as old as
Methuselah!"
"And whole lot more IL Il
wouldn't presume on acquaintance"
assured them both.
"There!" she rewarded me with
one of her flashing smiles. Doesn't
that satisfy my good old compliment
fishing daddy?"
'When you talk to your father like
that know you're hungry" he said.
"You aren't respectful when you're
hungry. Won't YOU have lunch with
us, Mr.. Haviland?"
Would 1? Why, my voice fairly
trembled with eagerness as 1 accept
ed the invitation.
In the corner of the big dining
room we ate, talking commonplaces
over the oysters and soup, 1 feasting
my eyes on the happy. laughing girl
opposite me, and watching the faith
er's attentions almost jealously.
1t was with the roast came the aues-
ton from the father that was like
dash of cold water to me.
"Are you in business here in New
York; he asked.
That was the thing had tried to
avoid-to thrust back In my mind and
forget But suppose it had to come,
and when it did my years of training
at my game of lying didn't desert me,
though didn't meet the girls eyes.
Partly" I answered. Though II
takes me all over the country. I'm p
business promoter"
saw his eyes widen with interest.
81 wish I could have met you six
months ago." he said. and there wss
almost wistful note in his voice.
"Why" I managed to gasp. He
wished he had met me.
$50 that | might have carried out
the ambition of my life" he said slow
ly; "to have built the power-plant on
the Little Hazel river"
DADDY is going to ride his hobby,
now, Mr.. Haviland," laughingly
warned Alice.
eve tried 10 get capital" he Went
on. paying no attention to the girl.
"But we found impossible. NV
neighbors down o.. the Little Hazel
haven't enough to build the kind of
a powerplant we need. ard year after
year we've seen the power flow use
leSsly between the banks while our
Industries were. at the mercy of the
coal combine. When we saw that
there was no hope of cooperative
company we sold. Nv neighbors sent
me up here to sign the final papers
and get the money"
Ibid you?" I asked and there was
note of tear in my voice. Had the
vuitures already swooped down OH
this innocent old man and the neigh
bors who were probably just as unso-
phisticated as he?
"Yes," he answered, but there was
no happiness in his voice: 81 got
check for two hundred and fifty thou
sand yesterday.
"From whom?"
"The ]. T. Swel.on Company"
I breathed sigh of relief. That
was one of the few legitimate promo
ton concerns in the country. l knew
their reputation for fair dealing, and
I'd used 1t number Of times In
rounding up suckers who were hesi-
tant about biting at my schemes.
81 guess that's whole lot better
than cooperative stock company Of
your own" declared. "The whole
thing is off your hands now aad your
mind is free in knowing that the
money is safely on its way to your
neighbors."
"You don't know daddy" Alice
confided, laying her small hand over
his on the table. "He was chosen as
personal representative of our
neighbors." Her deep eyes glowed
with enthusiasm. "They all insisted
that he come because they knew him.
Old Mrs. Treyelen, whose father and
husband were killed in the war: Jack
son Crawford. with his poor half-acre:
Mr.. James, the banker and manufac-
turer, and all the rest.
| They knew father would bring the
check back to them. 1t would seem
almost betrayal of sacred trust
to them for him to send 1t through
the mails with thousand other
pieces of common mail No, Mr.. Hav-
| iland, father will take Ii with him