The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-10-23
CHAPTER XVIII.
The PenduIum-swina.


To a man seeking only to escape
from himself. all roads are equal and
all destinations likely 10 prove uni
formly disappointing. Turning his
back upon the iron works in the day
of defeat, with no very clear idea Of
what he should do or where he should
go, Griswold pushed through the
strikers picket lines, and, avoiding the
militant suburb, drifted by way of sun
dry outlying residence streets and a
country road to the high ground back
of the city.
In deserving 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 founder sprang
from a generous impulse to free Ray
mer from an incubus. If it were the
curse OF the Midas-touch to turn all
things to gold, it 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-
the evil spell. and Raymer could we'll
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 m 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 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 Hottest 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 vail of bitter antagonism be-
tween master and men. And the Sc
cret of the moneys origin and acquisi-
ton, 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 it had attacked Margery
Grierson; that it had subconsciously,
if not otherwise, thrust. itself into
Charlotte Farnham's life; and the
days lately past had shown him into
what depths it 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 underseIf 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 its roughness, he
followed the country road into valley
forest of oaks. After an hour of aim
less tramping he began to have occa-
siOnaI 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
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 cheerful cIamor in
the dining room beneath told him that
it 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
last PldtS mdOS IL unnecessary 10 C6lS-
phone Raymer. The paper had a full
account Of the sudden ending of the
lockout and the resumption OF
work In the Raymer plant, and
he read It with a curious stir
ring OF self-compassion. As he had
reasoned It out, there was only one
way in which the result could have
been attained so quickly Had Raymer
taken that way. Ia spite Of his wrath
full rejection OF the suggestion? Doubt
less he had; and On the heels Of that
! conclusion came sense Of deprivation