Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-07-23
p u.
awhsrs Is the Fifth Man?"

CHAPTER II.
"Where Is the Fifth Man?"
Wynn himself had been successful
far beyond his dreams. To his inner
tied riches he had added immense
wealth made from enormous fees as
consulting attorney for great corpora
tons.
The clock struck nine. And hardly
had the French timepiece on the man
tel ceased to toll the hour, when the
butler showed in a ro~und-faced, we'll
fed, CHEEKY man-Doctor Saddler.
$50 Pm the first" cried the physi-
clan. well. Wynn. time do fly. Five
years! Let me tell you n thing. old
boy. I've been very successful in my
practice-got any number of rich
folks paying me handsome fees. But
that isn't exactly why I'm so happy
tonight. I'm happy in particular at
being alive-at being here. Hello!
Listen!"
The butler now showed in the third
man-Berry, the railroad engineer.
Berry was bronzed of face and physi-
cally the perfection of fitness"
Hello, boysl" he cried, with great
exuberance of youthful spirit and en-
thusiasm. Here we are-three of us
already on the job. / know how you
have prospered, Wynn. And am not
in ignorance of how you, Saddler, have
garnered patients and fat fees"
And we," Wynn said. are delight
ed with your success, Berry. We have
read in the newspapers no end of sto-
ries of how you put that iron trail
through from Kansas City down into
Mexico-a herculean task of engineer
ing. We congratulate you"
But where's Happy Gallagher and
the fifth man, Gaunt?" asked Berry.
"Hark!" said Wynn. Here comes
some one now"
The butler entered with a cablegram
for Wynn. With eager fingers Wynn
ripped the ~cablegram open and read it.
His face fell; he became as serious
as an idol.
Read i'll" he said. passing the
cablegram to the others. 1t was from
Happy" Gallagher. 1t read:
Queens Hospital.
Bombay. India
Thomas Wynn, New York:
Tonight you will all be together
again-except me. / am cabling this
so it will reach you-as | estimate the
difference in time-about nine tonight
the great night l will be with you
in spirit only. For they say / cannot
live. Bullet through the lung. God
bless you all.
HAPPY GALLAGHER"
Poor Gallagher!" Wynn said.
Poor old 'Happy!'" the others cho-
rused.
Gallagher made such a hit in the
engineering world-building that dam
out in California" Wynn said. that
the British government called him to
India to build a dam at Armedabad. !
suppose he has had trouble with some
native who had a gun-or else that
bullet in the lung is the result Of
some woman. Gallagher always was
in favor of a due where a woman was
concerned. Who knows?"
well, we are all accounted for
now" Berry said, except the fifth
man-John Gaunt."
"Have you heard from Gaunt in
recent months, Wynn" asked Doctor
Saddler.
l. tfNTo IIouansk hanrd frnrn hfrn fAy
three years. l doubt that he will be
here"
They waited. The clock licked of
the minutes. Half-past nine and-nc
fifth man. They began telling theil
experiences of the last five years
They talked on and on till-elever
o'clock struck.
The butler now entered with a ca
rafe of wine and five glasses.
Fill only three glasses Wynn saiC
to the butler.
Three glasses were filed. The tire,
men tool each his glass. Wynn arose
Boys" said he, heres to Joh1
Gaunt-wherever he may be tonight
Here's to John Gaunt-wherever h,
may be tonight" the others said.
And Just then they heard a voice be
hind them saying:
John Gaunt is here"
They turned-and there in the cur
tanned doorway stood a man. Did
say a man? | should have said tn,
wreck of a man. For a man, like
ship, can be wrecked. This wreckag,
Of a man that stood in the curtaine,
doorway now grabbed the curtains a
If for physical support. He SCENE
scarcely able to stand unaided upol
his feet. His clothes were in rags. Hi
hair was long and matted and h
wore a beard like a patriarch of ole
but a beard unkempt in the extreme
Like a tramp he looked-yet Their
was something in the pitiful name
Of him that dispersed the idea @
tramp from the minds of the Jour VIII
beheld him-excluded from their mind
= the idea Of tramp in the moment i
/, which 1t was conceived.
The wreck of a man came forward
Rather, he reeled forward.
Don't you know me, boys?" b
, asked in a husky, far-away voic,
r Pm John Gaunt."
And now, at last, they recognize
him. They gathered him to their en-
= brace-yes. embraced him in the mai
/ ner of the Spaniard and the Frenc
q and the ItalianLso glad were they t
see him and so filled with sadness
we're they to see him in such a pitiabl
plight.
Il You have suffered" Wynn sal,
Here! Drink this"
t Wynn put to Gaunt's lips a glass {
wine. Gaunt drained the glass.