Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1916-10-05
CHAPTER xIx-continued.

CHAPTER xlx-continued.
you want counsel and you are not
willing to buy it with the coin of con-
fidence," he said at length. adding:
1T is just as well, perhaps. l doubt
very much If am the person to give
1t to you
"Why do you doubt it? Isn't it a
part of your Job?"
mot always. I am not your con-
science keeper, Brouillard. Don't mis-
understand me. / may have lived q
year longer than you have, but you
have lived more-a great deal more
That fact might be set aside, but there
Is another: In the life Of every man
there is some one person who knows,
who understands, whose word for that
man is the one only fitting word of in
spiration. That is what mean when
say that l am not your conscience
keeper. Do l make 1t clear?"
Granting your premises-yes. Go
on"
81 will. Well paste that leaf down
and turn another. Though l can't
counsel you, can still be your faithful
accuser. You have committed great
sin, Brouillard, and you are still COM
hitting it. If you haven't been the
leader in the mad scramble for riches
here in this abandoned city, you have
been only step behind the leaders.
And you were the one man who should
have been like Caesars wife, the one
whose example counted for most"
Brouillard got up and thrust out his
hand across the desk.
you are a man, Castner-and that
is better than being priest" he as
serted soberly. "I'll take back all the
spiteful things I've been saying. I'm
down under the hoofs of the horses,
and it's only human nature to want to
pull somebody else down. You are one
of the few men in Mirapolis whose
presence has been a blessing instead
Of curse-who hasn't had purely
selfish greed to satisfy"
Again Cashier shook his head.
There hasn't been much that could
do. Brouillard, 1t is simply dreadful
the hard, reckless, half-demoniac spirit
Of this place! There is nothing to ap-
peal to; there is no room or time for
anything but the mad money chase or
the still madden dissipation in which
the poor wretches seek to forget. l
can only try here and there to drag
some poor soul out of the fire at the
last moment, and 1t makes me sick
sick at hearth"
you mustn't look at 1t that way"
said Brouillard, suddenly turning COM
forter. you have been doing good
work and a lot of it-more than any
three ordinary men could stand up un-
der. 1 haven't got beyond seeing and
approaching, Castner; truly / have
not. And I'll say this: IF had only
half your courage but it's no
use. I'm in too deep. l can't see any
farther ahead than man born blind
There is one end for which have been
striving from the very first, and it is
still unattained. I'm past help now. l
have reached point at which I'd pull
the whole world down in ruins to see
that end accomplished"
The young missionary took another
turn up and down the room and then
came back to the desk for his hat. At
the leave-taking he said the only help
full word he could think Of.
go to your confessor, Brouillard-
your real confessor-and go all the
more readily if that one happens to be
q good woman-whom you love and
trust. They often see more clearly
than we do-the good women. Try it;
and let me help where a man can
help"
For a long hour after Cashier went
away Brouillard sat at his desk, fight
ing as those fight who see the cause
lost, and who know they only make
the ruin more complete by struggling
on.
Cortwright's guess had found its
mark. He was loaded to break with
front feet" and options and corners"
In the least speculative period he had
bought ard mortgaged and bought
again, plunging recklessly with the
sole object of wringing another hun
bred thousand out of drying sponge
against the time when David Massin-
gale should need it. At first the under
taking seemed easily possible. But
with the drying of the speculative
sponge 1t became increasingly diff
cult. More and more he had been com
PEELED to buy and hold, until now the
bare attempt to unload would have
started the panic which was only wait
ing for some hedging seller to fire the
train.
The sweat stood out in great drops
on his forehead when he finally drew
g pad of telegraph blanks under his
hand and began to write a message.
Paiustakingly he composed it, refer