Bridgeton pioneer., 1916-09-14
His Price
It Turned Out to Be
His Own, Not the
Other Mans.
By CLARISSA MACKIE


| That was his chief boast. One day
| after he had made this assertion one
of the persons who heard it said to the
| other:
| Reckon he did make himself. The
| Lord never would have made a man
| like him.
| Skiff left school when he was nine
| years old.
There were two things that Babcock
coveted. . The one was the most ex-
pensive automobile he could buy, and
| the flashiest. The other was Celia
Hart, young milliner. Celia was of
the same sphere in life as Babcock, but
| she must have been made of different
clay.
He got the automobile, and it re-
! manned for him to get Celia Hart-if
he could. The only thing in the way
of his getting her so far as he knew
was Tim Casey. Casey was in Bah
| cocks employ, and Babcock considered
| that he owned every man he hired. 1t
CALLED him to feel that this common
workman" as he called Casey, should
be in the way of his getting anything
he wanted. But Casey was far before
him in Celia's affections, and he knew
should be so, and he thought up way
to change it-a way that only such a
man as he would choose.
For three succeeding days Skiff Bah
cock had permitted his brand new red
touring car to crawl along the street in
| the hope of meeting Celia as she went
| to or from the milliner's where she
worked.
Skiff could always pick Celia out of a
crowd by the graceful swing of her
slender. erect figure, but recently she
had identified herself beyond all doubt
by perching a coral colored hat on her
abundant black hair.
All at once Skiff's beady little eyes
discerned her. First the coral hat
came into view, then Celia's lovely
laughing face and finally the hulking
form of none other than Mr.. Babcock's s
head truck driver, who held Celia's ell
bow in one big hand with a most often
sive air of proprietorship.
Suddenly Skiff Babcock whirled his
machine around and dashed into an
other street.
An hour later he sat at his desk in
| the office of the Skiff Babcock Truck
ing company. At the curbstone his
red car painted impatiently. Through
the archway that connected the street
with the stables behind his office his
employees were passing to and fro.
A haze Of tobacco smoke blurred the
little room, for Skiff was smoking ci-
way, very much as if he knew that
when he reached the end of certain
number of these fragrant smokes he
would find q solution to the problem
that troubled him.
All at once he flung a half finished
| cigar through the window and pounded
the desk heavily with one pudgy fist
every man has his price," he said
| slowly. Il wonder what is Casey's
| price?"
Again he meditated.
"a truckman," he snorted scornful-
ly, against me, who can turn every
| vote in this ward-me, with that auty-
| mobile and could dress her in dia-
| monds, with fat in Central Park
West, if she wante ed it. The nerve of
| Tim Casey"'
He rang bell sharply.
"Has Casey come back?' he asked of
the boy who responded.
"No, sir"
| "Send him here when he comes
scowled Skiff, and he lighted another
| cigar
By the time Tim Casey's huge bulk
| darkened the Office doorway Skiff Bab-
| cock had smoked himself into fit of
| cold anger, tempered only by his favor
lite maxim that Every man has his
| price"
| That this was true to a degree in
Skiff Babcock's political circle account
ed for his self-confidence to settle the
case of Tim Casey off hand.
you wanted me?'' grinned Tim
| Casey good naturedly.
Skiff frOwned up at the big, hand
some young Irishman, whose every
Il was ttuSC Win StlcuSlu anu
vitality. Tins blue eyes sparkled and
| his white teeth shOne. Life was good
| sport to the hard working truck driver.
| II saw you on Sixth avenue this
noon," blurted forth Skiff. This was
not the way he had intended to open
the subject.
| II guess l wasn't breaking no speed
| limits" grinned Tim. THAT gray
horse amt got the grit to cart heavy
dry goods. He ought to be put on the
| ostrich feather route"
| you wasn't carting that kind of
dry goods up the avenue. What do you
mean by loafing around when you
ought to be on your job, eh?'
Casey's back stiffened and his blue
| eyes narrowed.
"It was noon hour" he said sharply.
"Where was the truck?"
"Here in the stable"
Seems to me you can get around
| pretty fast when you've a mind to-"
| grOwled Skiff. as he Studied the timo