The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-08-17
"yonr son B;hbs" said tbe doctor.

of men fit for the life you want him to
lead aren't fit to do much with the
life he ought to lead. Blindly. he's
been fighting for the chance to lead
it-he's obeying something that begs
to stay alive within him; and, b!indly,
he knows you'll crush it out. You've
set your will to do it. Let me tell You
something more. You're half mad with
a consuming fury against the very
self Of the law-the law that took Jim
from you. The very self Of the law
took Roscoe from you and gave Edith
the certainty of beating you: and the
very self of the law makes Bibbs deny
you tonight. The law beats you. But
you've set yourself against it. to bend
1T to your w ends, to WELD 1t and
twist it"
The voice broke from Sheridan's
heaving chest in a shout. "Yes! And
by God, l will!'
$50 Ajax defed the lightning" said
Quincy.
1--WE heard that dam'-fool story.
too Sheridan retorted, fxedly. "'De-
fled the lightning did he, the jackass:
If he'd been half a man he'd "a got
away with it. We don't go shown or
defyin' the lightning-we hitch it up
and make it work for US like a black
steer!!'
"Well, what about Bibbs?' said Cur
ney. Twill you be a really big man
now and
Quincy, you know a lot about big
ness" Sheridan began to walk to and
fro again, and the doctor returned
gloomily to his chair. He had shot his
bolt the moment he judged it's chance
to strike center was best, but the tar
get seemed W Of the marks
man.
I'm tryin' to make a big man out o.
that poor truck yonder," Sheridan went
on, land you step In, begin me to let
him be Lord knows what don't! I
suppose you figure it out that now I
got a so~n-in-law, / mishtn't need a son!
Yes. l got a son-in-law nova
~spender!
"Oh, put your hand back!' said Cur
ney, YEARLY.
Their was a bronze inkstand upon
the table. Sheridan put his right hand
in the sling, but with his left he swept
the inkstand from the table and half
way across b room-a comet with q
destroying black tail. Mrs. Sheridan
shrieked and sprang toward it.
Let 1t lay" he shouted, fercely.
Let 1t lay" And. weeping, she
obeyed. Eyes, sir" he went on, In a
voice the more ominous for the sudden
hush he put upon It 81 got a spender
for a son-in-law! It's wonderful
where property goes, sometimes. There
was ole man Tracy-you remembers
hin Doc. r. Tracy, solid banker.
He went into the bank as messenger
seventeen years old; he was president
at forty-three. and he built that bank
with his life for forty years more. Gilt
edge, that bank? 1t was diamond
edged? He used to eat a bag O. pea
nuts and an apple for lunch: but he
wasn't stingy-he was Just livin' in his
business. He didn't care for pie or
automoblles-he had his bank. 1t was
an institution. and It come pretty heal
bein' the beatin' heart o. this town in
Its time. Well, that ole man used to
pass one O. these here turned-up-nose
and turned-up-pants cigarette boys on
the streets. Never spoke to him,
Tracy didn't. Speak to him? Godi
he wouldn't "a coughed on him! Re
wouldn't "a let him clean the cuspi.
doris at the bank! Why, If he'd "a just
seen him standin' in front the bank
he'd "a had him run off the street. And
yet all Tracy was doin' every. day Of
his life was workin' for that cigarette
boy! Tracy thought he was givin'
his life and his life-biood and the
blood Of his brain for the bank, but
he wasn't. 1t was every bit-from
the time he went in at seventeen till
he died in harness at eighty-three-
it was every last lick Of it just
slavin' for a turned-up-nose, turned
up-pants cigarette boy. And Tracy
didn't eve know his name! He died
not eve havin' heard II, though he
chased him of the front steps of his
house once. The day after Tracy died
his old-maid daughter married the
cigarette-and there amt any Tracy
bank any more! And now"-his voice
rose again-"and now I got a cigarette
son-in-law!"
Quincy pointed to the flourishing
right hand without speaking, and Sheri-
dan nee more returned 1t to the sling.
my son-in-law likes Florida this
winter" Sheridan went on. That's
good, and my son-in-law better enjoy
1t, because / don't think he'll be there
next winter. They got twelve thou
sand dollars to spend, and I hear II
can be done in Florida by rich sons.in-
law. When Roscoe's woman got me to
spend that much on a porch for their
new house, Edith wouldn't give me a
minutes rest till l turned over the
same to her. And she'ssgot 1t, besides
| what I gave her to 60 east on. It'll
be gone long before this time next
year, and when she zones home and
leaves the cigarette behlnd-for good
she'll get some more. My name amt
| Tracy, and there amt goin' to be any
Tracy business in the Sheridan family.
And fhare atn't 0Ofn' Tn he guv coIlaoo