The Green Forest tribune., 1916-03-24
CHAPTER XVIII.
4 Matter of Conscience.

A Matter of Conscience.
 Gail stood at the rail of the White cap, gazing out over the dancing blue waves with troubled eyes.
 Penny for your thoughts" The im- 1 possibly handsome Dick Rodley had strolled up in his blue jacket and white trousers and other nautical en- | bellishments.
 ''The news in the paper" she told him. It's so big"
 ! Dick looked down at her critically. She was so new a Gail to him that he was puzzled, and worried, too, for he felt, rather than saw, that some trouble possessed this dearest of his friends
 "Yes, it is big news" he admitted; impress anyone very gravely." Then he shook his head at her. "B'ii you mustn't worry about it, Gail. You're not responsible"
 Gail turned her eyeo froHl him and looked out over the Nhite-edged waves again.
 Tt is a tremendous responsibility" she unused, Whereupon Dick, as be- came him, violently broke the thread of thought by taking her arm and drawing her away from the ra!i, and walking gayly with her up to the for. war; shelter deck, where, shielded frcm the crispness of the wi1k1, there sat, around the big table and amid tangle of Sunday papers. Jim Sar- gent and Rev. Smith Boyd, Arly and Gerald Fosland, all feur deep in the discussion of the one possible topic of conversation.
 "Allisons explosion again." objected s.3. zs s... g. s..' 5isa ssce-. 4nd ca 'ght th6 general tenor of the thought q suppose the only way to escape that is to jump off the White cap. Calls worse than any of you find she's responsible for the whole | thing"
 Arly and Gerald looked up quickly.
 T neither said nor intimated any thIag of the sort" Gail reprimanded Dick, for the benefit of the Foslands, and she sat down by Arly, whereupon Dick, observing that he was much of fended patted Gail on the shoulder. and disappeared in search of Ted.
 I'd like to hand vote of thanks to the responsible party" laughed Jim Sargent, to whom the news meant more than Gail appreciated With Allison broke Urbank of the Midcon- tinent succeeds to control of the A.-P.. and Urbank is anxious to incorporate the ToWando Valley in the system. He told me so yesterday
 The light which leaped into Calls eyes. and the trace of color which flashed into her cheeks, were most comforting to Arly; and they ex- changed smile of great satisfaction. They clutched hands ecstatically un- der the corner of the table, and want ed to laugh outright. However, it would keep.
 The destruction of MT. Allison was feat of which any gentleman's con- science might approve" commented Gerald Fosland, who had spent some time in definitely settling with himself the ethics of that question. The company he proposed to form was a menace to the liberty of the world and the progress of civilization"
 tThe destruction didn't go far enough" snapped Jim Sargent Clark, Vance, Haverman, Grandin, Babbitt, Taylor Chisholm; these fellows won't be touched, and they built up their monopolies by the same method Ali son proposed; trickery, force and i plain theft!"
 Harsh language, Uncle Jim Sar- | gent, to use toward your respectable fellow-vestrymen," chided Arly, her black eyes dancing.
 Clark and Chisholm?" and Jim Sar- gents brows knotted. They're not my fellow-vestrymen. Either they go or l dol"
 T would like you to remain" qui- etly stated Rev Smith Boyd. q hope to achieve several important altera- tions in the ethics of Market Square church" He was grave this morning. He had unknowingly been ripening for some time on many questions; and the revelations in this mornings pa- pers had brought him to the point of decision. q wish to drive the money changers out of the temple" he added. and glanced at Gail with a smile in which there was acknowledgment.
 "A remarkably lucrative enterprise, eh Gail?" laughed her Uncle Jim, re- membering her criticism on the occa- sion or her first and only vestry meet ing, when she had called their atten- tion to the satire of the stained-glass window.
 You will have still the scribes and pharisees, doctor; those who stand nravine in the nuhKc places. SO ther