Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-07-06
tort for the old man. He sat suIIenTy

tort for the old man. He sat suIIenTy
silent.
The captain colored too. That's
right" he said with a surprising touch
of choler. "Sulk. Every badly broken
colt sulks at the grip of the bit What
you need. young man, is a touch of
the whip and you're going to get it."
And then the old man revealed a
surprising knowledge of words that
could lash. At first Alan was indif-
ferent, then amazed, and finally recog-
nized himself beaten at his own game.
He came out of that interview thor
oughly chastened and with an alto
gether new respect for the old captain.
No one knew better than Alan that it
took a special brand of courage to
whip him with words but the captain
had not stopped to stuff his own ears
with cotton wool before engaging the
enemy. He had risked all in one
liquid, stinging, overwhelming volley
and he had won.
The captains code was peculiar, to
say the least, and held the passionate
pilgrim In ample regard but, as he
pointed out to Alan, it was a code of
honor. 1t played a game within rules
He further remarked that the hawk
was a bird of evil repute but person
ally he preferred him to the eagle that
fouls its own nest. There were other
pregnant phrases that hung in Alan's
mind for some time and half awak-
ened him to a realization of where he
stood. Many man, prOpped up by
the sustaining atmosphere of a narrow
world, has passed merciless judgment
on such sins as Alan's-metal, I'M
proved, sitting In judgment over the
bar that twists in the flame But the
captain was not one of the worlds
confident army Of the INFESTED He
had roamed the high seas Of pleasure
as well as the ocean wave. Alan would
have struck back at a saint but he
took chastisement from the old sinner
with good grace.
Alan left the captain and presented
himself at the downtown offices of J.
Y. Wayne & Co. They were expect
Ing him and he was shown in to his
uncle Immediately, to the exaspera-
ton of several pompOus, waiting
clients. 1t was the first time that uncle
and nephew had been face to face
since their memorable interview at
Maple House.
J. 7. Wayne was aging. He had
lived hard and showed it, but there
~, y L,
met Alan without compromise He
nodded toward a chair but did not of
fer his hand. When he spoke his voice
was low and mOdulated to the tone of
business. 81 wanted to see you to
tell you that you have overpaid your
account with me. The balance has
been put to your credit You can see
the cashier about that. | want to tell
you, too, that l have made too much
money myself to admire a surprising
capacity IN that direction III anyone
else
Don't think that l don't appreciate
the significance of your wiping out a
debt which you incurred unwittingly.
y
cause a Wayne must carry his head
high In his own eyes. But" and here
J. Us eyes left his nephew's express
"Iess face and looked vaguely into
=" nf the room. His voice
OF the room like the far-away thrOb OF
great bell on a still night ''Yester-
day Glenn was crying because you had
not come to the house. | try to think,
Alan, that it's because Glenn is there
that you have not come If | could
think that" ]. Us eyes came slowly
back to Alan's face. A dull red was
burning there. j. Y. went on, SHANE
Is precious thing to a man. Differ
ent creeds-different circumstances
carry us to various lengths. Ethics
are elastic today as never before but,
as long as shame holds a bit of ground
In a mans battlefield, he can win back
to any height"
For long minute there was silence,
then on a common impulse they both
arose. Aian's eyes were wide open
and moist. He held out his hand and
J. 7. gripped it. 1t was their whole
farewell
Back in his rooms Alan sat down
and wrote to Glenn:
Dear Glenn: We are all two people I'm
Gle J. Y. cut his other half off about thir-
ty years ago and left it behind The
judge has his other half locked up in a
closet He has never let it out at all And
so on, with every one of us. This sounds
very funny to you now but some day
when you are grown up you will catch
your self looking at you and then you
will understand what I mean. 1 am two
people too The half of me that knows
you and loves you and Red Hill and that
You love has been away longer than the
rest of me. He only got back twenty
minutes ago, and 1t is too late for him to
come and see you because he and the
rest OF me are off tomorrow on another
trip. But he wants you to know that he
Is awfully sorry to have missed you Next
time shall bring him with me, l hope,
and I'll send him to you the day we ar
rive.
CDOo ~ AIg@