The Huttig news., 1916-07-01


 thing fin 1t. means to me But some thing has changed the point of view for me past mending, since that first day when we sat here together and looked down upon the beginning of the reclamation construction camp-bes fore Gomorrah was ever thought Of"
 T know" she said again. But that dreadful city is responsible. It has robbed us all. Victor; but you more than any. Pm afraid"
 No" he objected. "Mirapolis has been only means to an end. The thing that has changed my point of view-my entire life-is love, as have told you once before"
 "Oh, no" she protested gently ris. ing to take her old place, with her back to the porch post and her hands behind her. And then, still more gently: That is almost like sacrilege, Victor for love is sacred"
 I can't help 1t. Love has made a great scoundrel of me. Amy; a crim- inal, if mans laws were as closely meshed as Gods"
 T can't believe that" she dissented Loyalty
 It fs true. I have betrayed my trust. Cartwright will make good in all of his despicable schemes. Congress will intervene and the Niquoia project will be abandoned"
 Tell me-" she begged briefly; and. since he was staring fxedly at the scored slopes of Jacks mountain, he did not. see that she caught her lip between her teeth to stop It's trem- bling.
 As you know, I had a debt to pay { before l could say: Come, little girl. let's go and get married So became a stockholder in Eortwrights power company, knowing perfectly we'll when l consented that the hundred thousand dollars worth of stock he gave me was a bribe-the price of my silence and noninterference with his greedy schemes"
 But you didn't mean to keep 1t: you know you couldn't keep it!" she broke in; and now he did not need to look to know that her lips were trem. bling piteously.
 T did keep It."
 She dropped quickly on the step be- side him and sympathetic hand erept into his.
 You kept it until the unhappy day when you gave 1t to my father. and he and he threw it away" She was crying softly. but his attempt to com fort her was almost mechanical.
 Don't cry about the money. It had the devils thumb-prints on it, and he merely claimed his own and got it." Then he went on as one determined to leave nothing untold Cartwright had bought me. and I served him as only a man in my position could serve him. became promoter, booster with the others. There have been times when word from me would haye } pricked the bubble. haven't said the , word; am not saying It now. If I , should say 1t I'd lose at a single stroke all that have been lighting for. And am not good loser Amy"
 For once the keen. experimenting per. ception failed
 T don't understand" she said. speak. ing as if she were groping in thick darkness. 'I mean don't understand the motive that could"
 He turned to her in dumb astonish- ment.
 T thought I had been making it plain as l went along. You wanted 1 something-you needed it-therefore it must be purchased for you And the curious part of the besetment Is that l have known all along that was killing your love for me. If it wasn't quite dead before. 1t will die now---now that have tcld you how am fIinging the last vestiges of uprightness and honor to the winds"
 But howT she Queried. You haven't told me-
 With the dam completed before con- gress could intervene. Mirapolis would, of course, be quite dead and ready for it's funeral. But if the Cartwright peo- pie industriously insist that the spend ing of another million or two of gov ernment money Is only another plum for the city and it's merchants and in- dustries, that, notw hhstanding the re- newed activities, the work will still stop short of completion and the ciIy will be saved by Legislative enactment. the innocent sheep may be made to bleed again and the wolves will es- cape"
 She shuddered and drew a little apart from him on the log step.
 But your part in this horrible plot, Victor?" she asked
 Tt Is as simple as 1t Is despicable. Tn the first place, am to set the situ- ation before the department in such . light as to make it clearly a matter of public policy to take advantage of the present Mirapolitan crisis by pushing the work vigorously to a conclusion. After thus turning on the spigot or plenty, I am expected to crowd the pay rolls and at the same time to hold back on the actual progress Of the work. That Is all-except that l am to keep my mouth shut"