The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1916-05-04
Grantsvile, w. Va, Thursday, May a, 1916

before l could say: Come. little girl.
let's go and get married. So | became
stockholder I'm Cortwright's power
company, knowing perfectly we'll when
consented that the hundred thousand
dollars worth of stock he gave me was
a Dribe-the price of my silence and
noninterference with his greedy
schemes"
But you didn't mean to keep IL:
you know you couldn't Eeep i'll" she
broke in; and now he Gid not need to
look to know that her lips were trem,
bling piteously.
Il did keep it."
She dropped quickly on the step bo-
side him and a sympathetic hand crept
into his.
You kept it until the unhappy day
when you gave it to my father. and he
-and he threw 1t away" She was
crying softly, but his attempt to com.
fort her was almost mechanical.
Don't cry about the money. II had
the DEVILS thumb-prints on it. and he
merely claimed his own and got II Z"
Then he went on as one determined Tn
leave nothing untold. "Cortwright had
bought me, and l served him as onIy n
man in my position could serve him. /
became a promoter, a booster with
the others. There have been times
when a word from me would have
pricked the bubble. haven't said the
word; am not saying it now. II I
should say 1t I'd lose at a single
stroke all that have been fighting for.
And am not good loser, Amy"
For once the keen. apprehending per
ception failed.
I don't understand" she said. speak.
ing as If she were cropping in thick
darkness. 81 mean don't understand
the motive that could"
He turned to her in dumb astonish-
ment.
Il thought had been making It
plain as 1 went along. You wanted
something-you needed it-therefore
1t must be purchased for you. And
the curious part OF the besetment ia
that l have known all along that was
killing your love for me. II II wasn't
quite dead before, it will die now-now
that l have told you how l am fiinging
the last vestiges OF uprightness and
honor to the winds"
But how?" she queried. You
haven't told me-"
with the dam completed before con-
gress could intervene, Mirapohs 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, notwithstanding the re-
newed activities, the work will still
stop short Of completion and the city
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.
1T is as simple as it is despicable.
In the first place, l am to set the stu.
alton before the department in such a
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 OF
/ plenty, 1 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 am to
keep my mouth shut"
But you can't, you can't" she cried.
Then, in a passionate outburst: IF
you should do such a thing as that, it
wouldn't kill my love-I can't say that
any more; but it would kill me-I
shouldn't want to live!"
! He looked around at her curiously.
as II he were holding her at arms
/ length.
Shall do what you would have me
do Amy? Or shall do what is best
for your" The opposing queries were
as impersonal as the arm's-length gaze.
The tears had burned out OF the
steadfast eyes which were resting,
with the shining soul looking out
through them, upon the crimsoning
snow peaks of the distant Timanyonis.
How little you know the real lovel"
she said slowly.
He got up stifly and helped her to
her feet and together they stood look.
ing down upon the city OF the plain,
lying now under the curved. sunset
shadow cast by the mighty, intending
/ sweep OF the great dam
Monsieur POudrecaulx Bongras. ro-
tund. smiling and reached and waxed
| TO a broad burlesque OF second-empire
| herceness, looked i'm vain among his
/ dinner guests that evening for the
I chief OF the reclamation service. and
/ Brouillard's absence held a small dis
appointment for the Freuchman. Ru-
NOR, tho rumOr which was never quiet
and which could never be traced con-
/ clusively to- its source. was again buM
with exciting hints of new era OF
prosperity about TO dawn. and Bongras
had hoped TO drop his own little plum.
met OF inquiry into tho reclamation
service chief
I He&l'1t't.a DIX fis,it ittlbll ,jgsFBB
R VIII Amy be able 60 awaken a
/ RI IN Brouiliard's breast enouuh
I III sarmmhrrH 10 f~ns nr~n...-f-ta ....