Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-07-06

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COPYRIGHT BY Charles Scribnsris Sono
Brouillard got up and thrust out his
hand across the desk.
'"You are q man, Castner-and that
il better than being q priest" he as
serted soberly. "IIi take back all the
spiteful things I've been saying. I'm
down under the hoofs of the horses
and it's only human nature to want to
pull somebody else down. You are one
Of the few men in Mirapolis whose
presence has been blessing instead
OF q curse-who hasn't had q purely
selfish greed to satisfy"
Again Cashier shook his head.
There hasn't been much that could
do. Brouillard, It is simply dreadful
the hard, reckless. half-demoniac spirit
of this place! There, is nothing to ap-
peal to-: there is no room or time for
anything but the mad money chase or
the still madden dissipation in which
the poor wretches seek to forget. !
can only try here and there to drag
some poor soul out Of the lre at the
last moment, and it makes me sick
sick at hearth"
"You mustn't look at It that way"
said Brouillard, suddenly turning COM
forter. you have been doing good
work and q lot of it-more than any
three ordinary men could stand up un-
der. ! haven't got beyond seeing and
apprsciatins. Cashier; truly have
not. And I'll say this: III had only
z half your courage but It's no
use, I'm in too deep. I can't see any
farther ahead than q man born blind.
There is one end for which have been
striving from the very frst, and it is
still unattained. I'm past help now.
have reached a point at which I'd pull
the whole world down in ruins to see
that end accomplished:
The young missionary took another
turn up and down the room and then
came back to the desk for his hat At
the leave-taking he said the only help
full word he could think Of.
Go to your confessor, Brouillard-
your real confessor-and 90 all the
more readily II that one happens to be
q good woman-whom you love and
trust. They often see more clearly
than we do-the good women Try it;
and let mo help where man can
help"
For long hour after Cashier went
away Brouillard sat at his desk, fight
ing as those fight who see the cause
lost, and who know they only make
the ruin more complete by struggling
on. ~ - 60 Afe
Cortwright's guess had found its
mark. He was loaded to break with
front feet" and options and corners"
In the least speculative period he had
bought and mortgaged and bought
again. plunging recklessly with the
sole object of wringing another hun
dred thousand out of drying sponge
against the time when David Massin-
gale should need It. At first the under
taking seemed easily possible. But
with the drying Of the speculative
sponge 1t became increasingly diff
cult. More and more he had been COM
PEELED to buy and hold, until now the
bare attempt to unload would have
started the panic which was only wait
ing for some hedging seller to fire the
train.
The sweat stood out In great drops
on his forehead when he finally drew
a pad Of telegraph blanks under his
hand and began to write a message.
Painstakingly he composed it, refer
ring often to the notes In his field
book, and printing the words neatly
in his accurate, clearly-denned hand
writing.
When it was finished he translated 1t
laboriously into the department code,
But after the copy was made and
signed he did not ring at once for a
messenger. Instead, he put the two,
the original and the cipher, under
paper weight and sat glooming at them
searching blindly for some alternative
to the final act OF treachery which
would be contaminated in the sending
Of the wire.
Since, by reason Of Cortwright's tam.
perings with the smelter people and
the railroad. the Little Susan" had be-
come a locked treasure vault, the en-
gineer, acting upon his own initiative,
had tried the law. As soon as he had
ascertained that David Massingale had
been given sixty days longer to live,
solely because the buccaneers chose
rasn nj
money. Brouillard had submitted the
facts in the case to trusted lawyer
friend in the East.
This hope had pulled in two like a
frayed cord. Massinga1e must pay the
bank or lose all. Until he had OBJ
tanned possession Of the promissory
notes there would be no crevice in
which to drive any legal wedge. And
even then, unless some pressure could
be brought to bear upon the grafters
to make them disgorge, there was no
chance Of Massingale's recovering
more than his allotted two.thirds of
the stock; in other words, he would
still stand committed to the agreement
BY which he had bound himself to
make the grafters present, In fee
SIMPLE, OF one-third of his mine.
Brouillard had written one more let
ter to the lawyer. In it he had asked
how David Massingale could be unas-
eailably ,reinstated in his rights as the
sole owner Of the Little Susan" The
answer had come promptly and it was
explicit. "On1y by the repayment Of