Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-10-05

- 1-tti Ia "
Natural law said Quincy. "What
do you think beat you with Edith?
Did Edith. herself, beat you? Didn't
she obey without question something
powerful that was against you? Edith
wasn't against you, and you weren't
aginst her, but you set yourself against
the power that had her in its grip, and
it shot out a squirt of f1ame-and won
in walki What's taken Roscoe from
you? Timbers bear just so much
strain, old man; but you wanted to
send the load across the broken bridge,
and you thought you could bully or
coax the cracked thing into standing.
Well, you couldn't! NOW here's Bibbs.
There are thousands of men fit for the
life you want him to lead-and so is
he. 1t wouldn't take half of Bibbs'
brains to be twice as good a business
man as Jim and Roscoe put together"
'Whatn Sheridan goggled at him
like a Zany.
Your son Bibbs," said the doctor,
compOsedly, "Bibbs Sheridan has the
kind and quantity of gray matter that
will make him q success in anything
if he ever wakes up! The thousands
of men fit for the life you want him to
lead aren't fit to do much with the
life he ought to lead. BIindIy. he's
been lighting for the chance to lead
it-he'S OOeying something that begs
to stay alive within him: and. blindIy.
he knows you'll crush it out You've
set your viii to do it. Let me tell you
something more. You're half mad with
a consuming fury against the very
self of the law-tbe law that took Jim
from you. The very self of the law
took Roscoe from you and gave Edith
the certainty of beating you; and the
very self of the law makes Bibbs deny
you tonight The law beats you. But
you've set yourself against it, to bend
1t to your own ends, to WELD it and
twist it,
The voice broke from Sheridan's
heaving chest in a shout. yes! And
by God, l wiIlr'
80 Ajax defed the lightning" said
Quincy.
Eve heard that dam'-fool story,
too" Sheridan retorted. fixedly. "De-
fed the lightning did he, the jackass!
If he'd been half a man he'd "a got
away with it. We don't go shown off
defytn' the lghtning-We hitch it up
and make it work for US like a black
steerr'
'Well, what about Bibbs?" said Cur
ney. "WiH you be a really big mar
now and"
Quincy, you know a lot about big
ness!' Sheridan began to walk to and
fro again, and the doctor returned
gloomiIy to his chair. He had shot his
bolt the moment he judged it's chance
to strike center was best. but the tar
get seemed unaware of the marks
man.
I'm tryin' to make a big man out o.
that poor truck yonder," Sheridan went
On, land you step in, begin me to let
him be Lord knows what don't! /
suppose you figure it out that now
got son-in-law, l mightn't need a son!
Yes, got a sOn-in-Iaw nova
spenderr'
'Oh, put your hand backr said Cur
ney, YEARLY.
There was a bronze inkstand upon
the table. Sheridan put his right hand
in the sling, but with his left he swept
the fnkstand from the table and half
way across the rOOm-a comet with a
destroying black tail. Mrs. Sheridan
md
LET it lay?' he shouted, ffercely.
Let it layw And, weeping. she
obeyed. eyes, sir" he went on, in a
voice the more ominOus for the sudden
hush he put upon it. 81 got a spender
for a son-in-Iaw! It's wonderful
where property goes, sometimes. There
was ole man Tracy-you remember
him Doc. R. Tracy, solid banker.
He went into. the bank as messenger,
seventeen years old; he was president
at forty-three, and he built that bank
with his life for forty years more Gilt
edge, that bank? 1t was diamond
edged? He used to eat a bag O. pea
nuts and an apple for lunch; but he
wasn't stingy-he was just Iivin' in his
business He didn't care for pie or
aUtomObiles-he had his bank. It was
an institution, and it come pretty near
bein' the beatin' heart O. this town in
us UIme. wen, that ole man used to
pass one O. these here turned-up-nose
and turned-up-pants cigarette bows on
the streets. Never spoke to him.
Tracy didn't Speak to him? GOdl
ne wouldn't "a coughed on him! He
wouldn't "a let him clean the cuspi-
doris at the bank! Why, if he'd "a lust
seen him standin' in front the bank
he'd "a had him run off the street. And
yet all Tracy was dom every day Of
his life was WOrkin' for that cigarette
boyl Tracy thought he was givin'
his life and his life-bloOd and the
blood Of his brain for the bank, but
be wasn't 1t was every bit-from
the time he went in at seventeen till
he died in harness at eighty-three-
it was every last lick Of it Just
slaVin' for a turned-up-nose. turned
up-pants cigarette boy. And Tracy
didn't even know his name! He died
not ever havfn' heard it, though he
chased him off the front steps Of his
house once. The day after Tracy died
bis OId-maid daughter married the
cigarette-and there amt any Tracy
bank 9nV nOrpt And 0oyu,, bie ,,oioo