Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-08-10

W NNNAN~
fro again, and the doctor returned
gloomily 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 big man out O.
that poor truck yonder," Sheridan went
on, ''and 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, mightn't need son:
Yes, got son-in-law nova
spenderr'
ooh, put your hand back.' 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 inkstand from the table and half
way across the roOm-a comet with a
destroying black tail. Mrs. Sheridan
shrieked and sprang toward it.
"Let it lay" he shouted, f1ercely.
LET 1t lay" 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-law! 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 bag O. pea
nuts and an apple for lunch; but he
wasn't stingy-he was just livin' 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
its time. Well, that ole man used to
pass one O these here turned-up-nose
and turnedup- pants cigarette boys on
the streets. Never spoke to him.
Tracy didn't. Speak to him? God:
he wouldn't "a cOughed on him! He
wouldn't "a let him clean the cuspi-
doris at the bank. Why, if he'd "a just
seen him standin' in front the bank
he'd "a had him run off the street. And
yet all Tracy was doin' every day Of
his life was workin' for that cigarette
boy! Tracy thought he was givin'
his life and his life-blood and the
blood of his brain for the bank, but
he wasn't. 1t was every bit-from
the time he went in at seventeen till
he died in harness at eighty three
1t 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 havin' heard it, though he
chased him off the front steps Of his
house once. The day after Tracy died
his old-maid daughter married the
cigarette-and there amt any Tracy
bank any more. And now"-his voice
rose again-"and now l got a cigarette
sOn-in-lawv
Quincy pointed to the fourishing
right hand without speaking and Sheri-
dan once more returned it to the sling.
''My sOn-in-law likes Florida this
winter" Sheridan went on. ''That's
good, and my son-in-law better enjoy
1t, because | don't think he'll be there
next winter. They got twelve thou
sand dollars to spend, and l hear it
can be done in Florida by rich sons-in-
law. When Roscoe's woman got me to
spend that much on a porch for their
new house, Edith wouldn't give me Il
minutes rest till l turned over the
same to her. And she's got it, besides
what | gave her to go east on It'll
be gone long before this time next
year, and when she comes home and
leaves the cigarette behind-for good
she'll get some more. My name amt
Tracy, and there amt goin' to be any
Tracy business in the Sheridan family
And there amt gOin' to be any college
foundin' and endowin' and truSteein',
nor God-knows-what to keep my prop
erty alive when I'm gone! Edith'll
be back, and she'll get a girls share
when she's through with that cigarette,
but"
by the way" interposed Quincy,
didn't Mrs. Sheridan tell me that
Bibbs warned you Edith would marry
Lamhorn in New York."
Sheridan went completely to pieces
He swore, while his wife screamed
and stopped her ears. And as he
swore he pounded the table with his
wounded hand, and when the doctor
after storming at him ineffective!y,
sprang to catch and protect that hand
Sheridan wrenched it away, tearing
the bandage He hammered the table
till it leaped.
Fool" he painted, choking ''If he's
shown gumption enough to guess right
the first time in his life, it's enough
for me to begin learnin' him onr' And.
struggling with the doctor, he leaned
toward Bibbs, thrusting forward his
convulsed face, which was deathly
pale. "My name amt Tracy, I tell
you" he screamed, hoarsely. "You