The Dolores star., 1917-08-24

4 Get me that memorandum / wrote
to my father. You know where he kept
it"
"Yes. sir. separate from the othef
papers concerning the international, ir
the third compartment" He turned
the big safe door slowly. The third
compartment was empty. "Its gone"
he said.
Meade went to the safe. q small o.1A
and examined IL carefully and fruitleas-
ly. His letter was not there with the
other papers, where It should have
been II II were In existence. Il was
not anywhere.
| "Father told me he was going to de-
stroy II, but I rather thought he was
keeping It to have some fun with me
when the bridge was completed" he
said at last.
"Yes. sir. that was his Intention Il
fact, I know he did not destroy It At
first. He told me to 1le II with the
plans. He must have destroyed II
later. I haven't looked In this com
partment for weeks"
"I'll never forget the lie you told b
back me up. Shurtlin. I can see you
loved him as much as L"
"No one will ever know the truth
from me. sir. You saved your fathers
name and fame" ~.
'T think we had better search the
ONCE now. I wouldn't have that paper
come to life for the world" said Meade
Shurtlifr was the most orderly Of
men. The care of the old engineers
papers and other arrangements had de-
voived upon him. The search was soon
completed.
II guess he must have destroyed IT,
said the young man, 'but to be sure !
will examine his private papers a.
home. Good night. You will be going
yourself3"
"In q few minutes. SIR"
"Come to me In the morning after
the autopsy and we will arrange for
the funeral" said the younger man as
he left the Office.
Shurtlin waited until his footsteps
died away In the hall He waited un-
til he beard the clang OF the elevator
gate. Even then he was not sure. He
got up and in his catlike way opened
thS uopA oL thC OAACo 0Aiu RetEeU uOWu
the hall. 1t was empty. He stood In
the door waiting. while the night ele-
vator made several trips up and down
without pausing at that floor. He sat
down at the dead mans desk. From his
pocket he drew forth q packet OF pa
pers.
Il
There were no legal proceedings. al.
though there were many inquests ut
the bridge. The cause Of the failure
was clear. 1t was recognized by every
one. whose opinion was worth consld-
ertng, that the disaster had resulted
from a mistake which any engineer
could have made. An matter Of fact
there was NO experience to guide the
designers. There never had been such
q bridge before. Certain elements OF
empiricism had to enter into their cal
culations. They had made the plan
after their best judgment and Il had
failed. They could be blamed, even
vilided a. they were In the press, but
that was the extent Of their punish
ment.
Tho bitter weight of censure fell en-
tirely upon Bertram Meade. His ruin
a. an engineer was immediate and alb
solute. He was the ,scapegoat. No one
had any good to say of him except Rod
ney. who fought valiantiy for his friend
and classmate. at least striving to
mitigate the censure BY pointing out
the quick and ready acknowledgment
OF the error which might have been
ascribed to the dead man without fear
of contradiction.
An effort was made by competitors
and stock spectators to ruin the Mart
let Bridge company. By throwing into
the gap their private fortunes to ths
last dollar and BY herculean work o.
the part Of their friends, the directors
saved the Martlet company, although
Its losses were tremendous and almost
insupportable. not only In money, bat
in prestige and reputation. Colonel
ningworth came out Of the struggle
older and grayer than ever. The tefrine
combat had left him almost broken for
q time, and his daughter saw that IL
was not possible even to mention Bert-
ram Meade to him. theE.
The funeral Of the great sosinssr
had been strictly prfvats. Only his
confreres. men who stood high In
scientific circles. certain people for
whom he had made great aad suceess-
full designs. few others whese ties
were personal, had been invited to he
house for the services. The infer,nent
was In the little Connectteut towa Of
Milford, In which the older Meade had
been born, and from which he had gone
forth % q boy to conquer the wOrsi.
The nsxt lnstallmsnt tsiis IL
yeung Meads's big rnovs. which
leads 70 even nsors startling eess.