The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-04-14
CHAPTER xl-Continued.

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Again the train was delayed ana
held I'D for half an hour just aS II
Reached the Mississippi river. lie IeIt
his seat in the dining car. his dinner
rncatrn on the table. to 20 out and in
sprct the bridge during the hait-h"ur
+bar the limited" lay Idle. The next
lav some enormous irrigation works
In western Nebraska ;" rnGr"SS"d ms
attpution and aroused his interest that
In spite of himself h" stopped over
|between trains 10 see them. And these
actions were typical.
Yet after every one Of these eXcur-
sions back into his own field. his con
science smOte him. Was he never TO
got away from this engineering? Was
there nothing else for him but brick
and stone. steel and concrete. designs
and plans and undertaking and accom-
plishment in the world? Because ii
was the thing that he must abandon
and put out of his mind, engineering
seemed the only thing he cared for.
There would be no engineering on that
ranch on the slopes of the range. Tie
could settle the question there.
Winters was glad to see him. He and
Rodney and Meade had been the warm
/ est of friends. Of course Meade could
not tell Rodney the truth on account
Il OF his newspaper connections, but ne
decided finally that he could and would
tel Winters under assurance of abSo-
lutte secrecy. For one thing the big
II cattleman had bluntly refused To credit
l his friends first statements; and, when
he at last heard the truth. he blamed
| him rOundly while he appreciated fully
the nobleness of his Self-SaCritice. The
cear-headed. practical Winters put 1t
this way: Meade was capable OF do
ing splendid service 10 humanity as an
engineer and babe fair tn be even
greater than his father, yet for the
sake Of the fame of dead man, 10
whom after all it would matter little,
he had. thrown away that splendid OPP
pOrtunity.
This was new thought To Meade
and disturbing one. Unfortunately.
as even Winters was forced To &C
knowledge, the suggestion came too
late The course had been entered up
on. 1t would be cOwardly 10 try to
change Ii now. Indeed il would have
been impossible with the disappear
ance of the written protests and notes.
Even II Shurtliff had been willing, no
hal dol ~
traction and explanation, and Shurtliff
would not have been willing Meade
well knew. Neither for that matter
was Meade himself. He was glad that
the affair had been settled and would
not change ii even now though Win
ters rOugh-and-ready presentation of
the situation diSquieted him.
Winters, who saw how greatly over
wrought and unstrung his friend was,
contented himself with the assertion.
lie did not press the point or argue ii
with him. He rested quietly confident
that matters would right themselves
some way in the long run. He treated
Meade exactly right. He left him 10
his own devices. He did not force his
company upon him. Sometimes the en-
gineer would mount hOrSe-and all
at the ranch were at his diSpOSal-and
would ride away into the woods and
mountains with camping outfit. Some
times he would be gone for several
days, coming back white and haggard
and exhausted but victor in some hard
battle fought out alone.
One day there came to the ranch a
letter to Winters from Rodney, full of
friendly chat and pleasant remini-
scence
Meade has disappeared absolutely"
wrote Rodney in closing Even Miss
lllingworth. to whom he was reported
engaged and upon whom | have called
occasionally, says she does not know
MS whereabouts. OF course you saw
IN the papers his connection with the
tragedy and failure of the Information
all Although his frank statement was
eorroborated by that Of the Older
Aeades private secretary, have never
been able 10 believe it, neither does
Miss lllingworth. | know Bert, and so
does she. We can't accept even his
own testimony. We have been work
ing together To establish the truth. but
with very faint prospects of success 81
far. There's some tremendous mystarv
about II. | have thought that movha
Meade might have come to Won y 10
has show him this letter and beg him
TO tel US TIE exact truth at anv ratio >
Winters passed the letter over =,
Meade without comment The on
gineer read II with passionate eager
ness. He was hungry for any news q,
Helen lllingworth. Rodney was call
Ing upon her. A sharp pang of jealousy
shot through him at that. although ht
| Knew there was no reason. Dear OLD
Rodney, He could see his grave face
his disappearing manner his air of un.
belief. as he had taken down Meade's
words in the office that tragic day.
OF course. Helen Illingworth was no,
arecluse as he was. She mingled in
society. She took up life with its de-