The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-03


81 think he did, but If he did fore
see it and point it out, he should not
have allowed the older man to overawe
him or force him to accept what he be-
lieved to be structurally unsound. !
don't know whether he reasoned 1t out.
I don't think he had time to argue the
case, the shock was so swift and sud-
den, but as soon as he did see the stu
alton he discovered that you were lost
anyway, except of the charity of your
affection, which he could not accept,
and that he could save his father. This
may all be the widest speculation, but
this is the way it presents itself to
me-" Eg&L
Sand to me-" said Helen, "but before
we go any further, let me say should
rather be his wife than enjoy any other
fortune" esT
"That is the kind of affection his
qualities merit and would evoke in.
the mind of a discerning woman"
THANK you. Will you go on, now"
"Of course you know that what we
have said is not evidence. It is all as
sumption, perhaps presumption"
'It's as true as gospel" said the girl
earnestly.
''To you and to me, yes. WE'LL" he
continued, 81 remember that Meade
and were talking just before he went
to Burma three years ago about new
book by a German named Schmidt
Chemnitz, in which certain methods of
calculations were proposed for the de-
sign of lacings. You know it was the
lacings of one Of the compression
members Of the cantilever that gave
way"
swell Meade and got into hot dis
cussiOn over some of Schmidt Chem
nitz's formulas. maintained that they
were wrong. He took the opposite
view. He was right. He was so in
terested in the matter that after we
separated he wrote me a letter about
it, adding some new arguments to re-
enforce his contention. The other day
made careful search among my pa
pers and by happy chance found the
letter. was half-convinced by his
reasoning then, although the matter
was dropped. I am altogether con-
vinced now. His argument is very
clear. have examined since then the
plan and sketches for that bridge. The
calculations did not agree with those
of Schmidt ChemnitZ. His methods
were not used. Meade could not have
forgotten the matter. I am morally
certain that he made protest to his
father, probably in writing, then al
lowed himself to be persuaded by his
fathers reasoning. AS a matter of
fact, I suppose that Bertram Meade,
ST., was a greater authority on steel
bridge designing than even Schmidt
Chemnitz. Well, sometimes, the small
er man is right. We know now, and
Bertram Meade, ST., would admit 1t If
he were alive, that Schmidt Chemnitz
was right, and we can make good
guess that young Meade did not Let it
pass without a protest"
"Mr. Rodney, it's wonderful"
"Well, that's not all. There was not
little bit Of hesitation in Meade's
assumption Of the blame, not person
who heard it doubted it, apparently
But was the first man to see the older
Meade except his son and Shurtliff."
ooh, Shurtliffw
well come to him presently. It
was obvious that the older Meade had
been writing. I don't know whether
the others noticed it, but it is my bust
ness to take in even inconSiderable de
tails. The pen was still between his
fingers. His hand was CONSTRUCTED and
the pen had not dropped out-in fact,
I myself took it out and laid it on
the desk"
"His last conscious act was to write
something, therefore?"
Eyes; for confirmation I ascertained
that there were ink-stains on his fin
gers"
"What did he write and to whom p
81 don't know. can only guess"
what do you guess"
"The assumption of entire RESPONSE
bility and the exculpation Of his son,
probably to some paper"
"From the same motives that
prompted Bert?"
"No, because it was true. But that
is only an assumption, although not al
together without further evidence"
"And what is thatT' asked the wom-
an eagerly.
She had sat down opposite Rodney
at the table and was leaning toward
him. Her color came and went, her
breathing was rapid and strained IN
der the wild beating of her heart.
1.-THE blotter on the desk. I exam
ined it at my leisure. 1t had been
used some time. went over it with a
magnifying glass. Meade, ST., had evil
IDENTIFY written a letter. I found the
words fault is mine have the blot
ter in my desk. The word fault is
barely decipherable,s is can be made
out with difficulty, but mine is quite
plain. I am familiar with the older
Meade's handwriting, and though this
is weaker and feebler and more irregu-
lar than was his custom-ordinarily
he wrote bold, free hand--this is I'M
mistakably his. Of course no one can
say that he wrote any letter. This is
piling assumption upon assumption,
and, furthermore, there is no evidence
of any signature having been written
beneath it."
SIS that all?'
"There is one more bit of evidence.
The sheet of paper on which the de-
sign computations for the compression
chord members appear was not with
the other plans and tracings of the
bridge"