The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-08-01

it always does when the door of an
empty room is beaten upon. There
was no answer for a moment.
"Oh, I must get in," said the wom-
an.
Rodney knocked again, and this time
the door was opened. Shurtliff stood
in the way. He had been white and
shaken before, but now so anguished
and shocked was his appearance that
everybody stared. Shurtliff moistened
his lips and tried to speak. He could
not utter a word, but he did manage
to point toward the private Office.
"Perhaps I would better go first"
said Rodney, as the secretary stepped
back and gave them passage.
Helen nlingworth followed, and then
the rest. Young Meade was standing
erect by his fathers chair. The great
bulk Of the old engineer was slouched
down, his body bent over, his head
on the desk, face downward. One
great arm, his left, extended, shot
straight across the desk. His fist
was clenched, his right arm hung limp
by his side. He was still.
There was something Enthusiastically
terrible in his motionless aspect. They
had no need to ask what had hap
pened. A sharp exclamation from the
woman was the only sound that broke
the silence, as she stepped to her lov-
er's side.
"You can't question my father now.
gentlemen" said Meade; she is dead"
In the outer Office they heard Shurt-
lift brokenly calling the doctor on the
telephone and asking him to notify the
police.
!"Did he" began one, hesitatingly.
"He was too big man to do himself
any hurt, I know" answered Meade
proudly, as he OWNED the question.
'*The autopsy will tell. But I am sure
that the failure Of the bridge has
broken his heart"
"And we can't DIX the responsibility
now" said Rodney, who for his friends
sake was glad Of this consequence Of
the old mans death.
| eyes, you can," said the young man.
He leaned forward and laid his right
hand on his dead fathers shoulder.
Helen nlingworth had possessed her
self of his left hand. She lifted it and
held it to her. heart. The engineer
seemed unconscious of the action, and
still it was the greatest thing he had
ever experienced. Meade spoke slowly
and with the most weighty delibera-
ton in an obvious endeavor to give his
statement such clear definiteness that
no one could mistake it.
"Here in the presence Of my dead
father" he began, II solemnly declare
that I alone am responsible for the de-
sign Of the member that failed. My
father was getting along in years. He
left great part Of the work to me. He
pointed out what he thought was a
structural weakness in the trusses, but
I overbore his objections. alone am
to blame. The Martlet Bridge company
employed US both. They said they
wanted the benefit Of my fathers long
experience and my later training an6
research."
''Do you realize, Meade" said Rod
ney, as the pencils Of the reporters
flew across their pads, "that in assum
ing this responsibility which, your ia
Their being dead, cannot be-
II know it means the end of my ca
reer," said Meade, forcing himself tt
speak. my fathers reputation i:
dearer to me than anything on EARTH
| %hov T2N -
woman.
"Oh, my Godl" burst out the man
| and then he checked himself and con
tinued with the same monotonous de
i. liberation as before, and with ever
more emphasis, II can allow no othel
interest in life, however great, to pre-
vent me from doing my full duty to m!
| father
. He had been fully resolved to pro
/ tect his old fathers fame had the ia
Their survived the shock. The appea
| Of the dead man was even more power
, full than if he had lived. Meade coul,
5 not glance down at that crushed
, broken, impotent figure and fail to re
spond. It was not so much love-neve
had he loved Helen nlingworth s.
much as then-as it was honor. Tn,
, obligation must be met though hi
heart broke like his fathers; even #
killed him, too.
And the woman! How if it kille,
her? He could not think of that. HI
l could think of nothing but of that in
e ert body and it's demand.
"Have you no witnesses, no evidenc
to substantiate your extraordinar,
f statement?" asked Rodney
i can substantiate it," said Shurt
!, lift, coming into the room, having fin
: ished his telephoning. '"The doctor an,
e the police will be here Immediately
: but before they come" and he drew
: himself up and faced the reporter
boldly. Gentlemen, I can testify tina
d everything that Mr.. Bertram Mead
0 has said is true. happened to be her
when my dead friend and employer go
), the telegram announcing the failure Q
e the bridge and, although he. knew
,. was his sons fault, he bravely offere
r tn ASSUME W. ~oo-or13h:1,x- 4