The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-03-31

There was SOIL. uul IlStakauiy
terrible in his motionIy-. .-rcct. They
had no need to ask what aad hap
pened. sharp exclamation from the
woman was the only sound tnat broke
the silence, as she stepped to her Tow
er's side.
You cant question my father now.
gentlemen" said Meade; che 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 a man TO do himself
any hurt, I know" answered Meade
proudly, as he OWNED the question.
The autopsy will tell. But l am sure
that the failure of the bridge has
broken his heart"
"And we can't fix 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 ii and
held ii 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 1t.
Here in the presence of my dead
father" he began, Il sOlemnly declare
that / 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
1 overbOre his objections. l alone am
employed us both. They said they
wanted the benefit of my fathers long
experience and my later training and
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"
81 know It means the end of my ca
reer," said Meade, forcing himself tC
speak. my fathers reputation is
dearer to me than anything on EARTH
Even than II" whispered the
woman.
"Oh, my God" burst out the man
and then he checked himself and con
tinued with the same monotonous de
liberation as before, and with ever
more emphasis, Il can allow no Other
interest in life, however great, to pre-
vent rae from doing my full duty to my
father"
He had been fully resolved to pro
tect his old fathers fame had the ia
Their survived the shock. The appeal
Of the dead man was even more power
full than if he had lived. Meade could
not glance down at that crushed
broken, impOtent figure and fail to re
| spond. 1t was not so much lOve-nevel
| had he loved Helen IllingwOrth S,
much as then-as it was honor. Thu
obligation must be met though hi
heart broke like his fathers; even if i
killed him, too.
And the woman! How If it killed
her? 'He could not think of that. HI
could think of nothing but of that In
ert body and its demand.
Have you no witnesses, no evidenc,
to substantiate your extraordinar!
statement?" asked Rodney.
Il can substantiate it." said Shurt
lift, coming into the room, having fin
ished his telephOning. "The doctor ant
the police will be here Immediately
but before they come" and he drew
himself up and faced the reporter
boldly. Gentlemen, can testify tina
everything that Mr. Bertram Mead
has said is true. happened to be her,
when my dead friend and employer 60
the telegram announcing the failure o
the bridge and, although he knew
was his sons fault, he bravely offere,
to assume the responsibility and h.
told me to go to the newspapers an,
tell them that it was his fault and tina
his son had prOt,. led in vain agains
his design"
"Why didn't you do it?" asked on
of the reporters.
II couldn't, sir" faltered the oil
man. 1T wasn't true. The son Their
was to blame"
| He sank down in his seat and GOV
cred his face with his hands and brok
into dry, horrible sObs. 1t was not cas-
for him either, this shifting of responsi
bility.
"You see." said young Meade,
guess that settles the matter. Now 20
have nothing more to do here"
Nothing" said Rodney at last, mo
in this office at least. We must wal
for the doctor, but we can do that out
side"
One by one the men filed out, leay
ing the dead engineer with his son, tn
secretary, and the woman in the room
Bert" said the woman, laying he
hand on his shoulder, why or how
feel it ] cannot tell, but know in m
heart that you are doing this for you