Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-08-17
CHAPTER xVI-(continued.)


concrete failure at the dam, Smith gave
still more color to the charges of his
detractors In the business field. Those
whose affairs brought them in contact
with him found man suddenly grown
years older and harder, boOdy and
harshly dictatorial, not to say quar-
relsOme; man who seemed to have
parted, in the short space Of a single
night with all of the humanizing affa-
bilities which he had shown to such a
marked degree in the reorganizing and
rcfinancing of the irrigation project.
We've got our young Napoleon of
finance on the toboggan slide, at last"
was the way in which Mr.. Crawford
stanton phrased it for the bejeweled
lady at their luncheon In the HOphra
cafe. 'Kinzie is about to throw him
over, and all this talk about botch-
work on the dam is getting his goat.
They're telling 1t around town this
morning that you can't get near him
without rlsking fight. Old Man Back
us went up to his office in behalf Of
a bunch of the scared stockholders,
and Smith abused him first and then
threw him out bodily-hurt him pretty
savagely, they say"
The large lady's accurately penciled
eyebrows went up in mild surprise.
bad temper?" she queried.
bad temper, or an acute attack of
'rattleltis;' you can take your choice.
| suppose he hasn't, by any chance,
quarreled with Miss Richlander over
night?-Or has he?"
The fat lady shook her diamonds.
81 should say not. They were at lunch
leon together in the ladies' ordinary as
came down a few minutes ago."
Thus the partner of Crawford STAN
toms joys and sorrows. But an invis-
ible OnloOker in the small dining room
nbOve-stairs might have drawn other
conclusions. Smith and the daughter
of the Lawreneevllle magnate had a
small table to themselves, and if the
talk were not precisely quarrelsome,
1t leaned that way at times.
81 have never seen you quite so bru-
tai and impossible as you are today,
Montague. YOU don't seem like the
same man. Are you going to reconsider
and take me out to the Baldwin ranch
this afternoonT"
"And let you parade me there as
your latest acquisition ?-never in this
world I"
''More brutality. Positively you are
getting me into q frame of mind in
which Tucker Jibbey will seem like a
blessed relief. Whatever do you sup
pose has become Of Tucker?"
"How should I know?"
IF he had come in last night, and
you had met him-as asked you to-
in any such heavenly temper as you
are indulging now, / might think you
had murdered him."
II was doubtless by sheer accident
that Smith, reaching at the moment
for the salad oil, overturned his water
glass. But the small accident by nc
means accounted for the sudden gray
ing Of his face under the Tlmanyon
wind tnn-for that or for the shaking
hands with which he seconded the wait
crs anxious efforts to repair the dam
age. When they were alone again, the
momentary trepidation had given 'racC
10 renewed hardness that lent 6
biting rasp to his voice.
'Ilinzie, the suspicious old banker
that I've been telling you about, is de
tcrmined to run me down." he said
changing the subject abruptly. "rv,
got It pretty straight that he is plan
ming to send one of his clerks to tn,
Topaz district to try and find your fa
ther. In the hope that he will tell wha
he knows about me-"
Does this Mr.. Kinzie know wher
fnther is to be found?"
"IIe doesn't; that's the only hitch"
Miss Verda's smile across the llttl
tnble was level-eyed.
81 could be lots of help to you, Mon
tague, in this fight you are making,
you'd only let me-" she suggested.
"rll fight for my own hand" was tn
grating rejoinder. III can assure you
right now, that Kinzie's messenger vii
never reach your father-0llve."
"Ooh p shuddered the beauty, with
little lift of the rounded shoulders
GLOW utterly and hopelessly primitive
Let me show you a much simpler alter
native. 1 have q map of the mlnin
district, you know. Father left 1t wit
me-in case l should want to commit
nicate with him."
"You wouldn't get in a mans wa
with any fine-spun theories Of the ult
mate right and wrong, would you? Yo
wouldn't say that the only great ma
is the man who loves his fellow mel
and all that7"
Again the handsome shoulders wer
lifted, this time in cool scorn.
"Are you quoting the little ranch pc
SOM" she inquired. Then she answere
his query: "The only great men wort
speaking of are the men who win. FC
the lack Of something better to do, II
willing to help you win, Montagu
Most naturally, 1 am the one wh
would know where my father is to /
found. And have changed my min
about wanting to drive to the Bal,
wins. Wen compromise on the play
IL there is a play"
"There is n play, and l have Il
Seats" he announced briefly.
"Merci' she flung back. "Sma
favors thankfully received, and lar,
ones In proportion; though it's hard
a favor, this time, because l have pa
for II In advance. Mr.. Kinzie's your
man came to see me this morning"
"Whnt did you do?"
"I gave him n tracing Of my ma
and he was so grateful 1t made n
want TO tell him that IT was 6
wrong; that he wouldn't find faith
in month If he followed the dire
tious."
"But you didn't"
mo; l can play the game, when
seems worth while"
Smith was frowning thoughtful
when he led her to the elevator alcoy
'My way would have been the surel
he muttered, half to himself.
"Barbarianw she laughed; nj
then: "To think that you were on
a 'debutantes' darlingp Oh, yes
know It was Carter Westfall who sa