Charlevoix county herald., 1917-09-28
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. new GENERATION
BY MAUD MORRISON HuEy
iY6gS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


the trouble began when he was seven
years old and had dickered Bud
J1sephs out of a jack-knife.
IL had been fair deal In way.
Bud had been anxious to "swop" but
If course he hadn't known that he was
getting the worst of the bargain
until afterward.
Richard Kiefer still remembered
the knife: the blade was rusty and the
handle had been fastened on with
bit of gum.
II seemed that he could remember
even at that tender age the sting of
3 nsclence and struggle with him
self to keep from manifesting some
snow of weakness TO the companions
who had applauded him.
1t was the applause that had been
responsible for the hardening process
that had taken place during the years
That followed.
He had cultivated the companion
ship OF boys much older than himself,
and one and all had praised him for
ais cunning, while no one had seemed
to despise him for what he knew now
10 be lack of good. sterling honesty.
AS he sat staring into the fire. as he
had habit OF doing OF late when his
days work was over, he reviewed
minutely every detail of those boy
hood days when the mistakes first be-
gan. Somehow ii had always been so
easy for him to fool" people. He
wished now that Ii hadn't been.
People insisted on believing him
whether he wanted them to or not,
and 1t seemed to him now that he had
never been exactly honest with any
body. There had been faint OF
crookedness in all his dealings with
men.
In his introspection he spared him.
self nothing, nor had he ever. 1t
seemed as though he had always been
going over things, and sizing himself
up for just his actual worth. and his
conscience had always been keenly
active in accusing him, but to what
avail?
He knew that in the morning he
should begin life under the same old
standards, doing business in the same
old way. The world seemed to demand
il of him. He stood for a certain sort
Of success.
IL he fell short of that the world
would despise him. AS it was Ii placed
implicit confidence in him. The citi-
lens of his town had made him, first,
alderman, then mayor, and had even
run him for Governor on the losing
ticket.
He passed as one of the strongest
men of his community-a power In
Inc church, in politics, and society. II
anything ever happened that savored
Of dishonesty, the blame was always
credited elsewhere.
No one ever even thought OF the inn
maculate Richard Kiefer as anything
but the scrupulous, straightforward
person that he seemed to be. Still he
knew that he was two persons-no,
not that really, either, only one-a
man that the world knew nothing Of
weak, dishonest, Designing man
concealed by a mask that the world
thought man.
Behind this mask he skulked In
hiding, waiting for the world to COM
mand him to come out but until the
world did-well, there was no need of
convicting himself. Things were going
along very smoothly for him and his.
He was what the world would call
m ideal family man. He owned fine
home, and kept servant to keep his
wife from drudgery. He provided an
auto for his sons amusement, and
Paid master to teach his daughter
the refined art of music.
And what was more, he was a self
made mana man who had come up
from the bottoml
All that he had, he had earned
through the convolutions of his own
gray matter. He felt certain salts.
faction in the thought that no man
had ever given him nything-though
lie was not too hardened for feeling
OF shame during his hours. Of re-
Election to remember that he had
sometimes taken little more than
he had honestly earned.
The question was whether in this
day and age you could call IL dis
honesty.
He had begun in the firm OF Shrip-
pen q Lawson as an office. boy but for
wears he had been sole manager, hav.
ing the whole scheme in his own
hands for the promotion of their bus.
mess, and handling all the money!
AS to whether he had done Il ably
or not could be judged by the in.
creased capacity OF the concern, its
improved buildings, it's more than
equal share of patronage with other
business concerns in town. The fact
that he had feathered his own nest
considerably more than would have
figured UP at the rate OF ten thousand
\ year spoke well for his extraordi-
nary ability.
He was very remarkable man. He
saw chances where other men saw
nothing at all. and he never lost a
chance He was willing 70 take