Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-05
The World for Sale

Copyright. 1918. by Harper & Bros)
ENOR one moment there was silence, a
little awe stricken, a little painful,
and then as from one man a great cheer
went up. For moment they had
thought him inconsiderate to come
among them in this crisis, for he was
no longer of their scheme of things and
must be counted out, beaten. battered,
blind bankrupt. Yet the sight of him
on his feet was too much for them
Blind he might be. but there was the
personality which had conquered them
in the past-brave, adroit. reckless, re-
nowned. None of them. or very few Of
them, had seen him since that night at
Barbazon's Tavern, yet in spite of his
tragedy there seemed little change IN
him. There was the same quirk at the
corner of the mouth. the same humor
in the strong face. not so ruddy now !;
and strangely enough the eyes were
neither guarded by spectacles. nor were
they shrunken, glazed or diseased, so
far as could be seen.
Stretching out hand, Ingolby gave
crisp laugh and said: $50 there's
been trouble since I've been gone. has
thereT' The corner of his mouth
quirked, his eyelids dropped in the old
quizzical way and the crowd laughed in
spite of themselves. What spirit he
had to take it all that way.
Got little deeper In the mire, have
you, boys?" he added. They tell me
the towns a frost just now, but it
seems nice and warm here in the sun.
Yes, boys, it's nice and warm here
among you all-the same good old crowd
that's made the two towns what they
are. The same good old crowd" he re-
peated, and up to the same old
games"
Almost every sentence had been pune
tuated by cheers. His personality domi-
mated them as aforetme with some new
accent to it; his voice was like that of
one given up from the dead, yet come
back from the wars alive and loving.
They never knew what figure he was
until now when they saw and heard
him again, and realized that he was
one of the few whom the world call
leaders because they have in them that
immeasurable sympathy which is un-
derstanding of men and matters. Yet
in the old days there never had been
the something that was in his voice
now, and in his face there was a great
friendliness, a sense of companionship,
Jonathan and David something. He
was like comrade talking to a thou
sand other comrades. There was a new
thing in him and they felt it stir them.
They thought he had been made softer
by his blindness, and they were not
wrong. Even the Manitou section were
stilled into sympathy with him. Many
of them had heard his speech in Bar
bazons Tavern just before the horse
shoe struck him down. and they heard
him now, much simpler in manner and
with that something in his voice and
face. Yet it made them shrink little.
too, to see his blind eyes looking out
straight before him. 1t was uncanny.
Their idea was that the eyes were as
before, but seeing nothing-bank to the
world.
Presently his hand shot out again.
1.-THE same old crowd.' he said. Just
the same-after the same old thing.
wanting what we all want thse two
places, Manitou and Lebanon, to be
boosted till they rule the West and
dominate the North. It's good to see
you all here again"-he spoke very
slowly-"to see you all here together
looking for trouble-looking for trou-
BILE. There you are, Jim Barager there
you are, Bill Riley; there you are, Mr.
William John Thomas McLeary.' The
last named was the butt of every tavern
and every street corner. "There you
are, Berry-old brown Berry, my bar
ber.'
At first the crowd not not quite un
derstand, did not realize that he was