Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1919-12-04
CHAPTER MI.-continued.

must say DafCf ludl lOI u SuItN
business man you are awfully dens
about Coward
He remained silent for a few me
ments. He decided not to follow he
lead. He knew that If she had any
thing explicit to say about Conwart
she would say IT when she felt tn
time to be oppOrtune, and not unit
then.
How much did you invest?"
"Not much. Just what l had"
"YOu mean all your savings?'
"Why not? It's all right, isn't it?"
He had risen and was standing BY
the window.
'It's all right, isn't iii" she repeat
ed.
I'm afraid it isn't" he said, al
length, in a restrained voice. "Tn
afraid it isn't"
what do you mean?" she demand
ed.
Bert" he continued, did it ever
occur to you that this thing must have
an end-that we can't go on forever
lifting ourselves by our own boot
straps? We have built city here, a
great and beautiful city, almost as a
wizard might build it by magic over
night. There was room for it here !;
there was occasion |; there was justifi-
cation. But there was neither occa-
sion nor justification for turning miles
and miles of prairie land into city lots
49, a - -
cannot possibly, in your time or mine,
be required for city purposes. These
lots should be producing; wheat, oats,
potatoes, cows, butter-that is what
we must build our city on. We have
been considering the effect rather than
the cause. The cause is the country,
the neglected country, and until it
overtakes the city we must stand still,
if we do not go back. Our prosperity
has been built ON borrowed money,
and we have forgotten that borrowed
money must some time be repaid"
you mean that the boom Is about
to burst?" she said.
Not exactly burst. 1t will not be
so sudden as that. It will just ooze
away like toy balloon pricked with
a PIN"
There was silence for some minutes. |
When she spoke at length it was with
a tinge of bitterness. $50 you are
~,aa % 4
.sThe firm is. / beg you, sDagt.s - !.
believe that If had known your in |
tention / would have tried to dissuade
you.'
"Why me particularly? l am only
one of the great public. Why don't
YOU give your conclusions to the
world? Now that you see the reaction
setting in doesn't honesty suggest
what your course should be?"
There was reproach in her voice,
Dave thought, rather than bitterness.
He spread out his hands. Whats
he use? The harm is done. To pre-
lict collapse would be to precipitate
1 panic. 1t as though we were passen-
gers on boat at sea. You and l
know the boat is sinking, but the
,ther passengers don't. They are
you can accept that fig
lre-and revelry and easy money.
Why spoil their remaining few hours
" telling them they are headed for
he bottom?"
After a moment she placed her fin
,ers on his arm. "Forgive me, Dave"
he said. II didn't mean TO whine
"You didn't whine" he returned, al
most fiercely. ITS not you. You are
90 good a sport. But there will be
OTIS of whining in the coming months"
1anlike, it did not occur to Dave that
n that moment the girl had hidden
.oodby to her savings of dozen
ears and had merely looked up and
aid, Forgive me, Dave, l didn't
mean to whine" |
He glanced at his watch. '1t's late $
or q theater" he said, "but we can I
ide. Which do you say-auto or I
orseback?" h
81 can't go horseback in these q
lothes and l don't want to change
Dave pressed a button and the ON =
ipresent Chinese "boy" stood before a
i'm. "Aly car" he said "The two 1
assenger car. l shall not want
river" Then, continuing to Miss
Iorrison: "You will need something c
lore than that coat Let me see My b
lhoking jacket should fit" f
In few minutes they were thread Il
1g their way through the street traf-
& in Dawes machine. Presently the c.
rafiic thinned and the car hummed W
trough long residential avenues of
homes On and on they
bed, until the city streets and the
Ity lights fell behind and the car was q
winging along fine country road tc
trough a land marked with streams
nd bridges and blocked out with fra u
rant bluffs of young poplars. "
Al last, after an hours steady driv- Y,
Ig In delight of motion too keen for a
,nversation. they pulled up on the d,
row of a hill. Dave switched off his
ghts, the better to appreciate the Y,
ajesty of the night, and in the ST. II,
nee came the low murmur of water. o.
here were no words. They sat and ht