Fair play., 1920-11-27

are going to force him out of the only
place he has to live. and you are go.
ing to give him the tragedy Of know.
inl that his life was w-ecked"
"He Is rich man," l said. Half
the old Dobson estate IS his. All Of II
Is his. His brother was legally and is
now actually dead"
You are worse man than was, u
.sid jed. 81 never interfered with Mr.
S dney's scheme of punishment. You
are trying to. His scheme was just"
whats the use of this debate?"
exclaimed. You are morally incapa-
ble Of right doing"
"And you are foolish collection of
plous axioms," said jed.
When we came to the penitentiary
entrance. we encountered Morgan of
the Metropolitan agency.s He stopped
me.
"You had me fooled" he said. 81
really thought you didn't know"
81 did not know" said.
Didn't you," he exclaimed. "You
are here TO see Richard Dobson. I fol-
lowed my hunch. l have the answer
to the thing. I know why this man
Sidney never was younger than twenty
years. You are here to see Richard
Dobson because you are representing
Arthur Dobson."
ARTHUR Dobson is dead"
81 know he ls-as a name; but he
is alive as Sidney"
mfr. Sidney is dead" said. 1--WE
have come here to tell Richard Dob
son that he can go free. / did not
know who Arthur Dobson was until
last night"
AS Morgan stood before US on the
penitentiary steps, thought how true
had been my conception of him as
the inevitable. Mr.. Sidney had out
played fate, but 1t was by using the
trump card death.
Morgan's face showed some unpleas-
ant lines.
"What do you mean, that Sidney is
dead?" he asked.
He died Christmas night. l read
his diary last night. Jed gave It to
me. 1t is the one Dravada tried to
steal. We came here at once to tell
Richard DObson."
LET his brother Arthur tell him.
Richard is dead" said Morgan, going
on down the steps. But l am not
through with you people. Publicity Is
just as good now as 1t was before"
He got into an automobile, and was
driven away.
Something always happens to these
moral consciences." said Jed savage
ly. you'll learn life some day, young
fellow. Now keep your mouth shut
inside here"
Dobson had died the night before. He
had sustained great shock the night
he walked out of the penitentiary and
was found on Mr.. Sidneys grounds.
The adventure not only overtaxed him
physically, but 1t had affected his i'm
aginatlon. When the guards found
him, after the message from Hartley
house, he was incoherent and in a fe
yer
He never regained strength or ra-
| tiOnality. He had been quiet at times
| hut at other times was in delirium
When delrious. he suffered chiefly
| from the deuSion that he had seer
| his brothers ghost.
He died slowly and in great misery
the warden said.
"Now keep your mouth shut, yOr
fool" Jed ordered-by merely prod
ding me in the ribs.
The warden was affected by tn,
news of Mr.. Sidney's death. He re
membered him as the pleasant MAJ
who had called one day. II seemed t
me that our visit. so shortly after MI
Sdney's death. must appear as thin
strangely without purpose to the wal
den, but Jed was so apparently righ
In asking for silence at this time tina
yielded to his prudential course.
The right and wrong of the Dohso
affair was in the grave. Our depaI
ture from the penitentlary was awl
ward, thought. The warden did nc
seem to find II so.
On the way back Jed presented. v
ciously. the sharp edges of our trouble
"You have that fellow Morgan
deal with" he said. "If you are goin
to be moralistic, you will ruin the live
Of two ladies who have trusted yo'
Morgan has to be bought, You are NJ
doing anyone any hurt now. You al
not keeping an innocent man in tf
penitentiary. You are not disturbir
Justice or defeating punishment. Yc
are taking the surest means to II
protection of the innocent by bribiT
this man to silence"
OF all the obvious things I mig
have said TO this man who for lor
} time had terrorized the Sidney hous
} hold. none seemed pertinent. Th'
would have heon imprecations and 7
;. proaches. They would have dea
4 with the past He, as II he had
0 clean slate, was dealing with the +
q ture. II did Mrs. Sidney and Isoh
: no good to tell Jed that he had be,