Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-11-19

the Metropolitan agency. He stopped
me.
''You had me fooled, he said. 81
really thought you didn't know"
Il did not know" said.
Didn't your he exclaimed. 'You
are here to see Richard Dobson. / fol-
lowed my bunch. / have the answer
to the thing / 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 is-as a name; but he
is alive as Sidney"
"Mr. Sidney is Dead" / said. "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. I thought how true
had been my conception of him as
the inevitable. Mr.. Sidney had out
played fate, but it 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. I 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 am not
through with you people. Publicity Is
just as good now as it was before"
He got into an automobile, and was
driven away.
Something always happens to these
moral consciences," said Jed savage
". you'll learn life some day, young
fellow. Now keep your mouth shut
inside here
The warden told us that Richard
Dobson had died the night before. He
had sustained a great shock the night
he walked out of the penitentiary and
was found on Mr.. Sidney's grounds
The adventure not only overtaxed him
physically, but it had affected his i'm
agination. 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
but at other times was in delir1um
When deliriods, he suffered chiefly
from the delusion that he had seen
his brothers ghost.
He died slowly and in great misery
the warden said.
"Now keep your mouth shut, you
fool" Jed orderedLby merely prod
ding me in the ribs.
The warden was affected by the
news of Mr.. Sidney's death. He re-
membered him as the pleasant man
who had called one day. 1t seemed to
me that our visit, so shortly after Mr.
Sidney's death, must appear as thing
strangely without purpose to the war
den. but Jed was so apparently right
| in asking for silence at this time thai
I Welded to his prudential course.
The right and wrong of the Dobson
affair was in the grave. Our depar
ture from the penitentiary was awk-
ward. / thought. The warden did not
seem to find it so.
On the way back Jed presented. vi
ciously, the sharp edges Of our trouble
s.You have that fellow Morgan te
deal WITH" he said. IF you are going
| to be moralistic, you will ruin the lives
Of two ladies who have trusted you
Morgan has to be bought. You are not
doing anyone any hurt now. You are
not keeping an innocent man in the
nenitentiary. You are not disturbing
Justice or defeating punishment. Yor
are taking the surest means to the
nrotection of the innocent by bribins
this man to silence"
Of ali the obvious things I NIGH
have said to this man who for Ions
fine had terrorized the Sidney house
hold. none seemed pertinent. They
would have been imprecations and re
nroaches. They would have deal
with the past. He, as if he had {
clean slate, was dealing with the flu
/ ture. It did Mrs. Sidney and Isobe
no good to tell Jed that he had beer
q rascal and was unfit to advise.
sIf YOU 30 to Mrs. Sidney" sale
Jed. .'she will sacrifice herself ant
everybody else. Go to Miss Sidney
and fell her that the family must pay
Mr.. Morgan $4,000. He'll want $50,
600. He'll take twenty. Give it t.
him in five annual installments. Al
the emo of five years he'll be harm
less. You and Miss Sidney will have
established yourselves, and Morgan,
story will be dried-up walnut
The proposal was so repulsive tina
i I did not answer Jed. He said grea
deal more in a great deal Of bitter
ness. chiefly against me and what h'
conceived to be my moralistic ideas.
When we had returned to Hartley
house, Jed said:
"Do at least one thing, ask Mis-;
Sidney what she prefers"
/ had no right and no inclination
TO make a decision which concerned
the family and not me. did not wan
to sneak to Mrs. Sidney-Jed wa!
right. her conscience might permit
only the answer which would expose
the family to consequences. SPOKE
to Isobel.
We compromised with Morgan. Jet
again was right. Morgan wanted $50,
| 200 He took $4,000