The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-12-23

the Metropolitan agency. He stopped
me-
You had me fooled" he said. g
really thought you didn't know"
II did not know" said.
Didn't your he exclaimed. "You
are here to see Richard Dobson. fol.
lowed my bunch. I have the answer
to the thing. l 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"
II know he is-as name but he
is alive as Sidney"
Mr.. 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 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. read
his diary last night. Jed gave 1t 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
ly. 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. lie
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 inn
agination. When the guards found
him. after the message from Hartley
house. he was incoherent and in a fev
yer.
He never ragained strength or RAJ
tionality. He had been quiet at times,
but at other times was in delirium.
When delirious, he suffered chiefly
from the delusion that he had seen
his brothers ghost.
He died slowly and in great misery,
the warden said.
Nov keep your mouth shut, you
fool" Jed ordered-by 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 a thing
strangely without purpose to the war;
den. but Jed was so apparently right
in asking for silence at this time that
/ yielded 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.
"You have that fellow Morgan to
deal WITH" he said. eff you are going
TO be moralistic, you will ruin the lives
of two ladies who have trusted you.
Morgan mas to be bought. You are not
doing anyone any hurt now. You are
not keeping an innocent man in the
penitentiary. You are not disturbing
Justice or defeating punishment. You
are taking the surest means to the
protection of the innocent by bribing
this man to silence"
OF all the obvious things might
have said to this man who for long
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 a
clean slate, was dealing with the fu-
ture. 1t did Mrs. Sidney and Isobel
no good to tell Jed that he had been
a rascal and was unfit to advise.
"If you go to Mrs. Sidney" said
Tod ashe will sacrifice herself and
eSerybody else. Go to Miss Sidney
ara fell her that the family must pay
Mr. Morgan $4,000. He'll want $50.
400. He'll take twenty. Give it to
him in five annual installments. Al
tbe end of five years he'll be harm.
less. You and Miss Sidney will have
established yourselves, and Morgan's
story will be dried-up walnut"
The proposal was so repulsive that
| did not answer Jed. He said great
deal more in a great deal Of bitter.
ness. chiefly against me and what he
conceived to be my moralistic ideas.
When we had returned to Hartley
house, Jed said:
ssDo at least one thing, ask Miss
Sidney what she prefers"
had no right and no inclination
70 make a decision which concerned
the family and not me. did not want
TO speak to Mrs. Sidney-Jed was
right, her conscience might permit
only the answer which would expose
the family to consequences. / spoke
to Isobel.
We compromised with Morgan. JED