Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-11-12

''Mr. Sidney is dead" I said. 1--WE
have come here to tell Richard Dob
son that he can go free. I did not
know who Arthur Dobson was until
last night"
AS Morgan stood before us on the |
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 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 l 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. 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 fe"
YER.
He never regained strength or ra-
tfonality. 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.
"Now 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 thing
strangely without purpose to the war
den, but Jed was so apparently right
In asking for silence at this time that
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. l 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 tt
deal WITH" he said. "If you are goinI
to be moralistic, you will ruin the live
of two ladies who have trusted you
Morgan has to be bought. You are no
doing anyone any hurt now. You ar
not keeping an innocent man In tn
penitentiary. You are not disturbing
Justice or defeating punishment. Yo'
are taking the surest means to tn
protection of the innocent by bribin
this man to silence"
OF all the obvious things Nigh
have said to this man who for lon
time had terrorized the, Sidney house
hold, none seemed pertinent. The
would have been imprecations and re
proaches. They would have deal
with the past. He, as If he had
clean slate, was dealing with the fl
ture. 1t did Mrs. Sidney, and Isob'
! no good to tell Jed that he had bee
: a rascal and was unfit to advise.
"If you go to Mrs. Sidney" sal
Jed. "she will sacrifice herself an
everybody else. Go to Miss Sidne
r and tell her that the family must pa
{ Mr.. Morgan $4,000. He'll want So
9 600. He'll take twenty. Give it
Z him In five annual installments.
: the end of five years he'll be harr
less. You and Miss Sidney win ha'
established yourselves, and Morgan
4 story will be q dried-up walnut"
a The proposal was so repulsive tn
N did not answer Jed. He said gre
deal more In a great deal Of bite
ness, chiefly against me and what
conceived to be my moralistic ideas.
When we had returned to Hartl
house, Jed said:
NJ "Do at least one thing, ask Nj
II Sidney what she prefers"
" / had no right and no inclinati
= to make a decision which concern
A the family and not me. 1 did not wa
N TO speak to Mrs. Sidney-Jed "
Nh right, her conscience might peri
IA only the answer which would expt
MI the family to consequences. 1 spC
vi to Isobel.
20 We compromised with Morgan.
again was right. Morgan wanted s;
600. He took $4,000.
Isobel had been insistent. She
been impatient of any suggestion t
& there could be anything immoral
E dangerous in such compromising. Fl
mime morals are selfshly protect
WIN of things near and dear. A gene
lied immortality, an unembodied
morality, is to women unimportant.
is less than unimportant; it is inn
ost sible; 1t does not exist. This i!
-ou part of the instinct which nouris
-ou and protects the infant.
nly 81 don't understand you at
go john" she said. 'Is there any q
1w- ton in your mind that we ought
protect my fathers memory and
Ialf mothers peace of mind? You at
E II that even now this man Morgan
| is wreck the things we hold deal
You admit that small payment
u.s." protect these things. You know
Mr.. the one thing Of which we have L
You than we need is money, and you
St" NIT that we are not doing any pc
!" I any harm by using it to bribe
lpa- man %organ."
OF course, ] had to give in.