Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1921-08-19
The WreCkerS
By
FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyright y n rburss

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nights were beginning to get a bit
chilly.
| had butted in with a telegram
which might just as well have stood
over until the~next morning, if you
want to know. After l had delivered
1t, Mrs. Shella gave me that funny
little laugh Of hers and told me to go
hunt in the pantry and see if, l could
find a piece of pie, and the boss added
that if I'd wait he'd go back to town
with me pretty seOn.
l. found the pie, andtate 1t in the
dining-room, making noise enough
about it so that they could know
was there if they wanted to. But
they went right on talking and paid
no attention 10 me.
do you know, Shella, they had
lohg since got past the MIR" and
Mrs, '-"you've been the greatest pos
siPle help to me in this rough-house,
all the way along" the boss was say
ing. you have held me up to the
rack, time and again, when l have
been ready to THROW it all up and let
90. Why have you done it?"
/ / heard the little laugh again, and
she said; ut is worth something to
have a friend, Odd as it may seem,
Graham, l have been singularly pow
erty-stricken in that respect. And
have wanted to see you succeed.
Though youare stin calling It merely
a business deal it is really a mis-
sion, you know crammed full of good
things to a struggling world. If you
do suCceed-and | am sure you are
going tO-yOu will leave this commu-
nifty, and hundreds Of others, vastly
the better for what you are doing and
demonstrating
But that is a mans point of view
tie boss persisted "How do you get
it2 You are all woman, you know;
and your mixing and mingling-at
least, since have known you-has all
been purely social. How do you get
the big oyerlook%
Il don't know. l was foolish and
frivolous once, like most young girls,
l suppose. But we all grow older;
and we ought to grow wiser Besides,
the woman has the advantage Of the
man in one respect; she has time to
think and plan and reason things out
as a busy man can't have. Your prob
lem has seemed very simple to me.
from the very beginning. 1t asked for
a strong man and an honest one. You
We're to take charge of a piece of
property that had been abused and
knocked about and used as a means
of extortion and oppression, and you
were to make it good"
Again, that is a mans point of
view"
"Oh, no." she protested quickly
"There is no sex in ethics, Women are
the natural hOuse-cleaners, perhaps
but that isn't saying that a man can't
be one, too, if he wants to be-
At this, the boss got up and began
to tramp up and down the room;
could hear him. | knew she'd been
having the biggest kind of a job to
keep him shut up in this sort Of
abstract corral, when all the time he
was loving her fit to kill, but ap-
parently she had been doing it, sue
cessfully. There wasn't the faintest
breath of sentiment in the air; not
the slightest Whit, When she began
again, | could somehow feel that she
was just in time to prevent his break
ing out into all sorts of loye-making
THE time has come, now, whel you
must take another leaf out of my
book" she said, with Just the proper
little cooling tang in her voice, up
to the present you have been hammer
ing your way to the end like a strong
man, and that was right, But you
have been more or less reckless-and
that isn't right or fair or just to a lot
Of other people"
The tramping stopped and l heard
him say: 81 don't know what you
mean"
81 mean that matters have come to
such a pass now that you can't afford
to tal'e any risks-perSonal risks. If
the plan the enemy is trying doesn't
work, it will try another and a more
desperate one"
you've been talking to Ripley" he
laughed. "Ripley wants me TO become
a gun-toter and provide myself with
a body-guard I'd look well, wouldn't
I? But what do you mean by the plan
the enemy is now trying'|
She hesitated little, and then said:
81 shall make no charges, because l
have no proof But | read the news
papers, and Mr. Van Britt tells me
something, now and then You are
having a terrible lot Of wrecks"
THAT is merely bad luck he re,
| joined easily,
freshness is no part Of true cour-
age" she interpoIated, calmly. "As a
private individual you might say that
your life is your own, and that you
have a perfect right to risk it rs you
please. But as the general manager
of the railroad, with lot of your
friends holding Office under you, you
can't say that. Besides, you are fight
ing for a cause, and that cause will