The Holly chieftain., 1924-04-03
CHAPTER vI-contInued.

shocked us you like. l mean you to
be. I'm trying. to wake you up. In
nocence is a good thing to have, but
1t isn't the only thing In the world.
You'd lost yours long before you were
as old as she is. In more ways than
you mean about her. You'd run
amuck. You'd got down. you've often
told me, to the edge of the gutter.
You're proud of it, too! Because of
the way you built yourself up from
there. By yourself. Without any help
from anybody.
"Well. she's like you. You've said
that yourself, but I told you you'd
never be able to remember 1t. She's
got to find things out for herself, even
II she gets hurt. now and then. doing
1t. Nobody can help her unless they
begin by trusting her to find her own
way. And If she sees that you don't
finds you watching her and spying on
her-it'll do her more harm than any
drunken lover could do her at the
end of a joyride. l mean that, Joe
literally"
His only answer, for the moment,
was to say that he wouldn't have be-
lieved a woman-a good woman
could have talked like that.
She uttered mlrthless laugh. az
don't believe you know much about
good women. l doubt if you know
one when you see one"
I'm not going North again." he
said. after heavy silence. There
were few things l wanted to finish
up, but they can stand over. I've
got job here; l can see that. l
couldn't expect anybody else to do it
for me. She's my daughter; that's
the difference. I'm going to look after
her my own way. l don't mean to spy
on her. She won't know I'm watching
or asking questions. But Pm going to
know!"
With Joe home there was no longer
any need for Jennie to remain with
the. girl and so she returned to her
own home The first night she was
miserably lonely. She wanted Trix,
ranging in, hugging her at haphazard,
sprawling on the chair-arm or the
rug, talking neither very wisely nor
very wittily. at random, yawIing,
fonding her shoulder or her knee for
moment with a careless hand, and
saying she was going to bed. Naive,
pathetic, lovely. young, just beginning
to find herselfi What right had Joe
to come trampling into this little gar
den. just because momentary casual
act of his, forgotten for twenty years,
had harnttay, ;c
she?
Their conferences over the patent
situation endured for days. 1t was
sense of the directors that an arrange
ment should be made. Crawford
made a formal motion that the set
tlement be made, when 1t was made,
in stock
This put Joe in a corner. Real dan
ger always quieted him, and his argu-
ment, though forcible, was low-voiced
and concIliatory. The fundamental
difficulty about organizing this COM
pany. he pointed out, has been over
the question Of control. He had felt
at first that since he was putting his
whole fortune into the company and
was to be Its technical head he was
entitled to full control. 1t had been
with the greatest reluctance that he
had consented to divided control.
an even fifty per cent In his hands
and fifty In the hands of the asso-
ciates. He had relied upon gentle
mems agreement that this balance
should not be disturbed by the issu-
ance Of treasury stock. He felt that
the payment Of the inventor in this
as likely to disturb that balance 1t
would be much easier matter for
Williamson, COrbett, and Crawford, or
their friends. to possess themselves of
that stock than 1t would be for him.
He urged, therefore, in the interest Of
fair play, that the cash price, or, rath-
er, the best compromise they could
make on a cash basis, be accepted.
Question" Corbett murmured when
they had heard him in silence to the
end. But Frank Crawford, after
glance down the table at Henry Crav-
ems troubled face, made little speech
OF reinsurance. The agreement was
still gent!emen's agreement, and
there was no disposition on the part
of any one to violate it. The control
had from the first been ambiguous.
and 1t would be no more so after the
stock sale had been made. There was
no reason to believe that the inventor
was not entirely disinterested. Craw-
ford was voting for a stock payment
both because he did not wish the com
pAny's financial resources depleted
and because he did wish the person
mel strengthened, as he believed 1t
would be by the enlistment Of man
whose talents, as an inventor, had
been so highly praised by their pres
ldent.
The vote was then taken and the
motion carried. Joe. Jennie. and Ma
than voting against 1t. 1t was sup
ported BY Williamson, Corbett. Craw