The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-02-01

His whole body was crying out for the
drink he wanted. But the thing that
frightened him was the realization.
brought home at last, that this was
what had been the matter with him
for months. In a way, he had known
it all along. His shame over the habit
gave him away his careful conceal
ment from his associates of the
amount OF whisky il took to see him
through the day.
He got up and tool the empty bottle
and the glass into the bathroom,
washed them out thoroughly, and then
washed his hands. The only way TO
quit was to quit.
There had been nothing in Joe's ex-
p%erience that was comparable with the
fortunes of the ensuing week.
He was starving, for food was some
thing he could hardly bring himself
TO touch he was consumed by what
seemed like thirst, except that 10
drink he would take could satisfy IL /;
he was dragged down by a heavy lassi-
tude; his nervous irritability was that
Of a man excoriated; he was utterly
and terribly alone. Worst of all was
the obsession that one drink. even "A
small drink. of whisky would make
him instantly himself again. He as
serted TO himself that this was a lie (;
that at the worst he was a better man
than the m~uzzy-witted fool he had
been for the past six months; but this
was an assertion that he had con
stantly 10 make anew.
The only thing that supported him
was the other fight he was engaged in.
the fight to keep himself and the IN
terprise which he had made a part of
himself u of the waiting clutches of
John Williamson and his friends.
Jennie's letter when it came IN Mon
day morning made il clear that they
must have been waiting and ready for
a good while. There was no doubt
in Jennie's mind, nor in Joe's. that
the other crowd were completely un-
loaded.
Joe got her ar once on the telephone
and told her that he was going to keep
trying to market the fax in New
York. He was going after a new lot
of people. Jennie she III go TO the
meeting and receive their terms. and
them TO him. Also she was
to avoid saying anything about his
plans or present whereabouts. He
ended the conversation by telling her
she wasn't to feel discouraged.
He believed he was going to win out
yet.
He had begun, as he told Jennie he
meant TO do, with a new crowd, none
Of them as big as the men in the
inner ring; but on Friday, when he
had talked to a dozen of them TO-
at a prearranged lunch, this
reawakened sensitiveness of his told
the tide had turned against him.
tried to shout this instinct down,
he knew he was beaten.
He went back to the hotel, and there
found Jennie's letter containing in full
he terms offered by Williamson. Cor
)ett and Crawford. The mental effort
involved in reading the letter was an
agony in itself. In the broad outline, |
however. it was simple enough. The
irst move had been on Monday morn
ng, when the three of them formally
'endered their designations as direc-
.ors in the Greer company, the reason
being offered in each ease that they
we're no longer stockholders in the
company. They now proposed to or
a new corporation which would
into a f%ive-year contract with the
company to buy the entire out
tut of raw fax which the Greer ON
)any was committed to buy from the
subsidiaries, at the price which the
company had paid the subsid-
aries plus a brokers' commission of
'ne-eighth of one per cent. The Greer
ompany was given thirty days in
to accept this offer.
Joe grinned savagely over the neat-
less of the thing. He was to be left
.'ndisturbed in cont.0i of the Greer
ompany. The Greer company wa to
saved from bankruptcy, allowed to
ollect its meager royalties, if it could, !