The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1927-01-15
How Jabez Got
Revenge

By H. IRVING KING


his lifelong enemy, Mathew Scott.
Mathew and he had been at school to-
gether-and had fought, even as little
boys. Then they had grown I'D and
had courted the same girl and Mathew
had married her. Jabez never mar
rted. He devoted the rest of his life
TO making mOney-and hating his sue
cessful rival. And Mathew had pros
pered, too; though not to the same
extent as Jabez. Mathew had gone in
for apple raising and, everybody said,
had made fortune.
The prosperity Of Jabez had come
from cultivating mortgages and max
ing loans at 10 per cent. Also from
an uncanny instinct he possessed with
regard to investment In stocks. He
had an Office In the city and spent his
time there, but he had never ceased
to lay low for a chance at Mathew.
And now he had him. For Mathew,
instead of sticking to his apples and
peaches been lured af1eld into
the thorny and troublous ways of e.
nancial speculation. And there was
Just this difference between Jabez
and Mathew-when Mathew bought
any, 1t went up. Secretly, through
agents Of his own, Jabez had followed
on Mathews trail-and was now pre-
pared to take his financial scalp.
Clarissa Thornton-the girl who
had preferred to become Mrs. Scott
rather than Mrs. Martin-had been
dead year now. Jabez's slit Of a
mouth grew firmer and his little eyes
glowed with a wicked CLEAN as he
considered the things he would do to
Mathew in the near future. Just
then he came to where the road
forked and stopped, hesitatIng which
fork to take. 1t was years since he
had been along that road.
Lets see" unused he, II think 1t
is the right fork that goes by
Mathews. I'll ask that young man
just passed"-and he waited for the
young man who was walking behind
him to come up.
Take the road to the left" said
the young man; "then the first turn
to the right. I'm on my way to Mr..
SCOtt's myself. If you win allow me
to jump in I'll pilot you"
Jabez fixed his eyes upon the frank,
open face of the youth and a strange,
inexplicable feeling came over him.
Something seemed to be calling to
the old man out Of the past, some
thing stirring within him feelings
long dormant-dead, as he had sup
posed, forever. Jump In" he said.
AftergR moments silence he turned
to the young man and asked: do
you know Mr.. Scott?"
''Why, yes" replied the youth with
q laugh; ''ratherl He is my father"
"Clarissa's boy" escaped from the
old mans lips In murmured tone.
''Clarissa was my mothers name"
said the young man. did you know
her, sir?"
EYES," replied Jabez, 81 knew her
and your father, too," he added grimly.
Then suddenly Jabez assumed his
best diplomatic manner. He drove
very slowly, purposely, and before they
reached the Scott place he had turned
the young man inside out" as the
saying is.
He had learned the old, old story Of
q young man and a maiden, very
much In love and kept from marry
ing by a stern parent who was re
solved that his son should marry q
girl picked out for him and not the
choice of his own heart. 'You are
quite sure that you love this Helen
BarstOw?" asked Jabez.
81 shall never love another woman
as l do her." was the reply. I'VE
shall marry, anyway. In this matter
wishes. But, you see, we win have
to wait long time. must get a job
somewhere, somehow. And i do hate
to break with father, awfully. But 1t
must be DONE"
Jabez, while talking with William,
had meIlowed to an extent which
would have caused his business ac-
Quaintances In the city, had they seen
and heard him, to have concluded that
the old man had lost his mind. But
he hadn't; he had only changed It.
"Now, William" said he when at
last they arrived at the Scott place,
you show me into the parlOr and
20 and tell your father l am waiting
for him there. And don't worry about
Helen. Your father and / are older
-acquaintances. Perhaps I can per-
suade him."
Jabez and Mathew were eloseted
together for two hours. When the
conference was over a treaty had been
signed which appeared to be satisfac-
tory to both. That night Mathew said
to his son: "William, If you really are
set upon marrying that Barstow girl
why, suppose I'll have to give my
consent. .
sHurrah! !" cried WiIliam-and then
refiectingly, did Mr.. Martin say any
thing about it,"
~Why, yes" replied Mathew. Il be
lieve that, in the course OF our bust.
ness talk, he did aIIude to some thing
Of the kind"