Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1933-01-19

utT tndl men must e0nceue I'm q fai
fighter. But there's only one thin
that matters much. that gets In clos
to a mans heart" He paused. THAT
what John thinks of me-"
Silence for a moment, except TO
the ~bufetfngs of the gale about tina
Chicago skyscraper.
You've got three kids, Harrington
had only n and a humding
erl That cub HIS bells, 3
man can't say what he feels or
SOM things Nobody'll ever know
how hard | tried to play up to
what he's thought of me ever since
he was so high; nobody ever can know
what a burden It's been to be the
kind of a party he thought | was
The rough voice had become a mono
tone now. as though be fought for
self-control.
He opposed me just once; he
warned me Just once. Him, a kid,
warnin' me about my judgment of a
man! | laughed at him and !.
Well. | laughed at him and"
Harrington added:
And he was right
Another guess"-in another surIy
growl. "But'-looking up again. face
furrowed with intense earnestness-
If that vas so-Tm net admittin' It,
but Il 1t was so-wonld you let him
find It out trst2 Would you let him
come to you and say | told-you-so?4
Pause. Not on your life. you
wouldn't!
You wouldn't let him even suspect
that the thing he'd worked for and
waited for wasn't what he'd expectedl
lou wouldn't let him think that the
one present he'd wanted was marred
before 1t got into his hands. Not
much. you wouldn't! You'd fix it up,
somehow, even If the trouble was so
mysterious you couldn't locate It. be-
fore you handed It ever SO so
the estimate he'd had of you wouldn't
lose anything OF of what 1t had
Then you'd tell him he'd been right,
but not before I"
He waited d long moment. aWouldn't
your he insisted.
had your devotion and the
Belknap pride, Tom. | expect | would"
Harrington answered gravely. .'But
the devil of 1t Is that you're leaving
today for Europe. and won't be"
Yes! The devil of It! And the
devil Of It is. the d-n doctors are
right I'm no fool, Harrington. /
know that they know. l know when
they say / need three months In q
place where business can't reach me
that I'd better hit the grade for that
place. Well, nobody but the doctors
and you know this trips forced. /
amt going to worry anybody. A big
timber operation can't go to hi In a
heap In ninety days. I'll be back I'll
be tit to go into the Kampfest thing
with sleeves rolled up, find out just
what and how much In wrong. and TIT
set it for John as we'd planned
it'd be I"
'But don't you see that while you're
away the office could
II wash my own dirty llnenn
but suppose, Tom, something should
happen?"
The old man shook his head, half
In negati0n. half In agreement.
I'D have to come clean. then, I
guess. I've prepared for that" He
opened a drawer and took out a sealed
envelope. n wrote this last night.
It's for John If Ii some cathe-
dral should fall on me. If come
back, ! want 1t back from you.
And Ii / don't come back, you might
just say. Harrington say TO the
boy that that he was q hum
dinger will your"
The strong voice shook a trine "a
Harrington eyed the firm pen strokes.
inscribing the name Of John Steele
Belknap on that envelope.
"Sure. Tom" the secretary said iust
a bit huskily. Sure thing. And
hope he'll 20 to Relknap Seven. But
remember he's got his fathers pride.
he's high-strung. You can't give a coli
too much bit ven to save him a fallr
Il
And a half-hour later in that cham.
Der. the brain housing Of vast indus
try, a young man was about to
burn up.
4 big young man, this John Steele
Belknap. tall and broad and thick of
chest Out of place, he looked. Ia this
room, with its d~eep-napped rugs and
heavy hangings. He wore a maroon
checkered Mackinaw and staged pants
chung to stalwart calves; feet In the
creased pacs were spread a bit as a
man will when he meets an assault.
His face vas weather-beaten but a
bit pale now, his nostrils dilated
he fought to keep at least d
Of good humor In the deep
blue eyes, and the semblance Of a grin
the wide mouth by telling himself
o stay by 1t another minute, to hold
he old dander down just another
But don't you see, Tom" he began.
that It's what I've worked and waited
or all these years? 1t want any
1lan OF mine In the first plans Id
for mvsalf