Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1933-04-20

ssThis is 1t:

they cruised my insides two weeks
ago. I've kept my mouth shut about
being under the weather; time enough
to worry folks when there's a cause,
especially your mother. They tell me
that three months of rest will put me
spry again. | hope they're right for
a lot OF reasons. but only one of them
frets me much.
This Is because II | nit the grade
for the last time now you are going to
beat me to finding out just how big a
monkey I've been made In the Kamp-
fest operation. Yes, son, things are
wrong up there. | guess you were
right in your estimate of Gorbel. For
over a year I've been certain that q
plenty is being put over on us.
can't run 1t down now: that is a Job
for a well man. I'm going off to get
well so | can fix what | broke.
eff there's one thing I've prlded
myself on it was the picking of men.
| took Gorbel on, first, because he had
a hold on Just the layout you and
needed for the Big job; and. second
becanse-spite of all of you-he looked
good to me.
"'There are some men who can adj
NIT mistakes, but a Belknap hates to.
When we have to, though. we want to
do 1t ourselves and not have somebody
else finding. out what fools we've been.
Besides, any man with a o like you
wants to be able to turn over the
works to him without any messes to
clean UP. | don't even want you to
guess that there's d mess until | get it
fixed up. Then I can tell you and
save my face. That is straining q
point, perhaps, but II you ever have
the sort Of a son you should have
such a son as you are to me-youH get
the Idea that the admiration and re-
spect of a boy will keep his old dad
hustling to be worthy of them.
"'The thing that I especially want
to keep Is the look that used to be In
your eyes when / used to drag you by
the hand around through millyards
and along skid roads. You were only
about honper-grass high then. You'd
get hot In summer and cold In win
ter; the flies would bite you and you'd
be tired and hungry. But 1t was al
ways all right with you. Anything
I did was all right. You believed in
me. For you, | was burned nea In
fallible and able to do anything !
set out to do. I've got to hang on
to that, Johnny It's the real treasure
I've had In life.
"sYou'll be In soon. For the second
time I'm going to steer you away from
Kampfest. It's going to break your
heart and mine, too. But you're not
going to show 1t, neither ann ]. The
reason Is that we're Belknaps, and the
breed doesn't show hurts or affections
much. 1t feels a lot, though, and SO II
the doctors are wrong and you have to
get your explanation this way, please
believe that I'm hurting you so | can
have d chance to wash the clothes I've
dirtied and by doing SO keep your re-
spect.
"tAnd above all, you must realize
this. that an old man has a devil Of
a time playing up to what a father OF
a son like you should be. I'm so
proud of you 1t keeps me awake
nights. Good luck; God bless you.
aTOM.'"
Harrington paused. His voice had
shaken a trifle on the last.
John blinked his eyes and cleared
his throat with q brave, long hur-r-
rumpi
It'll III )" he began. Il
guess I'll be d-d"-Weak1y.
4But you should have heard him
cheer. clear across the Atlantic, when
told him what the afternoon papers
said, about all the embarrassing
you'd forced Gorbel to confess.
.And he said for you to stay right
there In Kampfest and u the Job and
that he was coming to ask for a
chance to help-that's just what he
said: to ask for a chance to help-as
fast as boats and trains can bring
him. Says that he feels fit as a fiddle
and had already booked passage two
weeks earlier than he'd intended to.
You can use your own Judgment, Of
course, but / don't know as I'd make
any important changes until he gets
here"
John reached out for Ellen's hand.
How long will 1t take himT" he
asked, commencing to smile.
"Why, not long ten days, say"
Ten days. Don't yon call that
long? What's that?"-leaning
closer to the phone as the wire went
bad for a moment. ooh the jobl
Sure. the job can stageer along for
ten days without any changes. But
there are other things up here. Har-
rington, so important that they make
the job look like a joke. And
ten days? Man, for these other things,
ten days is ages and ages !.
and ages.
1.-THE END.1