The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-05-29
Bv EDWIN BALMER
Copyright by Edwin Balmer
wNU Service
CHAPTER 1

accurately into Its bell-lipped holder.
He liked to hit 1t like that, after sign
ing checks for four hundred thousand.
And 1t was his money, or funds under
his control. His name. written by
himself, converted these green slips
of paper into cash. Sometimes, sit
ting here, he had signed for more
than half a million; once for MIL
lion. And he could sit back and spear
that holder with his pen so that 1t
stuck in, two out of three tries. That
was showing your nerves were In
shape; that was staying twenty-eight
and beating business at the same
time.
Miss Gilbert came in to gather up
the checks.
who's waiting?" Jeb asked.
"Mr. Saunders about insult Utili-
ties; Mr.. Hazen And have you
forgotten your brother, Mr.. Braddon"
Jeb laughed. "Good Lord, I didl Is
he still out there? Shoot him in first"
Left alone, Jeb swung about slow
ly in the winter sunlight and gazed
out his windows over the city. All
Chicago. except rival pinnacle or
two, lay below him; for the offices
of ]. E. Braddon and Company
claimed two floors high in one of the
tallest towers. Roofs white with last
nights new snow reached away.
square after square.
Hidden under those roofs, and in
the deep ruts of the streets between,
were three millions of people. The
conflict Of their lives, in its innumer-
able forms, set beating this tense,
eager impulse that you felt here In
Chicago.
Crude and cultured; pagan and Pur-
itanic; savage and overciviliZed; in
credibly cruel and extravagantly, abb
surdly maudlin in many of its mer-
cies. A city, like all the nation, su-
perspeeded for making money, 1t put
millions into many hands that never
before had fingered either wealth or
privilege.
Judson Elliot Braddon's we're far
from the least familiar with these.
He had much more behind him than
most of these young men of destiny
of 1929; and the place he won for
himself In this city had surpassed
theirs.
How important 1t was. his splendid
impressive offices declared: and at
the sound of the door, Jeb swung
back, giving a glance around his big
room. 1t had not ceased pleasantly
to impress him. 1t never impressed
his brother. No display Of jobs swift
success ever aroused Rodney. He did
not envy or disdain 1t; he simply
seemed not to be affected by It, Rod
always had been that sort, utterly diff
ferent. Jeb could not remember that
Rod ever had expressed a desire to
make money; neither as boy nor man.
Some day, both boys had known, each
of them would come into" forty thou
sand dollars left In trust by their
grandfather.
That day, when he was twenty-one,
had come for Rodney eight years ago;
and in the bank at Andover reposed
the identical forty thousand dollars,
in bonds of the city of Andover and
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
which eight years ago had been for
mally delivered to Rodney Braddon.
The day, for Judson. had arrived
seven years ago; and the forty thou
sand in bonds had become four mil
lions in stocks and equities; in fact,
nearly five-if Jeb sold out at today's
prices.
The door opened.
"Hello, Rod"
"Hello, Jud." "Jud" was the old
familiar nickname when they we're
bows: but after he went to Yale, Jud
had cast 1t off for the name made
from his Initials. E. B., like "Jeb"
Stuart. Rodney had not gone to
Yale: he was then at Johns Hopkins,
going in for medicine and biology.
"Come ini" invited Jeb; and Rod
closed the door behind him.
"Busy?" asked Rod. absolutely with
out offense.
didn't mean to be, old fellow"
said Jeb as the lifetime OF affection
for this impractical. unseeking broth
er, so different from himself, flowed
over him. "Tell the truth, Rod.
Just forgot"
81 just thought I'd look in to see
you, since I'm leaving town." said
Rodney.
Leaving Chicago? For how long?"
"a full month, anyhow"
"Where you going?"
Observation-Disclosures, Jud, where
the Mayos are. They're doing some
work In immunity up there that I've
got to see."
Actually Rod had been invited to
take part in the work, but that was
something he would never volunteer,
not even to his brother.
"Then you're coming back here,
Rod?"
Probably not Germany-Leipsic,
] think, on the same trail"
"That'n take more than another
month";"