K US' * feseS * *
jMy | Fellow Laborer. |
H $ By H. RIDER HAGGARD. *
Hp CHAPTBR V. ( Continued. )
"The work must take care of itself ,
& Geoffrey. You must discover the Se-
L cret of Life yourself ; or perhaps you
V had better put the whole thing in the
f fire and go back to practice. At any
V rate , it has served my turn , and I have
K done with it ! "
H "I don't understand you ! " I answcr-
m ed , sinking into a chair. "Perhaps if
B you are not In too great a hurry you
g will explain a little. "
B "Of course I will , when I have poured
m out your tea. There now , listen , and
M I will give you a lesson in human
B nature , which , with all your brains , you
K very much want , Geoffrey. I have been
V in this house for fourteen years , and
K I will begin by telling you that from
t the day that 1 came in till to-day when
m I go out , you have never understood me
L in the least. You have always looked
r j upon me as a simple-minded woman of
m intellectual capacity , and with a genius
L for mathematics , and no aims beyond
Y the discovery of scientific secrets. Now ,
B I will tell you. When I first came to
P this house as a girl of fourteen , I fell
B in love with you. You need , not look
fe astonished young girls sometimes deV
V that sort of thing. You were good
V > looking in those days , and very clever , '
H as you are now ; and then you were ,
H really and truly a gentleman , and one
sees so few gentlemen I always think
k they are the scarcest people m the ]
V world !
m "Well , I nursed my secret passion
m and held it so tight that neither you
ft lior your wife even guessed it Even
B in Uicse days I could form a clear opin-
W * ion , and I saw that she would not live ,
I long , and that the time would come \
| L when I should step into her shoes. So \
LgV I played upon her weak points , to ,
*
1 strengthen my hold over her , and wait-
Mk ed. In due course the time came. You !
were a long time before you proposed ;
B to me after her death , and your head i
H was so full of your work that I believe \
Hi yould would have been longer , had I
\
W not , by means that were imperceptible
L to you , kept continually turning your
B - mind into that channel. Even then you t
Wr did not love me as I wanted to be s
loved ; but I knew that this would come
after marriage. And then came the j
r crash , and the sudden appearance of an l
B obstacle against which no scheme of
B m'ne could prevail , overwhelmed and [
confused me , filling me with a sense of l
K impotence that I have never experi-
B enced before or since. If you could [
B know , Geoffrey , what a flood of un-
B utterable contempt rushed into my
B mind , as I heard you maundering on i
pi about your scruples and posterity ! It ;
K * \ drowned my passion. I felt that I was ;
* well rid of a man who could in cold I
| blood give me up to satisfy what he
I was pleased to call his conscience ! But
k perhaps you will never quite know or
g understand how near I went to killing
W [ you that night ! "
| \ Here I started the whole thing was
like a nightmare. Fanny laughed.
B "Don't be frightened , " Fanny went I
B on ; "there's nothing more melodramatic -
ic to come. I am glad to say that pru-
L 'dential considerations prevailed ! Well ,
W after that fiasco , I reviewed the position -
tion and determined to stay on partly
L from habit , partly on account of John
B partly , indeed chiefly , because I was
B still foolish enough to- believe in the
L Secret of Life business , and foresaw
B that when it did succeed my name
B would be made , and that I should then ,
I ' backed as I am by my personal appearance -
pearance and capacities , be able to
ft marry whom I liked , or , if I preferred
B it , not to marry , but to follow any caW -
W\ reer in life that might recommend itself -
[ ' elf to me.
L "At last , however , the end came. I
W lost all faith in our work , and saw that
L you and I had only been aking fools
ft of ourselves ; and consequently I de-
r termined to sever a connection that
ft could not bring me credit or profit.eith-
f er now or in the future , and , being a
ft woman , the only way that I could pos-
B sibly sever it with advantage was by
W marriage. For a long time I could [
ft not fall in with anybody rich enough ;
1 when at last a happy accident brought
Tt the man within my reach by the way ,
L\ 7 had thought of him for several years !
L \ and , of course , I took my chance , and [
. . married him before anybody could in-
r * terfere. What is more , I actually per-
ft * suaded him to enter into an engagement -
ment to settle four thousand a year to t
ft my separate use ; so you see I shall in
rrK reality be totally independent of the [
f " % man !
L "And what do you mean to do with
W yourself now ? " I asked , feebly.
W "Do ! I mean to bask in the sunshine
H nd drink the wine of Iife to know
Br what pleasure and power mean , to live
\ and become rich and great , and avenge [
\ myself upon everybody who has ever
[ slighted or injured me ! Oh , yes , I
I .shall do it , too ! I shall use even that
V miserable little Joseph , whom I just
ft now had the pleasure of promising to ,
B love , honor and obey , as a means to ,
W advance myself. He is a poor crea-
P .turo , but sharp enough to be a member
F. -ol Parliament , you < \-pqw.
K "That reminds me , f is waiting for
- • \ me at his club ; he was afraid to come s
'baclt and face you , so I must be going.
L WelJ , good-bye , - Geoffrey ; I hope that :
I * you "Will think kindly of me sometimes ,
.notwithstanding it all , and although i
' . have for the first time in my life ink -
k * iulged in the luxury of telling you i
P\N everything that is in my mind. Ah ,
you don't know what a luxury it is to
3 > e able to speak the truth just for once ! !
Do you know now that I am going to i
j. Jeave you it is very odd but I almost :
jgp -feel as though I loved you again , as j
1 * 'L ' used to do so many years ago ! At :
p .least I am glad to have spent all this
[ Jtlme .wl , 1 you. though I was often. l
l
*
dreary anougb , because I know that I
shall never meet a man like you again ,
and my mind leave3 you hardened and
braced and polished by contact with
your bright intellect , and by the constant -
stant study and application you have
1
insisted on till it has become a second
'
nature to me. I shall rais3 you , Geoffrey -
rey , but not so much as you will mis3
me. You will be miserable without mo ,
and no other woman can ever fill my
place , because I do not believe that
you can find any who is my equal in
intellectual resource. You see what
happens to people who indulge in
scruples ! Are you not sorry that you
did not marry me now ? "
"Fanny1 answered , solemnly , for
by this time I comprehended the whole
horror of the position , "I thank the
Providence jvhich preserved me from
joining my life to that of a woman so
wicked as yourself ! "
"Really , Geoffrey , you are quite en
ergetic ! I suppose that you are piqued
at my going. Well , I must be going ,
but before I go I will lay down a little
axiom for your future guidance ; I fear
you will think it cynical , but the truth
is often cynical. 'Never trust a woman
again. Remember that she always has
a motive. If she is under twenty-five ,
seek for it in her passions ; after that
in her self interest. ' "
At this moment her face changed ,
and as it did I heard the tap ! tap ! of
poor John's crutches as he came down
the passage. The door opened and'the
boy entered a feeble , undersized lad ,
with a pinched-up white face and a pair
of beautiful blue eye3.
"Cousin Fanny , " he said ( he al
ways called her cousin ) , as he entered ,
"where are you ? I have been looking
for * you everywhere. Why have they
been taking away your big box ? /rou
are not going away to stay withou ; , me ,
are you ? "
"Your cousin is going away for good ,
John , " I said ; and next moment I regretted -
gretted it , for it was dreadful to see
the look of agony that came upon the
poor lad's face. He loved Fanny with
all the strength of his sensitive and
exaggerated nature , and for years had
scarcely been able to bear her absence ,
even for a day.
"Oh , no ! no ! " he screamed , hobbling
up to her and catching hold of her
dress in his hands. "Don't say you're
going , cousin ! Ycu can't go and leave
me behind. "
"Geoffrey , " she said in a choked
voice , "let me lake the boy with me.
He is my weak point. I love him as
though he were my own. Let me take
him. He shall be looked after ! "
"I had rather see him dead ! " I an-
swered , sternly , little guessing how
soon I should be taken at my word.
She stooped down and kissed the lad ,
and then turned and went swiftly almost -
most at a run. He seized his crutches
and limped down the passage after her
at an astonishing pace , calling her by
name as he went , till presently one of
the crutches slipped , and he fell helpless -
less upon the stone flooring , and lay
there , still screaming to her through
the hall door , which she slammed be-
hind her. When I reached him he was
in a fit !
The whole thing formed the most
horrible , and in its way the most tragic
scene that I ever saw ; and I often
dream of it even now. And here I may
add that my poor boy never recovered
from the shock. He lingered three
months and then died in his sleep , ap-
parently from pure inanition. Well , it
was a merciful release from a life of
almost constant pain !
That was the last time that I ever
saw'Fanny Denelly , or rather Fanny
Hide-Thompson.
CHAPTER VI.
TTP - " 7" HEN John had
\ A / temPoraril r
60 > recov-
- - , \ I \ I ered under the
l ! \l V treatment that I
- .j-j jL Mm had applied , seeing
s ic that J could do
Q fVn nothing else for
* f jfv him' * gave nim a
t i 6 " sleeping draught ,
\J ) ) * ggfrf. , , and as soon as it
- ifiiraram bad taken effect , I
went down stairs
into the study in. a very strange state
of mind. I felt as though I had received -
ceived some dreadful physical shock.
I had believed in and trusted Fanny
as 1 had trusted no other woman on
earth , except my dear wife , and the
lurid light in which she now suddenly
revealed herself after these long j-ears
positively staggered and blinded me !
And yet , after it all , I wis astonished
to find that I remained fond of the wo-
man and missed her dreadfully. In
deed , it was a year or more before I
got over the feeling , and then I only
did it by the exercise of great self-con
trol. I had grown to depend upon her
so entirely that her help and society
seemed a necessity to me , quite alone
as I was in the world. Indeed , had it
not been for my own rather well-de-
veloped pride , I do not think I should
ever have got over it. But this came
to the rescue. I could not bear to re-
fleet that I was intellectual and socially -
cially bound to the chariot wheels of a
woman who had for years been making
a tool of me , and who was , after all ,
my inferior. And so by degrees I "did
get over . it ; but it has left its mark
on me yes , it has left its mark !
And then it was on that same disas-
trous morning that a wonder happened ,
so strangely and opportunely , that I
have at times been almost inclined to
attribute it to the direct intcrfl ence
of Providential Power. When f was
worn out with thinking , I turned to mj *
work , more from habit than anything
else , I think , only to be once more overcome -
ercome by the reflection that there too
I was helpless. The work could not go
on without the calculations , and who
was to do them now that Fanny had
deserted me ? I could not , and it would
be the task of years to teach anybody
else , however clever , for the under-
staxldin ? of them had grown with the
PtHMMMMMMBMM
experience. Besides , this I could aewer
afford to pay a man of the necessary
ability. It , appeared , therefore , that
there 1 was an end of my search for the
Secret i of Life , to which I had devoted
the I best years of my precarious exist
ence. < It was ail but labor lost , aa < '
would benefit neither myself nor man
kind. ] This conviction rushed upon
me i as I stood there by the pile of pa
pers ; , then for the first time I quite
broke ! down under the accumulated
weight of sorrows , and , putting my
hands ] before my face , I sobbed like a
child i ! The paroxysm passed , and with
it passed , too , all my high ambitionE.
I must give it up , and go back a fail
ure to what little practice I could.get ,
until such time as the end came.
CHAPTER VII.
ipstsn S I stooped to gath-
Jjl IK er up the various
[ &yk papers , I noticed
/i > nl tnat oq tlic tabie
/vCzrJJl&w II before me lay a
iJ great sheet of Fan
ny's calculations ,
P which she had been
employed upon the
previous night. The
qbsj top of the sheet
was covered with
two dense armies of figures and sym
bols , marching this way and that , but
toward the bottom they thinned out
wonderfully , till there remained two
little lines only of those'that had sur
vived the crooked ways of mathemati
cal war. Evidently she had laid down
her pen ( as she sometimes would ) just
before the termination of the prob
lem , which I was aware she had been
engaged on for several days. I knew
but little of the higher mathematics ,
but I could see if the left-hand line
were subtracted from the right , the
difference would be the result sought
for , provided the problem had beer :
worked out without error. I took a
pencil and did this idly enough. The-
first time I made a mistake , but even
with the mistake the result was suf
ficiently startling to make me rub my
eyes. I did it again , and then sank
back into the chair behind me with a
gasp , and trembling as though I had
unwittingly raised a ghost !
And no wonder. For there before
me was the Key to the great Secret
for which we had been wearily seekinc
so many years ! There was no mistake ,
about it ! I knew what it ought to be ,
and what conditions it must fulfill ;
and there it was , the last product of
scores of sheets of abstruse calculations
based upon laws that could not lie.
There it was ! She had stopped just
[
short of it , anil at length I had tri
umphed ! the fast obstacle to success ,
complete , absolute success , was gone !
I had wrung the answer to the great
question which torments the world
from the stony heart of the almighty
law that governs it !
"If she had known this , Fanny would
not have gone ! " I said aloud , and then ,
what between one thing and another , J
fainted !
( to b continued. )
A Sparrow's KIUo in a Fly "Wheel.
Birds have all sorts of queer adven
tures , but perhaps what was the odd
est one of recent days is that which be
fell a sparrow at Anderson , Ind. It
flew into a knife and bar manufactory , '
and , getting too near a small wheel ,
was sucked in. The workmen noticed
it go into the wheel , but knowing that
the cylinder was revolving at a speed
of 130 revolutions a minute , took it
for granted that the bird was killed.
When the factory shut down at noon
the men were astonished to hear a gen
tle chirp from the wheel , and lo , there
was the sparrow as well as ever. They
found that the bird had clung to the 1
strengthening rod of the wheel , and
was in a semi-dazed condition. They
picked him up and put him on a table ,
and thence , after collecting his wits ,
the little bird flew to freedom. The
wheel in which the bird rode made
31,000 revolutions while it was upon it ,
and so the tiny feathered creature
traveled seventy-three and eight-
tenths miles in the embrace of a fly
wheel.
A Qneer-Lookiii" "Word.
'
Supposing that you had been born
blind , and after living many years shut ;
out from the beautiful things of the i
world , some skilled surgeon should give i
to you your sight , wouldn't you have
some marvelous experiences ? says the !
Chicago Record. An old man who had
born blind had his
been sight thus re •
stored to him. At first he started violently
lently and was afraid of the strange
things around him , the hugeness of his !
room and its contents. One of the tiist ;
he saw at the
things window was a
flock of sparrows. "What are they ? "
asked the physician.
"I think they are teacups , " was the 1
reply.
A watch was then shown to him and
he knew what it was , probably because
he heard it tick. Later , on seeing the
flame of a lamp , he tried to pick it up ,
not having the slightest idea of its
nature.
A Great Help.
Mrs. Poorman It has been a hard
winter , ma'am. My three grown girls
have been very little help to me. The
poor things are not strong enough to
do the washing and they haven't
clothes good enough to apply for any
work. District Visitor But , you say
they have rich relatives ; don't they
look after them ? Mrs. Poorman ( sad
ly ) Only their morals , ma'am only
their morals. Goshen Democrat.
Almost Uncanny.
,
Yeast We've got a new cook that's *
a wonder. Crimsonbeak What's the
matter with her ? "She's been in the
1
house three weeks and no one has
heard her say what make wheel s.e ] i '
rides. " Yonkers Statesman.
GOODCROPSANDPfilCE
PROSPERITY RAPIDLY RETURN
ING TO THE LAND.
Talk With a DlstliiRuWhod Stntcnman
nd Agricultural Kxpcrt * IJ. AV. Snow
Hag Some Interesting : Views on Con
ditions and I'rosncct * .
Washington , D. C , Aug. 1 , 1S97.
It is seldom that the entire country
Is blessed with such an abundance as
this year. In no section is there re
ported "no crops. " Illinois has
pehaps the poorest wheat yield
but her corn crop is magnificent and
the 3mall losses from winter killed
wheat sections do not amount to any
thing in the grand total yield.
Mr. B. W. Snow , the ex-assistant sta
tistician of the department of agricul
ture , who is still making a specialty
of agricultural statistics , said , in
speaking of the great agricultural
wealth of the country at this time :
"With the bountiful crops throughout
the United States not in prospect but
actually in hand , with increased and
Increasing consumption at home and
a larger foreign demand for American
products and with prices on the up
grade even while the crops are still
on the iavrns , this year of 1897 will
be remembered as a year of great agri
cultural prosperity and plenty. "
"Harvesting is so far advanced , Mr.
Snow , that it is no longer a matter of
estimate and conjecture as to the yield ,
but In many cases you have the actual
approximate figures ? "
"Yes. The crop season is now so far
advanced that the final results can be
safely promised. Nevertheless the re
sult is no less pleasing than the earlier
prospective hopes of the most opto-
mistic. In no line of agricultural pro
duction is it a light year and in most
the yields are heavy. Hay has rarely
flourished as it has this year. The
abundant rains have given us a very
unusual crop and hay is a more important -
portant crop than usually thought.
The rates of the new tariff law thor
oughly protect our farmers in this re
spect. The year's wheat crop is the
second largest in the history of the
country , running upwards of 500,000 , -
000 bushels and well distributed over
the country. The corn crop promises
to be a very large one. The oat crop is
also well above the average. All the
minor crops ara in promising form. The
fruit crop generally promises good re-
suits. But these facts of large yield
and good promise do not tell the whole
story of prosperity. Prolific crops have
been harvested before , but in some
cases , have for want of consumption
and demand , proven a burden rather
than a blessing. It was a common
saying that the farmer would rather
have small crops with good prices than
large crops and no prfcas. But this
year come the abundant crops and high
prices , a rare combination and one
calculated to warm the cockles of the
heart of the thrifty farmer. Prices
are high and inclining upward. There
is no reason to fear a reaction and
slump because of the actual conditions
of th world's crops. The United
States holds the key to prices. The
wheat crop of the world is known to
be about 100,000,000 bushels short.
Argent na , India and Australia have
no surplus and Russia practically none.
Great Britain , France and Germany
are far short in their production of
their home demand. There was an
American surplus of last year's crop
of 70,000.000 bushels and the fortunate
thing is that this is in the hands of
the farm jr. The advanced position of
wheat de reloped before the farmer had
disposed of his wheat to buyers and
now he will reap the full benefit of the
advance. "
" 13 not the present crop larger than
was expected sometime ago , Mr.
Snow ? "
"It is , and the quality is of the fin
est. In winter killed sections the
wheat braced ud wonderfully. Fields
in Illinois whose plowing under was
contemplated early in the season have
made very fair yields and others with
a supposed small yield have shown by
the thresher enormous returns. The
actual increase in money in the hands
of the farmers through their wheat
holdings throughout the country is an
enormous sum. Wheat is worth now
about 20 cents a bushel more than the
crop last year and the advance for
this year has just begun. The market
will continue to rise. The increased
value of the wheat crop of Kansas
alone this year in comparison with last
amounts to nearly or quite $25,000,000 ,
while the increased value of the coun
try's crop at present prices is in ex
cess of 8100,000,000 over that of last
year. "
"What are the corn outlooks , Mr.
Snow ? "
"Most gratifying. Although the sea
son started late the yield will be
large. 2,000,000,000 bushels is a fair
estimate as the acreage is the largest
ever planted. Every indication points
to advancing prices in corn. Last
year at this time prices were shrinking
at the prospect of a large crop ; this
year the tendency is upward. Millions
of bushels of ol corn now lie in the
cribs in the west and with rising prices
for this as well as the new crop , there
can be but one iesult. "
"All along the line of agricultural
production , including all live stock ,
there is a general steady increase.
Large new flocks of sheep are con
templated as a result of the wool tariff
and the demand has increased the
value of the sheep holdings of the
country $10,000,000.
"But the finest point in all these
Increases is the fact that they come
Rt a time when the farmer holds his
products and that he Individually will
reap the full benefit. I have a little
table hero prepared some days ago
for publication which shows the Im
provement In cash values of leading
farm products. They are recent Chicago
cage quotations for 1897 In compari
son with those exactly one year ago :
189G 1897.
Wheat .58 .77
Corn .25 % .27 %
Oats .18 .17
Rye .29 .39
Earley .27 .31
Flaxseed .73 .S3
Hogs ? 2.90 to $3.20 $3.40 to $3.G0
Cattle $3.95 to $4.30 $4.40 to $4.90
Sheep $2.00 to $3.80 $2.35 to $4.00
"In these articles named , with the
single exception of flaxseed this year's
supply Is larger than that of last and
the supply , as I have said , Is In the
hands of the producer. "
G. H. WILLIAMS.
' • Come In Out of the Wet Johnnie. "
ffi'flwJ '
j i
The Outlook Tor Wool.
We congratulate the American wool
growers upon their outlook. After
nearly five years of steady deprecia
tion in the value of sheep and wool ,
brought about solely by the Democrat
ic policy of free trade in wool , our Am
erican sheep owners will have protec
tion restored to their agricultural in
dustry and with it , we trust , an increase
in the number and value of their flocks.
While we wish no harm to Australian
sheep owners , the following extract
from the monthly wool circular of
Messrs. Goldsbrough , Mort & Co. , of
Melbourne , dated May 7 , is of inter
est :
The pastoral position almost through
out Australia is at present one of great
gravity ; the severity of the drought is
almost s acute as it is widespread.
The preservation of stock requires in
cessant effort , and mortality is increas
ing with painful rapidity , while the 1
prospects of a lambing season have sel
dom , if ever , been more unpromising.
Even in stronger confirmation of the
unfavorable outlook for the Australian
flocks , with a consequent decrease m
the production of Australian wool , is
the following extract from a printed
letter dated at Sydney , Australia ,
May S :
"Here we are passing through a se
vere drought one of the worst experi
enced for many , many years , and I
think that nearly the whole crop of
lambs will be lost and possibly eight
to ten millions more sheep , so that you
may look for the numbers in this col
ony ( New South Wales ) going down
from 47 millions at December 31 last
year to about 35 to 37 millions at the
end of this year , because , even though
'
rain may come now , there must be a
tremendous mortality as the ewes are
lambing and the sheep generally are in
a very weak condition in most parts
of the colony. The bad season will al
so militate largely against the crops. "
If it be possible to collect a duty up
on all foreign wool imported in antici
pation of the enactment of a protec
tive tariff , either in such manner as has
been suggested by Senator Warren or
by an internal revenue tax , then the
improvement in the outlook for all
American wool interests will be even
quicker , stronger and surer.
That "Endless Chain" Smashed.
The eagerness of importers to evade
the new tariff had one noteworthy re
sult. It smashed the Cleveland inven
tion , that the drain of gold from the
treasury was due to our currency ,
which furnished an "endless chain" for
the drawing out of gold. The currency
is the same to-day it was when Messrs.
Cleveland and Carlisle were casting
about for any reason but the true one
to account for their bond sales. The
currency is the same and the treasury
is not drawn upon for gold exception
ally. The reason is the treasury has
money enough to meet the govern
ment's expenses. Republicans said ail
the while the drain of gold and the
bond sales were due to the tariff for
deficit and would cease as soon as rev
enue receipts equaled expenses. Utica ,
N. Y. , Herald ,
Democrats Xot Tree Traders.
There are a great many editors and
a few public men who have deceived
themselves into believing that the
democratic party is a free trade part- .
We need not pause here to inquire how
so confusing an error got afoot. It is
sufficient to say that the time has
come to correct it. "Constitution , "
Atlanta , Ga.
We are indeed very glad to hear it ,
and gladly do our part toward cor
recting the misapprehension by giving
the above Democratic statement the
widest possible circulation among our
exchanges and through our various
press services.
M'LEAN A COLD BUG.
Mr. McLean. It appears , has quite a 1
great a fondness for gold as those ether
gentlemen with whom ho vies In hlB al
leged friendship for silver. While lit
evidently considers silver good cnougb
for the poor man , he does not consldei
U. good enough for John R. McLean.
There are plenty of evidences of this
In Mr. McLean's business transaction !
in the District of Columbia. In hia In
vestments , which have been numerous
and large here , he has , where possible ,
selected those payable In gold , and hal
even gone so far as to discard any sil
ver obligations which may have Inci
dentally fallen Into his hands , bo soon
as he found opportunity. An Instanc *
is related In which a few years ago ha
purchased a number of bonds of th
District of Columbia of two classes.
These purchases were made indiscrimi
nately without reference to the classea
of bonds , but were soon followed by a
sale by McLean of a number of thosa
which he had apparently bought as a
permanent investment. Observation aa
to the class of bonds of which he was
disposing disclosed that he Invariably
retained the gold bonds and disposed
of those which were not specifically
made payable In gold coin , although
they were guaranteed by the United
States. Mr. McLean has made no con
cealment of his motive In these transac
tion saying frankly that he wanted
the obligations which he held as an in
vestment payable In gold. On another
occasion , when one of Mr. Bland's sil
ver measures was pending In congress ,
and there seemed a probability that It
might become a law , it is related on
good authority that Mr. McLean hur
riedly disposed of large quantities ol
United States bonds , taking gold coin
in exchange therefor and depositing it
In the vaults of one of the great safe
deposit establishments of this city , pil
ing up many thousands of dollars of the
yellow metal against the possibility ol
legislation in favor of silver , which ,
however , did not take place.
There are plenty of circumstances of
this kind which might be detailed to
show Mr. McLean's personal fondness
for the yellow metal and his unwilling
ness to accept obligations which could
be paid in silver , of which he now
poses as a cliampion. While these ara
interesting und plentiful , they are omit
ted on this occasion in order to give
space for the details of a single transac
tion showing his fondness for gold and
distrust of the other classes of currency
which he and bis associates in Ohio ar
now seeking to force upon the masses.
The tranoaction in question is that ol
a contract made by him with the Col
umbia Athletic club of this city in 1889 ,
in which he requires that organization
to make sundry obligations , amounting
to $70,000 , payable to him individually
in gold coin , both principal and inter-
est.
The transaction related to the construction -
struction of a club house for this or- I
ganization , the Columbia Athletic dull I
of the District of Columbia. In that I
year he made an agreement with the I
club by which he sold to it certain lota
in the fashionable northwest part ol I
Washington , near the War , State , and H
Navy Departments , and erected thereupon - H
upon a commodious and costly cluli B
house , the price of the land and the H
club house being $70,000. This money I
the club agreed to pay on or before the
1st of March , 1909 , and issued bonds I
payable to John R. McLean , bearing H
his name upon their face. These bonds H
he required the club to agree to pay ic
"gold coin of the United States of the
present standard of weight and fineness - . / "
ness , " also requiring it to pay the "in- I
terest thereon in like gold coin. " H
There can be no doubt about the nc-
curacy of this statement. The bonds I
were prepared and signed by the officers - H
cers of the club and turned over tc fl
him , and some of them have since H
passed into the hands of other parties H
who now hold them. Not only are these |
bonds still extant and readily obtainable - V
able by those who desire to verify this
statement , but a still more permanent H
and unimpeachable record of this transaction - H
saction is found upon the official records H
of the District of Columbia. The details -
tails of the entire transaction between H
Mr. McLean and the Columbia Athletic H
club are set forth in a copy of a deed of H
trust given in connection with this H
transaction. H
Turned Over a Xew Leaf. H
I f ° ! Iade ff x < { ; -m
The Lot of the Worker * . H
In the United States , as well as in |
Germany and Belgium , the lot of the M
workers is , upon the whole , more favorable - |
vorable than that of the British iron m
and steel worker. Newcastle , England , M
"Journal. "
Precisely so , because the policy of |
protection in Germany , Belgium and H
the United States improves the condition - |
tion of wage earners. British fre H
trade , on the other hand , impoverishes | |
their condition. H
HI