THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA.
3hmZ
HFDANGS IMC
ELU5IMmSCDDnOIB
csix
CHAPTER XXIV Continued.
12
Ho bad climbed the stops of tlio
broad veranda whon ho heard his
namo called softly from tho depths of
ono of tho great wicker lounging
chairs half hidden In tho verunda
shadows. In a moment he had placed
another of tho chairs for himself,
dropping Into It wearily.
"I saw you at tho gate," sho said.
The men are still holding out?"
"Wo aro holding out. Tho plant Is
olosed, and It will stay closed until
we can get another forco of work
men." "There will bo lots of Buffering," sho
ronturod.
"It's no use," ho said, answorlng her
thought. "There Is nothing In me to
appeal to."
"Thoro was yesterday, or tho day bo
foro," sho suggestod.
"PorhapB. But yesterday was yes
terday, and today Is today. As I told
Raymor a little whllo ago, I'vo changed
my mind."
"No," sho denied, "you only think
you have. But you didn't como hero
to toll mo that?"
"No; I camo to ask a slnglo ques
tion. How Is Mr. Galbralth?"
"Ho Is a very sick man."
"You mean that thoro Is n chanco
that ho may not recover?"
"More than a chanco, I'm afraid."
After a moment of (jllenco Orlswold
nald. "I did my best; you know I did
my boBt?"
Her answer puzzled him a llttlo.
"I could almost llnd It In ray hoart
to hato you If you hadn't"
Sllonco again, brokon only by tho
whispering of tho summer night
breezo ruBtllng tho loaves of tho lawn
.oaks and tho lappings of tiny waves
on tho lako beach. At tho end of it,
'Qrlswold got up and gropod for his
'bat.
"I'm going homo," ho said. "It has
been a pretty Btronuous day, and thero
ls another ono coming. But before I
go I want you to promlso mo ono
thing. Will you lot mo know Immo
dlatoly, by phono or mcasongor, If Mr.
Qalbralth takes u turn for tho bettor?"
"Cortalnly," sho said; and Bho lot
falm say good-night and got ob far as
tho Btops boforo sho called him back.
"Thoro was another thing," Bho bo
gan, with tho sober gravity that ho
could nover bo sure was not ono or
her many posea, and not tho least al
luring ono. "Do you bolievo in God,
Konnoth7"
Tho quory took him altogether by
Kurprlso, but ho mado shift to answer
It with becoming seriousness.
"I aupposo I do. Why7"
"It Is a tlmo to pray to him," sho
said Boftly; "to pray vory earnestly
that Mr. Qalbralth's lifo may be
aparod."
Ho could not lot that stand.
"Why should I concorn myself, spe
cially?" ho asked, adding: "Of courso,
I'm sorry, and all that, but"
"Novor mind," sho interposed, and
hp loft her chair to walk bcsldo him
to tho stops. "I'vo had n hard day,
too, Kenneth, boy, and I I guoBS It has
got on my nerves. But, all tho samo,
you ought to do it, you know."
Ho stopped and looked down Into
tho oyeB whoso depths ho could novor
whplly fathom.
-"Why don't you do It?" ho domand--ed.
"I? oh, God doesn't know mo; and,
besides, I thought oh, well, it doesn't
matter what I thought. Good-night."
And boforo ho could return tho
-leavo-taklng word, sho was gono.
Jlaymor'a prediction that tho real
'troublo would bogln when' tho attempt
should bo mado to start tho plant with
Imported workmon wbb amply fulllllod
during tho militant wook which fol
lowed the opening of hostilities. Each
Buccoodlng day saw tho Inevitable In
crease of lawlessness. From taunts
and Dbuoo tho insurrcctlonnrlcs passed
easily to violence. Street lights, whon
tho trampUh place-takorB came In any
considerable numbors, wcro of dally
occurronco, and tho talo of tho wound
ed grow like tho rotuniB from a bat
lie. By tho mlddlo of tho wook Ray
mor and Grlawold wero asking for a
phorlff's pobbo to maintain pcaco In
the neighborhood of tho plant; nnd
wore getting their first dollnlto hint
that somcono higher up was playing
tho gamo of politics against thorn.
"No, gentlemen; I'vo dono all tho
Jaw requires and a littlo moro," was
the sheriff's response to tho plea for
botter protection.
"In other words, Mr. Bradford,
roa'vo got your orders from tho mon
fclghor up, havo you?" rasped Oris
wold, who was by this tlmo loBt to
kll Bonso of expedient??.
"I don't fcavo tS YWJ)V to anv niirh
Dkurafl iSrftt." said tho chief poaco of-
peer, turning back to bis desk; and so
the brittle llttlo conferonco ended.
"AH of wTilch means that wo shall
Iobo the ulnnt guard of deputies that
Bradford lias uoen maintaining," com
siented Raymor, as thoy wore de
scending tho courthouBO stairs; and
s again bis prediction camo truo. Later
In the day the guard wsb withdrawn;
and GrlBwold, savagely reluctant, w&b
cevyreHr nycsAPr.i .irnrM
forced to moko a concession repeated
ly urged and argued, for by tho older
men among tho strikers, namely, that
tho guarding of tho company's prop
erty bo entrusted to a picked squad of
tho ex-employees thewselvca.
During theso days of turmoil and
rioting tho transformed idealist passed
through many stages of tho Journey
down n certain dark and mephitlo val
loy not of nmolloratlon. Fairness wns
gone, nnd In Its placo stood angry re
sontmcnt, ready to rend nnd tear. Pity
and truth wero going; tho daily re
port from Margery told of tho lessen
ing chanco of lifo for Andrew Gal
bralth, and tho stirrings evoked wcro
neither rogretful nor compassionate.
On tho contrnry, ho know very well
that the nows of Oalbralth's death
would bo a relief for which, In his
heart of hearts, ho was secretly thirst
ing. CHAPTER XXV.
Margery's Answer.
"Well, it has como at laBt," said
Raymer next morning, passing a new
ly openod lotter of tho morning de
livery over to Grlswold. "Tho rail
road people are taking their work
away from us. I'vo been looking for
that in every mall."
Grlswold glanced at tho letter and
handed It back. Tho burden was lying
heavily upon him, and his only com
ment was a questioning, "Well?"
At this, Itnymor let go again.
"What's tho use?" ho said deject
edly. "Wo'ro down, and everything
wo do merely prolongs tho agony. Do
you know that thoy tried to burn tho
plant last night?"
"No; I hadn't heard."
"Thoy did. Thoy had everything
fixed; a pllo of klndllngB laid in tho
corner back of tho machine shop an
nox and tho wholo thing saturated
with k'orosono."
"Woll, why didn't they do lt7"
queried GrlBwold, half-heartodly. After
tho heavens havo fallen, no mero ter
restrial cataclysm can ovoko a thrill.
"That's a mystery. Something hap
pened; Just what, tho watchman who
had tho machine shop-' boat couldn't
tell. Ho says thero was a flash of light
bright onough to blind him, and then a
scrap of somo kind. When ho got out
of tho shop and around to tho place,
thoro was no ono thoro; nothing but
tho pllo of kindlings."
Grlswold took up tho letter from
tho railway people and read It again.
Whon ho faced it down on Raymor's
desk, ho had closed with tho conclu
sion which had beon thrusting Itsolf
upon him slnco tho early morning hour
whon ho had picked his way among
tho sldowalk pools to tho plant from
upper Shawnco street.
"You can still savo yourself, Ed
ward," ho said, still with tho colorless
noto In his volco. And ho added:
"You know tho way."
Raymor Jerked his head out of his
desk and swung around In tho pivot
chair, "Seo here, Grlswold; tho less said
about that at this stage of tho game,
tho bettor It will b'o for both of us!"
ho oxplodod. "I'm going to do as I
said I should, but not until this fight is
oottlod, ono way or tho other!"
Grlswold did not retort in kind.
"Tho condition has already expired
by limitation; tho fight is as good as
settled now," ho said, placably. "Wo
aro only making a hopeless bluff. Wo
can hold our forty or fifty tramp work
mon Just as long as wo pay their board
over In town, and don't nsk them to re-
J port for work. But tho day tho shon
whlstlo 1b blown, four out of overy five
will vanish. Wo both know that."
"Thou there Is nothing for It but a
rocolvorshlp," was Uaymor's gloomy
decision.
"Not without n mlraclo," Grlswold
admitted. "And tho day of miracles Is
past."
Thus tho Idealist, out of a depth of
wrotcliedncss and solf-oxurobratlon
hithorto unplumbed. But If ho could
havo Had oven a momontary gift of
tolopathlo vision ho might havo Been
amlraclo at that moment in tho pro
llmlnary stago of Its outworking.
Tho tlmo was half-past nino; tho
piaco a grottollko summer houso on
tho Meresldo lawn. Tho miracle work
ers wero two: Margery Grlorson, radi
ant In tho daintiest of morning house-
gowns, ana tho man who had taken
hor rotalnor. Miss Grlerson was curi
ously examining a photographic print;
tho pictured scone wub a well-Httored
foundry yard with bulldlngB forming
an angle in tho near background.
Against tuo buildings a pile of shav.
IngB with kindlings showed qulto clear
ly; and, Btooping to Ignlto tho illo.
was a man who had ovldontly looked
up at, or Just boforo, tho Instant of
camora-suapplng. There was no mis
taking tho luontity of tho man. Ho
had a round, pig-Jowl faco; his bris
tllng mustaches stood out stiffly as It In
sudden horror; and his hat was on tho
back of his head.
"It ain't very good," Broflln npolo
glzed. "Tho Bun ain't high onough yet
to mauo a clear print. But you said
nurry,' and I reckon it will do."
Miss Grlorson nodded. "You caught
him in tho vory act, didn't you?" aho
said coolly. "What did ho hopo to ac
complish by sotting flro to tho works?"
"It was a framoup to capturo public
sympathy. Thoro's boon a report cir
culating 'round that Raymor and Grls
wold was goln' to put somo o' tho ring
leaders In Jail, it thoy had to mako a
caso against 'em. Clancy had it fig
ured out that tho flro'd bo charged up
to tho owners, themselves."
Miss Griorson was still examining
tho picture. "You mado two of theso
prints?" Bho asked.
"Yes; hero's tho other one and tho
film."
"And you havo tho papers to mako
them effcctlvo7"
Broflln handed her a largo envelope,
unsealed. "You'll find 'om in thero.
That part of it was a cinch. Your gov
ernor ought to flro that man Murray.
Ho was pay In' Clancy In checks!"
Again Miss Grlorson nodded.
"About the other matter?" aho In
quired. "Havo you heard from your
messenger?"
Broflln produced another onvelope.
It had been through tho malls and boro
tho Duluth postmark.
"Affidavits was tho best wo could
do thoro," ho said. "My man worked
It to go with MacFarland as the driver
of tho rig. Thoy saw somo mighty
fluo timber, but it happened to "be on
the wrong side of tho St. Louis county
lino. Ho'b a tolerably careful man,
and ho verified tho landmarks."
"Affidavits will do," was tho even
toned rejoinder. Then: "Theso pa
pers aro all In duplicate?"
""Everything In pairs Just as you or
dered." Miss Grlerson took an embroidered
chamois-skin money book from her
bosom and began to open it. Broflln
mined his hand.
"Not any more," no objected. "You
overpaid mo that first evening in front
of tho Winnebago."
"You needn't hositato," sho urged.
'It's my own money."
"I'vo had, a-plenty."
"Then I can only thank you," she
said, rising.
Ho know that ho was being dis
missed, but tho ono chanco in a thou
sand had yot to bo tested.
"Just a minute, MIsb Grlerson," ho
begged. "I'vo dono "you right in thiB
buslnoss, havon'tl?"
"You havo."
"I said I didn't want any moro
money, and don't. But there's ono
othor thing. Do you know what I'm
here In this little Jay town of yours
for?"
"Yes; I havo known it for a long
timo." '
"I thought so. You knew It that day
out at tho Do Soto, when you wan
tellln Mr. Raymer a llttlo story that
was partly truo and pnrtly mado up
what?"
"Every word of tho Btory about Mr.
Grlswold tho story that you over
heard, you know was truo; overy sin-
Mlsa Grlerson Was Curiously Examin
ing a Photographic Print
glo word of It. Do you aupposo I
should havo darod to embroider It tho
least llttlo bit with you sitting right
there at my back?"
Broflln got up and took a halt-burned
cigar from tho ledgo of tho summor
houso whoro ho had carefully laid it
at tho beginning of the Interview.
"You'vo cot mo down." ho confessed.
with a good-nnturod grin. "The man
that plays a wlnnln' hand against you
has got to get up boforo sun In the
morning nnd hold all trumns. Mlsa
Grlorson to say notliln' of being" a
mighty good bluffer, on tho side." Then
no switched suddenly. "How'b Mr.
Galbralth this morning?"
"Ho is vory low. hut ho Is conscious
again. Ho has asked ua to wire for the
cashier of his bank to como up."
Broffin's oyes narrowed.
"Tho cashier Is sick aud can't como,"
ho said.
"Well, someone in authority will
como, I buppobo."
Onco more Broflln was thlnklntr in
torms of BDCcd. JohnBon. tho uavlnir
toller, was noxt in rank to tho cashier.
it no Buouui do tne ono to como to
Wahaska. . . .
"If you haven't anything olso for mo
to ao, i reckon I'll bo going," bo said
hastily, and forthwith made his rr
capo. Tho telegraph oflico was a good
ton minutes' walks from tho lako front,
and In tho light of what Miss Grlorann
had Juat told him, tho minutes wero
precious.
SomothtnK less than a half-hour nrt
or Broffin's hurrlod departure, Miss
Grlorson drove by Quieter thorough
---
fares into tho stroot upon which tho
Raymor property fronted. Smoko was
pouring from tho tall central stack of
tho plant, and it had evidently pro
voked a sudden and wrathful gather
ing of tho clans. Tho sldowalka wero
filled with angry workmen, and an ex
cited argument was going forward at
ono of tho barrod gates betweon tho
locked-out mon and a watchman inside
of tho ynrd.
Tho crowd lot tho trap pass wlthoiit
hindrance. Though It was tho first
tlmo sho had been In tho new offices,
sho seemed to know whero to find
what sho Bought; and when Raymer
took hla faco out of his deak, Bho was
standing on the threshold of tho opon
door and smiling across at him.
"May I como in?" sho asked; and
when ho fairly bubbled over in tho ef
fort to mako her understand how wel
come she was: "No; I mustn't Bit
down, becauso if I do, I shall stay too
long and this is a business call.
Whero is Mr. Grlswold?"
"Ho wont up town a llttlo whllo ago,
and I wish to goodness he'd como
back."
"You havo been having a great deal
of troublo, haven't you?" sho said,
sympathetically. "I'm sorry, and I'vo
como to help you euro it."
Raymor shook his head despond
ently. "I'm nfrald It has gono past tho cur
ing point," ho said.
"Oh, no, It hasn't. I havo discov
ered tho remedy and I'vo brought It
with mo." Sho took a sealed cnvclopo
from tho inside pocket of hor driving
coat and laid it on the desk before him.
"I'm going to ask you to lock that up
in your office safo for a littlo while,
Just as It is," sho went on. "If thero
aro no signs of improvement in tho
sick, situation by three o'clock, you are
to open It you and Mr. Grlswold and
read tho contonts. Then you will know
exactly what to do, and how to go
about It."
Her Hps wero trembling when sho
got through, aud ho saw It Sho was
going then, but ho got before hor and
shut the door and put his back against
it.
"I don't know what you havo dono,
but I can guess," ho said, lost now to
everything savo tho Intoxicating Joy of
tho barrier-breakers. "You have a
heart of gold, Margery, and I"
"Please don't," sho said, trying to
stop him; but ho would not listen.
"No; before that envelope Is opened,
before I can possibly know what it con
tains, I'm going to ask you ono ques
tion in. spite of your prohibition; and
I'm going to ask it now becauso, after
ward, I may not you may not that
Is, perhaps it won't bo possible for mo
to ask, or for you to listen. I lovo
you, Margery; I"
Sho was looking up at him with the
faintest shadow of a Bmile lurking In
tho depths of tho alluring oyes. AnU
hor Hps wore no longer tremulous
whon she- said: "Oh, no, you don't
If I wero as mean as somo people think
L am, I might take advantage of all
this, mightn't I? But I sha'n't Won't
you open.tho door and let mo go? It
Is very Important."
"Heavens, Margery! Don't mako a
Joko of it I" ho burst out. "Can't you
seo that I mean it? Girl, girl, I want
you I need you!"
This tlmo sho laughed outright. Then
she grow suddenly grave
"My dear friend, you don't know
what you are Baying. Tho gato that
you aro trying to break down opens
upon nothing but mlaery and wretched
ness. If I loved you as a woman ought
to lovo her lover, for your sako and
for my own 1 should still say no a
thousand times no! Now will you
opon tho door and lot mo go?"
Ho opened tho door and sho slipped
past him. But In tho corridor she
turned and laughed at him again.
"I am going to euro you you, per
sonally, as well as tho sick situation
Mr. Raymer," sho said flippantly.
Then, mimicking him as a spoiled
child might havo dono: "I might pos
sibly loarn to think of you In that
way after a whllo. But I could nover,
novor, never loarn to lovo your mother
and your sister."
And with that spiteful thrust sho left
him.
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Gray Wolf.
As It chanced, JaBpor Grlerson was
In tho act of concluding a long and ap
parently satisfactory tolophono conver
sation with his agent In Duluth at tho
moment when tho door of hla prlvato
room opened and his daughter en
tered. -
Ho hung tho receiver on Its hook
and was pushlngtho bracketed telo
phono sot aside when Margery crossed
tho room swiftly and placed an en
velope, tho counterpart of tho one loft
with Raymor, on tho desk.
"Thero Is your notice to quit," Bho
said calmly. "You throw mo down
and gavo me tho doublo-cross tho othor
day, and now I'vo come back at you."
Another man might havo hastened
to meet tho crisis. But tho gray wolf
was of a different mettlo. Ho lot tho
envelope Ho untouched until after ho
had pulled out a drawer In tho desk,
found his box of cigars, and had lei
suroly Bolected and lighted ono of tho
fat black monstrosities. Whon bo toro
tho onvelopo acrosB, tho photographic
print fell out, and ho studied It care
fully for many seconds boforo he road
tho accompanying documents. For a llt
tlo tlmo nftor ho had tossed tho pa
pers nsldo thero was a sllonco that
bit Thon ho said, slowly:
"So that'B your ralBo, la U? Whoro
does tho gamo stand, right now?"
"You stand to lose."
Again tho biting Bllcnce; and thon:
"You don't think I'm fool onough to
glvo you back your ammunition so
that you can use It on mo, do yout"
"Those papers and that plcturo are
copies; the originals aro In a scalod
envolopo in Mr. Raymor's safe. If you
haven't taken your hands off of Mr.
Raymer's throat by threo o'clock this
aftornoon, tho onvelopo will bo
opened."
Jasper Grlerson's tcoth met In the
marrow of tho fat cigar. Equally with
out heat and without restraint, ho
stripped hor of all that was womanly,
pouring out upon hor a flood of foul
opithets and vilo names garnished
with blttor, brutal oaths..Sho shrank
fro"m tho crudo and Bavago upbraid
Ings as if the words had been hot Irons
to touch tho bare flesh, but at tho end
of It aho was still facing him hardily.
"Calling me bad names doesn't
chango anything,!' sho pointed out, and
her tono reflected something of his
own elemental contempt for tho eu
phemisms. "You havo five hours In
which to make Mr. Raymor under
stand that you havo stopped trying to
smash him. Wouldn't It be better to
begin on that? You can curso mo out
any time, you know."
JaBpor Grlorson's rago fit, or tho
mud-volcano manifestation of it,
passed as suddenly as It had broken
out. Swinging heavily in his chair he
took up the paperB again, reread them
thoughtfully, and then swung slowly
to faco tho situation.
"Let's seo what ydu want show up
your hand."
"I havo shown it. Tnko the prop of
your backing from behind this labor
troublo, and let Mr. Raymer settle
with hts mon on a basis of good-will
and fair dealing."
"la that all?"
"No. You must cancel this plno
land deal. You havo broken Jbread
with Mr. Galbralth as a friend, and
I'm not going to let you be worse than
an Arab."
Grlorson's shaggy brows met in a
fSflectivo frown, and when ho spoko
tho bestial temper was rising again.
"When this is all over, and you'vo
gone to live with Raymer, I'll kill him,"
ho said, with an outthrust of tho hard
Jaw; adding: "You know me, Madge."
"I thought I did," was tho swift re
tort "But it was a mistake. And aa
for taking it out on Mr. Raymer, you'd
botter wait until I go 'to Hvo with him,'
as you put it Besides, this lBn't Yellow
Dog gulch. They hng people here."
"You little -she-devil! If you push
mo Into this thing, you'd botter get
Raymer, or somebody, to take you in.
You'll bo out In tho street!"
"I havo thought of that, too,", sho
said, coolly; "about quitting you. I'm
sick of it all tho getting and tho
spending and tho crookedness. I'd
put tho money yours and mlno In a
pllo and set flro to it, if some decent
man would give mo a calico dress and
a chance to cook for two."
"Raymer, for instance?" the father
cut in, In heavy mockery.
"Mr. Raymor has asked me to mar
ry him, If you caro to know," sho
struck back.
"Oho! So that's tho milk in the
cocoanut, is it? You sold mo out to
buy In with him!"
"You may put it that way, if you
like; I don't caro." Sho was drawing
on her driving gloves methodically
and working the fingers into place,
and thero wero sullen fires in the
brooding oyes.
"I'vo been thinking it waa tho other
one tho book writer," Bald tho father.
Thon, without warning: "He's a
damned crook."
Tho daughter went on smoothing
the wrinkles out of tho fingers of her
gloves. "What makes you think so?"
sho Inquired, with Indlfforonco, real or
skillfully nssumed.
"He's got too much money to bo
straight. , I've been keeping casea on
him."
"Nover mind Mr. Griswofd," sho in
terposed. "Ho is my friend, and I
suppose that is enough to mako you
hato him. About this other matter
ten minutes before threo o'clock this
afternoon I shall go back to Mr. Ray
mer. If he tolls mo that his troubles
aro straightening themselves out, I'll
get tho papers."
"You'll bring 'em hero to mo?"
"Somo day; after I'm Buro that you
havo broken off tho deal with Mr. Gal
bralth." Jasper Grlerson let his daughter get
as far as the door before ho stopped
her with a blunt-pointed arrow of con
tempt.
"I suppose you'vo fixed it up to
marry that college-sharp dub so that
his mother and sister can rub It Into
you right?" ho sneered.
"You can suppose again," sho re
turned, shortly. "If I should marry
him, It would bo out of pure spite to
thoso women. Because, whon ho
asked mo, I told him No. You weren't
counting on thnt, wero you?" And
having fired this final shot of contra
diction sho departed.
After Miss Grlerson had driven
homo from tho bank botween ton
and cloven In tho morning, an admir
ing public Baw her no moro until Just
before bank-closing hours In tho after
noon. As she passed In the basket
phaeton botweon half-past two and
threo through tho overcrosslng suburb
thero wore Blgns of an armistlco ap
parent, oven before tho battlefield was
reached. Pottery Flat waa populated
again, and tho groups of men bunchod
on tho stroot corners arguing peace
fully. Miss Grlerson pulled up at ono
of tho comers and beckoned to a
young lron-moldcr.
"Anvthlnc now. Malcolm?" Bho
asked.
"You bet your sweet life!" said tho
young molder, meeting her, aa most
men did, on n plane of perfect oquallty
and frankucss. "We was hoodooed to
boat tho band, and Mr. Raymor's got
us, cornin' nnd goln. Thoro wasn't no
orders from tho big federation, at all;
and that crooked guy, Clancy, was n
fftkol"
"Ho has gono?" sho laltf.
"Ho'd botter bo. If ho shows hlnx
self 'round hero again, thoro's goln' t
bo a mlx-up."
Miss Grlerson drovo on, and at the
Iron works thero wcro moro of the
peaceful indications. The gates wero
open, and a switching engine from the
railroad yards was pushing In a car
load of furnace coal. By all tho slgni
tho troublo flood wns abating.
Raymor saw hor when she drovo un
der his window and calmly made a
hitching post of the clerk who went
out to seo what she wanted. A mo
ment lator sho camo down tho corrl
dor to stand in tho open doorway of
tho manager's room.
"You aro still alone?" sho asked.
"Yes; Grlswold hasn't shown up
slnco morning. I don't know what has
become of him."
"And the labor trouble, is that going
to be settled?"
Ho looked away and ran his Angora
through his hair as ono still puzzled
nnd bewildered. "Somo sort of n mir
acle has been wrought," ho said. "A
llttlo whllo ago a commltteo camo to
talk over terms of surrondor. It
seomB that tho whole thing was tho
result of a of a mistake."
"Yes," sho roturned quietly, "it was
Just that a mistake." And then: "You
aro going to tako them back?"
"Certainly. Tho plant will start up
again In tho morning." Then his cu
riosity broko bounds. "I can't under
stand It. How did you work tho mlr
aclo?" "Perhaps I didn't work It"
"I know well enough you did, in
somo way."
Sho dismissed tho matter with a
toss of the pretty head. "What dif
ference does it mako so long as you
"You Can Wade Aahoro Now, Can't
You?"
are out of the deep water and in a
place where you can wado ashore?
You can wade ashore now, can't you?"
He nodded. "This morning I should
havo said that wo couldn't; but
now " ho reached over to his desk
and handed her a letter to which waa
pinned a telegram Iobs than an hour
old.
Sho read the letter first It was a
curt announcement of the withdrawal
of tho Pineboro railroad's repair work.
Tho telegranfwas still briefer: "Dis
regard my letter of yesterday;" this,
and tho signature, "Athorton." Tho
smaller plotter returned tho corre
spondence with a little sigh of relief.
It had been worse than sho had
thought, and It was now botter than
she had darod hopo.
(TO BE CONTINUED,)
SWISS HOTELS WONDROUS
Stand In Solitary Grandeur, But Lack
Nothing That Makes for Comfort
of Traveler.
You may climb up the helghtB by
the aid of railways, funiculars, racks-
and-plnlons, diligences and sledges,
and whon nothing but your own feet
will tako you any further ypu will see
In Switzerland a grand hotel, magic
ally and incredibly raised aloft in tho
mountains.
It Is solitary no town, no houses,
nothing but this hotel hemmed In on
all sides by snowy crags and mado
Impregnable by precipices and treach
erous snow and ice.
At tho great redrawing of the map
of Europo, when the lesser national
ities are to disappear, the Swltzers
will tako armed refuge In their far
thest grand hotelB and thoro defy the
mandates of tho concert
For tho hotel, no matter how remote
It be, lacks nothing that is mentioned
In tho dictionary of comfort Beyond
its walls your life Is not worth twelve
hours' purchase.
You would not dlo of hunger, be
cause you would perish of cold.
At best you might hit on Bome
peasant's cottago In which the stand
ards of existence had not changed for
a century.
But onco pass within the portals of
the grand hotel, and you becorao the
Bpolled darling of an intricate organi
zation that laughs at mountains, ava
lunches and frost
Tent for the Children.
A tent in the back yard is a great
Joy to children; it helps to keep houso
and yard looking neat, for tho children
can bo expected and required to keop
their playthings In the tont when thoy
aro told that It Is their exclusive
playroom and that they must conflno
any untidiness to that particular spot
Today. ,
