Independence enterprise., May 21, 1920, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6

INDEPKNDENCEKN
Page Six
7 .., I'n and down the
Oe ov Puncher
(Continued from Last Week)
CHAPTER XII.
Conwnrd paused to speak to Irene
before leaving the house.
"I owe you my good wishes," he
said. "And I give them most frankly,
although porhars with more difficulty
tlian you suppose."
"You ore very good, Mr. Conword,"
she acknowledged.
"I could not wish you anything but
happiness," he returned. "And had I
been so fortunate as Elden, In making
your acquaintance first, I might have
hoped to contribute to your happiness
more directly than I can under the
present circumstances." He was
speaking In his low, sedulous notes,
and his words sent the girl's blood
rushing In a strange mixture of grati
fication and anper. The tribute he
implied that he himself would have
boon glad to have been her suitor
was skillfully planned to appeal to
her vanity, and her anjrer was due to
its success. She told herself she
t-hould not listen to such words; she
should hate to hoar such words. And
yet she listened to them, and was not
sure that she hated them. She could
only say:
"You are very good, Mr. Onward."
lie pressed her hand at the door,
and again that strange mixture of
emotions surged through her.
Conward proceeded to the business
section of the town, well pleased with
the evening's events. lie found his
way Impeded by crowds In front nf the
newspaper offices. He had paid little
attention to the progress of the war
scare, attributing It to the skillful pub
licity of interests connected with the
manufacture of armaments. To the
last he had not believed that war was
possible.
"Nobody wants to fight," he had as
sured his business acquaintances.
"Even the armament people don't
want to fight. All they waat Is to
frighten more money out of the tax
payers of Europe." To Conward this
explanation seemed very complete. It
covered the whole ground and left
nothing to be said.
But tonight he was aware of a
keener tension in the crowd atmos
phere. They were good-naturen
crowds, to be sure, laughing ami
cheering and making sallies of heavy
wit; but they were In some way more
Intense than he had ever seen before.
There was no fear of war; there was,
rather, an adventurous spirit which
seemed to fear that the affair would
blow over, as had so many affairs in
the past, and all the excitement go
for nothing. That war, If It came In
war, could last no one dreamed; ft
would be a matter of a few weeks, a
few months, at the most, until a thor
oughly whipped Germany would retire
behind the Rhine to plan ways of rais
ing the indemnity which outraged civi
lization would demand.
Conward elbowed his way through
the crowds, smiling, in his superior
knowledge, over their excitement.
Kewspapers must have headlines.
At his office Conwnrd used a tele
phone. Then he walked to a restau
rant, where, after a few minutes, he
was joined by a young woman. They
took a table in a box. Supper was dis
posed of, and the young woman began
to grow impatient.
"Well, you brought me here," she
said, at last. "You've fed me, and you
don't feed anybody, Conward, without
a purpose. What's the consideration?"
"I'm pulling off a little joke, and 1
want you to help me. You know Elden
Dave Elden?"
"Sure. I've known him ever since
that Jolt put him out of business up in
your rooms, ever so many years ago.
He was too rural for that mixture."
"I want you to get him down to
your place some night to be agreed
upon I'll, fix the date later and keep
him there until I call for him, with
his fiancee."
"Some joke," she said, and there was
disgust in her voice. "Who is it en
Elden, me, or the girl?"
"Never mind who It's on," Conward
returned. "I'm paying for it. Here's
something' on account, and If you mak
a good job of it I won't be stingy."
He handed her a bM, which sht
kissed and put in her pur.?e. "I need
the money, Conward, or I wouldn'l
take It."
; This part of his trap set, Conwarc
awaited a suitable opportunity tf
spring it. In the meantime he took
Mrs. Hardy partially into his confl
dence. lie allowed her to believe, how
ever, that Elden's habits would stain
correction and he had merely arranger:
to trap him in one of his favorit
haunts. Slie was very much shocked
and thought it was very dreadful, bul
"of course we must save Irene."
But concerning another part of hi!
program Conward was even less franl
with Mrs. Hardy. He was clever
enough to know that he must observ
certain limitations.
At length all his plans appeared t
be complete. The city was in a tumub
of exiitement over the war, but foi
Conward a deeper interest centered
In the plot he was hatching under th(
unsuspecting noses of Irene and Elden
If he could trap Dave the rest would
be easy. If he failed in this he had
another plan to give failure at leas'
the appearance of success.
The fact that the nation was nov
at war probably had an influence ir
speeding up the plot. Everything wai
under high tension; powerful current!
of thought were bearing the massei
along unaccustomed channels; socletj
Itself was in a state of flux. If h
were to strike at all let the blow fal
at once.
On ilils early August night he ascer
talned that Dave was working alone U
his oliice. Then he called a numbei
on a telephone.
"This Is the night." he explained
"You will find him alone In his office
I will he waiting to hear from yoi
Ht ' he quoted Mrs. Hardy's tele
phone number. Then he drove his cai
to the Hardy home, exchanged a few
words with Irene, and sat down to t
hand of cribbage with her mother.
Foring over his correspondence,
Dave, with his ear cocked for the crj
of the latest extra, spent the evenlnj
hours In a valiant effort at concentra
tion.
There came a timid knock at the door
"Come In," he called.
No one entered, but presently hi
heard the knock again. He rose nnc
walked to the door. Outside stood 8
youn;? woman.
"If you please" she said, "exeus
me, but you are Mr. Elden, areu'l
you?"
"'Yes. Can I help you in any way?"
The woman tittered a moment, but
resumed soberly: "You will wondei
at me coming to you, but I'm from the
country. Did you think that?"
"I suspected It," said Dave with n
smile. "You knocked" He pa used
"Yes?"
"Like a country girl," he said, boldly.
She tittered again. "Well, I'm lost,"
she confessed. "I got off the tram a
short time ago. My aunt was to meet
me, but there are such crowds in the
street, I must have missed her. And I
saw your name on the window ami I
had heard of you. So I just thought
that I'd ask if you wouldn't mind
showing me to this address."
She fumbled in her pocket, and Dave
invited her Into the office. There she
produced a torn piece of paper with
an addrvss.
"V.ly, that's just a few blocks I"
said Dave. "I'll walk around with .
you." lie turned for his hat, but at
that moment there was another timid
knock on the door. He opened It. A
boy of eight or ten years stood outside.
"What is It, son?"
The lad looked shyly about the of
fice. It was evident he was impressed
with its magnificence. "Are you Mr.
Elden that sells lots?"
"Yes. Were you thinking of buying
a few lots?"
"Did you sell lots to my father?"
"Well, if I knew your father's name
perhaps I could tell you. Who is your
father?"
'Tie's Mr. Merton. I'm his son. And
he said to me, before he got so bad, he
said, 'There's just one honest man In
this city, and that's Mr. Elden.' Is
that you, Mr. Elden?"
"Well, I hope it is, but I won't claim
such a distinction. I remember your
father very well. Did he send you to
me?"
"No, sir. He's too sick. He don't
know anybody now. He didn't know
me tonight." The boy's voice went
thick and he stopped and swallowed.
"And then I remembered what he said
about you, and I just came."
"Have you help a doctor a
nurse?"
"No, sir. We haven't any money.
My father spent !t ail for the lots that
he bought irom you."
Dave winced. Then, turning to the
young woman: "I'm afraid this is a
more urgent case than yours. I'll call
a taxi to take you to your address."
To his surprise, his visitor broke out
in a ribald laugh. She had seated her
self on a desk and was swinging one
foot jauntily.
"It's all on," she said. "Say, Dave,
you couldn't lose me in this burg.
You don't remember me, do you? Well,
all the better. I'm rather glad I broke
down on this Job. I used to be some
thing of an actress, and I'd have put
I it over if it hadn't been for the kid.
The fact Is, Dave," she continued, "I
wa3 sent up here to decoy you. It
wasn't fair fighting, and I didn't like
it, but money has been mighty slow
of late. I wonder how much you'd
give to know who sent me?"
Dave pulled some bills from his
pocket and held them before her. She
took them from his hand.
"Conward," she said.
' Dave's blood went to his head. "The
scoundrel!" he cried. "The low-down
' i
4 as. Wiw4:h
Dave's Blood Went to His Head. "The
Scoundrel!" He Cried.
dogl There's more In this than ap
pears on the surface."
"Sure there is,' she said. "There's
another woman. There always la."
Elden walked to his desk. From a
drawer he took a revolver, toyed with
it a moment in his hands, broke It
' open, crushed It full of cartridges, and
thrust it in his pocket.
The girl watched with friendly in
terest. "Believe me, Dave," she said,
"if Conward turns up missing I won't
know a thing not a d thing."
For a moment he stood irresolute.
He could only guess what Conward's
plan had been, but that It had been
diabolical and cowardly, and that It
concerned Irene, he ban no doubt. His
i , imu.oiliately confront
milling- - .. .
Conward, force a confession, and dui ,
with him ns the occasion might .!
... ,..,..i,-. nut his e.vo fell on the !,
with his shock of brown Imlr and w ii
fui, nulf-frlghteiied fiioo.
"I'll go wltli you first." he wild, w""
quick decision. Thou to the girl, ",,r
ry 1 must turn' you out, but this case l
urgent." ,,
"That's all right,'1 she said. l"
uied to being turned out." And before
he know It she was In the street.
"All right, sou." said Dave, biking
up the matter now In band. "Wlmfs
your mime your first uumo?"
"Charlie."
"And your address?"
The boy mentioned a distant sub
division. ...
"That is out. Isn't it? Nell.
take the car. I guess I'd better call
a doctor at once."
He went to the telephone and gavt
some directions. Then he and tin)
boy walked to n garage nnd In a few
moments were humming ulong the by
streets into the country. Dave had
already become engrossed in hi er
rand of mercy and his rage at Con
ward, if not forgotten, was tempo
rarily dismissed from his mind.
He chatted with the boy.
"You go to school V
"Not this year. Father has been
too sick. Of course, these are holidays,
and be says he'll be all right before,
they're over."
Dave smiled grimly. "The Incurable
optimism of it," he i.mrmured to him
self. Then outwardly: "Of course ho
will. We'll fix hiu. up In no tluu
with a good doctor and a good nurse."
They drove on through the calm
night, leaving the city streets behind
and following what was little mere
than a country trail. Here and there
they bumped over pieces of graded
street, Infinitely rougher than the nat
ural prairie; once Dave dropped his
front wheels Into a collapsing water
trench; once he just grazed an iso
lated hydrant.
"And this is one of our 'choice res
idential subdivisions,'" said Dave to
h'mself. "Fine business! Fine busi
ness!" As the Journey continual the sense
of self-reproach which had been
static In him for many months became
more insistent. The Intrusion of Con
ward into his mind sent the blood to
his bend, but at that moment bis re
flections were cut short by the boy.
"We will have to get out here." lie
said. "The bridge Is down."
Investigation proved him to be
right. A bridge over a small stream
had collapsed nnd was slowly disin
tegrating amid Its own wreckage.
Dave ran the car a little to one side
nf the road, locked the switch nnd
walked on with the boy.
"Fine business!" Dave repeated to
himself. "And this is bow onr bis
success was made. Well, the 'suc
cess' has vanished as quickly ns I!
crime. I suppose there Is a law some
where that is not mocker!."
They were passing through a set
dement of crude houses, dimly visible
m the starlight and by occasional yel
low blurs from their windows. Before
one of the meanest of these the boy
t last stopped, pulled the door open
and Dave entered. At first he was
conscious of a very sin:ill and stuff v
room, with a peculiar odor which be
attributed to an oil lump burning on
a box. He walked over and turned
the lamp up, but the oil was emi
sumed; a red, sullen, smoking wick
was its only response. Then lie felt
hi his pocket nnd struck a match.
The light revealed the dinglness of
the little room. There was a bed
covered with musty, ragged clothing;
a table littered with broken and dirty
dishes and pieces of stale food ; a
stove cracked and greasy, and one or
two bare boxes serving as articles of
furniture. But it was to the bed
Dave turned, nnd with another match
bent over the shrunken form that
lay almost concealed amid the coarse
coverings. He brought his face down
close, then straightened op and stead
led himself for a moment.
"He'll soon be well, don't you think,
mister? He said he would be well
when the holidays"
But Dave's expression stopped the
boy, whose own face went suddenly
wild with fear. "He Is well now,
Charlie," he said, as steadily ns he
could. "It is all holidays now for
him."
The match hn'd burned out and the
room was In utter darkness. Dave
heard the child drawing his feet
across the floor, then suddenly whim
pering like a thing that had been mor
tally hurt. He groped toward him,
and at length his fingers found bis
shock of hair. lie drew the boy
slowly into his nrtns; then very, very
tight. . . . After all, they were or
phans together.
"You will come with me," he said
at length. "I will see that you are
provided for. The doctor will soon
be here, or we will meet liiui on the
way, and he will make the arrange
ments for the arrangements that
have to be made, you know."
They retraced their steps toward
the town, meeting the do or at Un
broken bridge. Dave exchanged a
few words with him In low tones, and
they passed on. Soon they were
swinging nnm Ihronch the citv
streets. Even with the developments
of the evening pressing heavily upon
his mind Dave could not resist the
temptation to stop ;md listen for a
moment to bulletins being read
through a megaphone.
"The kaiser has stripped off his
British regalia," said the announcer.
"He says he will never nguln wear
a British uniform."
A chuckle of derisive laughter ran
through the mob ; then someone struck
up a well known refrnln "What the
str,-ct voices cU, 'l (lf
. . Within "ir V(l,
many In " Vm
hlenehliur ri.d.
Hhowod how iniu'li " ' v ,,..
Aftor -";'Mi;nl ,,.
u, door, and Dt . ,mSt
w,,,11 1,1 I) i i '! tie " be ciibl. "I
lake care of Mm. I .,
"f T I've I.-"' U...II
n, HW a-soine P -
Her face was htlgnt ....,..,,
nf rrs, hi;::ni
him upstnlrs. W- 1
"rr,::::''
'''aC they moved up Ihe Malm Con-
had been In t ",
, oMnersutlon with Mrs. .. '!. '
L,l then, unseen. The even In .
,vn ...terminable rorV'
three tunas be had awuitcl wer l
is victim had been liiipi-.-d. '' 1
,,re.. hours no word Im.I omc '
ls .,, had miscarried. If 1"
dlscov.Te.1 the plot. e.. -
. i iiiv, engrossed in
lit iciiKi ii n - , f ,
very .lirVeMit mutter. C'onrd fid
lowed them up "", t"lrs- , , ,,
Ireu.. and Daxe .'hutted v,Hb
boy t'.-r a few moment, then Irene
turned to .some urraiiR. met.M for hi"
P,f..ri mid Dave started duwitstHlr-v
In the passage he WuS met b' t
war
"Wl.ut are you doliuj here litu
demanded, ns he felt Ms bead begin
nine to swim in a tier.
Conwnrd leered only the more of
fonsiwlv. nnd walked down the '"'
peiid.- him. At the foot he coolly l!
another cigarette. ' h"M the match
before him and calmly witched
burn out. Then be oileml.'d it bowird
Dave.
You remember our wither. FMcn.
I pres.-nt you with bunmlout
liu'ti'h."
"Yi.u liar!" cried Dave. "Yon ln-
. illtH'.l' ..... .
"AsU her," Conward replied
w'lt ileiiv It. of course. All
do."
Pave felt his Intl-cies tl-btcti, atcl
knew tl -it In u moment he wi.tild tear
his Victim M pieces. As Ins -l.-ia-h.-t
fist catno to the side of kis body (.
stnj''k something hard. His re
volver: lie bad forg.lteii; be wiit
net In the habit of oarrylin: It. In an
instant he had 'onward covered.
Dave lid not press the trUv.r nt
once. II.- took u fierce delight in lor-
i r: m s r: xv :s i ..
THE life, the value, the Unuty of rrJ
depend on the cure yml V
VwthcMwatcn mni i&L,
nnd open joints aro forerunners of i
nnd open joaus aro forerunners cf dw
Manv rtroprrtv owners nr-oW
Mjfns. juusu'ir u"-t iiwuvs ana buildings J ,,
inneiir;inee.l OIllv. '
It is pood business to make regular Insjwr
rrorcrty. and to w paint of good quality vul?;
purest preventive of decay. ' 54
Throujrh the varying1 conditions of weather fa i
extremes. FUM.KK Taint has proved txith hit
Ins and loautifyinjr qualities a lacific Coast
fnr Pacific Oast rcaum'nHnt.. r
71 year of paint manufacturing experience ink.
every brushfu! of FULLEIt Paint mk-
Some of the FULLER ProJ J
HOl'SK PAINT
KLOOK PAINT
POUCH n.l STEP PAINT
SHIXGU: STAINS
flLKHNWHlTK EN AM EI
DECOiarr-omb.rW f
fcfui varfsUh i. .ii r
for rrfmuhitif fJ
VAKNISHKS
IKKOKATO-th k',
cinini
"She
woin.n
- i'or totttor woodwork. AUTO ENAMEL
W. P. Fuller & Co,
FliLLEB
I Paints
I 7t mt 1
I lIADt(t 1
1M9.1920
North wft nrnrh noot
mt PorJUnd. Sratttr, T
com. Sjokir, IWmi
A
v
FULL Kit DEALER "
in Yoir Town I
, fir
VOi; WILL 1 1M IN YOI H
,City - Meat - Marl
lf'it -.if
it
I !'
He Took a Fierce Delight in Tori'jr. '
ing the Man Who Had VreckeJ His 1
Life. 1
turlntf tlip ninn who lind wreiiu-fl hU
life even while In- tolfl lilmsf-lf hfi
could tit t.'llevc hl.H lnni"t. N'nw ht :
w.'it.heil t!ic enlor fnde fr.nii Ten
ward's .!) -i-U ; the eyes stainl nut In
Ills fiice; tli.- Ilvl.l lilri!eicH iniir.' HvIM
still ; the -ltrnret t ilr.iji from his
nerveless lii".
"Von nr.- n hrave ninn. Cuiuftril,"
h sniil, :i : i I there whs the r n j nf
h:it? ami .titfinpt in his vulce. "Ymi
lire n very brave ninn."
Mrs. Hurdy, n-nslnir Rotnet ti ! nvf
wrofiy, I'inii" nut from tier slttlm:
room. With a llttlo cry -he s'.vfK.n.-d
ii way.
f'onwnnl trleil to speak, hut word
stuck In hi -i threut. With n dry
lonirue he llclceil t,is drier
"Do .veil hdieve in hell, f'miw.'ird?"
Illivf coiil in jei. "I've nhvius l.i.il
semi? doubt myself, h.it In thirty see
ouds you'll know."
Irene iipju-aroil on th; slulrvvny.
For u iiiomi-rit her eyes reftise.J to
frmsp the s-f-ne hefore them: Con
wnrd cowering 1 err. .r-srri !:.!! ; I;,ve
flerr-f, steely, lniihiei,he, with ,jH r)
vulvf-r lined on CoiiwunlN hripii.
Throiudi some sirnnu'e viiim of ,,.
mind her thou'hl In thin, in !iu t (Jew
hnek to the l.oiil.s on i,,. ,,.., s ,,r
the Klden rnrieli, nnd leive hi-rl.tn:'
five out. of u mi tl, ii,.,. . '
t-" ' "'I'- I ll.'ll
Slldd.-ril.V She hceinin. ;,wi,re ,,f ,,,.
thin- only. A tr:,j..,,ly wns heii,,; , v.
noted before bor ey(-s.
"Ob. don't, H:,ve! )).m'fi ,,on.t
fdmot Mm!" ylfi m,. f,vitl(, ((iVVn
the r-iMiiiiiln stops. I'.efore fvo
could Kni::i h-T pun.oKo she whm pfn
him, hud clutched hU revolver, ,d
wrnppfd he,- uruis nbont his "i)lir,-t
lon't. Him.!" m. piende-l. "For lny
'" l M-- lllllt !"
ll'-r y.onls v.ero trP,,.,iiy unf(ir(1I.
nub.'. J- or moinem. jiilVo. Kt()OI .1M
"no ponlved; u,e his l.ot.rt drb-d
up within In,,,.
"So tl.i.l'H tho wny of It!" he w,ld
J.H . l-roko hor K,-ip, ih(, ,lorro;
in his wn .yfis would not. let hi.,,
...., hi.- Kiiuiipri norror in h.T'i
rlKlit; take It," and ho pined ,'h,
Know vhnt to wilh p ., A,(1
(Continued Next Week)
i.ix;: OK :,u;.TS EQUAL to any market in a LARCI
CON. i: TINC. OK THE FINEST MEATS OBTAIN Aw
riliK CITY M EAT MARK
I";, Main street. Independence,
Chautauqua
May 27.31
Jndepeni
.V
A Grocery That Never
Disappoints Custom?
jT) Not BcstBg5
But Biffljest Because
No.Wr3I
m
All
re
This Storo Aim,, c ,i . . , ti and
Goods Wo Soil aro Just as Repreacnted and When DtdtfJ ,
We NEVER DUPLICATE. We Send You Jaat
Never Send the "Jut n8 Good" Kind.
Calbreath & Jones