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- float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -/* DIV */ -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } - -</style> -<title>THE SPIDER'S WEB</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="The Spider's Web" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Reginald Wright Kauffman" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1913" /> -<meta name="MARCREL.ill" content="Jean Paleologue" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="45866" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2014-06-02" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="The Spider's Web" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta content="The Spider's Web" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="web.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2014-06-02T21:28:35.997971+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45866" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta content="Reginald Wright Kauffman" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="Jean Paleologue" name="MARCREL.ill" /> -<meta content="2014-06-02" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="EpubMaker 0.3.20 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="the-spider-s-web"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">THE SPIDER'S WEB</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="align-None container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> -included with this eBook or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: The Spider's Web -<br /> -<br />Author: Reginald Wright Kauffman -<br /> -<br />Release Date: June 02, 2014 [EBook #45866] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>THE SPIDER'S WEB</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="align-None container frontispiece"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 64%" id="figure-28"> -<span id="betty-stood-at-the-window-in-the-full-light-of-the-street-lamp"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="BETTY STOOD AT THE WINDOW IN THE FULL LIGHT OF THE STREET-LAMP" src="images/img-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">BETTY STOOD AT THE WINDOW IN THE FULL LIGHT OF THE STREET-LAMP</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">THE SPIDER'S WEB</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">BY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="large">REGINALD WRIGHT KAUFFMAN</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Author of "The House of Bondage," etc., etc.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">Illustrated by -<br />JEAN PALEOLOGUE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">NEW YORK -<br />MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY -<br />1913</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container verso"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY -<br /></span><em class="italics small">All Rights Reserved</em><span class="small"> -<br />Published October, 1913</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container dedication"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">To -<br />EVERETT HARRÉ -<br /></span><em class="italics medium">Gratefully</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>That's the shout, the shout we shall utter</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>When, with rifles and spades,</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>We stand, with the old Red Flag aflutter</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>On the barricades!</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>—FRANCIS ADAMS.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>Thou orb of many orbs!</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Thou seething principle! Thou well-kept, latent germ!</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>Thou center!</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>Around the idea of thee the strange sad war revolving,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>With all its angry and vehement play of causes,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>(With yet unknown results to come, for thrice a thousand years)....</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>—WHITMAN.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>While three men hold together,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>The kingdoms are less by three.</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>—SWINBURNE.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Betty," he said, "do you understand what your -father is asking me to do?" . . . (Outside cover) -(missing from book)</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#betty-stood-at-the-window-in-the-full-light-of-the-street-lamp">Betty stood at the window in the full light of the -street-lamp</a><span> . . . . . . . . . </span><em class="italics">Frontispiece</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#he-found-it-necessary-to-be-emphatic">He found it necessary to be emphatic</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-mob-was-using-the-coal-from-the-dismantled-wagon">The mob was using the coal from the dismantled wagon</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">EXPLANATION</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>In order to warn off trespassers, I have begun my -novel with four chapters that an expert -bookmaker—indeed, my own book-maker—has -pronounced dull: I knew that only those to whom the -book belonged would persevere. By the same token, -being aware that the story which is prefaced by an -apology is ended with suspicion, I preface this story -with an apology: I want to apologize to my friends -for using them and to my enemies for not giving them -what they have expected; I want to create in the -minds of the former the suspicion that I am darker -than I have been painted, and in the minds of the -latter the suspicion that I am not a whited sepulcher -but a blackened altar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In 1909 I projected, vaguely it is true, a cycle -of four novels, each to be independent of the others -in plot and character, but all carrying forward a -definite view of life. As, however, the announcement of -a cycle is the surest means of alienating readers, not -to mention publishers, I held my tongue about the -general plan and concerned myself, in public, only -with its separate parts. These were "The House of -Bondage," "The Sentence of Silence," "Running -Sands" and "The Spider's Web."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Privately, the first question demanding answer was -that of method. In what I had to say I believed -burningly, as I still believe deeply, and the great -thing with me was not to say it in the manner that -most people would call Art, but to say it in the -manner that would convert as many readers as possible -to my way of thinking. I did not want to produce -the effect of a work of Art; I wanted to produce -conviction of truth. On the one hand, I must avoid -even the appearance of a personal interest in my -characters, because that would divert my readers -into the charge of sentimentality; and on the other, -I must not hesitate to marshal my events in their -largest force, even though the reviewers called this -melodrama.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here is a choice that is sure to come sooner or -later to every writer of fiction: the choice between -what he has considered Art for Art's sake and what -he considers art for Man's sake. He has kept in -mind the day when his books will be judged solely by -their own merits, when the causes with which he -sympathizes have been defeated and forgotten or -established and beyond the need of sympathy; when new -evils demand new remedies and old wounds are -healed. He knows, as few of his contemporary readers -can know, that then he will be heavily handicapped -by all that is immediate or local in what he writes; -that by nothing save adherence to the eternal -standards of Art can he endure. He may be certain, in his -own mind, that any true art is the expression, in the -manner best calculated to secure a desired effect, of -the ideas essential to the effect, but he will be equally -sure that the world will not so consider. If he sets -any propaganda above Art, the future will forget his -work, the present meet it with prejudice, probably -with opposition; and against all this he has to set -only his own faith in the righteousness of the thing -he has to say.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I made my choice and began my cycle with that -one of my four novels which I knew would receive -the readiest hearing. In "The House of Bondage" -I wanted to put before my readers the theory that -the superimposing of one human being's will, or the -will of any group of human beings, upon any other's -is the Great Crime. For the purposes of illustration, -I chose for attack the chief present means of such -imposition or compulsion, the pressure of our -economic system, and depicted its effects in forcing -women into prostitution. The result was amazing: -the book sold and, they tell me, is still selling in my -own and several other countries and tongues; it either -originated or promoted a series of sociological -crusades and legislative investigations concerning -themselves with the symptoms and neglecting the disease, -and by no persons was it so heartily welcomed as by -those who are themselves the instruments of -compulsion. I began to think that the instruments were -becoming conscious and that I might not be so -unpopular after all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was never more mistaken. In "The Sentence of -Silence" I proceeded to show other effects of the -same evil compulsion: the effects of our failure to -instruct our children in sex-hygiene; of imposing upon -our heirs the moral code that our economic system has -imposed upon us, and of imposing upon our daughters -an abstinence from which we absolve our sons. -In its circulation, this book left its publishers nothing -to complain of; but its reception was of a sort vastly -different from that of its predecessor. Parents that -were loath to see other people's daughters forced into -prostitution were shocked at a proposal to educate -their own sons against the practice of seduction; -husbands that lived in secret polygamy were aghast at -the idea of instructing their wives in any code save -that which they preached, but did not follow; and -men that took any woman's body they could get were -horrified at the notion of any woman sharing their -liberty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The remarkable book-reviewer of the generally -sane Philadelphia "Inquirer" upbraided me -because, after I had dragged my central character, -Dan Barnes, through the sewers of debauchery and -venereal disease, I did not "save" him by marrying -him to a "pure" woman!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Came the third novel, "Running Sands," and came -a louder protest. I had here tried to take a step -further my argument against compulsion and to show -that, if I had been right before, then compulsion by -matrimony—the marriage of the old to the young -and the knowing to the ignorant, rape within -wedlock and forcing of wives to become mothers against -their will—was wrong. Here again the people read -and the instruments of compulsion condemned me. -Those persons who, without a wry face among them, -swallow the funny but futile jokes of another type of -fiction were so whole-hearted in their curses of my -book that I was inclined to believe their present -bitterness enhanced by their recollection of how they had -once praised me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now I have written "The Spider's Web," the last -of my four, and I have read that it is expected to be -to its predecessors what Landor said the fourth -George was to his. For a good pair of eyes at the -conventional point of view, it is all this and more; -but then there are no good eyes at the conventional -point of view, and so I fear that, without help, the -condemners of "The Sentence of Silence" and -"Running Sands" may find this novel innocent: there -is only one "bad" woman among its speaking-roles, -and she appears but three brief times. In order that -my condemners may not miss what they want to find -in me, I shall tell them in a simpler form than the -dramatic what I have done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I have made Luke Huber a man that comes to see -the sin of compulsion exerting itself against humanity -in all the powers that conduct modern society; in the -ownership of men and things; in our entire system of -production and distribution, and in the creatures and -ministers of that system: Government, Politics, Law, -and what passes by the name of Religion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Such a mind as Huber's comes to Dora Marsden's -conclusion: "Life is no two days the same: the same -measure never fits twice exactly; hence the futility of -state-making, law-making, moral-making, when all -that is of importance is life-augmenting, and that is -the individual's affair." He sees that only Labor -creates wealth, and that nothing should be robbed of -a fraction of what it creates. He sees that actually -government is "not the president, congress and the -courts, not any body or power created by the -Constitution, but always a combination of important -business interests,"[#] not even any individual, and that -even if it were completely constitutional it would still -be compulsion—that to "consent" to be governed is -to consent to be compelled.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Charles Edward Russell.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>He would argue of politics:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We Americans pretend to hate kings, and so we -devise a republic; finding the rule of one man bad, -we believe we can better it by multiplying it by ninety -millions; finding an ounce has evil effects, we take a -ton. We simply change the tyranny of one for the -tyranny of many. Even if the will of our fifteen -million voters ruled us as they tell us it does, then -each one of the fifteen million would be giving all the -14,999,999 others the right to interfere with him -in return for his one fifteen-millionth right to take a -hand in interfering with them. For that fraction of -power over others, he would be giving away all his -power over himself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber would say of religion and law:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Both are tools in the hands of compulsion. Both -try to belittle divine humanity, the first making Man -a pygmy before God and the second making Man a -pygmy before a few men. There can be no crime -against God, since God, or the force that created the -world, is omnipotent; no crime against law, since law -is an instrument of the great crime. The law a -deterrent? It isn't. The statistics prove that, so far as -statistics can prove anything. But you prove it -yourself. Why do you try to refrain from conscious -wrong? Not because you're afraid of the law in -heaven or on earth—you're not a coward. You -simply want to do the decent thing because it </span><em class="italics">is</em><span> the -decent thing. The desire to do the decent thing: -that's all the religion and law there is to-day among -even the people that make laws and religions for the -purpose of ruling other people by them. The rulers -sin only because their system has dimmed their -judgment of the decent thing, and so they go on -maintaining their law and their religion. The ruled will -want to do the decent thing just as soon as they -become responsible creatures through the abolition of -these compulsions, exactly as the rulers, though -dulled by keeping up their system, wanted to do it -as soon as they became responsible creatures by -growing above the dictates of these compulsions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Other men, other religions. For some faith; for -some denial. Huber's religion was the Gospel of -Negation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He came to this by conversion, which means the -sudden revelation by the sub-conscious self to the -conscious self of the meanings that the sub-conscious -self has long been drawing from the conscious self's -experiences. The outward phenomena of such -conversions—"being saved," "receiving grace," -"being regenerated," "experiencing religion"—are -perfectly familiar to all persons that have attended -evangelical churches, know the work of the Salvation -Army, or have read Harold Begbie's "Broken -Earthenware." The psychology of the force causing them -has been elaborately, but not always scientifically, -treated in William James's stimulating volume, -"Some Varieties of Religious Experience." The -force itself can, and often does, change the entire life -of a man from evil to good. The men so changed -that we most hear of are changed by an affirmation of -faith, because they are men whose only spiritual -experience has been in connection with accepted religions -and because their change is generally first exhibited in -the public meeting-place of the followers of some such -religion; but there are other men similarly changed by -a denial of faith, because they have had spiritual -experiences distinct from any accepted religion, and of -them we hear little, because their change is generally -wrought in the solitude in which they have had those -spiritual experiences which are unconnected with -accepted religion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber was a man of the latter sort. Being of that -sort, he says the last word that follows logically from -an acceptance of "The House of Bondage."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About the manner of this last word I should, -perhaps, say something more. I have not, I confess with -shame, read M. Fabre's book on the habits of the -spider, but I have read other books and studied the -spider in my own garden; and the more I learned of -web and spider the more I realize how Huber would -see their simulacra in our civilization and learn at -last that there the web outlived many spiders. That -is how I got my title, and that is why I have tried to -construct my chapters with a certain rough -resemblance to the female diadem-spider's web. At the -end, both the web and Huber win: the former because -it catches its fly and goes on catching other and -larger flies; the latter because his soul has found itself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The method of procuring data requires a fuller -explanation. The writer who endeavors to present -actual conditions in fictional form has constantly to -choose between truth and facts, and if his readers -accept his facts, they are inclined to doubt his -imagination. In all of these four books, I have been careful -to present only types, but I have tried to endow each -type with character, and each character has assumed -a living personality in my own mind. I have used no -person and no event that was isolated; but, having -individualized my types and chosen my typical events, I -have felt free to employ the latter in whatever way -seemed to me best fitted to enforce my argument, -and at liberty to imagine what the former would -think and do under the stress of the latter. I have -heard of a dozen women in real life designated as the -originals of Mary Denbigh, three wives selected as -Muriel Stainton, and one man—myself—named as -Dan Barnes. The discoverers of these prototypes -only flattered my powers of detection and portraiture -at the expense of my imagination and good taste.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I intended to present, and I have presented, -simply certain types produced by our civilization and -working in the media of our economic system. I -spent considerable time in New York last winter to -procure certain data; I found the data, selected what -was typical as I saw it, and made my story. "The -Spider's Web," whether well done or ill, has been -done by my own imagination.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Help I have had and eagerly sought. An historian -always cites his authorities and acknowledges his -assistants; I could never see why a novelist should be -less honest or less courteous, since every realist must -delegate some of his research-work, and even the -writer of that fiction farthest from life must take -something from the fancy of his acquaintances. I -know, and I shall not soon forget, how much "The -House of Bondage" owes to the encouragement -given my work by its publishers. During the latter -part of the actual writing of "The Spider's Web," -it was impossible for either my wife or me to be in -New York, and I taxed the generous patience of many -a friend by inquiries. I exacted tribute from Max -Eastman's editorials in "The Masses," Walter -Lippmann's papers in "The Forum," and C. P. Connolly's -in "Everybody's Magazine" as expressing -three current phases of American opinion; I even -seized a picture from Mary Macdonald Brown's -accounts of New York and secured from an editorial in -"The Nation" my reference to the past of the Astor -House. Molière took his own where he found it; I -have taken other men's at my need. To all of these -my score is long; to those few and fine newspaper and -magazine critics and reviewers who have seen my -purpose and helped it—who, when they have differed -or blamed, blamed or differed honestly—to them, -from whom I have learned so much, my obligation is -still greater.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No opinions that are worth while are unalterable; -only the insincere have fixed convictions: my cycle of -four books expresses an attitude toward life that I -may some day very well change. This series -completed, I am left with my conscience free and my -brain at liberty to turn toward work that I may try -to design only by the more lasting standards of Art, -but no change of belief or work will make me regret -having expressed what I believed. I am thoroughly -aware of how, if they understood it, the condemners -of "The Sentence of Silence" and "Running Sands" -would condemn this book. I am equally aware of -how many persons that are my comrades, friends, and -well-wishers will alter their relations toward me when -they have read "The Spider's Web"; but, though -I shall be sorry to lose these, I shall not be sorry for -the reason of their loss. Horace Traubel, who puts -most things well, has put this well:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"I have tried to stay in the house of comfort,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>to sleep in my bed of ease,</span></div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>But something not outside of me, something inside of me says:</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>This will not do....</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>I have tried the easy way: it was hard:</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Now I will try the hard way: I guess it will be easier."</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>REGINALD WRIGHT KAUFFMAN.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>POSCHIAVO, SWITZERLAND, -<br />8th September, 1913.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHARACTERS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<pre class="literal-block"> -<span>A MAN, - -the head of a group of men virtually controlling industrial, -financial, and political America. - -GEORGE J. HALLETT, one of his associates. -L. BERGEN RIVINGTON, another. - - - -*Politicians*. - -THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. -THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY. - -HON. G. W. HUBER, U. S. Congressman, from - Doncaster County, Pennsylvania, -HON. JESSE KINZER, his successor. -SENATOR SCUDDER, the MAN'S lieutenant in the - Albany legislature, -HON. JARED SPARKS, his lieutenant in the Connecticut - legislature. -BRINLEY, commander of his lobby at - Washington. -KILGOUR, City Chamberlain of New York. -TIM HENEY, Leader of Tammany Hall. -SEELEY, an anti-Tammany Democratic - leader. -ELLISON, another. -THE POLICE-COMMISSIONER OF NEW YORK CITY. -GEORGE KAINDIAC, a U. S. Post-Office Inspector. -VENABLE, ) leaders of the Municipal -NELSON, ) Reform League. -YEATES, ) -JARVIE, a Municipal Reform League - "worker." - - - -*Lawyers*. - -BROUWER LEIGHTON, District-Attorney of New - York. A Republican. -LARRY O'MARA, a member of his staff, -UHLER, another member of Leighton's - staff. - -EX-JUDGE MARCUS F. STEIN, of the firm of Stein, Falconridge, - Falconridge & Perry, - corporation-lawyers. -IRWIN, a member of Stein's staff. -ANSON QUIRK, an underworld lawyer. -LUKE HUBER, a young lawyer. - - - -*Businessmen*. - -ROBERT M. DOHAN, president of the M. & N. R. R. -HENRY G. McKAY, his successor. -B. FRANK OSSERMAN, president of the East County - National Bank. -WALLACE K. FORBES, head of the firm of R. H. - Forbes & Son, manufacturers - of ready-made clothing, -ALEXANDER TITUS, financial-inquiry agent. -JAMES T. ROLLINS, the MAN'S secretary. -ATWOOD, his chief broker. -SIMPSON, his almoner. -CONOVER, one of his confidential clerks. -HERBERT CROY, manager of the Ruysdael estate. -WHITAKER, superintendent of the Forbes - factory. -THE DESK-CLERK, in the Arapahoe Apartment house. -CHARLEY, a clerk in the M. R. L. offices, -REV. PINKNEY NICHOLSON, rector of Church of St. Athanasius. - - - -*Miscellaneous Persons*. - -THE MAN'S NIECE. -CORNELIUS RUYSDAEL, a wealthy New Yorker of - good family. -MRS. RUYSDAEL, his wife. -TOMMY HALLETT, son of George J. -JOHN JAY PORCELLIS, a young man of leisure. -BETTY FORBES, daughter of Wallace K. Forbes. -MRS. HUBER, mother of Luke and wife of - G. W. Huber. -JANE HUBER, her daughter. -JAMES, the Forbes chauffeur. -MISS WESTON, a telephone operator. -BREIL, a strike-breaker. -AN I.W.W. ORGANIZER. - - - -*Policeman*. - -HUGH DONOVAN, a police-lieutenant -MITCHELL, ) -ANDERSON, ) patrolmen. -GUTH, ) - - - -*Militiamen*. - -CAPTAIN ANTONIO FACCIOLATI, of the New York N. G. -TERRY, first-lieutenant under Facciolati. -SCHMIDT, a sergeant. - - - -*Citizens of the Underworld*. - -A BUM. -GACE, an assassin. -A DISORDERLY WOMAN. -A WOMAN-RIOTER. -A DRUNKEN WOMAN. -REDDY RAWN, leader of an East Side "gang." -REDDY'S "GIRL." -THE KID, one of his associates, -CRAB ROTELLO. head of a rival gang. -ZANTZINGER, a gunman. -BUTCH DELLITT, another gunman. - - - -*Other Persons*. - -Women of the street, the brothel, the world. -Clothing-factory workers. -A mob. -Waiters in saloons. -Clerks and foremen in the Forbes factory. -Stenographers and typists. -Gamblers. -Other gangmen. -Other policemen. -Various minor Republican, Democratic, Reform, and Progressive - politicians. -Newspaper-reporters. -Some newspaper-editors. -A corps of strike-breakers. -Scabs. -Soldiers of the New York National Guard.</span> -</pre> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-i"><span class="bold x-large">THE SPIDER'S WEB</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER I</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. Early that morning, Luke Huber stood before -the Pennsylvania Railroad Station at Americus and -fancied himself a latter-day crusader setting out to -reconquer from the infidels the modern Holy City of -God. He had graduated from the Harvard Law-School -in the previous June. Now the Republican -brother-in-law of one of his classmates, having been -elected District-Attorney of corruptly Democratic -New York, offered a place on his staff to Luke as -soon as Huber should meet successfully the necessary -formalities. This new public-prosecutor was to -"clean up" the largest city in the country, and Luke, -as his assistant, was to aid in restoring to the -metropolis the ideals of the framers of the Constitution.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A slim young man, with a smooth face too rugged -to be handsome, and gray eyes too keen to be always -dreaming, Huber stood erect, the wide collar of his -woolen overcoat turned up, for the spring lingered -that year in the valleys of Virginia, and the brim of -his Alpine hat pulled over his nose. He disregarded -the group of boys waiting for the "up-train" that -would bring the Philadelphia morning newspapers to -his native Pennsylvania town, disregarded the grimy -station-buildings, and looked toward the river, where -the morning mists were lifting and the cold sunshine -was creeping through to light the Susquehanna hills. -He was one of those fortunate and few human -beings who are born without the original sin of -superstition, but what he saw seemed to him almost a -favorable omen. He had come down early, because -he disliked to prolong the good-bys of his mother -and sister, and because he felt that even the walk to -the station was an important advance in the quest -which he was so eager to begin. When he arrived -beside the railway tracks and allowed his father, the -Congressman, to see to the checking of the baggage—a -concession that Luke made to his parent's desire -for some part in the great adventure—the entire -river was hidden from view by a thick dun curtain: -one could see nothing beyond the point by the shore -where the black arms of a derrick, at the Americus -Sand Company's works, were silhouetted against that -curtain and stretched over a tremendous mound of -sand, as if they were the arms of some gigantic -skeleton pronouncing the benediction at a Black Mass. -But now, though the fog really rose, it appeared -to Luke to be torn from above, and as the sun -mounted over distant Turkey Hill and gradually -gilded the pines on the surrounding summits, it -seemed to advance up the bed of the stream, slowly -descending of its own force along the dark hillsides, -until, all at once, the river was a rushing stream of -gold. Luke found himself thinking of the veil of the -Temple, and how it was rent in twain from the top to -the bottom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His father, who was taller than Luke, but broad -out of all proportion to his height, came puffing back -from the baggage-room. He held the checks for -Luke's luggage and a slip of pink paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here are your checks," he said, "and here's your -pass. I forgot to give it to you. It came last night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke took the proffered paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought," he began, "that the Interstate -Commerce Commission didn't——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Congressman interrupted with a deep chuckle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, that's all right," he said. "Don't let your -conscience worry you about that. This is for a -continuous ride to a terminus of the road."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see," said Luke; but what he saw was that his -father, whom he loved too much to hurt uselessly, -had, out of kindness, strained a legal definition. His -father, he reflected, was not a man to abuse privilege -in large matters, and would be only hurt by a refusal -in the present trivial affair. Luke put the pass in the -cuff of his overcoat and silently decided to pay his -fare to the conductor. The elder man, big as he was, -stamped his feet on the concrete pavement and -complained of the chill in the April air; the younger was -too happy to notice the cold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Train's five minutes late," remarked the -Congressman as, through a cautiously unbuttoned -overcoat, he drew and snapped open a heavy watch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is your time correct?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hasn't varied three seconds a week in ten years," -his father assured him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Neither was thinking of what was being said. The -younger man was so full of the high work ahead of -him that he had already forgotten his mother's ill-concealed -tears at parting; the elder, granted political -favors rather because of his personal popularity and -pliant good-nature than for any ability at the game of -vote-keeping, possessed at least the chief virtue of the -politician: he was a man of few words, and the more -truly he felt the less he spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The "up-train" arrived (it was the "down-train" -that Luke must take), and the Congressman was -besieged by the newsboys, who knelt about him, -striking their rolls of newspapers on the pavement the -quicker to burst the wrappers in which the journals -were closely confined.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Press</em><span>, Mr. Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">North American</em><span> or </span><em class="italics">Record</em><span>?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Ledger</em><span>?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boys bobbed up, flourishing their wares.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, I know what he wants," said an older lad, -elbowing the rest. "Here's yer </span><em class="italics">Inquirer</em><span>, Mr. Congressman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's father smiled: he had never outgrown his -liking for homage from whatever quarter; but he -bought a paper from each boy, giving each a -five-cent piece and telling him to keep the change.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might as well take the lot," he said to Luke. -"You'll want something to read on the train." He -was handing all the papers to Luke, when his eyes -were caught by a large headline on the first page -of one of them. "Hello!" he commented, his lips -immediately pursing themselves as if to whistle. As -Luke took its fellows, the Congressman folded this -paper with the sudden skill of the confirmed -newspaper-reader, who can handle a journal in the open -air as neatly as a trained yachtsman can reef a -top-sail before an undesirable wind. "I see the Big -Man's been giving some more testimony to that -committee of the legislature up at Albany."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the past few weeks, Luke had been too busy -preparing for his bar-examinations to keep track of -current events.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who's the Big Man?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The elder Huber raised his thick brows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know," said he, and he mentioned the name -of one of the richest men in America; not a man that -had made his wealth even through the building of a -great industry, but one that had, by "editing" money -and combinations of money much in that manner in -which a news-desk copy-reader edits the reporters' -"copy," made himself a member of the triumvirate—rumor -said made the triumvirate and made himself -its head—which had for years controlled alike the -labor and capital of the country.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's he been saying?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's been answering questions about campaign -contributions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To the Democrats?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, no." The Congressman was reluctant. -"It seems it was to the Republicans."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke colored.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," he said, "I always knew those fellows -had no real political convictions, and of course -any party is bound to have some bad lots among its -small fry, but I do wish our National Committee -would kick out of the ranks the men that take money -from such people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The father did not like this. Luke had been a -great deal away from him, first at boarding-school -and then at college and the law-school, so that the -two had not seen much of each other for many years; -but since the younger had come home this last time, -he had given frequent expression to sentiments of the -present sort, and the Congressman, although he -disliked argument as keenly as most Congressmen, felt -that now it was his duty to protest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My boy," he said, "you won't go far if you go -about talking that way. This contribution went to -the fund that elected your District-Attorney Leighton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't believe it!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's the testimony."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't believe it. This man's swearing to that -so as to hurt the party in New York."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This man?" Luke's father repeated the phrase -interrogatively. His usual taciturnity fell from him. -"Why do you say that? How do you know it? -Why should he want to hurt the party? As a matter -of fact, what do you know about 'this man,' -anyhow? Nothing but a lot of unfounded gossip printed -in papers that want him to come over to their side. -Why shouldn't he help our party? I do know something -about him. I've never met him, but I know the -whole story of his career—know it intimately—and I -tell you that his is the greatest intellect in America -to-day, and he has used his intellect, and the wealth -it got him, to help—not only once, but again and -again—to help and to save—yes, save, the party and -the prosperity of the nation. I tell you——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did not tell any more. The down-train had -been rumbling over the last span of the river-bridge -when he began talking; and now it rolled before the -station.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke took his suitcase in one hand and extended -the other in farewell. Unexpectedly he felt a lump -in his throat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-by," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His father gripped the hand. His habitual -inarticulateness redescended upon him. "You've—I -know you're all right, Luke. Don't forget to write -once a week: your mother worries."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't forget."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They stood, hands clasped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Close by, the "train-crier" was calling in a high, -nasal voice:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Train for Mountwille, Doncaster, Downington, -Philadelphy, </span><em class="italics">and</em><span> Noo York! First stop Mountwille!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And, Luke——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't make charges when you don't know facts."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps I have a weakness that way," Luke -smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His smile conjured another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's right; now you're showing the proper -spirit." With his free hand, the elder man patted the -younger's shoulder. "Stick to your books and stick -to Leighton. Gratitude is the best virtue—and the -rarest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, get aboard," concluded his counselor. -"Got your pass?—and the checks?—I'll be running -over occasionally, I dare say.—And let me know if I -can do anything for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke clambered into the smoking-car. He took a -seat on the side near the station and waved his hand -to his father as the engine began to snort. He paid -his fare to the conductor, and, when Americus was -well behind him, he opened the window, tore the pink -pass into a dozen small pieces and let the clean April -breeze carry them away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Doncaster he changed to the Pullman car that -was there attached to the train; he again carefully -chose his seat, this time selecting one on the side from -which he could the better enjoy his first view of New -York. He had always liked this view when it came to -him on his returns to Boston after his vacations; it -wakened in him the dreams of the day which should -light him into the city, there to work for its salvation -and the nation's. His youthful dreams were still -with him, and, since the moment when the sun had -rent the Susquehanna mists, he was looking forward -to that sight of the southernmost walls of New York -towering like the ramparts of a mighty fortress above -the crowded waters of the Jersey City ferry. Then, -indeed, with the battle yet to be fought, he would feel -as the crusaders must have felt at their first sight of -Jerusalem.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Luke's train was late, and by the time that it -reached the point from which the city should have -been visible, the mists had again descended. They -had deepened. All that Luke, with straining eyes, -could see were a few spectral turrets, distorted and -ugly in the thickened atmosphere, swaying overhead -upon waves of yellow fog.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. Jack Porcellis, with his mother's motor, met -Luke. They were driven to the apartment-house in -Thirty-ninth Street where, upon Jack's advice, -Huber had written to engage two small rooms and -bath. It was Jack Porcellis (his real name was John -Jay Porcellis) who had District-Attorney Leighton -for a brother-in-law and had induced that official to -give Luke a place on the staff of the public prosecutor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis was considerably taller than Huber and -very considerably thinner. He was a quiet member -of an old Knickerbocker family, who was at home -in every sort of society, had gone to law-school as -an intellectual diversion and now spent most of his -time traveling, always well within his income, -through whatever lands chanced to attract his -continually changing fancy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope you'll be comfortable here," he said, -when they had been lifted to the fifth floor of the -house, which was dry and hot from the steam -radiators and smelled as all steam-heated houses smell. -The elevator-boy was unlocking the door to Luke's -apartments while Porcellis spoke. He stood aside -as the two men entered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I'll make out very well," said Luke. He -handed the boy a tip and dismissed him. "It's not -so big as our rooms in Ware Hall, but then there -were two of us there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The quarters were indeed small. The parlor was -almost diminutive, and the bedroom, which opened -from it, was an alcove; the front window gave upon -the busy street, with a bit of Broadway to the -right, and the bathroom, in American fashion, was -as large as the parlor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did the best I could for you," Porcellis -explained: he failed to account for his friend's tone -by the fact that Luke was fresh from the spaciousness -of a small town.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber softened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't mean to criticise, Jack. I'm sure this -will do splendidly. After all, I'm in New York for -hard work."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know you are." Porcellis smiled faintly. -"You were never anywhere for anything else. Well, -you'll probably get over that before you've quite -spoiled yourself for everything. It's a way New -York has."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber was tolerant. "Is it? You see, I don't -know the town very well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who does? However, I'll show you what I can -before I sail—I'm going to Russia next week, you -know—and by way of a beginning I've brought you -a ready-made engagement for to-night. We'll dine -at my club, and see the Follies, and after that—well, -I've got you a card to Mrs. Ruysdael's dance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This doesn't sound like preparation for work," -chuckled Luke; "but, thank you—and who is -Mrs. Ruysdael?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who is Mrs. Ruysdael?" Porcellis repeated. -He was stroking the spot where his blond mustache -had been a year ago, but where, because mustaches -had since become unfashionable, it no longer grew. -"Why, the Mrs. Ruysdael, of course: Mrs. Cornelius -Ruysdael."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he heard it in full, Luke remembered the -name. Of Mrs. Ruysdael he knew only that she -was a woman of fashion; but her husband was -everywhere known as the worthy representative of a -Dutch New York name long eminent in the country's -history. The family had been rich for several -generations, but they had proved themselves -surprisingly able to wear the cloak of wealth with -dignity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I remember now," said Luke. "They're said to -be among the heaviest real-estate owners in New -York, aren't they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, yes, they are," he conceded: "but none -of us ever think of that. I doubt if even they do. -They leave their estate to their agents to manage, -and we leave the story of it to the yellow press to -talk about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I never knew there was any story connected -with it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No? Well, for my part, I don't believe there -is. Some labor-agitator searched the records and -tried to prove they made their first fortune buying -condemned muskets from the British garrisons just -before the Revolution and selling them as good arms -to the Continental Congress. He said they invested -the profits in New York land as soon as prices fell -after the Declaration of Independence was signed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was it true?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis shrugged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was all a long time ago, at any rate," he said, -"and the Ruysdaels are very nice people now: you -would never guess they were worth more than a -million. Besides, Charley—that's my Wall Street -cousin—says they've somehow funded their -landholdings with one of Old Nap's concerns. I don't -know. I don't pretend to understand finance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke felt extremely ignorant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Old Nap?" he wondered. "Who's he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In reply, Porcellis mentioned the name of the man -of whom Luke's father had spoken so highly that -morning at the railway station in Americus.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber pushed forward a chair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sit down," he said, "and have a cigarette. I -want to ask you one question more. You've been -all over the map. You've got the cosmopolitan point -of view. What do you think of this man?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think," said Porcellis, accepting both the chair -and the cigarette, "that it doesn't make any difference -what I think of him." He lit the cigarette. -"But I'm quite sure," he presently added, "he is -the sort of man nobody can help thinking </span><em class="italics">something</em><span>, -about. Why do you ask?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because——" Luke was not certain why he did -ask. He could not politely inquire of Porcellis -whether he believed that his brother-in-law had -accepted, to aid his election, money from a power that -could not but be interested in the official actions of -a District-Attorney of New York. "Because," he -compromised, "my father was speaking to me about -him only this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So were a lot of other fathers. So are a lot -of other fathers every morning. That's greatness. -What I think is that Old Napoleon is the greatest -man this country has ever produced."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You think so well of him as that!" Luke was -amazed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't say I thought he was good," Porcellis -defined; "I said I thought he was great. Greatness -hasn't anything to do with good or bad, or only -accidentally. The greatest national figure a country -produces is the figure that most intensely and—well, -and powerfully—expresses that country. That's why -Shakespeare was the greatest man produced by -Elizabethan England."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh—Shakespeare!" laughed Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why not?" asked Porcellis. "Shakespeare -lived in a country and time of expanding intellectual -conceptions, and he expressed them the way I've said. -We live in a country and time of tremendous financial -combination and expansion; we're not working in -the material of intellectual conceptions, except as we -conceive finance intellectually; we're working with -figures and dollar-marks and differentials and -compound interest and dividends as complicated as an -astronomer's calculations. Well, this little old man -in Wall Street can see those figures before they -happen; he can make them come to life out of -nothing—make them happen, give them life just the way -Shakespeare gave life to another sort of ideas. -These ideas are the ideas of our country; they are -our country. Here is a genius that most fully and -powerfully, most intensely and perfectly expresses -them, and so I say he is the American Shakespeare."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke writhed in his chair opposite Porcellis. He -could withhold the question no longer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then"—he almost blurted it out at last—"those -campaign contributions——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Porcellis was scandal-proof.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Those!" he said lightly. "You'll have to ask -Brouwer Leighton about them."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. After they left the theater, the two young -men were driven, again in the motor belonging to -Mrs. Porcellis, up the noisy river of yellow light -that was Broadway, where their vehicle joined a long -procession, until they reached a cross-street in the -early Fifties. Then their car darted from the -parade and plunged through a dark thoroughfare to -Fifth Avenue. They drew up before a house where -Luke could at first see little save that from its -doorway, high above the pavement, a long and narrow -tent of white canvas striped with red ran to the curb. -Several other motors were ahead of theirs, so theirs -had to wait its turn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is this the place?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It does look rather like a barn from the outside," -he said, guessing his companion's thought and -agreeing with it. "That's a Ruysdael way: they -maintain the old tradition of severe exteriors; they -don't believe in flaunting their wealth in the face of -the public; they believe in keeping the best for their -friends."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke leaned shamelessly forward. Whenever he -had gone to dances heretofore, the houses of his -hostesses had shown lights in every window and -dispensed a glow of festivity to the streets; but this -house, essentially forbidding, stood dark and silent, -its windows masked. Except for the faint illumination -of a street-lamp that sputtered bluely at the -corner, the only scintillations visible were two thin -lines of radiance, one along the pavement, at the -bottom of the entrance-tent, and a corresponding -one above, between the walls of the tent and the -loose overhang of its roof: these and a glowing spot -at the end of the tent upon the curb where, between -rows of ragged night figures watching the scene, -dismounting guests appeared and disappeared—white -shirt-fronts, and opera-cloaks, and the glint of -jewels—like pictures in dissolving views.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With each arrival, motors swung away from the -entrance, turned to the other side of the street, and -proceeded to the farther corner there to await their -recall, while their drivers gossiped in the darkness -or drank beer at a convenient bar. Thus, with starts -and stops like those of an American railway train -leaving a station, the Porcellis car slowly approached -the canvas mouth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When that mouth yawned directly before them, -Luke and Porcellis, the door of their automobile -held open by a servant in livery, descended into the -tent. A string of incandescent lamps had been hung -in this corridor—it was the light from these lamps -which crept from above and below the walls—and a -thick carpet covered the pavement. Along it they -walked to the house-steps, where two turbaned East -Indians stood ready to relieve them of their hats -and top-coats and show them to a room prepared for -incoming men-guests.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," said Porcellis, "you see what I was -talking about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A greater contrast between the outside and the -inside of the Ruysdael house it would, indeed, have -been hard to find. The reception hall was of white -marble and of a height generally seen only in public -buildings. Pillars held the distant ceiling; the -staircase rose in a pentagonal tower, a copy, Porcellis -explained, of that in the Francis First wing of the -Château of Blois; the light, although its sources were -hidden, was almost blinding to eyes fresh from the -darkness of the street; there was music heard lightly -from a distance, and the air was faint with the scent -of American Beauty roses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis and Luke went up the carved staircase in -the tower, which was open at each landing so as to -command a view of the hall, and were directed to -the men's room, where three valets were in attendance. -Against the walls of this room were several -dressing-tables, each with a strong lamp before it -and each covered with toilet articles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not sure," said Luke, in a whisper that was -both amazed and amused, "whether I'm in a belle's -boudoir or a musical comedy star's dressing-room."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a judicious combination," said Porcellis in -a conversational tone that disregarded the fluttering -attendants. He picked up a gold-backed buffer and -polished his always coruscating finger-nails.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke contented himself with a touch to his hair, -which had a way of standing upright, and a tug at -his tie, which was forever straining toward independence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's this?" he asked as he lifted a glass case. -He removed its lid and sniffed at the contents. "It -looks like rouge," he added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is," said Porcellis.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I thought this room was for men," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis drew down the corners of his sensitive -mouth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is," he said again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They went toward the ballroom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A man-servant with those brief side-whiskers -which, twenty years before, were used to proclaim -the millionaire, stood splendidly against the crush -about the doorway. He bent to each newcomer and -secured a name, which, turning his head, but not -moving his body, he then shouted, from an -impassive face, into the ballroom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis nodded to him familiarly</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-evening, James," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-evening, Mr. Porcellis. And the other -gentleman, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber," said Porcellis with careful distinctness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The servant turned his head toward the crowd in -the room behind him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Porcellis!" he cried, and then, as if it were -an afterthought: "Mr. Urer!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all right," Porcellis hurriedly reassured -Luke. "Nobody pays the slightest attention to -him, anyhow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nobody did. As they shouldered their way -forward, the huge apartment that they now entered was -like what Luke thought the rooms of state at -Versailles must be, and the great hall in the Brussels -Palace of Justice. All about the walls, and -especially about the large entrance, was a press of men -and women, standing still, or moving slowly from -group to group through an invisible, but palpable, -cloud formed by a mixture of the odor of withering -flowers, Parisian scents, and human sweat. A -band of music, concealed in a far-away balcony, -blared rag-time, but distinct from its impudence, -there rose from all these people the noise of -shoe-leather dragged over parquette flooring, the -composite of laughter in many keys and the perplexed -buzz of small-talk. The moving figures of the -women, over whom countless aigrettes quivered, had -a kaleidoscopic effect, curiously unreal: an effect of -flashing colors—crimson, ivory, blues, greens, and -pinks—splashing against white breasts and backs, -falling away from dazzling shoulders, the waves -mounting in oily satin, feline velvet, or clinging -peau de cygnes, and breaking in the foam of lace -and the flying spray of diamonds. Here even the -ordinary black-and-white of the men became -black-and-gray or black-and-lavender, with gems for -waistcoat buttons. On the dancing-floor many couples, -hugging each other so tightly that their bodies -touched from chest to center, swayed to the sensuous -music of a one-step, the leaders' high collars wilting, -the fingers of their right hands spread wide along the -women's upper vertebras, their partners looking into -their intent faces from narrowed eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The picture was too bright, too varied, for the -unaccustomed mind to seize it: Luke turned to -Porcellis:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And Mrs. Ruysdael?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was expecting his hostess to meet her guests at -the door of the ballroom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis, however, did not wholly understand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, she's about somewhere, I dare say," he -responded—"though she doesn't care for late hours -and sometimes leaves after the third dance. Come -on. I'll introduce you to some worth-while people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He introduced Luke to a great many people, for -he seemed to know them all. There was the British -Ambassador and a German baron, a string of -dowagers with marriageable daughters (Luke -danced with each daughter and liked her), an artist, -a scientist, and a bibliophile, and several debutantes -that were not marriageable at all, but were quite -frankly determined to marry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As is the way when a name runs in one's brain, -three out of five of the people that Luke talked to -sooner or later mentioned the man that the elder -Huber had spoken of that morning and that Porcellis -had later so highly extolled. The Ambassador -said that this man had, by lending or withholding -tremendous sums, preserved the peace of nations; the -artist praised him as the only true patron of art in -America; the scientist told how the same man had -established and equipped a now world-famous institution -for the study and cure of a world-plague; the -bibliophile envied his first editions and medieval -manuscripts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leading his prettiest partner across the floor, -Luke's glance, in spite of his will, rested on a -diamond pendant that hung from a thread of gold about -her neck and fell above her beautiful bust. She was -a girl with the face of one of those Italian peasant -girls that the early painters loved to paint as -Madonnas, and Huber felt that his regard must be an -insult.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl, however, took the pendant between a -white thumb and forefinger and looked from it to -him with pleased eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You like it?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think it's wonderful," said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is pretty," she replied. "My uncle gave it -to me on my last birthday. It used to be in a heathen -god's crown in some Chinese or Hindu temple or -other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The god ought to be pleased to lose it to you," -said Luke, "even if it didn't come to you directly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but it did come to me directly," she laughed -prettily. "That's half the charm of it. Uncle sent -right over there and got it for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When Luke found Porcellis again, he asked him -about this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who's that girl with the broad, low forehead," -he inquired, "and the expression of a stained-glass -saint?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're aiming high," said Porcellis; "that's one -of the richest girls in New York."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who's her uncle?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, she's been talking of him, has she? Well, -I don't blame her. Her uncle is the man I call the -American Shakespeare. She'll get a lot of his money, -too, for he has no children of his own."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is he here himself?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not he. He doesn't care for this sort of thing. -That football-playerish sort of fellow that the niece -introduced you to—that's young Hallett she's -dancing with now—he's the son of George J. And -there's George J. himself!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke remembered that George J. Hallett was one -of the financiers whose name was most frequently -associated with the donor of diamonds and -benefactor of medical research.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And," continued Porcellis, "do you see that -stoutish, nervous pale man over there talking to the -British Ambassador? Oh, don't be alarmed: they're -probably not talking about anything more important -than how they hate dances. Well, that's the third -member of the triumvirate: that's L. Bergen Rivington."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke went home in the early dawn, feeling that -these were pleasant people, however they came by -their money, and that he had certainly judged the one -that was not there long before he knew much about him.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Leighton was out of town—he, too, was -before the legislature's investigating committee at -Albany—and the bar-examination was not to be held -for a week or more, so that Luke had the next few -days to devote to himself. The use that he put -them to was an endeavor to learn what he could of -the city of which he had seen so little before he came -to live there. He saw what, considered of itself, -was a great deal, but what, considered as a part of -New York, was minute; and at many turns, the -number of which surprised him—for long as he had -known of the man's power, he never before looked -for its effects—he came across traces of that -financier who more and more seemed to him to be the -controlling force in America.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was shown a great college, handsomely -housed, splendidly equipped, in which the higher -education was provided free to every graduate of the -public schools that chose to take advantage of it, -and this, he was told, had been given to New York -by the great "money editor." He was taken through -a cancer hospital, where mesothorium, which cost -about $52,000 a grain, and radium at $64,000, had -been bought and were kept and used without charge -in the treatment of poor patients—where physicians -and surgeons of international repute were engaged to -spend all their time searching for a true cure and -final prevention—and this institution had been largely -endowed by the same man, whose first wife, it -appeared, had died of cancer. There were homes for -destitute widows, pure-milk depots, orphan asylums, -all assisted by this man or his associates.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know him?" Luke asked Porcellis one -evening as they sat at dinner in the latter's club. -They had been talking of many things, but Luke -found this one conspicuously interesting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Porcellis. "He doesn't go out much. -I saw him once. I was being shown through his -library—it's a marvelous place, full of treasure-trove -that would make a scholar think he was in heaven—and -the librarian pointed him out to me: he was -sitting in the alcove that held the First Folios, and -he was reading the current 'World Almanac.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They both laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still," protested Luke, "he seems more Jovian -than ever to me. I don't know whether he's a good -Jove or a bad one, but I don't see how he can really -be bad when he does so much good."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Porcellis was still intolerant of the ethical -question. He pointed out that nobody of weight ever -knew or cared whether Shakespeare's life was moral -or whether the effect of his work was immoral. What -had happened in regard to the American was that, -because he had at last been secured to come to a -public hearing, people were beginning to realize that -he was a living man and not a force of nature. For -a quarter of a century he had been the greatest -individual power in the United States, and for all that -time he had remained hidden. He had been doing -daily tremendous things, things that were epic in their -sweep and yet affected every man, woman, and child -included in the census—and nobody knew of them, no -paper printed a word about them, until he had passed -them out of his own hands and into those of his -lieutenants, not until, indeed, his lieutenants had sent -them so far from hand to hand that none could -tell precisely when and where they had started.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The man's a genius," said Porcellis, "and like -all geniuses he's just what we all are when his genius -isn't at work. What he feels is just what we'd feel -if we were in his place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still," argued Luke, "the influence of such a -man is too great; it's dangerous. It oughtn't to be -allowed in politics."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There you go again!" sighed Porcellis. "Allow? -How are you going to allow or disallow a -force? It simply is. This man can give the big -politicians certain large advantages if they pass laws -that suit him. The big politicians can give the little -politicians certain lesser advantages if they furnish -the votes. The lesser politicians can get the votes -if they let the police charge the criminals for -protection in crime. Each man seizes his opportunity, -and that's all there is about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You think so?" said Luke. "I can't believe it. -I can't believe it would be necessary if the right laws -were passed and enforced. Wait till your brother-in-law -gets the District-Attorney's office cleaned -out and in working order. Then you'll see I'm right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>§5. At ten o'clock on the following Sunday night, -Luke, on a lonely walk through the East Side, noticed -that, whereas the front rooms of the saloons were -darkened, the back rooms were all alight. The doors -to these back rooms were forever swinging to the -entrance and exit of unmistakable customers, many -of whom came out bearing foaming jugs of beer -under the indifferent noses of policemen at the -corners. Luke chose a saloon in Essex Street and -entered it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The room was small, but crowded. The walls, -which were papered in green, bore a few framed -prints in high colors, advertisements of various -brands of beer and whisky. All about were small -tables at which blowsy women and men in stained -clothes were drinking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke hesitated. Nobody had questioned his entrance, -there was no guard and no password: the door -hung free; but now his startled eye could not see a -vacant table, and he knew that he must appear an -alien to this place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently a nearby woman smiled at him. She -looked to be about fifty years old. There was a -mangy peacock feather in her straw hat, which was -set a-slant of dank black hair touched with gray.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hello, sweetheart," she said. "Come over -here a minute." Her smile was toothless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shut up, Mame," somebody else commanded. -"You're drunk."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked at the man that had spoken. He -was sitting alone at a table the length of the room -away. He had a puffed face, red from liquor and -blue from an unshaven beard; his coat, once black, -had turned green; he wore no collar, and a part of -the rim of his greasy derby-hat was torn away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shut up," he repeated. "You're drunk."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank Gawd," the woman assented. Her acknowledgment -of the accusation was fervent; she -returned her attention to the glass of whisky that -stood on the table before her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can sit here, if you want to," said the man, -addressing Luke, and nodding at a chair beside him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke crossed the room and took the chair. The -other people in the room were indifferent to his -entrance with the same indifference that the guests -of Mrs. Ruysdael had shown. The woman that -had invited him did not look his way; even the man -that had invited him remained for some time silent. -Luke ordered a glass of beer from an aproned -waiter, who came with a tray full of whisky glasses -in one hand, and five foaming beer-mugs in the -fingers and thumb of the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you have a drink with me?" Luke -inquired of the derelict beside him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sure," said he, and Luke noticed that, though -he did not cough, his voice was hoarse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They gave their orders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And perhaps your friend would have one?" -Luke suggested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man raised his rheumy eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What friend?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The—the one that spoke to me when I came in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who? That skirt? I never saw her before -in my life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Their drinks came, and the men drank for a -while in silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's </span><em class="italics">your</em><span> graft?" asked the man presently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm a lawyer," said Luke. He was first proud -of the answer and then ashamed of himself for being -proud of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man looked at him dreamily through watering eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quit yer kiddin'," he presently remarked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not kidding."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a lawyer?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I'm a bum," said the man. He tilted up -his bristled chin; his seamed throat swelled; sounds -that, because they were not speech, Luke took to be -song, came from his throat. He sang:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"The Spring has came, I'm just out o' jail;</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>I haven't any money an' I haven't any bail!</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">Hall</em><span>eyloolyah, I'm a bum—bum!</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Halleyloolyah, bum again!</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Halleyloolyah, give——"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>He stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry for </span><em class="italics">you</em><span>," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" asked Luke. He thought the sentiment -of that song as horrible as the creature that sang it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because you're all tied up with everything. But -me—there ain't nothin' </span><em class="italics">can</em><span> tie me. You fellers is -in jail all the time an' don't know it; I'm only in -jail when you fellers can ketch me and put me there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke realized that he had found a philosopher -who, however mistaken in his deductions, had seen -quite as much of the world as Jack Porcellis. He -attempted the vernacular.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is this a bums' joint?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The philosopher sneered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Naw," he said. "It's a bum joint, but it ain't -a bums' joint. Too much class for me. This bunch"—he -included the entire company with a wide -gesture—"is all in the same jail with you. If they -wasn't here, you'd be where I am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose they do give us lawyers cases," Luke -granted; "but they seem to get around the laws -pretty frequently: they're wide open to-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sure they are. See that?" The other man -indicated the waiter, who was disappearing into the -dark vestibule with two drinks on his tray. "Them's -for the cop on this beat, an' a vice-squad cop 'at's -with him. I'm wise. I seen Tony (that's the boss -o' this joint) slip them a fifty-dollar bill last -Sunday—protection money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But some day," urged Luke, who was trying to -plumb the dark pool that was this man's mind, -"the Mayor or the District-Attorney will get proof -of that sort of thing—some day when the Mayor -and the District-Attorney are honest men——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't make me laugh," the derelict interrupted: -"me lip's cracked. The Mayor and the District-Attorney's -got to get elected, whoever they are, don't they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke supposed so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then. Tony an' his kind gets the votes. -They can't elect without the Tony kind says so. It's -a fair trade. An' the Mayors an' the District-Attorneys -ain't got no easy thing of it, neither. Votes costs -money. They've got to get the money from the -money-guys, the candidates do, an' then they've got -to let the money-guys kill as many people as they -wants to on their railroads without sendin' them to -jail for it.—Have another?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke consented to another drink.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This one's on me," said the other man, and he -paid for the order. "No, sir," he went on, as they -were finishing their second drink together, "there's -only two sorts o' men that ain't tied up. One sort's -me that knows things an' ain't afraid to starve -(there's lots of me); the other sort's the guys at -the top that does the tyin', an' there's only a few of -them, with the King as the boss-knotter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The King?" repeated Luke. "Who's he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But he had guessed the answer before the derelict -gave it: the answer was the man that Porcellis -considered the greatest American.....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All the way to his apartments in Thirty-ninth -Street that night, Luke's feet were pounding to the -wretched derelict's wretched hymn:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Hall</em><span>eyloolyah, I'm a bum—bum!</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Halleyloolyah, bum again!"</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-ii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER II</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On a morning of that same April in a large rear -room on the twentieth floor of a Wall Street -skyscraper, three men were seated around a large -mahogany table. They were talking business. Each -man had his own offices and his own businesses, but -they frequently and quietly met in this, the inner -office of one, because most of the businesses of each -were closely connected, at several points, with the -business interests of all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was nothing unusual about the outward -appearance of the public actions of this trio; they -were apparently but three units of the legion that -makes this portion of New York a city by day and -a desert by night. Each had come downtown in his -own motor that morning, defying speed laws and -traffic regulations, just as scores of his business -neighbors had done. Each had descended at his own -offices, passed through a half-dozen doors guarded -by six bowing attendants, and proceeded to his own -desk in his own private room, precisely as a small -army of other business men were doing at the same -time within a radius of half a mile. Each looked like -the rest of that army. All three were men of about -the average in height, not noticeably either above or -below it, and inclined to bulkiness. They had pale -faces and close mouths and quiet eyes, which looked -out upon the world from under bushy brows with -glances that gave the lie to the lethargic indications -of the little pouches of loose skin below their lower -lids. Each man wore a flower in the lapel of his -dark coat; one wore a white waistcoat; the cropped -mustache of one was black; that of another was -touched with gray; the man at the head of the table -was clean-shaven.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table was, for the -most of the time, even less remarkable than his -companions. He was somewhat shorter and heavier; his -abdomen swelled so that his shoulders were -somewhat farther from the table than were those of his -associates; his bushy eyebrows were somewhat more -bushy; his pale face somewhat paler; his calm eyes -somewhat sharper, yet more calm;—and his lips, -in addition to closing tightly, were so heavy that -the compression of the mouth must have resulted -from a habit acquired only by a strong and long -effort of the will. He sat with his great hands flat -upon the surface of the table, his thick fingers -extended, his elbows raised at right angles to his torso -and pointing ceilingward. His chest heaved visibly, -but his breathing was inaudible. His eyes were -everywhere. He spoke rarely, but when he did -speak it was as if he darted over the table, seized -something, and returned: he was startlingly brief -and sudden, and was instantly back again in his quiet -watchfulness, apparently heavy, unruffled, slow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had come to work that morning with his -usual promptness—the moment of his coming never -changed—and in his usual temper. He had threaded -the maze of corridors with a springing step. In the -mahogany-paneled room with its heavy table and -arm-chairs, and its one decoration, a rare engraving -of George Washington, hung between the two -windows that gave the place its only chance for -sunlight, he found on his desk, in a corner, a clean -blotter, a fresh pen, a small pad of cheap paper for -memoranda, and nothing else. He pressed one of -a row of worn buttons in the side of the desk. He -was ringing for his private secretary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secretary, who patently tried to look as much -like his master as possible, and succeeded, entered, a -sheaf of open letters in his hand, and noiselessly -closed the door behind him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-morning," said his master. His voice was -quite low; it was thin and cool, but his words fell -quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-morning," said the secretary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's in the mail?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not much, sir. Only about twenty things that -need your personal attention."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">About</em><span> twenty!" The master's words seemed -to leap from him and assault the secretary, but his -face was set like a plaster-cast of calm and his tone -was even. "Do you mean nineteen or twenty-one?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secretary was too used to this manner of -speech to be alarmed by it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Twenty-two," he said. He handed the letters -to his master.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That one ran them over with a quick hand and a -quicker eye. In terse, sharp sentences, he directed -his secretary how to reply to them, the latter taking -rapid stenographic notes of the commands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have turned the begging communications -over to Simpson to investigate?" the employer inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the requests for contributions?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. There was one for a new hospital at -Akron. The rubber people have given five thousand, -and——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell Simpson to write that I'll give ten -thousand if the town raises ten thousand more."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Has Mr. Brinley telephoned from Washington?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. He says he is to take breakfast at -the White House to-morrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that? He was told to arrange it for to-day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was; but he said he'd got word from the——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind. To-morrow will do, if he only -keeps his word this time. Wire him: 'Right; but -positively no more postponements.' Use the code -signature and send from somewhere uptown,—Anything -from Albany?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. Senator Scudder says to tell you that bill -will be reported to-day and rushed through before -evening."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have Conover go up to the Astor and get -Scudder on the 'phone and say that the bill must be -passed before noon recess. The Governor will sign -it immediately."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And Conover is not to mention names."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course not, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anything else?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No—except somebody has been trying to get you -on the long-distance wire from Hartford."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's Sparks.—Run over to the corner pay-station -and call up the legislative building at Hartford. -Get Sparks on the 'phone. Be sure it's the -right man you're talking to. Tell him that the New -York gentleman he wanted to speak to—just that: -the New York gentleman he wanted to speak to—is -out of town, but has telegraphed you to say to him -it is all right for him to go ahead. Got that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Read it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secretary read from his notes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," said the business man, "get Mr. Rivington -and Mr. Hallett on your own 'phone and ask -them if they can find it convenient to come around -here to see me for a half-hour. Tell me what they -say, and then give me Atwood and the other brokers -in the regular order."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And, Rollins——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When Mr. Hallett and Mr. Rivington arrive, -we are not to be disturbed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secretary went; the brokers were given their -orders, and then came L. Bergen Rivington and -George J. Hallett, the two men with whom this third -man was now consulting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"About the Manhattan and Niagara——" began -Rivington. He had a way of moving his hands -nervously when he spoke, and he rarely completed a -sentence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett, who was the man in a white waistcoat, -stopped chewing his cigar to ask:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they kickin' about? We own seventy-five -per cent. of the preferred and sixty of the common."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And it is too much, I think," said Rivington. -"We need it only to keep from unsettling the N. Y. & -N. J. interests, because—— Fifty-five of the -preferred and fifty-two of the common, perhaps, but -seventy-five and sixty——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And, now," chimed Hallett, "this little -fellow—what's his name?—the president. Oh, yes: -Dohan, that's it—starts out to launch a new -stock-issue to bridge the river five miles from town and -come into New York, an' all without as much as -sayin' 'If you please' to us! We ought to wreck his -damned picayune road for him; that's what we ought -to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two continued their indignant comments. -Every little while they paused to give the crouching -man at the head of the table a chance to speak, and -more often they looked at him to see whether he -wanted to speak; but, though his eyes were always -alert to meet theirs, he did not, for some time, -utter a word.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said Rivington, "we are not directors -of the road, but still——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, hell!" grunted Hallett disgustedly. "Didn't -you just say between us we owned all the stock -worth ownin'? We ought to unload and smash 'em."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You may be right. I am inclined to think——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right? Of course I'm right. I'm not goin' to -be bullied by a handful of dummies when I can sell -them up as if I was a sheriff closing down on a -crossroads grocery store!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They certainly are impudent and——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're beggars on horseback! Wastin' our -money like this!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They have—— We should tell the legislature——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gentlemen,"—it was the clear, crisp voice of -the man at the head of the table that interrupted; he -spoke in a tone somewhat different from that in -which he habitually addressed his clerks and his -brokers, but he spoke as suddenly and with all the -authority that he used toward them—"if the -M. & N. comes into New York, it will not take one-half -of one per cent. of the profits away from our other -roads. For all but its last thirty-two miles, the new -line taps territory new to us, and the new stock will -have paid for itself, and have paid a profit too, in -five years."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington and Hallett looked at each other. The -latter took his cigar between his fingers and folded -his arms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do we care?" he asked, but his tone had -lost the assertiveness that had marked it a moment -earlier. The man at the head of the table did not -answer this question directly. He proceeded:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Except for ourselves, most of the old stockholders -are poor people. They need the money, and -the old holders are to have the first chance at the new -issue. In five years, then, the minor stockholders will -have realized a profit on their investment; so shall -we. At that time we could unload without hurting -anybody but the officials that have defied us. -Always supposing," he added, "that the management -observe a proper economy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett's eyes burned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're right," he said. "We can win both -ways if we do that. The road will be bankrupt, -and we can buy it in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table did not smile. -He only said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have always been very naïve, Hallett; but -I did think you would have seen this point sooner."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington at length cut in:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the cost of getting the bill through the -legislature——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The bill will pass this morning," said the man at -the head of the table. "The Governor will sign -it immediately."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His certainty silenced them for a moment; but -Rivington, whom the outside world pictured as a -pirate, was still timid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he said, "but the expense of the city -ordinance——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, we'll take care of that," grinned Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the cost of construction——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I said," repeated the man at the head of the -table: "'Always supposing the management observe -a proper economy.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He settled back in his chair. He seemed to consider -the subject closed, and so, presently, did his -companions. Within five minutes they had left him, -and he was ringing for Rollins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rollins," he said, "take this letter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secretary seated himself at the far end of the -table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His employer walked to a window and looked out. -His hands were clasped behind him now, and he did -not turn his head as he rapidly dictated:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span class="small">"Robert M. Dohan. (Send it to his house address, Rollins, -and mark it 'Confidential.') I understand that the bill of which -you have spoken to me will be passed and become a law to-day. -I have just seen Messrs. Hallett and Rivington and have secured -their agreement to the plan outlined in my personal conversation -with you last week. In view of the favors that you have done -me in the past, I think it fair to tell you, for your own use -only, (Underline that, Rollins), that my friends have decided -that they and I ought to do what you thought they might decide, -viz.: unload at the end of five years. Considering your -contemplated resignation next year, this will not affect you, except -favorably in case you care to manipulate your own holdings -in accordance with this news.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span class="small">"(Paragraph) I note what you say about the estimate submitted -by the construction-department; also the letter of the -steel-rail manufacturers which you inclosed, in which they say -that the grade I suggested might not wear well. I think their -use of the word 'dangerous' is absurdly exaggerated. We have -used this grade on several of our roads and feel sure from -long experience that, with proper repair-gangs, it will wear for -five years as well as the best.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span class="small">"(Paragraph) My desire, and the desire of my associates, is -to protect the interests of the stockholders. With that in mind, -I should state, what you have probably already gathered, that -we feel that the new line must be built and operated with all -possible economy. —— Very truly yours."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The secretary closed his book.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is that all?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without turning, his employer nodded, and -Rollins left the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the corner by the desk, a stock-ticker was -clicking out yards of tape into a high wicker basket. -The man that had just given the M. &. N. Railway -permission to enter New York started to walk to -the ticker; but he paused again, at the second -window, to look down on the thoroughfare and buildings -below him. From that height the streets of the city -seemed to be threads leading in every direction; they -seemed to radiate from the building in which the -watcher stood. On the threads black dots that were -hurrying men and women seemed to quiver like -entangled flies.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-iii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER III</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. The legislature's committee made its report—the -legislature was heavily Republican that year—declaring -that no wrong had been done, and Luke -accepted this verdict as a proof and triumph of -right. He passed his examinations and, shortly after -Porcellis sailed for Russia, became a member of the -staff of the District-Attorney, who was to "clean -up" New York.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>District-Attorney Leighton was a pleasant man, -still young at forty, who had a plausible and -engaging manner supported by that bluff and downright -good-humor which passes current as the legal tender -of honesty. He had been in politics, and on the losing -side, since his twenty-first year, and during all that -time he was fighting toward the office which he had -ultimately attained. Even his relatives, who were -people of so high a position that they regarded -voting as something beneath their caste and would rather -be pillaged than lay hands upon the pillagers, had -kept him at a distance and were a little ashamed of -their pride in his success now that he had secured it. -With a few other men, all his elders, he had found -his party a ruined fortress and rebuilt it, stone by -stone, now seeing the work of months plundered in a -day, now resisting his assailants by their own sort -of arms, until the stronghold, still far from -impregnable or potent to command the entire city, -could at least dominate that spot beneath its guns -on which he had been able to take up his present -position.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Under him Luke went cheerfully to work. He -was at first disappointed because his tasks were -minor tasks and seemed to possess only the most -distant connection with the great crusade; but he was, -in those times, as modest as he was ardent, and he -realized that he was still in his novitiate. He tried -petty offenders whose crimes were so insignificant -that he frequently found it hard to consider them -crimes at all, and he was often too sorry for the -accused to be glad when he convicted them. The -first time he won a sentence, which was by no means -the first time he tried a case, he passed a sleepless -night, because he feared that the defendant's plea -might have been the true one. It was long thereafter -before he could exult in a conviction that carried -with it a term in prison, even when he was certain -of the condemned man's guilt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The other members of the staff, more experienced -in criminal practice, showed no compunctions. They -were a rather jolly lot of men, ranging in age from -twenty-five to thirty, with a cynical tolerance of life -and a tendency to regard their work as a game that -everybody played solely for the sake of winning it, -with the opposing lawyers as the rival players and -with the accused as insensate pawns. Luke forgave -them only because of their unanimous and unbounded -loyalty to their high-purposing chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I got that case," declared one of these young -men, a Larry O'Mara, when he came through Luke's -little office one afternoon after the court had risen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What case?" Luke inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That one I had against Burroughs—and old -Laurie was sitting, too. The jury was only out ten -minutes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>O'Mara was pink with triumph.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was the charge?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Larceny. It was hard work to make out; but -the fellow's past record did for him. I got that in -while Burroughs was asleep at the switch. When -he did object, Laurie ruled against me, but the jury'd -heard it all right. Laurie's the strictest man on -the bench, and Burroughs is about the cleverest -criminal lawyer in town."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke blushed for this victor:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was the man guilty?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>O'Mara's eyes were first wondering and then -amused.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They all are," he said. "If he didn't do this -he did something else we didn't know about—lots -else. They're all guilty."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke supposed they were, but he could not understand -his associates' desire to secure convictions for -the convictions' sake.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The innocent did not always suffer, nor yet the -guilty. Luke was not directly attached to the -homicide bureau, the name applied to that branch of the -staff regularly employed to investigate and try cases -of suspected murder. Nevertheless, Leighton -believed in giving his men some chance at many -branches of practice, because he wanted them to be -what he called "all-round criminal practitioners" -when the time should come for them to leave his -service, and so Luke was once or twice called into a -capital trial. On one such occasion he was helping young -Uhler. Leighton himself had tried a striker named -Gace on the charge of shooting and killing a -detective during a strike-riot, and Gace, greatly to the -District-Attorney's chagrin, was acquitted. Some -slight evidence adduced at the Gace trial seemed to -point to another striker, Reardon, and, though there -was small hope of convicting Reardon, popular -clamor forced Leighton to plead for a true bill -against him and bring him to trial.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't touch it any more, though," laughed -Leighton. "Uhler, you'll have to take it, and you -might as well have Huber with you. We're bound -to lose, and so I'm going to give my assistants a -chance to bear the discredit. That's what you boys -are here for."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Smarting under his chief's prophecy, Uhler, one -of the youngest of the staff, went into court and -fought hard, which was doubtless the intention -behind Leighton's words. His enthusiasm was strong -and contagious. He convinced himself of Reardon's -guilt, and he ended by convincing Luke. The -proceedings, indeed, went largely in the State's -favor until, shortly after the defense had opened its -case, the man Gace, who had previously been -acquitted, was called to the stand to testify to some -minor detail. His examination was about to be -completed when he quite calmly volunteered the -statement that it was he who had done the killing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cross-examine," said the defending lawyer and, -covering amazement, sat down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Uhler looked helplessly at Luke. Luke, now -enough of a lawyer to believe that this was no more -than a clever ruse to secure an unjust acquittal, sprang -to his feet and shook an angry finger under the nose -of the witness murderer, whose confession, had it -been expected, would have been prevented.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So," he cried, "not satisfied with cheating -justice in your own case, you come back here to taunt -it, do you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I don't know as I'm taunting anything," -replied the witness. He was a big man with the -frame of a blacksmith and the eyes of a ruminating cow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then," thundered Luke, "you really mean to -tell this court that you actually killed that man?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The faintest shadow of a smile brushed the -murderer's lips.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They buried him, didn't they?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That answer lost Luke's case.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. Luke's enthusiasm long resisted these miscarriages -of justice and the undeniably slow progress of -his chief to secure indictments against the -Democratic politicians whose drastic punishment Leighton -had promised in his ante-election speeches. It -resisted even the callousness of the participants in the -legal game, and the discovery that the best minds at -the Bar, of course seeking the most lucrative field -for their practice, were in the position of advisers to -the great financiers, their incomes, which far exceeded -those of their more active fellows, being composed -almost entirely of the annual retaining fees and -"tips" for speculation. It required more and more -resistance, but Luke continued to hug tightly the -faith that the wrongs of the world could be set right -through honest laws administered by honest men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he loved his work, so also he came to love the -scene of it. The vortex of the city fascinated him. -Broadway, one color by day and another by night, -one spot of color uptown, a second at its middle, and -a third below the street that lies across New York -like a gorged but devouring anaconda; the dark -passages full of tenements; the quiet pavements -bordered by prosperous dwellings; the roar of every sort -of business and the crackle of all sorts of pleasure; -the joy and suffering eternally intermingled, yet so -intermingled that he could not tell which caused the -other, or whether they were independent; the whole -tremendous whirlpool whirled him, a straw among -uncounted straws, now on its surface and now sucked -below beyond all plummets' soundings, and intoxicated -him by its dizzy revolutions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He knew Fifth Avenue, Riverside Drive, and Central -Park. Because he felt it his duty, he learned the -outsides of the houses in the Italian quarter, the -French quarter, the Syrian quarter. He walked the -Bowery and thought that he understood it. From -that artery of America, he turned a corner and found -himself in China, in crooked streets heavy with the -smells of the East, among shops whose signs bore -Oriental characters, among crowds of impassive -yellow faces—men and only men—where there was no -sound of English speech. Once, passing the door -of a slum mission, he saw a crowd of half-human -things, their heads sunk upon their chests, listlessly -droning a popular hymn around a puffing harmonium: -on one side of the mission was a saloon -and on the other a shop that displayed the legend:</span></p> -<pre class="literal-block"> -<span>+----------------+ -| BLACK EYES | -| PAINTED HERE | -+----------------+</span> -</pre> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>With some of his friends—for he made many -friends both in the office and out of it, and -Mrs. Ruysdael and her husband, whom he finally met, were -exceedingly kind to him—he went on a tour of those -cafés that called themselves Bohemian. That night -he descended from restaurants where one drank -champagne and heard songs by vaudeville performers -who thus earned more money than at the theaters -which they had deserted, to seats in shoddy beer-halls -where there was dancing by women too old or too -unskilled to continue upon the stage; and on the way -home from "Little Hungary," a place in which a -dull company drank strange wines to the music of -a good band, the motor that conveyed his party crept -under smoking naphtha lamps through a jumble of -push-carts converted into bargain counters, and past -the overcrowded squalor of the quarter of the -Russian Jews.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Poverty hurt him, or the sight of poverty. Somewhere -he read that one per cent. of the families in -the United States owned more than the other ninety-nine -per cent., but he explained this by the theory that -the one per cent. had created the wealth that they -owned. He was told that there were four million -paupers in the country; but he ascribed their condition -to their failure to take advantage of a republic's -free opportunities. Somebody said that, during the -past winter, seventy thousand New York children -had gone hungry to the public schools; Luke was -sure that the schools would soon supply their pupils -with free meals. From a report of the New Jersey -Department of Charities that came into his hands, -he learned that, in New Jersey, one person in every -two hundred and six of the population was a ward -of the State; but his reflection was only that New -Jersey must be badly governed. His heart ached -over what he saw; but his intellect satisfactorily -explained all hearsay evidence. He could go out to -Ellis Island and, listening to its thousands of -immigrants prattle their hopes in forty-three languages -and dialects, could share their hopes. Evil -administrators had hurt the country by overturning the -purpose of its founders; the remedy lay in a return to -first principles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Already in men of the Leighton type and in their -works, he saw signs of the revival. He had more -than one occasion to visit the Children's Court. Its -quarters near Third Avenue were cramped, but it -was soon to be fittingly housed, and already here -especially adapted magistrates, acting as judge, jury, -and parent, conducted in kindly, quiet, and colloquial -fashion the cases of fourteen thousand children in one -year. These, all of them under the age of sixteen, -were no longer herded with mature criminals that -completed their education in vice, though their -offenses ranged from mere waywardness to burglary. -Their judges were patient and sympathetic men. -One was the president of a society called the Big -Brothers, the duty of whose members was to act in -fraternally helpful fashion to boys less fortunate -than they themselves had been; and some of the -women probation officers of this court belonged to a -similar organization known as the Big Sisters. There -were twenty-six probation officers, some men and -some women, and into their care were given all the -little offenders for whom the court entertained any -hope of reformation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke concluded that the public schools, because -of bettered conditions, were turning out fewer -candidates for the Children's Court than ever before. He -saw with high hope the Washington Irving High -School for Girls, the result of an agitation begun by -pupils. Here was a building eight stories high, and -Luke, with the American love for size and numbers, -wrote enthusiastically home to his sister that it was -the largest school in the world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It cost half a million dollars," he told her; "it -has a hundred and sixty rooms and it holds six -thousand pupils. Think of that! Six thousand,—not -your pasty-faced, moping diggers either, but all -noisy, laughing, healthy girls. The equipment is -wonderful—just wonderful: you girls from the old -Americus High School would think you were in -Heaven if you came here. There are two big restaurants, -chemical and physical laboratories, a conservatory, -a zoological garden and a roof-garden, and -laundries. There's a regular theater—stage, scenery, -and all that—a store, a bank, a housekeeping -department, and an employment bureau. They have an -orchestra, and they dance. There are nurseries with -real babies in them—babies that can cry—and there is -a five-room model house, a hospital, and a section -where they train nurses. They use all these things -really to </span><em class="italics">teach</em><span>, and this is in addition to languages -and the usual unpractical stuff. They teach librarians' -work, shorthand, typewriting, bookbinding, -costume-designing, and dressmaking. Why, Jane, -the girls are taught to make their own clothes. Every -girl is expected to make her own graduation dress, -and only a few of the dresses cost more than a -dollar apiece. I'll bet you wouldn't like that part of it!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Even his social life served subtly to confirm him, -during this period, in the opinions he had brought to -it. He mistrusted combinations of capital, because -he thought they tended to restrain honest trade, but -he believed such combinations could properly and -effectively be curbed by legislation, and he had a -fine respect for such of his acquaintances as had made -their own money by building up their own -industries. He doubted certain men in whose hands lay -the administration of government, but he was sure -that the cure for this was the election of honorable -men. He brought to New York, and long retained, -what he called a muscular Christianity (he had read -Kingsley), and, under its control, he sought a -remedy for the world's evils that he could synthesize -with, a respect for authority and an acceptance of the -dogma that the individual man is nothing and the -omnipotent Deity everything.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He used often to be invited to dinners at the -Ruysdaels' when there was no other guest, because -Ruysdael liked this earnest lad and enjoyed long evening -talks with him. On one such occasion, his host, little, -sallow, with almond eyes that gave him a strangely -Japanese appearance, fell to talking of these -questions while the two men sat over a glass of port—for -Ruysdael liked the old-fashioned English custom -of after-dinner port—in the candle-lit, oak-paneled -dining-room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't understand," said Ruysdael, "the shortsightedness -of these really honest men who call property -a crime."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They call it that," said Luke, "because it's the -result of profit."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but what's profit?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Selling dear what you buy cheap, I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, that's one way of putting it, but it's really -wages. It's the wages that the employer draws for -his executive ability: he must be paid for his work -if his employees are paid for theirs. It's the fair -return that he gets for the risk he's run in starting -his business, and it's his reward for his years of -saving up his money till he had enough to start that -business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke agreed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said he, "we don't want the man -that's done these things to use his power so as to -prevent other men from doing them, but we haven't -any right to take from him what he's earned or to -stop him from going on earning it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In much Ruysdael's manner, Luke's father, during -Luke's visits to his home in Americus, would talk of -government. Government, by which he meant the -particular form of government adopted by the -United States, was one of the few topics that could -move the Congressman from his characteristic -reticence. He scorned the tyranny of Russia and the -English make-shift of a constitutional monarchy. In -the United States the people could rule; the means -were provided; if they failed now and then, it was -for a brief time only. To Mr. Huber the majority -was as infallible in matters of government as, in -matters of faith, the Pope is to a devout Catholic, and -the hope of the majority lay in that party which had -freed the negro from slavery and saved the country -from disruption.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To these ideals Luke was true. He saw the -rottenness of Tammany rule in New York and knew it for -a symptom of the disease that made a national -danger of the entire rank and file of the Democrats; he -saw the integrity of Leighton, and accepted it as -a true token of Republican virtue. He wanted the -government restored to its pristine simplicity, wealth -curbed of its newly developed predatory instincts, -religion restored to its place in the daily thought -and conduct of man.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. Leighton's announced intention to "clean -up" New York was proving, nevertheless, a slow -process. He had great difficulty in obtaining -evidence against the Democratic politicians whose scalps -he had promised to hang to the belt of the public. -Grand Juries had a way of including enough partisans -of these politicians to prevent the finding of true -bills. When true bills were found, petty juries -generally contained enough Democrats to persuade the -other jurors to acquit or to hold out for a -disagreement. Even when convictions were secured, the -appeals had to be argued before appellate courts -composed of men that owed their positions to friends -of the appellants.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's rotten luck," said Leighton, "but I believe -they've got us scotched. We've tried seven cases, -four of them twice and two three times; we've had -our hands full with appeals, and the only one of the -lot that we've sent to jail is a peanut politician from -Second Avenue who doesn't control ten votes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said O'Mara, "and they let </span><em class="italics">him</em><span> go because -they believed he was getting ready to go back -on them next election."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We've got to begin lower down," concluded -Leighton, "and work up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began immediately. He found that, in violation -of the law, cocaine was sold at scores of places -on the East Side, and that the use of the drug was -spreading alarmingly. Against these retailers he -proceeded with all the vigor he had shown in his larger -and less productive efforts. Evidence to convict the -sources of supply was hard to get, since those sources -were high in Tammany politics, but small sellers and -street peddlers were rushed to jail with such -commendable speed that the trade soon seemed abolished.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke appeared in some of these cases, and won -most that he appeared in. He had been feeling the -chill of disappointment, but this gave him fresh -courage. One day, when Uhler was on vacation and -Luke was taking the work of the absent man, he -thought he saw the chance to approach "the people -higher up," which they had all been waiting for.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A gang-leader named Zantzinger had been dancing -with his wife at a ball on the second floor of a house -in Avenue A. As he waltzed past the door leading -to the back stairs, a friend looked in and called -Zantzinger aside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Excuse me a minute," said the gangster to his wife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He left her and went to his friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Butch Dellitt's down there," warned his friend, -nodding toward the door. "His crowd's after you -'cause they say you piped off Dutch's brother-in-law's -poolroom to the fly cops. He says he's goin' to -croak you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He'll be 'round front when you come out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is he now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Down back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Down these stairs?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The friend nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Zantzinger walked to his wife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've got a little business below," he explained. -"Wait here: I'll be right back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He opened the door and descended the stairs. As -he went, he drew his revolver. Dellitt was standing -in the doorway, with his back to the stairs, smoking -a cigarette. Without warning, Zantzinger shot him -through the head. Then he returned to the -ballroom, apologized to his wife for leaving her so -hurriedly, and resumed his interrupted dance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was the story that came to the homicide -bureau. Luke took it at once to Leighton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And this man Zantzinger," he reminded the -District-Attorney, "is the right-hand man of the -Tammany leader in that ward."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who saw him?" asked Leighton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three men on the street."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Got their names?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can get them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is the coroner on the case?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke thought he was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton shrugged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then that'll be the end of it," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke could not credit this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes," said Leighton wearily, "I mean it. -By the time he's done with the case, he'll see to it -nobody knows anything. Why, man alive, that -coroner's the cousin of the ward leader."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you'll try?" urged Luke. "You'll fight?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton swung back in his swivel-chair. He put -his feet on his desk and clasped his hands behind his -head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he said, "I won't. What's the use? I'm -getting tired of trying to do things with all the -people taking no interest and a Democratic Mayor and -Police Commissioner fighting against me." He spoke -like a man at last driven to declare something he has -long striven to conceal. "If ever I want to be -re-elected," he continued, "this office has got to be -more careful about taking up cases that are lost to -begin with."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Luke fought hard with the ugly doubt this -incident raised. He tried to convince himself that -Leighton had spoken only in a moment of passing -weariness and discouragement; but he daily found -this endeavor more difficult. What suddenly turned -his mind to other things was the news that an aunt, -his father's widowed sister who lived in Philadelphia, -had died, leaving him a hundred thousand dollars.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-iv"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IV</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. Luke had never expected to be possessed of -so much money. His father's income was comfortable, -but it was well understood that the family -lived somewhat beyond it, and that what might be -left at the Congressman's death would go to his -widow for life and, after that, to Luke's sister Jane. -The Philadelphia aunt had inherited her fortune -from her husband, and her affection for her relatives -was generally supposed to be slight. Luke, -consequently, found himself in a position for which he -was totally unprepared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose," he said to Ruysdael, to whom he -went for advice, "that I ought to invest it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You ought to lose no time," counseled Ruysdael. -"A hundred thousand dollars is too much for a -young man to have at his call in New York. It's -not enough to spend, and it's too much to gamble -with in the bucket-shops."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ruysdael thought he knew a safe investment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's a man named Forbes," he said—"Wallace -K. Forbes, who came to the offices of our estate -the other day when I happened to be there. He -wanted to borrow just the amount you name, and my -agent says it's a good thing; but we happened to have -a bigger one on hand. His concern's an old one, one -of the oldest American firms in its line; this man's the -third generation of his family to be in it, so it's -well-established and has the good old-fashioned element -of family pride behind it. Nowadays, you don't -find many men regard their businesses the way an -English landed gentleman used to regard his estates -and his family honor; but Forbes seems to be an exception."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is the business?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ready-made clothing, and well made, too, I'm told."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still, he does need money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but you couldn't get in if he didn't need it. -He only wants it to complete some improvements -he's begun. He's perfectly well-grounded, but I -suppose he has to keep up with the progress of the -trade. Of course, that very element of family pride -might disincline him to give an outsider any hold -on the business, but if you want me to, I'll have -Croy—that's the man that runs our estate for us—look -into the situation and sound Forbes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke, after some satisfactory inquiries in other -quarters, acquiesced in this proposal. All the -reports were good, and that of Herbert Croy, the -shriveled Ruysdael lawyer, was especially rosy. -Forbes expressed his willingness to meet Luke, and -Luke called at the offices of the R. H. Forbes & -Son's factory in Brooklyn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The present head of the firm was a grave man with -a direct and unassuming manner. His aquiline nose -gave his face the air of strength, and his mustache -and the hair about his temples being slightly touched -with gray, he seemed sober and conservative. He -sat at a plain roll-top desk, in a room simply -furnished, and he lost no time in coming at once to -business.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would you like to walk through the place?" he -inquired, when he had told Luke much of what -Ruysdael had already said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose I ought to," smiled Luke; "though -of course I don't know enough about the business to -appreciate what you show me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes smiled sadly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are no different, then," he said, "from -most modern investors, or, for the matter of that, -most owners of businesses either. In these times the -average president of a company thinks he earns his -salary by manipulating its stock; he seldom knows -anything about the work that makes the stock -marketable. Our firm isn't like that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Under Forbes's care, Luke was accordingly taken -through the factory, with which, he noted, the office -of the chief administrative was in close touch. He -was shown the room where the cloth manufacturers -brought their products; the scales to weigh the -material; the windmill-like machine that spread the -offered fabric on its wide arms and, turning at the -will of the expert buyers, displayed its burden before -the examiners in a strong north light; the long boards -on which, having been re-rolled, the cloth, once its -quality had been thus determined, was again uncoiled, -an ingenious contrivance attached to the uncoiling-wheel -stamping its measurements at every fifth revolution.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have to be careful," Forbes explained. -"Business isn't so honest as it once was, and if the -cloth-makers could gain an inch in ten yards, they'd -do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The factory, which closed the end of a street, -was built about four sides of a small square, and the -center of this square was occupied by a large room -with overhead ventilation and lighting, the glass -fluted and sloping as the ribs of a Venetian blind may -be made to slope, so that, in summer, the sun's rays -would be tempered to the workers under it. Here, -at the tables nearest the entrance, men were employed -at designing patterns of cardboard and working, amid -busy calculations, with rulers and T-squares, like so -many architects' draughtsmen. From them the -completed patterns were taken to other tables at which -they met the cloth accepted in the first room, other -workmen tracing the designs in chalk upon pieces of -the cloth. The problem of these second workers, -Forbes explained, was to arrange the designs in such -a way that almost no shred of cloth was wasted. -Luke observed that they solved it with astonishing -skill; and, as each piece was completed, a ticket was -roughly sewn on it with written directions for its -further progress and blanks to be filled in by the -signature of each worker responsible for its future steps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then came what to Luke was the most wonderful -part of the work. Nineteen pieces of unmarked -cloth to be made into suits of the same style as that -on which the chalk pattern had been outlined, were -laid under that piece and the whole bundle given -to a man at a large table. Through a slit in the -center of this table, a knife of incredible strength and -keenness plunged rapidly up and down. The man in -charge forced the bundle against the knife, deftly -pushing it forward, so that the blade followed the -lines drawn upon the top piece, and in three minutes -a score of suits of clothes were cut into their various -parts and were being sorted and ticketed and signed -for waiting boys to carry them to the sewing-machines.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Those patterns look like the parts of a jig-saw -puzzle," said Luke, "and that knife looks like a -cross between a jig-saw and the guillotine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It cuts twenty suits at a time," said Forbes -gravely, "and the bottom one doesn't vary the -thirtieth of an inch from the one on top."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Twenty suits!" Luke wanted to rub his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; but the inventor is still at work on the -knife. We hope soon to get one that will do three -dozen."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At each corner of the building was an elevator and -a stairway, the latter walled in so to serve as a -fire-escape. Forbes took Luke up one of these stairways, -a broad and easy flight of which the corners at each -landing were protected by curved wainscoting to -prevent jamming in case of panic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The three floors above ground contained the rooms -in which the sewing was done and one room known -as the matching-room. All seemed well lighted and -well aired and well protected by the overhead pipes -of an automatic sprinkling-plant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the matching-room girls especially trained to -the task selected, from vast quantities of samples, -the fitting shades of thread and buttons best adapted -to the different bundles of cut fabric brought by -elevators from the cutting department below. Beside -them were four other girls, who worked at a -contrivance in which, when covered buttons were -required, an uncovered button, a piece of tin and a bit -of cloth were inserted, a lever pulled and the three -factors withdrawn ready clamped together and -complete for use. From here, after the tickets had been -signed, and the necessary further directions added to -them, the cloth was sent on to the sewing-rooms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke found those sewing-rooms crowded with machines -of possibilities that he had heretofore never -dreamed machines could realize; machines horrible -because they seemed half-human, and diabolically -intelligent; machines that not only moved up and -down in the manner of the old foot-pumped -sewing-machine in the second floor back of his home in -Americus, but twirled and danced over the cloth -pressed under them by women feeding them as a -frightened keeper in a menagerie might feed an angry -beast. They were all of them run by steam or -gasoline, and Forbes told Luke that they were all made by -one trust, which owned all the patents. There were -different machines for every kind of sewing, for every -loop that could be required of the thread: machines -for hemming; machines for the cord-stitch, the -lock-stitch, the chain-stitch, and the damask-stitch; -machines for sewing the cloth together, for sewing the -lining, for sewing the trouser-seams; and there was -one machine, the needle of which moved in dizzy -zigzag, for sewing, on a sort of herring-bone design, -the stiffening material into coats.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Next Luke was shown a room in which, on -benches a foot from the floor, beside tables six inches -high, sat rows of intent little girls, their arms flying -like flails as they stitched the shoulders into the coats, -and still another row in which still other girls, their -arms flying in a similar manner, sewed buttons on -coats, waistcoats, and trousers—the only two -processes that invention was as yet unable wholly to -deliver over to machinery. Lastly, there was a -half-floor given to what at first looked like linotype -machines, and at these sat brawny women who passed -over the coat-shoulders long flat-irons, each heated -by flexible tubes attached to it and reminiscent, for -Luke, of those terrible instruments that, immediately -revolving, grind the heart and lungs out of a -patient's teeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes exhibited it all with a quiet pride. He -said there was no work sent out of the factory, and -so no "sweating"; the factory was a union shop; -there had never been but one strike, and that one -was speedily adjusted by arbitration.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was impressed. He secured favorable reports -from a financial agency and from a firm of -expert accountants. Then he invested his fortune -in R. H. Forbes & Son.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. About this time, the United States Senate -happened to be investigating itself and unavoidably -stumbled upon a witness whose testimony filled all -the newspapers for several weeks and remained a -matter of public comment for quite two months. -Perhaps because he had fallen out with his -employers, this witness insisted upon telling how he had -for ten years been hired by a combination of the -ruling corporations to influence national legislation. -Five hundred letters and telegrams substantiated his -assertions; he gave dates and mentioned places; the -names of popular idols fell from his lips with -infinite carelessness, and the idols broke as their names -fell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Speaking in unimpassioned detail, the informer -showed how his activities had covered the entire -country and included the chiefs of both the large -parties with a splendid catholicity. He had bought -the services of labor leaders to end strikes, had -broken up unions by purchasing information from -their members, and had ended one dispute by having -himself appointed a member of its arbitration board. -He had operated in congressional campaigns throughout -the Union, and he told how he had bought the -defeat at the polls of members of Congress that -sought re-election after having opposed the corporate -interests at Washington, and how he had spent -thousands of the trusts' dollars in electing candidates -who, personally or through their bosses, promised -that they would support a high tariff and prevent -the passage of laws too kindly to the working class. -He had hired congressional clerks and pages, the -former to betray what advance information came -to them, the latter to pick up valuable gossip. He -had the secretaries of Congressmen on his salary-roll -when he could not buy or defeat their masters -or when, having bought those masters, he feared -treachery. He had secured the appointment of those -legislators in his pay to important committees, and -he had, he said, planned and secured the establishment -of a national tariff commission for the benefit -of the powers he served. Those powers were headed -by the man that Jack Porcellis likened to Shakespeare -and that the derelict in the Essex Street saloon called -the King.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke, who of course had nothing to do with the -management of the Forbes company, nevertheless -occasionally passed an evening at the quiet Brooklyn -home of its president, who was a widower living -alone with his only child, Betty, a pretty, -high-colored, brown-eyed girl, as yet unformed and only -twenty-two years old. As a rule, these two men sat -in the parlor, a room that retained the character of -Forbes's grandfather, and talked of everything and -nothing, the girl rarely intruding upon them. It -was inevitable that they should, during the floodtide -of the Washington scandal, speak of its revelations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know what to make of them," sighed -Luke. "It seems as if the fellows at the head of our -party were no better than the fellows at the head of -the other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are not," said Forbes with conviction. -"Here they all are blackmailing the tariff, a system -the country owes all its prosperity to."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We shall have to pick honest leaders in the future," -Luke reflected. He still believed in the power -of a party's individual members. "We've simply -been too easy-going in the past."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes thought this would avail nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The parties themselves are rotten," he declared, -"and the deeper a man gets into them, no matter -how well he starts out, the more certain he is to be -infected. You see how even the good measures are -fraudulently put through. Then here's our own -state with a Governor we all believed in—a -Democrat, to be sure, but an anti-Tammany man. He -comes out for a fine thing like direct primaries. Well, -the other day an Assemblyman I know went to him -and asked him to sign a bill this Assemblyman wanted -passed. What happened? The Governor said: -'Will you vote for the direct primary law?' The -Assemblyman happens to be a fool and against that -law. He said he'd vote against it, and he tells me -the Governor told him in that case the other bill -wouldn't be signed. No, the thing we need in this -country is a brand-new party run by honest business -men on sound business principles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke could not yet consider such a revolution; but -the next day the papers contained further news of the -senatorial investigation, which lent weight to Forbes's -opinion. A witness, after testimony further -entangling that great financier whose power seemed to -pervade the country's entire industrial system, described -an alleged forgery in the books of a railway known -to be controlled by Porcellis's hero and eager to -evade the anti-trust laws. According to this witness, -a "double entry" of $2,000,000, representing -securities that the road assumed in taking over two -other roads, was carried in the "Consolidated balance -sheet" for some time, then erased from one side of -the ledger, and left as a credit balance on the other -side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They took all the securities of the acquired -roads," he swore, "and used them as securities for -a bond-issue. They got that money and used it to -finance two other outside transactions that they sold -out at a tremendous profit."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He named as participants in this three Senators -high in the councils of Luke's party.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course they're a bad lot," Leighton cheerfully -admitted when the District-Attorney's staff -gossiped about the latest revelation, "and the party is -no better right here in New York than it is in any -other state. But you can't repair an organization -by smashing it. What we need is reform within the -party. The party must reform itself. And that's -what I'm trying to bring about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did, indeed, give out interviews to this effect, -and gathered a considerable following. A little -convention was called at Saratoga where, fired by fresh -faith, Luke made his first political speech, holding -up Leighton as the Erasmus of Republicanism. It -was an unfortunate simile, for the opposition press -lost no time in lampooning the District-Attorney as -Erasmus at his weakest; but the movement grew, and -Luke, in common with his fellow-believers, began to -see light in the political darkness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He still possessed the beautiful power of dreaming, -and when, by night, coming from a theater or -leaving the house of Mrs. Ruysdael or one of her -friends, he turned into Broadway and saw the myriad -lights of its cafés mount heavenward and mix with -and illuminate the pillars of smoke and steam rising -from its chimneys, he could detect in their wreaths -the faces of grinning devils raised by the pestilential -life below, laughing at it, dipping enormous white -claws to stir it, and then hissing skyward as if to -proclaim, because of what New York was, their -defiance of God. Once or twice, to escape from them, -he walked as far downtown as Wall Street and -loitered through the silent night, where the three -churches stood on the modern battleground of mad -finance to remind of its history the city with the -shortest memory in Christendom. Mentally, he converted -that portion of the town to what it once had been. -He saw it the home of a modest aristocracy in simple -houses along shaded streets, a center of good taste, -of culture, of social well-being.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old Astor House, now fallen into shabby -desuetude, he pictured as it was when state banquets -were given there, and when it was the one place in -which the distinguished visitor would stop. Close by -the spot where the Woolworth Building to-day -houses eighteen thousand persons, the Astor House -had moved Horace Greeley to admiration because -six hundred and forty-seven persons slept under its -roof. There Clay had received the news of his -nomination in 1844, and Webster the word of his -defeat at the hands of the Whig convention in 1852. -That hotel had been familiar to Pierce, Van Buren, -Buchanan, and Taylor, to Seward, Choate, and -Douglas. Edward, Prince of Wales, had given it an -almost royal atmosphere, and recollections of -Lincoln still hung about its tarnished walls.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Would the old spirit come back again? Could it -return? Luke was sure that it could and would. -He was sure that Leighton, and the honest men -associated with him, had begun a movement that must -end by restoring the nation's lost ideals. Government -would govern, honest property would be protected, -religion would again open man's eyes to his own -littleness and the omnipotence of the Deity. There -would be legislation that would be the end of -industrial combinations, of the crushing of the small -manufacturer and the grinding of the faces of the poor. -No more national banks would be merged, none -would engage in promoting or underwriting; interlocking -directorates would cease, and the concentration -of credit, the Money Trust, would forever after -be an impossibility. It was so easy. It needed but -an awakened conscience in the majority of the voters -and a few conscientious men to lead.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. Luke's father died within three years after -the young man entered upon his duties under Brouwer -Leighton. The elder Huber had embarked his small -fortune in an adventure that, as events soon proved, -was opposed to one of the interests of the great -financier whom he had once so much admired: those -interests ruined the adventure and, more from grief -because of this than from any specific malady, the -Congressman fell in the fight. He died proud of -his son—a pride that Mrs. Huber and Jane zealously -shared—and he left the family in Luke's care.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The young man, who had loved his father in spite -of all the differences between them, and long felt the -loss, met this situation without complaint. Neither -the mother nor the sister wanted to go to New York, -and, as Luke managed to live within his meager -salary, he was able to continue for them the home -in Americus upon the income from his now -well-paying investment in R. H. Forbes & Son. Jane, -indeed, soon engaged herself and was married to a -Doncaster lawyer who secured an election to the late -Mr. Huber's seat in Congress, so that Luke's -expenses in Americus were light.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began to fall in love with Betty Forbes. The -women of the Ruysdael set did not fail to attract -him, but he never considered them as within his -means, and so speedily placed them outside of his -desires. Forbes's daughter, on the other hand, was -the feminine counterpart of her father, and, as she -grew, she developed many of his qualities, being -quiet, determined, unobtrusive, and womanly in the -sense in which men like Forbes used that word before -Woman began to give it a new significance. Accepting -the world in the garb in which Forbes thought it -well to present it to her, she owned only the finest -standards of her type, and there was no meanness in -her. Physically, she had that rarity in young women: -height combined with grace. Her hair, as Luke saw -it, was like so much sunshine, her eyes were clear and -brown, and the radiance of her coloring not even a -man that was not her lover could deny. Luke, for -his part, thought her far too good for him. He told -himself she was all that the people of the Ruysdael -set should be and were not: she made important and -shameful the casual relations he had had with women -of the half-world and that in their occurrence—less -frequent than is usual in the lives of young men—had -seemed trivial and matter-of-fact; and therefore he -determined to win her, so soon as he could make -a place for himself through the pursuit of his ideals.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. That pursuit grew daily more difficult. The -candle of his faith in Leighton, though it continued -to burn steadily, burned less fiercely than of old. -The movement for reform within the party spread, -but it spread almost too rapidly; it came to include -certain politicians who were now for the first time -in their careers evincing a desire for the organization's -betterment, and that only after the organization -had failed to re-elect them to office. These men, in -one or two instances, came into control, and it was -soon necessary to reform the reformers. Sometimes -Leighton appeared disheartened, and Luke began to -acquire a weary and well-nigh uninterested manner in -dealing with his part of the crusade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here," he once said to his chief, "that -fellow you got a pardon for last week has been in -to see me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes?" said Leighton. His feet were cocked on -his desk and, in his favorite attitude, he was leaning -back in his chair with his fingers clasped in his crisp, -black hair. His face was not the face that Luke had -known when he first came to New York.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," continued the assistant, "he came in just -after I got back from the Ludlow Street Jail. That -place is full of nobody but husbands who won't pay -alimony, but the keepers act as valets and barbers -and do light housekeeping for the prisoners."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's the civil prison. We can't help it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Couldn't you swing things so a Grand Jury would -report on it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the use? And what has Ludlow Street -got to do with Auburn, where our pardoned friend -has been?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only this: the rich men in Ludlow Street are -living as if they were in a hotel, but at Auburn, this -fellow says, they've got a cell with pointed nails in -the floor so a prisoner sent to it for bad behavior -can't sit down or sleep. They've—— Oh, I can't -go into it all now; but the women are treated as bad -as the men; the thing must be worse than the Black -Hole of Calcutta, and all the while the State's -paying for the warden's horses and carriages."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton showed some interest, but later, when -Luke returned to the subject, he said there was nothing -to be done: the political situation would not just -then permit it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Came the unmasking of one of the new partisans -of reform. This man, a Simon Kaindiac, was an -inspector in the New York post-office. Federal -detectives arrested him and showed him to have made a -fortune by extortion from swindling concerns that -were using the United States mails to entrap their -victims.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know, I know!" cried Leighton peevishly -when Uhler brought him the news in Luke's presence. -"But how am I to blame for that? All the -papers will be at me for it. As if I were responsible -for the business morals of every man that happened -to think as I do about the political ethics of the -party!" He turned to Luke. "What's on </span><em class="italics">your</em><span> -mind, Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke said that what was on his mind was this: the -office had that morning received the report of -investigators who pointed out that, since the success of -the cocaine raids, heroin had taken the place of the -proscribed drug.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Leighton, "I'm sorry, but the laws -governing the sale of heroin aren't the same as those -governing the sale of cocaine, and, until they are, -you'll find you can't successfully prosecute under -them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We might get at the thing another way," Luke -protested. His growing love for Betty had given -him new views on some old subjects. "They say the -girls in the houses——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton swung his feet to the floor. His tired -face worked irritably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, don't begin on them," he commanded. -"They're the police's affair, anyhow. They've -always existed and always will. They simply adapt -themselves to whatever form of society happens to -exist. No really effective method of regulation, let -alone suppression, has ever been devised or ever will -be. Gee whiz, young man, do you know what you'll -get up against if you tackle this subject? For four -thousand years the high-brows have been trying to -make it unpopular, and they haven't succeeded yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was much the same when Luke and O'Mara -came across the trail of corruption among the police. -They found one man who would make affidavit to the -fact that patrolmen had paid him to instigate -burglaries in order that the patrolmen might make arrests -and win promotion. This man had friends among -the keepers of illegal resorts who would swear to -paying tribute to police captains. He introduced the -two lawyers to a collector who said that $2,400,000 -were yearly paid in this way, that he himself was the -go-between for a police lieutenant, securing from -fifty to five hundred dollars a month each from those -who bought protection. No discretion seemed to be -used, and he showed checks to corroborate his story.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think you could do anything on such -evidence?" sneered Leighton. "You couldn't send a -yellow dog to jail on it. This fellow confesses he's -a crook himself. Start an agitation to force the -Police Commissioner to resign as unfit? Not much! -If he resigned, 'unfit' would mean 'guilty.' His -crowd's in the saddle, and if you want to unhorse -him, you've got to unhorse them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He walked up and down the floor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The trouble with us is we don't fight the devil -with fire," he said; "and the trouble with the whole -system is too many laws. There are too many lawyers -at Albany and Washington; they know all about law -and nothing about Man, so when the public -conscience turns over and whines in its sleep, these -fellows think they can cure it of what ails it by passing -a few more laws. They pass a law against dance-halls, -and they breed brothels. That's the way it -goes all down the line. They pass a lot of such laws -and then say: 'Now, let the District-Attorney do -the rest.' I wish they had my job for one day! -People have got to understand that other people don't -indulge their tastes out of mere love of law-breaking."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He took another turn of the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if we're going to whip political gangs," he -said, "we must have a political gang of our own, and -one better than the one we happen to be fighting. -There's Tim Heney over on the East Side. He may -be as crooked as God makes them, but when people -give him votes, he gives them coal in winter and -picnics in summer. He goes to their funerals and their -weddings, and he knows more about what the people -of this country want than Thomas Jefferson would -have known if he'd lived to be a hundred. And -what's more, he can do what none of your statesmen -ever can do: he can keep them quiet. Do you -wonder? Think what he does for them. Do you wonder -they stick to him?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. Luke began to believe that Forbes was right: -There was need of a new party. Daily his lethargy -increased; daily he lived more in his love for Betty -and in the dreams that emerged less and less upon -the plane of his actual life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His contact with the bar did not raise either it or -the bench in his estimation. In a file of documents -at his office, the legacy of a former administration, -he came across vouchers for sums aggregating -$3,000 paid by a local railway to witnesses who had -sworn against a lawyer indicted for subornation of -perjury in pressing a damage-case against the -company, and among these was one for $500 paid to -the referee that signed the report. He heard of a -rural courthouse that by night became a gambling-house -conducted by court officers; there was a judge -on the Pacific Slope who sold a patent, the idea for -which he stole from the plaintiff in a patent case in -his own court; the District-Attorney of Doncaster -County, in Pennsylvania, told Luke that only the -statute of limitations saved from jail three associate -judges of that county who had accepted bribes in the -granting of liquor licenses, and that a judge in a -nearby county had accepted $3,500 toward his -campaign fund from brewing companies whose retailers -must apply to him for licenses. It seemed that of -two of the most prominent judges of the higher -court in New York, one was chosen directly through -the efforts of Tim Heney, and the other was the -brother of the principal member of a trust which -had cases in his court. A judge of a Federal Court -was forced from the bench because of his financial -interests in a company with which he had to deal -in his judicial capacity, and a New Jersey judge, -a friend of Leighton, was said to be hearing suits -to which a certain railway was a party and then, -during vacations, appearing in a neighboring county -court as a lawyer retained by the same company.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The follies of the law appeared to be more numerous -than its faults. One judicial decision enjoined -members of a labor union from the peaceable -persuasion from work of individuals not under agreement -to work for the corporation in the mills of which a -strike was in progress. A Philadelphia jurist denied -the right of free speech to aliens. In Illinois, Smith -appealed from a conviction for swindling Brown, and -the Supreme Court upheld him because the indictment, -which read that Smith "did unlawfully and -feloniously obtain from Brown his money," was -indefinite and misleading: the learned court held that -the pronoun "his" might refer to either party, and -that the Grand Jury might simply have been indicating -its belief that Brown obtained his own money -unlawfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Worse miscarriages of justice were, of course, -common, even in Leighton's office, and sentences were -often out of all proportion to the crimes that incurred -them. The editor of a radical paper in Paterson was -given an indeterminate term in prison of not less -than one year and not more than fifteen years for -criticising the Paterson police. The larger the scope -of a swindler's transactions, the better his chances of -immunity. One minor case long remained in Luke's -memory. A clerk in a trust company disappeared -with $25,000, and a fugitive bill of indictment was -returned against him; the runaway opened negotiations -with his former employers by means of advertisements -in the Paris newspapers and then used his -wife as an intermediary until the trust company -promised to have the District-Attorney submit the -indictment for a verdict of not guilty if the clerk -would return with the $15,000 still in his hands; -the careful fugitive hid $7,500 in Germany, and -returned with the rest; he refused to tell the -hiding-place until he was safe; the company found the -District-Attorney willing to follow its suggestion; -the verdict of Not Guilty was accordingly recorded, -and the clerk, free from further harm, made over to -the company the remaining $7,500 that he had left -in Europe as an anchor to windward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was probably no more laxity among lawyers -than among men of other professions, but to -Luke's mind it seemed imperative that traders in -justice should be especially just. He came across -countless cases of pettifogging among shyster -practitioners, and nearly as many suspicious actions in -the ranks of their cleverer and, therefore, more -successful and eminent brethren.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ever seeking remedies, he once drew up a list of -such as he found. He wanted more publicity and -freedom of criticism; measures to curb the bench's -power to declare laws unconstitutional, to force it to -give fuller reasons in support of its decisions; he -wanted devices to end "the law's delays," simplified -procedure and judges who were closer to the people -and farther from the corporations; he thought the -courts of appeal ought to be forced to decide every -question in every case appealed to them; and he -advocated but one appeal in civil actions together with -the right of recall both in regard to judges and -to their decisions.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. He had come to a point where he doubted, not -it is true Leighton's intentions, but his ability to -achieve them. Those were the days when the -Progressive Party was being formed, and Luke for some -time considered it as a hopeful sign. Forbes enlisted -in the ranks of the new organization and championed -it wherever he went, not least among the workers in -his factory. Luke had joined a club of young men -who had for the most part inherited their money -and were unanimous for the new movement; it was -time, they said, that politics should be taken out of -the hands of the muckers, and they came near to -convincing Luke until, in a moment of enthusiasm, he -happened upon secrets which showed him that the -men in power in this party were not different from -the men that had spoiled Leighton's plan for the -purification of the Republican Party from within. -From a source he could not doubt, he heard that even -George Hallett had talked of offering his support -"because these old crowds are too greedy; they're -chargin' us too much; it's got to be highway -robbery that big business has to submit to, and I'm -tired of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For some time Luke lost faith in the possibility -of any cure. There was talk of a movement to fuse -the reform voters of all parties, but it left him cold. -He had been a successful prosecutor, and his name -was familiar to newspaper readers; his advocacy of -Leighton had won him a prominence, even a certain -following, among the public; but the irony of life -was too much for him; he had, at this period, an eye -too appreciative of the odds against him. He saw -Betty two or three times a week, took her motoring -and to the theaters, but he refrained from showing -her that he loved her, because he saw no chance of -offering her himself as a man worth while. The -lethargy of his manner became more marked. He -began to bear the outward tokens of one that does -not care. To this he had come after four years in -New York.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-v"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER V</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. The hideous North Bridge disaster occurred -on a spring morning during the last year of -Leighton's first term in office. The District-Attorney, -whose habitual disparagement of his post did not -dull his desire to retain it, was busy planning for -re-election, and the work of his staff, labor how they -would, was congested. The assistants were straining -to make a record of convictions with which their -chief might go before the electors in the autumn, -and were giving to participation in political -councils every half-hour that they dared spare from their -legal tasks; they were hard driven and worn to -the nerves; yet the news of the wreck of the -Manhattan & Niagara Railway, immediately within the -city's limits, burst through doors that had been -opened only to men with power or appointments and -swept, even from the collective mind of the corps, -the bulking thought of jury lists and ballots.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Manhattan and Niagara had entered New -York only a few years before, with a line that tapped -fresh territory. Along this line real-estate -operators forthwith plotted ten or a dozen towns, and -white-and-yellow suburbs leaped up like mushrooms. -They were peopled by clerks and small businessmen -that came into the city over the M. & N. every -morning and returned home by the same route each -evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From the opening of the new line, complaints had -been common: it was said that the service was -inadequate, that the cars and other rolling-stock were -largely second-hand material purchased from the -older New York & New Jersey Railroad; that the -rails were the cheapest obtainable, the ties bought -from an abandoned branch line near Buffalo. One -serious wreck had preceded that at the North Bridge, -but had not been followed by the improvements the -company had promised. The patrons had protested -with all the vigor Americans exhibit when they feel -that a public-service corporation is cheating them, -and had stopped as far on the discreet side of action -as protesting Americans usually stop: the M. & N.'s -parsimony became grist for the mill of the humorous -weeklies and produced no further reaction. This -morning, a train crowded with men going to their -offices plunged through a bridge crossing an uptown -street: a hundred passengers were wounded and -twenty-five killed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The earliest editions of the evening papers -shrieked the news, and special editions rushed from -the presses. In most of them the M. & N. had -taken care to be a heavy advertiser, but here was an -event so clearly due to the railway's known policy -that no paper could belittle the culpability of the -management: the bridge had been recently examined -and pronounced safe by state inspectors, yet all -reports agreed that it was constructed of the very -lightest material, and the earliest evidence showed that a -rail had flattened and thrown the train. To persons -having a fair knowledge of current finance, it was -known that the M. & N. was controlled by the group -of capitalists who were actively at the management of -the nominally rival N. Y. & N. J.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke sent his office-boy to buy him the first edition -that he heard called beneath his window. It placed -the dead at a hundred and the injured at thrice that -figure, and when Huber's eyes caught the obscure -paragraph that hinted at the real ownership of the -road, his cheeks, now so generally pale, reddened, -and the hand that held the paper trembled. -Something of his old indignation and purpose woke in -him. He ordered the boy to bring him a copy of -each fresh edition as it appeared on the street, and -though the lists of victims shrank to their true -number, the outstanding fact of the owners' guilt remained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton passed through Luke's room on his -return from luncheon. His face was drawn with the -long worry of his campaign; he had been eating with -two politicians and shaping plans while he bolted -food.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Begins to look as if we can get the indorsement -of the anti-Tammany Democrats," he said as he -hurried by. "I've just had a talk with Seeley and -Ellison. They're coming here at three o'clock."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke held up his paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is an awful thing," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" asked Leighton. He passed beside -Luke's desk. "Oh, the North Bridge wreck? Yes, -isn't it? When Ellison and Seeley come, don't let -anybody butt in on me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know who are really the responsible crowd -in the M. & N.?" Luke persisted. His manner was -the sleepy manner that had grown upon him for the -past twelvemonth, but his eyes were keen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Leighton absently. He ran his -fingers through his always disordered hair. "Yes I -know, but we couldn't prove it." He looked at his -watch. "Don't forget," he concluded, "you're to -head off anybody that comes after three o'clock, -and if you're busy, then turn them over to one of the -other fellows."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>§2. At half-past four Luke's office-boy announced -James T. Rollins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked up heavily from the latest edition of -the </span><em class="italics">Evening World</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who's James T. Rollins?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boy did not know. "But he looks like he -owned the Stock Exchange," he said. "Wanted the -Boss: I told him he was busy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke wearily laid aside his paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, bring him in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boy went out and straightway reopened the -door to admit the visitor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dressed in a russet brown, Rollins was short and -stout; his eyebrows were bushy, and he made an -effort to keep his thick lips drawn in a firm line. -He so much resembled the pictures of the man just -then predominant in Luke's mind that the assistant -District-Attorney was startled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Rollins?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The visitor tried to speak, but seemed to be -unable to accomplish articulation. He nodded. He -stood erect in the attitude of one accustomed to -receive orders, and his right hand tapped his stiff -hat against his thigh.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke indicated a chair beside his desk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sit down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins complied. He sat far forward in the -chair, as if expecting to be ordered out of it at the -next moment. Both hands now clutched the brim -of his hat, which he held between his fat, outspread -knees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You wanted to see Mr. Leighton?" inquired Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins coughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry." Luke was accustomed to callers of -the hesitant sort: he wished that this one would go -and leave him alone with the new idea that was growing -in his brain; but Leighton, like the good politician -that he was, had always given strict orders that every -caller should be well received. "I'm afraid -Mr. Leighton's very busy now. He has some most -important business in hand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins made an effort toward dignity; his words -succeeded, but his manner of uttering them failed:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My business is important, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And immediate?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then perhaps I can attend to it for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've got to see the District-Attorney."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I am his assistant."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir, I know. But this is confidential."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke began to lose patience.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said, "as I told you, I'm sorry, but -you can't see him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In spite of Leighton's orders and his own -customary obedience to them, Luke's voice had become -sharp. It was just then only the sharpness of an -underling; but, because Rollins himself was an underling, -the visitor resented it, and this resentment gave -him the courage he wanted. He stood up, and he -bore himself with an erectness which had a fresh -character.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's him that will be sorry," he said. "I came -here to give him information that'd re-elect him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Notwithstanding the man's new attitude, Luke -thought he scented the crank. All sorts of cranks -infested the District-Attorney's office, and every sort -was certain it could purge the city or re-elect -Leighton. Luke lost his temper. He spoke with the drawl -with which he commonly spoke, but his tone was -bitter. His tongue laid hold of the uppermost -thought in his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose," he said, "you've come here to place -the blame for the North Bridge wreck?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The breath caught in Rollins's throat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you know?" he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was not a crank that asked that question: it -was a sane man badly startled. Luke recognized -the distinction and instantly resolved to push the -advantage he had fortuitously gained. He rose, -smiling slowly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've told me you knew I was one of the -assistant district-attorneys of New York," he -drawled. "I would advise you to act on the knowledge, -Mr. Rollins, and not to lose any time about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I——" began Rollins; but bluster came to the -aid of his timidity. "No," he said, "I've got to see -Mr. Leighton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had no idea who his visitor was or what -information he might possess, but he was now -certain that worth-while information was in Rollins's -possession. Without further fencing, the lawyer, -therefore, resorted to an old stratagem that he had -learned when he first entered the District-Attorney's -office: on the bare chance that the evidence might be -documentary and within reach, he took a quick stride -towards Rollins, raising his right hand as if to seize -him. At once the right hand of Rollins shot -upward and stopped protectingly over his breast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now then," said Luke, "hand me those papers -that you've got in your breast-pocket."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Rollins; "no; they're for Mr. Leighton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hand them over.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you don't hand them over," said Luke lazily, -"I shall take them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've got no right to!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better save yourself trouble, Mr. Rollins."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From under his lazy lids, Luke saw that the man -was only frightened. With a flash of inspiration, the -lawyer guessed something of the truth. This fellow -was probably a clerk in the M. & N. offices.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You won't be arrested for robbing the office-files, -if that's what you're scared about," he said; -"and you won't be told on and discharged."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins was visibly relieved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You give me your word, Mr. Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do. Come on now: let's see what you've got."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And—I'm not a rich man, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's face showed his disgust.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shan't pay you a cent," he said; "but I -daresay Leighton won't mind paying. Only even he -won't buy a pig in a poke. Give me those papers. -If they're worth anything, I'll take you into the -District-Attorney's room right away—or, if there's -somebody in there, I'll have him out here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins realized that Luke meant what he said. -He believed, moreover, that his inquisitor was merely -cautious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," he agreed, though with some -reluctance. "This is a letter from my employer to a man -that always had to return such letters after he's read -them. The other letter is the letter from the rail -manufacturers that's referred to in the first one. I -got them both by——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can guess how," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He put out his hand and into it Rollins placed -two sheets of paper, that were headed on top simply -by an embossed Wall Street address and dated almost -five years before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke read:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<dl class="docutils"> -<dt class="noindent"><span class="small">"</span><em class="italics small">Confidential</em><span class="small">.</span></dt> -<dd><dl class="docutils first last"> -<dt class="noindent"><span class="small">"MR. ROBERT M. DOHAN,</span></dt> -<dd><dl class="docutils first last"> -<dt class="noindent"><span class="small">"Delaware Avenue,</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last noindent pfirst"><span class="small">"Buffalo, N. Y.</span></p> -</dd> -</dl> -</dd> -</dl> -</dd> -</dl> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span class="small">"DEAR MR. DOHAN:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span class="small">"I understand that the bill of which you have spoken to -me will be passed and become a law to-day. I have just -seen Messrs. Hallett and Rivington and have secured their -agreement to the plan outlined in my personal conversation -with you last week. In view of the favors that you have -done me in the past, I think it fair to tell you, </span><em class="italics small">for your own -use only</em><span class="small">, that my friends have decided that they and I ought -to do what you thought they might decide, viz.: unload at the -end of five years. Considering your contemplated resignation -next year, this will not affect you, except favorably in case -you care to manipulate your own holdings in accordance with -this news.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span class="small">"I note what you say about the estimate submitted by the -construction-department; also the letter of the steel-rail -manufacturers which you inclosed, in which they say that the grade -I suggested might not wear well. I think their use of the -word 'dangerous' is absurdly exaggerated. We have used this -grade on several of our roads and feel sure from long experience -that, with proper repair-gangs, it will wear for five years as -well as the best.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span class="small">"My desire and the desire of my associates is to protect the -interests of the stockholders. With that in mind, I should -state, what you have probably already gathered, that we feel -that the new line must be built and operated with all possible -economy."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The signature was the signature that Luke expected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Those rails," said Rollins, "weren't replaced. -Dohan resigned, and these letters have been in our -office ever since. The crowd was planning to -unload in November."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Luke dryly. His face was immobile -and his voice calm, but his heart seemed to beat -against his ribs, demanding freedom. "Come on in -here to Mr. Leighton's office."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. He had forgotten Seeley and Ellison, but -they were already gone, and Leighton was alone. -Apparently the conference had been satisfactory, for the -District-Attorney's face was a little less careworn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Leighton," said Luke, closing the door, -"this man"—he indicated Rollins by a lazy movement -of his hand—"is a secretary in the employ of -the person to whom these letters belong—or -belonged." He held out the letters that Rollins had -given him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton's face clouded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Office business? I thought I told you I had some -personal matters to think over."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke choked an impulse of resentment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you'll look at these letters," he said, "I -believe you'll find they apply to—both sorts of duties."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton took the papers with a gesture of annoyance, -but when he saw the signature to the more -important of them, his eyes shone, and he looked up -quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where did you get these?" He flung the question -at Rollins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The informer had been standing behind Luke, as -if seeking his shelter. His breath came heavily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I found them in the office-files," he mumbled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He stole them," said Luke quietly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Mr. Huber, if you're going to talk like -that——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He stole them," Luke pursued—"or so he says. -The only question in my mind is: are they genuine?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins showed signs of resenting this suggestion -more keenly than the declaration that he was a thief. -Leighton, however, interrupted: he was squinting -at the letter that Luke had read in full.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he said, "this is real enough. I know the -signature."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know it?" Luke was surprised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes." Leighton read the letter through; -then turned upon Rollins with a resumption of his -cross-examining manner. "How much d'you want -for these?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins beat his hat upon his thigh.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said, "they ought to be worth a good -deal to you, Mr. Leighton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll give you five hundred dollars."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Leighton!" Rollins was deprecating. -"Five hundred dollars!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you want, then? Speak up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Five thousand would be nearer value, Mr. Leighton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke turned away. This was the part of the -business that he loathed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll give you two thousand and not a cent more," -said Leighton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins thought himself now in a commanding -position.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't consider that," he said with the nearest -approach to firmness he had yet shown.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," said Leighton. "Huber!" He -handed the letters to Luke. "Put these in your safe -while I telephone this fellow's employer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Leighton!" Rollins bounded forward. -His fat face worked with rage, disappointment, and -fear. "You wouldn't do that. This is robbery. It's -blackmail! For God's sake, Mr. Leighton——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two thousand dollars," said Leighton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But think a minute, Mr. Leighton! I've been -in my job for seven years—worked up to it from -office-boy. I could any time have sold tips along the -street for twice that money, and yet this is the first -time I've ever—ever——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ever double-crossed your boss. Well, why'd -you do it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know. It was because this wreck is so awful."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what else?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing else."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton thrust a forefinger into the informer's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">What else?</em><span>"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins jumped back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, he—he didn't raise my pay. I've got a -big family, and there's a mortgage on my little house -in Roseville, and a man in my position has to live -well, or people'd talk."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton relaxed. He swung back in his chair and -cocked his feet on the desk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll make it two thousand five hundred for your -family's sake. That's my last word."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke, who had again turned his back on the hagglers, -the letters safely buttoned in an inside pocket -of his coat, wondered how his chief could afford such -an outlay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is that really the best you can do?" whined Rollins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is the best I </span><em class="italics">will</em><span> do," said Leighton. Without -lowering his feet, he pulled toward him the -telephone, which was attached to his desk by an arm -that could be lengthened or shortened at the user's -will. "Now, then, your boss has gone home long -ago; but I can get him at his house; do you want to -lose your job or make this money?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins surrendered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I guess I'll have to take your price," he said. -"But it's almost a charity I'm doing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right!" Leighton released the telephone, -quickly swung his legs from the desk and sat straight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you'll promise nobody'll ever know where -you got these letters?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins looked toward Luke's significant back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And Mr. Huber, too?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke turned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've already promised you that," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton smiled faintly as he said to Luke:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I guess you don't happen to have two thousand -five hundred in loose change about you, do you, -Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Luke. He saw nothing humorous -anywhere in the situation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, this is no affair for checks, and my bank's -uptown," Leighton continued. "I don't suppose," he -said to Rollins, "you would care to give credit, my -dear sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rollins could smile, if Luke could not. He shook -his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My bank," said Luke, anxious to end the scene, -"is just around the corner. It's closed, but the clerks -will still be there. They know me. I can get them -to let me in the side door, and I know they'll do me a -favor. I've got just about that much on deposit." He -looked at Leighton. "Shall I take Rollins along?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rollins? Yes." Leighton's good-humor seemed -to have returned to stay. "Then hurry back here—alone. -I'll want to talk this thing over with you."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Luke paid and dismissed Rollins. Returning, -he found Leighton walking rapidly up and -down his office.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shut the door," said the District-Attorney. His -face was flushed; he spoke quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shut the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton came forward and brought his hand -down on Luke's shoulder with a resounding smack.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know what this means?" he cried. His -mouth was wide with laughter; the whole man -exulted. "This re-elects me! Nothing can keep us -out now, Huber—not a thing on God's green footstool. -All we've got to do is use these letters and -then sit back and fold our arms and attend to office -business. Politics? These two pieces of paper will -play all the politics we need, and more besides. I -could shout, Huber; I could sing a regular Song of -Deborah. What about Mr. Timothy Heney, </span><em class="italics">now</em><span>? -And his Tammany? Gone the way of Sisera, my -boy. Tim Heney! 'At her feet he bowed, he fell, -he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he -bowed, there he fell down dead!'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's old enthusiasm was rekindled. He thought -that he had been misjudging Leighton. Of course -the man had been discouraged: he had never before -been able to seize an efficient weapon with which to -shatter the forces of wrong; even at this time it was -only reasonable that his first thought should be of his -immediate political opponents; but the weapon was -put into his hand at last, the blow would be given -against both Tammany and Wall Street; it would -be the blow that Luke had hoped for when he read -the first accounts of the North Bridge wreck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There must be a special Grand Jury to investigate -the disaster," said Luke, his words falling over -one another much as Leighton's had done. "We -must keep the letters dark till it's in session, and then -produce them. We can give them to the papers right -afterward. It will be jail for the lot of them. Big -as they are, it'll be that. It'll be the end of the whole -crowd!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton drew away. His face changed. His -entire attitude altered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are you talking about?" he asked dryly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why"—Luke was amazed—"about these letters, -of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, do you think I'm green enough to waste -them on a jury? Not much!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke began to comprehend. He felt unsteady. -He was standing close to Leighton's desk, and he put -out a hand and gripped the edge of its top shelf.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not give them to the jury?" But perhaps he -was wrong. Of course he was wrong. "Oh, I see," -he said; "maybe it's better not to risk any more lives -by waiting. You're going to force this crowd to -put down a decent road-bed? Only if you do -that—— Well, it's fine of you, but you'll not be any -better off politically."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton turned his swivel-chair and sat down in -it. His manner became that of an employer trying -to be calm and to instill reason into an annoying -employee.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Young man," said he, "just you listen to me for -about two minutes. Those fellows do control this -road, but they didn't operate it. In spite of Rollins's -blessed letters, you can't absolutely say they operate -it. But what they do operate, when they want to, -are the politics of this city, and if they tell -Tammany, yes, or me, to hold off and let an election go -the way they want it, why, hold off Tammany or -anybody else has to. Nobody could win if they -said 'No.' Now, then"—Leighton punctuated his -words with the rise and fall of an index finger—"they're -not actually morally responsible for the -conduct of the M. & N., but they'll know the publication -of these letters would make the public think -they were. They'll know the publication would -wreck the road they're still interested in, smash all -their other stocks and depreciate all their other -interests, start a panic that might swamp even them, -and maybe begin a public row that would send them -close to jail, on general principles, legal evidence or -no legal evidence. To stop that, they'd be willing -to have me elected, which they weren't yet quite -certain about being to-day. I'll go to them quietly, and -then I'll surrender these letters, when they've kept -their part of the bargain I'll make. And don't you -worry about loss of life. That engineer was -probably green or drunk, or the signal man got rattled. -You'll see the coroner's jury says so. But, anyhow, -once I'm safely re-elected, I'll take care the M. & -N. is better regulated than it has been. There's no use -in a row: a little moral suasion will do the trick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He tossed back, and clasped his hands behind his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The explanation had been too long: it was long -enough to allow Luke to master the shock of what -it implied. He saw his last illusions concerning -Leighton fall under the impact of Leighton's own -words. He was aghast. He was ashamed of his -master; he was ashamed of himself for ever having -served such a master. But he was not crushed. As -his chief proceeded, Luke's soul rose through -indignation to red revolt. By the time that Leighton -ceased speaking, Luke, except for two spots of -crimson on his cheeks, was captain of his rage. He -leaned against the desk-side indolently, his eyelids -lowered, and when he replied it was with an -indifferent drawl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It doesn't much matter whether the engineer was -drunk or the signal man rattled," he said: "the rail -flattened, and the bridge fell. The rail was drunk -and the bridge was rattled."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton shook himself peevishly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're trying to be humorous," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; oh, no," said Luke gently. "What I'm -getting at is, it seems to me the men who directly -controlled this road were directly responsible for its -operation. I mean that the men who authorized -that letter, and insisted on the policy it lays down, -are guilty. It strikes me they ought to be either -reformed or punished."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, hell!" said Leighton. Heretofore, Luke -had always appeared to be on his side, so that the -District-Attorney did not know the meaning of his -assistant's outward calm. "Those letters aren't -legal evidence enough."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think they are, Leighton. Besides, I think -there are times when moral evidence goes ahead of -legal evidence, and ought to—and I think this is one -of those times."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Leighton, "I don't. So that ends it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," Luke calmly pursued, "if you could -make these fellows re-lay the road, it might be worth -while to do no more than scare them, at least if you -don't consider the political ethics and consider only -the immediate protection of life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I told you I'd take care of the regulation of the -road as soon as I was re-elected."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ye-es. But could you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly I could."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I should say that once they'd got their letters -back, </span><em class="italics">you'd</em><span> be in </span><em class="italics">their</em><span> power."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton got to his feet. He was angry. He -faced Luke, who did not shift his lazy pose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here," he said, "we've been friends, and -you've done good work for me, especially this afternoon——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But it looks as if the time had come when you'd -better understand who's the head of this office."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are," Luke assured his chief; and then -added: "I'm glad to say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, Huber, I've got to tell you that if -you don't act accordingly, we must part company."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke raised his listless eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've quite made up your mind to do this thing, -Leighton?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let you go? Not if you'll only be reasonable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean this thing about the letters."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're going to make use of these fellows' -money-power in politics?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's already in politics. It always has been."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you are going to try to use it for yourself?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I am. It's my own business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it? That money is blood-money, Leighton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a fool!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know I am. But it's you that I'm worried -about. You're quite determined?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Absolutely.</em><span>"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shrugged his shoulders. He began to move -slowly toward the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here!" said Leighton sharply. "Where're -you going?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke scarcely looked at him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going to write my resignation."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton was startled, but he tried not to show it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," he said, "write it. But don't be -too fast: you may hand over those letters first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Letters?" Luke seemed never to have heard -the word before. "What letters?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why do you try so hard to be an ass, Huber?" The -District-Attorney extended his hand for the -papers that he had given Luke during the interview -with Rollins. "Drop all this resignation rot—</span><em class="italics">My</em><span> -letters, of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's face met Leighton's fairly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The only letters I have about me," he said with -quiet distinctness, "are two that are my property. I -bought them with the last two thousand five hundred -dollars of my own money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the words came home to him, Leighton's face -grew purple. His brows met in a knot. At his -temples two veins pulsed visibly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" he cried with a straining throat. -"What's that? You—— Give them here this -minute; they're mine! They're mine. They're mine! -You know damned well they're mine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had not counted on this. The unexpected -disappointment tossed him from the summit of the -hopes to which, that afternoon, he had been so -unexpectedly lifted. He made a blind dash at Huber.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's two hands caught both of Leighton's -wrists. By the exertion of a superior strength that -scarcely showed itself, the assistant forced down the -master's arms and held them at his flanks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are my letters," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let go!" Leighton wrenched at the imprisoning -grip; but he wrenched without effect. "Let me go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly," said Luke. He freed the panting -man. "I merely wanted to protect myself and show -you it wouldn't help you to use force."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton, his face still contorted, tried another -tone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It isn't fair of you, Huber. I'm sorry I went at -you that way; but you know well enough those letters -belong to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They belong," said Luke, "to the man that can -make the better use of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What use can </span><em class="italics">you</em><span> make?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A better one than you say you will."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They were brought here for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By a thief."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you're not going to restore them to their -owner, are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" Leighton laughed cynically. "So -</span><em class="italics">that's</em><span> what your moral tone's for, is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, come on, Huber, I didn't mean that. -Anyhow, you know, I only asked you to lend me the -money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The letters," said Luke again, "belong to the -man that can make the better use of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll do the right thing by you, Huber, if you give -them back to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you. The real owner of the letters can -do more—when I'm for sale."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton bent forward and began to whisper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll tell you what I'll do for you politically," he -began. "I'll——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No thank you," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then,"—Leighton, his face now white -from fear of loss, appeared to capitulate-"give -them back and I'll use them the way you want them -used."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two men's eyes probed one another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't believe you," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was final, and it drove Leighton back to his -purple rage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll ruin you!" he threatened. "And they'll -ruin you. Go ahead and resign. Resign? You -can't. You're fired! Do you hear that? You're -fired! Now go and try to do something. You can't -do a thing but sell those letters to the people they -were stolen from. If you try that, I'll show you up, -and if you try anything else with those people, they'll -bury you so deep nobody ever can dig down far -enough to find you. Do you know who you're up -against when you buck that crowd? They won't let -you walk the same earth with them! Go on. You'll -be killed, and I'll be damned glad of it. Fight them, -will you? You might as well draw a gun on God -Almighty! Now, then, get out of here. Get out, -or I'll have you kicked out!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-vi"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VI</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>To his office on the twentieth floor of a Wall -Street skyscraper—that office with the mahogany -table at its center and the engraving of George -Washington between two windows—the master -came at his usual time on the morning of the day -following the North Bridge wreck. He was dressed -neatly, as always, in a suit of russet brown. Breathing -visibly, but noiselessly, he passed the resting ticker -and walked to one of the windows overlooking the -labyrinth. His near-sighted, beady eyes peered -toward the web of streets below, on the cross-threads -of which the black dots that were hurrying men and -women bobbed like struggling flies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The master rang for his secretary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rollins," he said, "what's in the——" He -stopped. He had not looked up, yet he asked: -"What's the matter with you this morning?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing," said Rollins. "I——" He coughed -behind his hand. "I didn't sleep well last night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Take more exercise," said his master. "What's -in the mail?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thirty letters that need your personal attention, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nimbly the master ran them through his short -and stumpy fingers, the tips of which were delicately -rounded. He dictated his terse instructions. With -the daily routine again in motion, Rollins recaught -his employer's calm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Simpson has the begging letters?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I guess," said the master in his most commonplace -tone, "there were more than the usual number -of anonymous threats."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only ten or twelve more."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Burn them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. I always do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And, Rollins, draw up a letter to the cancer -hospital and tell the management I have decided to -give them a special ward for fibroid tumor cases. -Their lawyers may consult with Judge Stein; I gave -him the details last evening. Bring me the letter for -revision."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The master proceeded through his customary schedule.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rollins," he said, when it was at last completed -and the secretary had been recalled. "Mr. Hallett -and Mr. Rivington will be here"—he consulted -his watch—"in five minutes. We are on no account -to be disturbed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett and Rivington came in, five minutes later. -Hallett looked angry, and Rivington frightened. -Though the hour was early, Hallett's white waistcoat, -fresh every morning, showed wrinkles, and its -wearer chewed hard at an unlighted cigar; there was -a deep perpendicular line over his short, thick nose. -Rivington, immaculate, pulled at his slightly gray -mustache.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-morning," said their host. His voice was -as nearly cheerful as it was ever. "Sit down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They took their places at the table, where there -was a pad of scribbling paper and a freshly sharpened -pencil before each. Their host sat at the head -of the table, his hands flat upon the table-top, their -fingers extended, his elbows pointing ceilingward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington began at the midst of what worried him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a terrible thing!" he groaned. "Think of -it; twenty-five people—and the women too!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett's comment was almost a bark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As soon as the coroner's jury lets 'em down -easy," he said, "we've got to see that everybody's -fired, from the division-superintendent to the -president of the road; that's what we've got to do. -There's one kind of carelessness that's not much -better than murder."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Twenty-five people!" repeated Rivington. The -numbers seemed to hypnotize him; he made a futile -gesture. "And the morning papers—— Their -tone—— I don't like it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table watched them -both, but said nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, the newspapers never worry me," said -Hallett. "We can stop all but one or two, and nobody -cares what they say, anyhow. They've been talkin' -for years. They've got to fill their columns."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then there's the Board meeting," said Rivington. -"Next Thursday—— I don't see—— Really -I don't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Board of Directors of the M. & N.'s all -right," Hallett reassured him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps. But then, too, there is this new -reform element in town. Talk of a fusion movement: -a fourth candidate for District-Attorney—— They -will be only too eager to get hold of something, and -this terrible accident—— It will give them just what -they want."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They can't elect."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am not so sure. The people—they aren't -what they used to be. Something—I don't know -what—has taken possession of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett bobbed assent to that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he said, "nowadays as soon as a man gets -a vote he stops minding his own business. But we've -still got our grip on the wires."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They may break." Rivington's fingers returned -to their tugging at his mustache. "The -wires, I mean. It's ugly. Twenty-five dead and a -hundred hurt——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">We</em><span> didn't hurt 'em."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington looked toward the man at the head of -the table, but he sat crouched and silent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Rivington; "but——" His sentence -ended in a helpless waving of the hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then what are you worryin' about?" Hallett -challenged. "We were only tryin' to keep up -dividends. We had to choose between a little risk and -protecting the stockholders. Lots of the stockholders -are widows and orphans. Besides, it wasn't a -real risk; it was a recognized, legitimate business -risk. Lots of other roads do it right along. Our -own roads do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That bridge——" said Rivington.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The state inspectors passed it a month ago. -And they passed the rails, too. It's all up to them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In his turn, Hallett glanced at the man at the -head of the table. He saw the man's hairy hands, -fat and white against the mahogany, begin to move -as they always began to move before he made a -verbal attack upon conversation; but the man did not -speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know," Rivington was saying, "but with the -four candidates for the district-attorneyship all -looking for vote-getting material——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Buy 'em," said Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Four?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who's the fourth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They haven't chosen him yet; but——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Buy 'em," repeated Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out of the four there might be one we -couldn't——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anybody can buy anybody. There are more -ways than one. Anyhow, we're not even directors."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We own the road. Practically——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nobody knows that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It seems to me——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They don't!" Hallett spat to the floor a bit -of tobacco that, bitten from the end of his cigar, had -clung to his lips. "They only think they do. It'd -be the hardest thing in the world to prove that was -ever tried."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would it?" Rivington questioned. "I really -believe——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The quick, cold voice of the third man flashed -across their talk. It was as if he leaped at them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We may own the road," he said; "but we don't -operate it. Not one of us has officially any -administrative power in the matter of its operation. You -gentlemen have forgotten that." He smiled: his -teeth were pointed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still," said Rivington, "if the fusion movement——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stopped there, not because of his habit of -speaking in tangents, but because the door opened, -and an old man timidly paused at its threshold.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The master of the office turned his head slowly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Simpson?" he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir," said the man at the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What does this mean? Where's Rollins?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was using my room to compose that letter -about the hospital, and so I took his place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Didn't he tell you we were not to be disturbed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir; but this man"—Simpson held out an -envelope—"got by everybody. He told me you -would see him at once if you only received his -message."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table reached for the -envelope. He read a card that it had contained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Show him in," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He waited until Simpson had left to obey. Then, -without wasting a glance on his associates, he -explained:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is the card of a man called Luke Huber, -Assistant District-Attorney. He's written on it: -'Five minutes in regard to the North Bridge wreck -and your letters about it.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Letters?" said Hallett. "What letters?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he replied, the strong jaw of the man at the -head of the table worked as if he were chewing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's what I mean to find out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here? Now?" Rivington gasped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man addressed nodded. When a nod could -save words, he saved words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is that the careful thing?" asked Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll bet his card's a bluff and he never expected to -get in at all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is precisely why I am having him in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber," announced Simpson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber was still a young man. He was so young, -and his youth was so ostentatious, that he -immediately courted the rebuke once administered to Pitt. -Moreover, he seemed to lack energy. He was thin; -his face, though pleasant, was white. The lids -dropped wearily over eyes that were at first veiled -from the three men who looked up, but did not rise -at his entrance. His mouth, the lips of which were -only a pale pink, might have appeared firm, but -would certainly have given the impression of being -tired of firmness, and, when he bowed gravely to his -host, his bristling head inclined itself so slowly and -so slightly that the effort of the inclination, whether -mental or physical, was insultingly apparent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no form of presentation. Instead, -there was a pause that only Huber seemed not to -notice. Rivington drummed on the table with his -long fingers. Hallett chewed his cigar. The other -man smiled so enigmatically that it was impossible -to say whether he intended to welcome or was amused -by his friends' discomfiture.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bring a chair for Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Simpson did as he was bid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke deposited a carefully brushed hat on the -table. Then he sank into the proffered chair opposite -the leader of the trio and extended his long legs -under the mahogany. His feet touched Rivington's, -and Rivington jumped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" asked the man at the head of the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber did not raise his heavy lids.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am glad I found you three together," he said -slowly in a low and extremely gentle voice, "because -you are the three men that control the railroad."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett grinned a broad grin. This young fellow -talked as if there were but one railroad in which -the group was interested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What railroad?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke slowly drew in his legs. He regarded the -figure of the Persian rug that happened to be between -the points of his patent-leather boots.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The railroad," said he, "that I suppose you have -been talking most about this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Manhattan & Niagara?" blurted Rivington.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're not directors of that road," said Hallett -hurriedly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," agreed Rivington.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Luke, quite as heartily, "you aren't -directors, but you direct it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We don't," snapped Rivington.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table raised a soothing -hand. He was still smiling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come, come," he said, with an air of good-nature -that his friends had seldom seen him assume -during business hours. "We're all gentlemen, I'm -sure. Anything that Mr. Huber wants to say to us -in confidence——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Huber interrupted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I never talk in confidence," said he; "and I -don't want anybody to say anything to me that he -would be ashamed to say in public."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His eyes were still hidden, and he still spoke -slowly and gently; but the mere import of his words -brought up short even the leader of the trio before -him. That one's manner changed. He was curt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are busy men, Mr. Huber," he said. -"There are not many people in New York that we -would have allowed to take up our time this morning. -What do you want?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke studied the figure on the rug.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want you three," he said in a tone not to be -quickened, "to tear up every mile of rails on the -M. & N. and replace those pieces of scrap-iron with -rails of a grade fit to bear the traffic they have to -carry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington's drumming fingers closed into his -palms. Hallett let out an ugly laugh. Only the man -at the head of the table, again changing his manner, -equaled Luke in tranquillity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really, Mr. Huber," he said pleasantly, "without -admitting for a moment that we have the power -to do what you suggest, don't you think your request -is a rather large one?" He had the air of -indulgently correcting a mistaken child.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The young man, gazing at the rug, shook his round head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he said, "not so large for you as its alternative."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that? It is——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington had put the question, but it was toward -the man at the head of the table that Luke as he -shot out his sudden reply, raised his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jail," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean to threaten us?" cried Rivington angrily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table only smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not at all," said Luke. "I am merely stating -a fact. In coming here, the only thing I hesitated -about was whether it would be better for the people -to have safe transportation immediately guaranteed -or to have you three in jail."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You seem to forget, young man," said Hallett, -"who it was elected the man that made you assistant -district-attorney."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke gave him the briefest of glances.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was because I found out who elected him that -I resigned the job," he answered. "I have just been -offered the Municipal League's nomination for -District-Attorney. When </span><em class="italics">I</em><span> am elected, it will be by the -people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That will be about 2000 A.D.," sneered Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shrugged his thin shoulders and returned his -gaze toward the leader of the trio.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A bridge falls on one of your roads in this -county," he said. "It kills twenty-five people and -wounds a hundred—all passengers in one of your -trains. You will say the state inspectors declared -the bridge O.K. Maybe they did, though they ought -to go to the electric chair for it. That doesn't -matter. What I can prove by thirty witnesses is that -the train left the bridge before the bridge fell. A -rail flattened and threw the train. Instead of -sending you men to jail—and only because I think this is -better for the safety of the public—I will give you -one month to begin laying decent rails on this -road—actually get </span><em class="italics">bona fide</em><span> work under way. If you -don't do that, I'll make public the whole truth, get -you indicted, go into court as a witness and produce -two letters, one forwarded to you and the other -signed by you. The first of these is a letter to the -president of the road written by the steel manufacturers; -it warns him that the cheap rails he's ordered -are dangerous: that letter he sent to you. The -second is a letter from you to the president of the road -in which you say you want the poor-grade rails used -because you don't want to increase the running -expenses, and you order a general keeping-down of the -road's expenses because of a plan for you three to -unload your stock along about this December."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke rose. He relapsed into the weary young -man of ten minutes before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have one month," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He picked up his hat, rubbed it with a caressing -hand, and left the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The three that he left stared at one another. Then -both Hallett and Rivington looked at their leader.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's an infamous—it must be an infamous lie!" -cried Rivington. "Letters like that—men don't -write them!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without moving a muscle of his face, the man at -the head of the table looked at Rivington.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All men say they don't," he corrected, "and all -men do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" asked Hallett. "You're joking, and -this fellow can't ever make it good. It's a bluff."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gentlemen," said the man at the head of the -table, "it's the truth."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-vii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. When Luke, on the afternoon preceding his -Wall Street interview, had walked out of Leighton's -office and the city's employ, it was with no certain -plan for further action. His years of experience as -an assistant prosecutor had demonstrated to him that -something was drastically wrong with the modern -administration of justice and practice of the law; his -life in New York had shown him the evil influence of -the money-power that seemed to be set in motion by -the author of the Rollins letter and certainly -corrupted the entire body of the nation, and his political -work had discovered to him what he came to consider -the inherent rottenness of the organized political -parties. The effect of all this was made acute by -the horror at the North Bridge wreck and the -culmination of his mistrust in Leighton. Luke's sole -immediate sensation was that of a man who finds -himself in a bog: he did not think of draining the bog -for the benefit of future pedestrians; he thought only -of extricating himself from the mire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That night at his club, however, he began to -consider the larger aspects of the case. He was in the -writing-room, intent on composing for the next -evening's papers a statement of his reasons for parting -company with Leighton. In formulating these, he -found his charges to be precisely the charges recently -formulated by the group of municipal reformers who -were clamoring for a fusion of the best elements of -all parties to elect, by honest methods, honest men -that would purge New York of its civic shame. He -recalled how this Municipal Reform League, growing -steadily, had worried Leighton, and how its -promoters prophesied that, if successful in the place of -its origin, it might well spread throughout the -country. When he first heard of it, Luke had been too -deep in the affairs of his chief to be warmed by it; -but to-night his vision was cleared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He telephoned to two of the League's leaders. -They came to his club and talked with him until long -past midnight, themselves telephoning inquiries and -instructions to friends and lieutenants, and -summoning other leaders to join them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke told them much. He betrayed no secrets of -his recent employer, but he could honorably tell -enough to make it clear to them that their belief -in the necessity of reform was correct, enough to -have weight with the voters should he speak to them -in the new cause. His public record, it appeared, -had long impressed the reformers; the firmness -underlying his slow habit of talk, and the -determination imperfectly covered by his lazy manner, -impressed them now. He moved and fired them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Rollins letter he did not mention. He was -more than once tempted, but he had resolved upon -provisional silence before ever he sent for these -leaders. He weighed carefully the merits of the courses -open to him and decided that, large as would be -the benefit of a public airing of his charges, and -excellent as might prove the salutary example of a -prison term for America's chief financiers, the -airing might be lessened by those financiers' subtle -influences upon popular opinion, the prison term might -be escaped through similar influences, and all good -results would in any case be long delayed. On the -other hand, it was evident to him, in his present -frame of mind, that the immediate safety of the -M. & N.'s patrons was paramount, and that this safety -could probably be secured by threatening those -morally responsible for it. Such a threat, with a -rigid time-limit, he therefore elected to administer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The first result of his conference with the -reformers was unexpected. At eight o'clock next morning, -three of their most prominent men, who had not been -with him on the night before, came to his apartments -at the Arapahoe in Thirty-ninth Street. They -had been in all-night consultation, and they told him -that their organization had determined to put a full -ticket in the field at the coming municipal election, -but to center efforts in a struggle for the -district-attorneyship: they had chosen him for their -candidate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke, in dressing-gown and pajamas, his unbrushed -hair more than ever erect, looked from one -of his callers to the other. There was Venable, a -man of small but independent means, who had grown -gray in the long war for civic betterment, meeting -defeat at the polls and, what is harder to bear, -disappointment in elected candidates, and again and -again emerging to hope and fight on; Nelson, a -successful wholesale druggist, whose business seemed -divorced from politics, and whose hobby was the -improvement of political conditions; and Yeates, a -young man of family and fortune who belonged to -Luke's club. Luke was flattered and confident, but -did not show it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you really think I can do it?" he asked -slowly. "Do you think I am the best man for the job?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Each of the committee assured him he was. They -said he had given a good account of himself as -assistant district-attorney, won influential friends in -his daily life, and secured, through his political -speech-making for Leighton, a strong following -among the voters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," persisted Luke, "it's unnecessary to -ask men of your standing that there shan't be -anything but clean politics in our campaign."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable tossed his head proudly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My record is a guarantee of that," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No undue influence?" asked Luke. "No outside -interests coming in to boss us or affect us in any -way?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rot!" said Yeates.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I am to have an absolutely free hand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They assured him of that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's lowered lids hid his eyes, but his eyes -gleamed. Here, at last, was his Great Chance. -Here was what he had lived and hoped for. He -wanted to shout his war-cry, to go out and fight at -once. Would he be worthy? The wing of that -doubt brushed the farthest edges of his conscience, -but he was young, and he did not heed it. He -thought of all that he could do with this -opportunity; and he thought, too, of Betty Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had not seen much of Betty for some weeks. -The lethargy that the slow process of his recent -disillusionment flung over him, had left him despairing -of her, kept her beyond his reach. But now he -saw the way—saw that the way to win his ideals -of honorable victory was also the way to win her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He asked again a hundred questions, some that -he had asked of his other counselors the night -before and more that he had not: questions about -purpose, ways-and-means, finances, organization, -headquarters, district leaders, probable support, the -temper of the public mind. To all of them he received -sanguine answers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And your other candidates?" asked Luke. -"The Mayor? Comptroller? President of the -Board of Aldermen and the Borough Presidents?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They gave him the names of known and honest men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke stood up, but his air was the languid air -that had become part of him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good," he said, "of course, I'm pleased that -you think of me as you do, and I accept."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. He would be a busy man now, but he must -have that morning and afternoon to himself. -However much he might want to start his campaign, he -must make that visit to Wall Street, and after -luncheon he intended to go to Betty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Wall Street interview seemed to him as -successful as he could have expected. He was unterrified -by the strength of the fortress to be attacked, -but he had not looked forward to speedy surrender, -so he was satisfied with the conviction that he -affected the three financiers more than they cared to -show. If they did not obey him, he would make the -Rollins letters a part of his appeal to the electors; but -he felt that, in the end, he would be offered obedience.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He lunched leisurely in the café attached to his -apartment house, and then went to his own room to -change his clothes before seeking Betty. He had -completed the change and was about to leave when -the telephone rang and the voice of the clerk below -stairs announced a visitor:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Judge Marcus F. Stein."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It had begun already. Luke knew who Stein was, -though the two had never met. The man's title had -been earned by a political appointment to fill the -unexpired term of a judge that died while on the bench. -Stein had begun his career as a young lawyer who -specialized in damage suits against the N. Y. & -N. J. railway. He was once charged, before the Bar -Association—though the charges were never proved—with -being a "hospital runner": that is, with employing -men to hurry to the hospital, or the scenes -of accidents, and induce victims to retain Stein to -press their claims for damages against the railroad -on which they had been injured. By devoting his -best efforts against the N. Y. & N. J., he tried to -make the corporation realize that it would be cheaper -to employ him than to fight him, and he was, indeed, -at last given a place on the legal staff of the -company's claim department. There was an ugly story -to the effect that, for a brief time before this charge -was openly announced, he received a salary from the -road while apparently acting for claimants against it -and inducing them to compromise their claims for -trivial sums.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a subject of common rumor at the New -York Bar. Stein soon worked his way to the head -of the claim department and thoroughly reorganized -it. He used old tactics for his new employers: he -had the news of all accidents immediately -communicated to him, whereupon he would despatch his -agents, with no loss of time, to the hospital, there -to persuade the wounded, half stupefied by pain or -drugs, to sign releases in return for pittances in -ready money. It was said he built up a secret service, -composed of men and women from private detective -agencies, whose duty it was to discover discreditable -secrets in the lives of such claimants as refused to -compromise, or, failing in discovery, to manufacture -or invent such incidents. One married woman from -Syracuse, who had been injured in a wreck in New -York and came there to press her suit, was -inveigled into a friendship with a woman detective -commissioned to engage a neighboring room in the -house where the plaintiff took temporary lodgings. -The detective succeeded in getting the claimant -drunk and brought her, in this condition, with two -of the road's employees, to a house in which, when -the four were partially unclothed, another detective -took a flashlight photograph of them. Then when -the victim's case was called for trial, she was told -that, unless she dropped her suit, the picture would -be shown to her husband. By methods of this sort, -Stein was said to have reduced his road's expenses -for damages by two-thirds in three years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Directly from his desk in the offices of the N. Y. & -N. J., Stein was appointed to the bench, where he -did not cease his usefulness to his employers. When -his brief judicial term had ended, he took offices of -his own, and cultivated the higher branches of -corporation law. The men controlling the N. Y. & -N. J. controlled many other corporations and saw to -it that Stein received a regular annual retainer as a -consulting lawyer from each of these. His business -was not to win cases, but so to aid in directing his -clients' plans that they would avoid litigation; he, -therefore, rarely nowadays appeared in court and, -though not one of the most learned men so engaged -by his principals, he was one of the most serviceable, -because to his merely crafty skill in the law he added -a deep knowledge of practical politics and a wide -intimacy with politicians.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's first impulse was to deny himself to this -caller, for he wanted to hurry to Betty and he thought -there might be a strategic value in refusing to -negotiate with any emissary. Curiosity, however, proved -strong, and he reflected that the emissary might just -possibly come with a word of complete capitulation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Show him up," said Luke into the telephone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ex-Judge was an imposing figure. He was big -and broad and frock-coated, and he moved with -befitting gravity. His hair was plentiful and white, his -face clean-shaven. He had a strong nose and a wide, -firm mouth, and his eyes were large and benevolent. -His air was that of a man who has dealt with great -interests for so many years that they have become the -weighty commonplaces of his existence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had resolved not to shake hands with his -visitor, but the Judge gave him no opportunity for -refusal. He bowed courteously, smiled politely, and -settled into the most comfortable of Luke's chairs, -which he deliberately turned so that the light from -the windows fell full on his own face, thus leaving -Luke to front him from the shadow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke, who had been prepared for the contrary -move, managed to show no surprise. He sat down, -extended his legs, and lowered his eyes. He made -no inquiry concerning the reason of the Judge's call: -he wanted the Judge to begin the talk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stein required no urging.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have never had the pleasure of meeting you -before, Mr. Huber," he said, speaking with what was -evidently no more than characteristic deliberation, -"but I have watched your career with a great deal -of interest—a very great deal. It reminded me so -much of my own early struggles." He was looking -steadily at Luke, whose eyes remained lowered. -"You will forgive an old man who is a scarred -veteran of the law for speaking frankly with you -and for taking such an interest, I'm sure."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very kind of you, indeed," Luke murmured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought," said the Judge, "that you handled -that Maretti case excellently, and the Dow trial, too; -you showed an original cleverness there. More than -that, Mr. Huber, you showed promise. There has -been a great deal of promise in your professional -work, and I thought I detected the same promise in -the reports of your political speeches. With -influential friends—for, of course, everybody needs -influential friends in these days: people of real and -solid standing—you ought to go far."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," the Judge pursued, "I see by the early -evening papers you may be offered the candidacy -for District-Attorney on the Municipal League -ticket."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I believe there is some talk of that, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, we need such a movement as this reform -movement: we need it badly. With proper backing, -you ought to win. With proper backing, of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke gave no sign of hearing this. Quite out of -the air he drawled:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose you came about those letters, Judge Stein?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For all the disturbance that he produced, he might -as well have said that it was a pleasant day, or that -he expected rain. When his eyes at this question -were raised to meet the Judge's, the benevolent eyes -of the Judge did not quiver: like his voice, they were -steady and deliberate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said the Judge, "and I had them in mind -when I spoke of your career. Now, Mr. Huber, my -friends think, and I think, that you have been a little -hasty and unreasonable because—and remember, it is -an old man who tells you so—you are still rather -young. But because I know you are an able young -man, I have told them I was sure you would see your -haste and unreasonableness when you came to -consider the matter. As their friend and as a lawyer -who has watched your career and remembers his own -start in life, I undertook to say so to you and to -offer my advice."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's eyelids were again lowered. His hands -were clasped in his lap. To a less astute man than -Stein, he might have seemed asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shall be glad," continued Stein, "if I can help -you out of your embarrassing position."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who are your friends, Judge?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge smiled tolerantly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come, come, Mr. Huber," he said; "you don't -expect me to mention names, I know. All I will say -on that point—all you can justly ask me to say—is -that I don't come from them in my professional -capacity. They haven't retained me to do this. They -haven't even asked me to do it. I am acting entirely -of my own volition, and on my own initiative, out of -good will for all the parties concerned and not least -of all for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yet you seem prepared to plead their case."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am—on my own initiative, I am, because their -case is the right one, as I am sure you will end by -seeing. In the first place, these letters are their -property."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I doubt," said Luke, "whether they would go -into court to prove property."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do not think," said the unruffled Judge, "that -they will go into court for any purpose—unless their -burden of good nature is rendered intolerable. They -can afford to appeal to their own conscience, because -they are morally clear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of the North Bridge wreck?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of the North Bridge wreck, Mr. Huber. Granting -that those letters are admissible evidence—which -I shouldn't grant, if I were in the case—the one is -not an expert declaration; it is merely an expression -of opinion from persons with many grades of rails to -sell and naturally anxious to sell their most -expensive and most profitable grade. As for the other -letter, it is informed by the knowledge of what -prompted the rail-makers' opinion, and in itself offers -only a counter-opinion based on the writer's long and -successful experience with the cheaper rails."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes—but the accident happened."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly: it merely happened and it was an -accident. In other words, it was something unforeseen -and contrary to the experience of the writer of the -second letter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge waited a moment for a reply but, as -Luke gave none, presently continued:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, the course I propose—quite personally, -you will understand—is honorable, harmless, and in -the best interests of all concerned: you, us, and even -the public."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All that I would grant my friends is the return -of those letters, which are their own property, and -are not admissible evidence in a court of law. That -is all I would grant them. On their part, I should -exact a pledge from them to have better rails laid -throughout the suspected sections of the M. & N. road."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's eyes opened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all </span><em class="italics">I</em><span> asked them to do," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, yes; but to do it at once would be taken as -a public confession of guilt—and my friends are not -guilty. You will see that the coroner's jury says so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke relapsed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will," he said. "I'm sure of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Therefore, the thing must be done slowly and -discreetly, and meanwhile we must protect the public -by an increase of track-walkers and road-inspectors."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would your friends," inquired Luke, "instruct -the road not to fight the damage claims growing out -of the wreck?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course not," chuckled Stein. "You are too -good a lawyer to expect that, Mr. Huber, and too -good a lawyer not to know how the sorrow or -wounds of the claimants—yes, and the big appetites -of their attorneys, too, I'm afraid—exaggerate their -losses on the one hand and the riches of the company -on the other. No, no; the most we could get for -them would be liberal settlements. We mustn't -bankrupt the road. There are more widows owning -stock in it than there are widows caused by this -wreck."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Luke, "I'm afraid you don't -convince me, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not if I could promise all this?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. You see, there was a smaller wreck some -months ago, and the additional track-walkers and -inspectors were promised the public then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Undisturbed, the Judge repeated all his arguments. -"I really think you must see this as I do," -he concluded. "And all we want is the letters——. -By the way, Mr. Huber, I congratulate you on -getting hold of them. That was a clever piece of work. -How did you manage it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke grinned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I found them growing on an apple tree in -Madison Square," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge nodded a smiling approval.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At any rate," he submitted, "you will not mind -telling me if any other person knows of their existence?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I don't mind. Except you and your friends -and me and the apple tree, there is only one other -person that knows as yet, and he's in no position to -mention them." Luke rose as if to end the -interview. "I've told nobody because I keep my -bargains, Judge. But I do keep my bargains to the -letter. You haven't convinced me, and you can't. I've -given your clients——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My friends," Stein suavely corrected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your friends, then; I've given them one month. -If they don't do as I've suggested——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The judge raised a hand gravely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think you mean 'ordered,' Mr. Huber," -said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you. Yes, of course, I meant 'ordered.' If -they don't begin to do as I've ordered by one -month from to-day, and do it in a way that -convinces everybody of their intention to finish the -job—yes, and their consciousness of guilt—I'll make those -letters public."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge remained seated. He looked at Luke -sadly, and his voice rang true as he said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder if you have fully considered, I shall -not say the dangers, but the difficulties and annoyances -your course may expose you to—may very well -expose you to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Luke shortly. "I'm too busy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A great many men have tried what you are trying," -the Judge went on, "and they have all failed. -I tried it once myself. None has succeeded; not -one. Some of them, of course, entirely through their -own faults, were ruined by it, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I dare say," said Luke, unmoved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you," warned the Judge, "have the success -of a new and valuable political movement in your -hands. You are responsible for it and to it. This -might end by losing you the nomination."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can stand that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It might even hurt the men in the movement that -have trusted you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I sha'n't blame myself for it, if it does."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if it did not do these things, it would surely -wreck the faction at the polls—a faction that you -believe in and that, if successful, could do such a wide -public good."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was standing above his caller, his hands deep -in his pockets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, Judge," he drawled, "are you by any -chance threatening me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge was not at all threatening him. "I -am only telling you," he frankly explained, "what a -long life in New York has shown me. I like you, -Mr. Huber; I believe you could make a great success -in life if you were less hot-headed; but I believe -your hot-headedness can ruin you at the bar, can ruin -you socially and financially, and can put a stop to -your political career forever. I knew one man that -attempted something such as you are attempting and -never had another client afterward. I knew another -that people heard a nasty story about and shut all -their doors against. I knew a dozen that became -political corpses, and I knew more that went bankrupt."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And some," he suggested, "disappeared altogether, -I dare say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge looked him full in the eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have heard so," said he. Then he brightened -somewhat. "But you will not defy the lightning," -he continued. "You are too practical. I am quite -sure you must see how very right I am and how very -well disposed my friends are toward you, Mr. Huber. -Think what they could do for you, socially, financially, -politically. Think what they could do for you -personally and for this reform movement."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's smile broke into a laugh.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Help the reform?" he exploded. "Oh, Lord!" Then, -as quickly, the laugh ended. "In plain terms," -he said, "what have you been telling me?" His -languor had disappeared, and a sharp rage succeeded -it. His words cracked like a whip. "You've been -telling me that if I handed the safety of the M. & -N. patrons over to the men that hire you, and let those -men go free on the strength of a promise already -broken, they would make me rich, elect me -District-Attorney to do their work for them, advance me in -their own social set and maybe, if I kept on doing all -they asked, turn me into a Judge or a Governor or a -millionaire! And you've been saying if I don't do it, -they'll have me forced out of politics, out of the -practice of the law, out of decent people's houses—and -maybe knocked over the head or shot in the back -at a dark corner. Well, here's my answer: I don't -believe they would help me, I don't believe they can -hurt me, and I don't care a damn, one way or the other!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge bowed. He rose. He knew the world -too well to give way to anger: he never lost his -temper; he only sometimes advisedly loosed it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is this," he asked, "your final decision, Mr. Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," raged Luke; "and you may bet your last -cent on that. It's my final decision, and it's a plain -'No.' If these fellows don't do what I've ordered, -I'll show them up—the whole bunch of them. I'll -do it—why, I'd do it if they were the seraphim and -cherubim, and all the Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, -Powers, Principalities, and Archangels rolled into one!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-viii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VIII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. Ex-Judge Marcus Stein had mastered, in -common with most truly dignified men, the art of acting -quickly without hurrying. Upon leaving Luke's -apartments, he exercised this art.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His motor-car was waiting for him at the door. -He climbed into it with a judicial deliberation and -gave his order to the chauffeur. The car started -noiselessly. By proceeding with an even speed that -avoided blind dashes into the back-waters of the -traffic-stream, it made better time than its more -impetuous peers and, without jolt or pause, bore its -occupant quickly to the building in which the firm -of Stein, Falconridge, Falconridge & Perry had their -offices.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As Judge Stein passed through the outer room of -the suite, he spoke to the girl who was seated at -the firm's telephone switchboard:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-afternoon, Miss Weston."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl's neurasthenic face lighted with pleasure: -Marcus Stein was liked and respected by his -office-force.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-afternoon, Judge Stein," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think," said the Judge, "that you might see if -you can get Mr. Hallett on his private wire, and -connect him with my telephone. Will you, please?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Weston always felt that the Judge conferred -a favor when he asked one. Consequently, she made -a practice of giving his calls precedence over those -of anybody else connected with the firm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right away," she said. "And if he's left his -office, shall I try his house or his club?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Both, please, Miss Weston. But I have an idea -that he will be at his office."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge passed on to his own handsome room -overlooking the turmoil of lower Broadway. He had -scarcely reached his desk, and was just bending to -smell of the two Abel Chatney roses that stood in a -vase there, when the soft bell of his telephone tinkled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stein?" asked Hallett's voice through the black -receiver that the Judge placed to his ear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. This is Mr. Hallett?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was about to telephone you, and I have just -been to see our young friend."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well—well?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is no use, Mr. Hallett."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett's voice was incredulous: "The fool won't -give up?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much does he want?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, but didn't you throw the fear of God into him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can't purchase and we can't coerce—at least -not by mere threats."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, we've got to frighten him by something -else, Stein. How'd he get those things that he's got?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He wouldn't say. I scarcely expected that he would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you put on the political screws?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I put on all, as far as was wise. He is a clever -young man, and he knows we can't hurt him so long -as he has certain things in his possession."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The situation apparently passed Hallett's -comprehension: it was outside of his experience.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But what does he want? He must want something."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid not," the Judge sighed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hell! Of course, he must. Everybody does."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he does, I couldn't find it out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then," asked Hallett, "what's he goin' to do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing—for a month."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't think he'll keep his word?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sure of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait a minute," said Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge waited fifteen minutes. At the end -of that time, Hallett's voice, regretful, but firm, -sounded again in the telephone:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said, "we've got to get those things -he's got. We're all agreed on that. Understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes—and it's up to you, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you any course to suggest?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, we haven't, and we don't want to know -anything about courses. That's your job."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As if Hallett were in the room, Stein bowed his -white head to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," he said, and hung up the receiver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He bent to the pink roses again, and again inhaled -their cultivated fragrance. His face was not -perplexed, but it was sad.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am sorry," he seemed to be saying. "A nice -young man. I am very sorry, indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He returned the telephone-receiver to his ear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Weston?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, Judge Stein?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you for getting that call so promptly. -Now, will you please get me Mr. Titus?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. William Titus, or Titus & Titherington, -the mercantile agency?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Alexander Titus, of Titus & Titherington: -the one that I was speaking to before I went out -to luncheon."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, Judge Stein. Just a minute."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no long wait before Titus, who owed -half of his business as a financial-agent to Stein and -Stein's chief employer, was in conversation with the -Judge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you secured that report yet?" asked Stein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which one, Judge?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The one I asked you for at lunch-time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's being typed now. I'll send it over as soon -as it's finished."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish you would. Meantime, get the chief -points from the man that looked into the matter and -'phone them to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Call me up. I have somebody to talk to while -I'm waiting."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge rang off and then another time spoke -to Miss Weston.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is Mr. Irwin in his office?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Weston said he was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, please ask him to step in to see me for -a moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Irwin was a member of the Judge's firm whose -name did not appear upon its letter-heads, although -he had been attached to it for more years than -Mr. Perry or even the younger Mr. Falconridge. He -was a little man with a gray Vandyck beard, pink -cheeks, and twinkling blue eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the fewest possible words, Stein gave him a -description of the letters that were in Luke Huber's -possession. He did not say who wanted these letters, -or why they were wanted, but he left no doubt about -the urgency of the commission he was delivering.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is rather a difficult assignment," he concluded, -"but it must be done. There are great interests at -stake."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I can manage it," said Irwin cheerfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am afraid you will have to manage it," said -the Judge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll simply tell my friend——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge raised his hand and smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No details, please," said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," Irwin, still cheerful, agreed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All that I need add," said the Judge, "is this: -we must take only one step at a time. If we can -succeed by persuasion, there is no need to use other -measures. I do not want to use other measures unless -he forces us to use them. Remember that. The first -thing to do is to convince him that we are too strong -for him. For instance, he has this reform nomination -for the district-attorneyship. If he could be -made to see that we could take that nomination away -from him, he might listen to reason."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will report results to me. Not methods, -Irwin: only the results, but please report the results -step by step. And understand that whoever -undertakes this matter must not know too much to be -dangerous, but must know enough to make no error."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How soon do you want the letters, Judge?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As soon as I can get them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the outside limit?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The first step must be immediate. We must not -run so fast that we stumble; but for the completion -it will be impossible to wait long. Say twenty-eight -days from date."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right," said Irwin, and walked briskly from the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Irwin had a manner of telephoning that was more -hurried than the Judge's, and Miss Weston treated -him with greater deliberation. However, he had -soon called up the office of Anson Quirk and learned -that Quirk was there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, stay there for twenty minutes, will you?" -asked Irwin. "I'm coming right around to see you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Anson Quirk was a lawyer who had a small office -and a large reputation on the East Side. His round, -smiling face shone in every important case where -was endangered the liberty or life of minor politicians -or major thugs; the number of acquittals to his credit -was surpassed only by the number of clients whom he -had saved from ever appearing in court. He called -every patrolman, magistrate, and tipstaff in the City -and County of New York by his first name. He was -successful before a judge, but he was magnificent -before a magistrate, and with a police-officer he was a -worker of miracles. In his own world, Quirk, whom -Stein would have refused to shake hands with, -was what Stein was upon a somewhat higher plane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He talked with the bright-eyed Irwin for less than -half an hour. Then he showed his visitor from his -dusty office full of law-books that were never -consulted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Easy?" he chuckled as he bowed Irwin out. -"It's a hundred-to-one shot. I'll tell you what I'll -do: I'll——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, you won't tell me," laughed Irwin. "The -less I know, the better for me. All I want to be sure -of is that I can count on you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sure, you can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And don't do everything at once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not me. The frame-up comes first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me know as soon as it's tried. Then we'll -talk about the next move—if one's needed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand. And whatever's needed, I'll -deliver the goods inside of three weeks."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Irwin said he hoped nothing more would be needed -and that a few days would suffice, and Quirk, -screwing a derby-hat on one side of his head, walked -around the corner to the police-station to see his -friend, the red-faced, genial Hugh Donovan, -lieutenant of police.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. Ex-Judge Stein, in the handsome room -overlooking Broadway, had been having another -telephone-conversation with the head of the Titus & -Titherington Mercantile Agency while Mr. Irwin -was consulting with Mr. Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That man has saved a bit," Alexander Titus was -reporting; "but outside of his salary he has really -only a hundred thousand dollars, and it's all invested -in the R. H. Forbes & Son clothing firm over in -Brooklyn."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge made a note of this on a desk-pad.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see," he said. "Who is the head of that firm, -now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wallace K. Forbes; I think he's a grandson of -old R. H."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge made another note.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do they stand? Oddly enough, I have a -client interested in their affairs, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Forbes people? Pretty well. I had to get -a report on them last week."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have they any heavy loans?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only one that might hurt them: two hundred -and fifty thousand dollars at call with the East -County National."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge's pencil was still busy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to be quite clear about this," he said—"quite -clear: my client in this Forbes matter is -considering an investment. Am I to understand that if -the East County National should call this loan, if -it could not be renewed elsewhere, the firm would -become insolvent?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, there's no doubt about that. But then, -there's no doubt about its not being called, either. -The company's quite sound, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you," said Stein. "You will have that -other full report sent over?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's on its way now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you again. You had better follow it with -a copy of the Forbes report. If that bears out all you -say, I shall instruct my client to go ahead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He'll be safe if he does, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well. Good-afternoon," said Stein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He called Miss Weston again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Weston," he said, "please get me City -Chamberlain Kilgour, and, while I am speaking to -him, call up the East County National and ask -where you can find president Osserman. He will -have left the bank, but I should like to reach him -before I go home to-day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Weston obeyed with her usual readiness to -serve this one of her employers.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. Police Lieutenant Donovan had not listened -to half a dozen of Quirk's words before he rose -quickly and closed the door of his private room. -His was one of those voices that cannot whisper, but -it descended now to a hoarse muttering.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much is there in this for me?" he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothin'," grinned Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan's broad palm banged the table at which -he sat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then good-</span><em class="italics">night</em><span>," said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk was undisturbed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Could you do the trick?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean if it was worth my while?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean what I say: could you do it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Could I do it? Of course, I could. It'd be -like takin' pennies from a blind man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then," said Quirk, rattling some coins in a -pocket beneath his round abdomen, "I guess you'd -better get busy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan's eyes narrowed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's your game, Quirk?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's not </span><em class="italics">my</em><span> game, Hughie," smiled the lawyer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you're not in it for your health, I know -that damn well. If it ain't your game, whose is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know for sure," said Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, come on. You know me: you've got to -cough up if you want me to help."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk did know the police-lieutenant. He had -expected all along to be forced into an admission; but -he was aware that by letting Donovan suspect -reluctance he could the more speedily gain his point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said, "it didn't come to me straight, -but I'll tell you how it did."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He embarked upon a narrative brief and abounding -in gaps that Donovan's imagination was not, -however, slow to fill as Quirk intended it should.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The officer nodded comprehendingly. "Then -who's at the back of it?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk walked quietly to the door. He opened it -suddenly: nobody had been listening at the keyhole; -so he turned to Donovan and said a certain name.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The police-lieutenant's red face grew redder. He -opened and shut his mouth twice before he spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Again?" he muttered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all I know about it," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, why in hell didn't you tell me this right -off at first?" asked the querulous Donovan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because I didn't think I'd have to," pleaded -Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have to? Looks to me like the have-to business -all came on to me! How long've I got to put this -across?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk appeared to consider.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd have to begin with the first thing right -away," he said, "and let me know about that. If it -didn't work, I'd get my party to give me fuller -instructions, and then I guess you'd have eighteen -days."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm gettin' sick of the whole game," said Donovan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So am I," said the lawyer blithely. "But what -are we going to do about it? We've got to make a -living, don't we?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ain't so sure of that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyhow, we've got to buy shoes for our kids, -Hughie."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, come on," muttered Donovan, "let's talk -business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They talked business until Quirk remembered -another appointment and had to leave. When the -lawyer had gone, Donovan put his head into the large -room next his own and called to a sleepy officer -seated at a desk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anderson," he asked, "where's Patrolman Guth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Anderson yawned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just come in, Lieutenant," he vouchsafed: -"him and Mitchell. He's in the locker-room."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Send him in here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan closed the door and sat at his table, -frowning at its surface, until Guth entered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hello, Bill," said the Lieutenant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Guth was as big as the Lieutenant and more -powerful. He would have been handsome, but his mouth -had been torn in some obscure street-fight, and the -scar from this wound carried the line of his lips to -the left corner of his jaw-bone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">How're</em><span> you, Lieutenant?" he replied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan resumed his study of the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's Reddy Rawn doin' these days?" he -presently continued.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Guth shifted his weight from one leg to the other. -As much as that scar would permit, he smiled, the -right corner of his mouth shooting upward and the -left turning down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said, "you know how it is. I warned -him he'd got to keep in the quiet ever since that night -him and the Kid shot-up Crab Rotello for tryin' to -steal Reddy's girl."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rotello's still in Bellevue, ain't he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't be out for near a month yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He hasn't squealed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Naw. You know these here guys: wouldn't tell -if they was dyin'—rather leave it to their own gang -to square things. Crab'll wait till he gets well, an' -then he'll fix Reddy's feet for himself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still, you told Reddy what I said you should?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tol' him we was on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Find him to-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, Lieutenant."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell him Rotello's squealed: he'll believe it -because he hates him. Tell him the Dago's goin' to -croak an's give me an ante-mortem statement—see?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The patrolman stolidly bowed assent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell him the only way for him to square me's to -do me a good turn," continued Donovan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Guth nodded again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Same's we worked on the Crab himself ten or -twelve weeks ago," he said. "I got you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's it. Remember, I don't know much, an' -you know a lot less, an' this guy's got to know less -than you do. He's got to pull it off inside of two -weeks. Now, sit down here, an' I'll tell you what -he's got to do. There maybe'll be more later, but -this is the start."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. The last talk that Judge Stein had that day -was one with a brisk, bald-headed man, whose -close-cropped mustache only accentuated the heavy mouth -below it. This man called in person at the offices -of Stein, Falconridge, Falconridge & Perry; he -seemed to have come in a hurry, and he handed Miss -Weston a card bearing the legend:</span></p> -<pre class="literal-block"> -<span>+-----------------------------+ -| B. FRANK OSSERMAN | -| *PRESIDENT* | -| EAST COUNTY NATIONAL BANK | -+-----------------------------+</span> -</pre> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>With him the Judge began by being as deliberate -as he had been with Luke Huber. He mentioned -the names of the three men upon whom Huber had -that morning paid so unusual a visit to Wall Street; -but this time Stein frankly declared that these three -men empowered him to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the mention of their names, Osserman's fingers -played with a thin gold watch-chain that ran taut -through a buttonhole of his waistcoat, from one -pocket to another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I dare say that you will remember," pursued -the Judge, "that I have acted with you for these -gentlemen on one or two previous occasions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Osserman cleared his throat. "I hope there is no -trouble," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. Oh, no; there need be no trouble," said the -Judge. Then he sat and watched Osserman move -uneasily in his chair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The bank-president by saying nothing tried to -force Stein to explain; Stein, by the same means, tried -to force Osserman to make a confession of weakness. -At last Stein won.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," said Osserman, "I know the favors -they've done us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly," said the Judge; but he said only that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so," continued Osserman, as one who cannot -turn back, "our bank will be glad to do anything -we can for them." He paused and looked at Stein; -but Stein only looked pityingly at him. "Indeed," -the banker ruefully resumed, "their connection with -our investments and securities is such that we would -have to."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly," repeated the Judge, bending his face -toward the pink roses at his elbow. But he was a -little sorry for Osserman, and so he added: "Not -that the East County is in a position very different, -in that respect, from most of the other banks."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Osserman took a deep breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said, "what is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are carrying," said the Judge, "a call-loan -at two hundred and fifty thousand to R. H. Forbes -& Son."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The banker showed his relief. It was clear that -he had expected something more important.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are we?" he asked. "I dare say we are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Osserman," said the Judge, "the finances -of the R. H. Forbes company are not long going -to be what they should be. In the interest of your -depositors, I should advise you to stand ready to -call that loan when I give you the word."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The banker looked at the Judge and knew that, -before this loan would be called, the Judge's clients -would see to it that no other bank would take it -up. That, however, was no affair of Osserman's: he -considered that he was escaping by means of a small -service.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If there's any danger of the Forbes people failing," -he said, "it would be only good business to do -as you say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," the Judge assented. "The fact of the -matter is this, Mr. Osserman: that young man named -Huber, who has been backing Leighton, is leaving -Leighton and will be the candidate for the reform -people to succeed him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I saw something about it in the afternoon papers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. Now, my clients have no objection to those -reformers; we see that they may do a great deal of -good, if they put a temperate man at the head of -their ticket. But we happen to know that this Huber -is a young, hot-headed demagogue. He is the kind -of man that attracts the crowd. He might be elected. -If he was not, he would hurt credit by his wild -speeches; if he was, he would undoubtedly upset -it by trying to put his impossible promises into -action. The safest thing for Business is to take the -nomination away from him before he gets started: -then nobody is hurt. What money he has (it is not -much) is invested in this Forbes concern. My advice -to you is to see Mr. Forbes to-morrow; make him -appreciate how your bank feels about the unsettling -nature of this candidacy, and tell him that you will -have to call his loan if the candidacy continues."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. That was a busy night for the president and -cashier of more than one bank in New York City, and -for certain gentlemen whose business it is to negotiate -for loans from banks in other cities. Judge Stein's -telephonic talk with City Chamberlain Kilgour was -as effective as the conversation with president -Osserman. It is in the chamberlain's official province to -deposit municipal funds with almost whatsoever -institution he chooses, and to withdraw such funds as -he may elect: the thin, energetic figure of Kilgour, -long familiar to the tents of Tammany, was this -evening hurrying from private houses to Madison Square -Clubs and from clubs to Broadway cafés. The swift, -quiet motor-car of ex-Judge Stein was busy, too.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. Somebody else was busy: Patrolman Guth. -Patrolman Guth, in citizen's garb, was standing -almost invisible in the shadowy alley behind a saloon -near Forty-third Street and Third Avenue, and was -muttering to the darkness. And at last the darkness -answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm on," said the darkness.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-ix"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IX</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. "No, sir; she's gone out," said the servant -that answered Luke's ring at the door of the Forbes -house and his inquiry for Betty on the afternoon of -his interview with Judge Stein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To town?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir; I think so. I think she's gone over to -Mr. Nicholson's Hester Street mission."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had frequently met the Rev. Pinkney Nicholson; -he liked him. The young clergyman was a friend -of both Forbes and Forbes's daughter. The latter -often helped in Nicholson's slum-missionary work; -an attendance at Nicholson's church of St. Athanasius -was the only occupation that brought Forbes -and Betty even slightly into touch with the world -of the Ruysdaels. With Betty, Luke often went to -the Sunday morning services. Indeed, he had -recently become a consistent member of the congregation, -partly because Betty liked the church and partly -because Luke himself admired Nicholson's simple and -forcible eloquence and believed enough in Nicholson's -philanthropy to forgive a ritualism that in itself -had only a superficial appeal for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She didn't say when she would be back?" Luke -inquired. Until this moment he had not known how -badly he wanted to see her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir. By dinner-time, I guess. Would you -like to leave any message, Mr. Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only that if she isn't going out this evening, -I'll call."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had hurried to the Forbes house in Brooklyn -as soon as Stein left him, for he knew that Betty -was usually at home from three o'clock in the -afternoon until five; but the Judge had consumed some -time; there was a block in the subway and another -block on the surface-line at the subway's end: Luke -had missed Betty. There was nothing to be done but -to return to town, where he should have remained -in order to be in touch with the new friends that -were announcing him as their certain chance for the -district-attorneyship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He considered himself ready for the fight. He -knew that Stein, although checked in the engagement -at the Thirty-ninth Street apartments, would not be -defeated and would resume the offensive from some -other quarter at some later date; but Luke looked for -no serious oppilation by these secret enemies before -the end of the month that he had given them in which -to come to terms. He underestimated, in short, both -the power and the unencumbered license of his foes. -He would not realize the handicap that his grant of a -four weeks' armistice placed on his own movements, -he would not believe that his antagonists might -violate the truce, and he refused to credit them with the -vast influence and free conscience which were at their -command.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The open war, the war that the reformers and the -public saw, was, however, waging. The Municipal -Reform League had taken city headquarters in an -office-building in Broadway below Madison Square -weeks ago, before they began their search for a -candidate. At that time divisional headquarters were -opened in every ward in New York, and the remnants -of an older reform organization, left from a defeat -ten years old, were gathered and cemented for present -use. Nelson, Venable, and Yeates were working day -and night with their lieutenants, and when Luke -returned to his apartments, the loneliness that he was -beginning to feel because of the sudden end of his -duties under Leighton, was banished by the news -that the League headquarters had been telephoning -madly for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He bought a newspaper on his way downtown and -discovered what was one of the things that his -associates wanted to see him about: Leighton had issued -a statement saying that he had forced Luke's -resignation from the District-Attorney's staff because of -Luke's inefficiency.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must nail that lie immediately!" cried Venable -as soon as Luke entered the offices of the League. -The old man was standing at a desk with Yeates and -Nelson beside him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why did he fire you, anyway?" asked Yeates. -"I always thought Leighton was a rather decent -kind of fellow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jealousy," suggested Nelson. "He was afraid -of him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke sat on a table and dangled his long legs. He -did not like the necessity that Leighton had put upon -him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course, he didn't discharge you at all," said -Venable. "We all know that. But we have called -the committee for the day after to-morrow, and you -must make the public see the matter as we do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not so sure that he didn't fire me," said -Luke. He chose to be blind to his hearers' astonishment. -"It was a race to see whether he'd chuck -me or me him, and I think it ended in a dead-heat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, come off!" said Yeates.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable stroked his white hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the reason?" he commanded. "You must -give the full story to the public. We stand for -absolute honesty in politics, and we can't begin with -any suppression of facts in public office."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Luke, "I think I gave Leighton, -in a general way, to understand I believed he was -willing to use the Money Power in politics, if he -could get it to use." He smiled at them. "Does -sound rather vague, doesn't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nelson puffed out his cheeks. "Men don't break -up a partnership for such things," said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Leighton and I did."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps you did, but people won't think so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable cut in:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We don't want to pry into your private affairs, -and, of course, we don't expect you to violate any -personal confidences that you naturally had with -Mr. Leighton; but a broad statement of the basic facts -has to go to the papers at once. The charge wouldn't -be so serious if it was specific and vulgar, because -then you would have no trouble in disproving it; but -Mr. Leighton is a thorough politician; he knows the -value of vagueness, and he gives the impression that -he could tell a great deal if he wasn't so much of a -gentleman as to want to spare your feelings."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke slowly got down from the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will say this much," he replied; "I will answer -Leighton in his own language: I will say he tried to -get hold of some documents that would make trouble -for a group of unscrupulous and influential men, and -he wasn't going to use those documents in court or -out of it to stop those men in a wrong they were -doing, but only as a means to force them to give him -their political support."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable reflected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think it would suit if you published that," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did he get the documents?" asked Nelson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Luke, "he didn't. Now, send me in -a stenographer, and I'll dictate a statement along -those lines."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. The headquarters of the Municipal Reform -League occupied a half of the second floor. They -were accessible by either the stairs, or any of the three -elevators that all day long shot down and up narrow -shafts from the roof to the hall opening on Broadway. -Entering the offices, one came first to a -reception-room; beyond that, one passed along the cleared -side of a railing in the large apartment, behind which -sat the company of stenographers and typewriters, -and so came to a series of offices with ground-glass -doors and windows giving upon the street. It was -one of these offices which was permanently assigned -to Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here, pacing the floor between the roll-top desk -at one side and the small safe for private papers on -the other, Luke dictated his public letter. He tried to -word it in such a way that its facts would not sound -incredible to the uninitiated reader, would not seem -so vague as to excite suspicion, and would yet convey -to both Leighton and Stein the threat of complete -publicity to be fulfilled if the writer were pushed too -far. It was a hard task, but Luke, after several -revisions, was satisfied with it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Venable, "I think that will do. The -reporters are waiting outside; I sent for them. I -have only one addition to suggest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You deal exclusively with your resignation, and -yet you are issuing this statement from the League's -headquarters. Don't you think you had better say -something about your candidacy?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hadn't I better wait till I get it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will have it as soon as the committee meets. -Everybody knows that. I don't propose that you -should anticipate all the good points of your letter -of acceptance, but merely that you should state what -you will stand for. You could say that your name -has been mentioned for the nomination and that, if -nominated, you will make your campaign on such and -such issues."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right." Luke shrugged his lean shoulders. -He turned to the waiting stenographer. "Take -this," he said:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span class="small">"In conclusion, I wish to say that my recent experience in the -service of the city has convinced me of the crying need of a -new movement for civic improvement: a non-partisan movement -in which the one object shall be the purification of municipal -government and the fearless administration of the law, all of its -supporters working together not for any man or party, but for -the good of New York. Such a movement is that now started -by the conscientious men who compose the Municipal Reform -League.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span class="small">"My name has been mentioned as a candidate for office on the -ticket of this league, and I shall feel honored, indeed, if I -receive my nomination under such happy auspices. In that event, -I shall go before the people with a frank appeal to them to drive -the money-changers out of the Temple of Justice, the grafters -out of the police-force, vice and crime from the streets; and, -if elected, I should attempt to do these things, as the will of -the people who placed me in power, with favor to no persons, or -combination of persons, in Greater New York. But whether I -am nominated or not, I shall take my coat off and roll up my -sleeves and go to work for the Municipal Reform League as for -the only present hope of this city's moral regeneration."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Luke turned to Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How's that?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable agreed that it ought to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">I</em><span> think it's stodgy enough," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable visibly winced, but passed the comment by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am not quite sure," he said, "about that -expression concerning taking off your coat and so on. -Our first appeal has to be made to the cultivated -voters, you see, and we don't want to sound -too—well, too agricultural."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke smiled his weary smile. No doubt Venable -was right.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Change that," said Luke to the stenographer—"change -it to: 'I shall put on my armor and take -up my broadsword to go into this battle.'"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. "Miss Forbes got back?" Luke asked that -evening when he again rang the bell at the Forbes -house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir," said the servant, "she's in the parlor. -Mr. Forbes is in the library. Shall I——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I can make out with only Miss Forbes—for -a while," Luke interrupted. He started to -walk past the servant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Nicholson is there, too," the careful servant -warned him. "He stayed to dinner."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, that's good," said Luke. "Well, I'll be -glad to see him." But his tone was not so enthusiastic -as it had been, and his step hesitated half-way to -the parlor door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The door was open. Through it Betty heard him, -and through it she now hurried into the hall to meet -him, her hands outstretched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How splendid of you!" she was saying. -"We've just been reading your letter in the paper, -The papers are full of you, and you don't know how -proud we are to know you, and how proud that you -come here to see us at such a busy time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her cheeks were flushed, her brown eyes shone. -Luke noted a little curl that escaped from the mass -of golden hair, so like a saint's glory to her head, and -seemed to caress one coral ear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all nothing but my good luck," he said as -he took both her hands in his and thought not half -so much of her words as of the woman that uttered -them. "But I didn't expect your father's approval."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have it, anyway," she assured him. "Of -course, he's a Progressive, and he thinks you would -have done better to come into his party; but he does -admire your courage, and so does Mr. Nicholson."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Does he?" said Luke dryly. "I hope not: it -might go to my head." He remembered that Nicholson -believed in celibacy for the clergy, and he was -glad of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The young priest rose as his hostess and her new -guest came into the Eighteen-Sixty parlor. He was a -handsome man and his eyes were kindly, yet he had -the face of an ascetic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Forbes is right," he said. "New York -needs men with high convictions and the courage of -them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So does the Church," replied Luke heartily—"and -she is getting them now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They sat down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Church," said Nicholson, "has always had -them. What she lacked was the co-operation of such -men in the practical world. If all of our millionaires -were like some few of them, our work would be -easy; but now we scarcely know which is more -dangerous: the evil tyrant or the evil demagogue."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He talked for some time in this strain, not to -weariness, but with the completeness of the zealot. -Nicholson regarded wealth as a sacred trust, a gift -from God given to the great intellects of the world -only that it might be administered for the benefit -of the lesser of God's creatures. He mentioned no -specific instance, but he saw in many of the country's -rich men souls that were proving worthy of their -trust and others that were using their money selfishly -and even cruelly. For the former he had the highest -regard, for the latter the severest condemnation; the -spiritual and physical welfare of the poor he -considered as the especial care of the more fortunate, -and charity was not only the right of penury: it was -the salvation of the rich.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty listened to him with a rapt face; Luke -honored him, but sincerely hoped that he would go. -Fearing that this desire was becoming too patent, -Luke said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Manhattan and Niagara people don't seem -to share your views."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah," said Nicholson, "there you touch a vexed -problem, because there you have to do with a corporation, -and it is almost a fact that corporations have -no souls."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If that corporation ever had any, it is damned," -said Luke; "but what I'm driving at is that the -individuals composing a corporation have moral -responsibilities."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The clergyman agreed, but in corporations, he -thought, responsibility was so intricately subdivided -and so sinuously delegated that no one man had much -left to him or could incur much guilt for his -individual errors. In connection with most such accidents -as a railway wreck, there was really an ethical basis -for the legal phrase "an act of God."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not in the North Bridge wreck," said Luke. -"It's been shown that the company used cheap -material, didn't have any proper system for checking -its work-reports so as to tell whether ordered repairs -were made, and didn't hire competent men. The -company can't get out of this mess by saying its -experts were forced on it by the unions: it hasn't any -legal right to delegate its choice of experts to a union. -It's a common carrier and, if it can't do its work -properly, then it ought to stop work."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson saw this much as Luke did, and said so -at a good deal of length. It was some time before -his part of the conversation lagged and he rose to go.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Luke waited only until he heard the door -close upon the departing clergyman. Then he turned -to Betty with a relieved sigh.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Phew!" he said. "I'm glad that's over."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was sitting opposite him in the full glare of -light from an old-fashioned, crystal-hung chandelier. -Betty could bear strong lights.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" she asked. Her brow was puckered, -but her lips smiled. "I like him. He's very good, -and he's doing a really great work. I like him ever -so much."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes," said Luke. "Nicholson's all right. -He has what he admires in other men: high -convictions and the courage of them. Most of us always -admire in others what we don't have ourselves; but -not Nicholson. He is doing a big work, too. But -I'm glad he's gone, just the same."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" repeated Betty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke rose. He came over to Betty and stood -looking down at her, his arms folded across his chest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because," he said, "I wanted to talk to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It didn't look so. It looked as if you wanted to -talk to Mr. Nicholson."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wanted to talk to you and about you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She stopped fencing. She gave him her full, frank -gaze.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know what I want to say, Betty," he -answered. "You've seen for a long time what I was -coming to. I held off. I held off because I hadn't -anything to offer you. Even now I haven't much. -I haven't half enough. If I win this fight I'm in, it -won't give me anything that would make me deserve -you. I've not been a bit better than I should be." His -voice grew tense. "When I come down to brass -tacks, when I—I beg your pardon; but what I mean -is that when I get to the point of telling you I love -you, I see how far I've been from being what I should -be. I—— Oh, hang it all, Betty!" He put out his -hands. "I love you. I've never really loved anybody -else and never can. If I win this confounded—blessed -fight, will you marry me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She got slowly to her feet: it seemed to Luke -minutes before she had stood up and begun her answer. -Then she took both his hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't have to win the fight to win me, -Luke," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The realization swept over him. He took her in -his arms. He looked in her upturned face—the eyes -wide, the sweet, fresh cheeks hot, the lips parted, -breathing quickly—and then he felt the blood rush -to his head, felt it hammer at his temples. It got -into his eyes and blinded him. He ground his lips -upon hers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dull despair of his last months under Leighton -commanded a reaction. The rushing changes of the -last two days had set his nerves to a speed that would -not now cease in whatever physical activities he -engaged himself. These things flung him along a new -road; they raced him down a way of which he had -known but little. As he felt the warmth of her -gracious young body next his, he was hurled with such -violence down a course so unfamiliar to him that only -the thought of losing his race by running it too -swiftly could serve to lessen his straining speed. Like -a quarter-mile runner stopping himself short in the -last hundred yards before the tape, he almost fell as -he forced himself to release her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your father," he panted. He looked away from -her: "I must see him now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty did not understand. She was only exalted -by this new thing; she was only happy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now?" she whispered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes." He looked back at her and, with a white -face, smiled. "He has a right to know." He caught -her hand, pressed it only as tightly as he dared. -"I'll go to him in the library. Wait for me."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. Forbes was seated at a round table, engaged -in his regular nightly task of reading the editorial-page -of the </span><em class="italics">Evening Star</em><span>, nodding his head when he -agreed with its generalities and muttering maledictions -upon it when it specifically ridiculed the -Progressive Party. As Luke came in, Forbes was in -the midst of one of the paper's attacks on progressivism, -and his frown seemed to drive his beaked nose -into his mustache.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Huber," he said, without at once relaxing -his scowl; "I didn't know you were here. Come in. -Been here long?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke could not have guessed how long he had been -in the house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not very," he ventured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sit down," said Forbes. He had not risen. He -indicated an easy-chair near his own.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks," said Luke; but he did not sit down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes at last noticed his visitor's nervousness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose you've had a hard day," he said. -"Pardon me for not congratulating you sooner on -your success. This sheet"—he brandished the -</span><em class="italics">Evening Star</em><span>—"doesn't want anything but to be against -everything. It upsets me every evening. But you've -done a big thing. I think you should have come -clear over to our side, but I dare say you will do that -in time. Meanwhile, I'm sincerely glad for your -good fortune. You deserve it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're very good," said Luke. His eyes -twinkled a little. "I wonder if you know about it—all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only what this mealy-mouthed sheet says. It's -absolutely inexplicable to me, Huber, how a paper -written by such able men can be so narrow-minded -on broad subjects. However, I think they're going -to support </span><em class="italics">your</em><span> party, if they may be said ever to -support anything."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid they </span><em class="italics">are</em><span> rather reticent about the real -news," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They never tell anything that weighs against their -theories."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They haven't had a chance to tell this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes looked puzzled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's only just happened." Luke breathed deeply. -"I'm engaged to be married," he said. He spoke -with an unusual rapidity. "Engaged to be married, -and I'd like it to come off—the wedding, I -mean—right after the election."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes scrambled up. He wrung Luke's hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, well," he said, "you are to be congratulated!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am glad you think so," said Luke, "for you -know the girl better than I do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The girl? I know her better——" Forbes's -voice rose. "You don't mean—— You don't mean -to say——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," Luke nodded. "It </span><em class="italics">is</em><span> luck, isn't it? It's -Betty."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bless my soul!" Forbes brought his left hand -down on Luke's right shoulder. "Bless my soul! -My little girl! Huber, you—you rather knock the -wind out of me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He said all the conventional things; his manner -showed all the proper surprise; and both men -understood that he had been expecting this news for a -long time and wanting it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Huber," he said, "of course this is sudden, and -of course I'm an old fool not to have got over -considering Betty a child—a mere baby—but, now -you're here with the announcement, I'm quite -certain that, out of all the men who've been tagging -after her, you're the one that I'd want for a -son-in-law."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke again mumbled his thanks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're not standing still," pursued Forbes: -"you're going ahead. You have a great deal to you, -and Betty's the very girl to make you make the best -of yourself"—Forbes's voice abandoned the -commonplace note and fell to the note of genuine -feeling—"then there's your interest in the Business. -Huber, I've always regretted that I didn't have a -son to leave the Business to, as my father left it to -me and his father to him. If you'd married -somebody else, and Betty had married some chap that had -no interest in it, the Business might have gone over -to you eventually, and so on to children of another -stock than mine; whereas, now"—he looked around -Luke to the doorway—"Betty!" he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had not obeyed Luke; she was standing at -the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I couldn't wait," she confessed; but she said it -with an allegiance that was now all for Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come here," her father ordered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He released Luke's hand and shoulder. The girl -ran to him and put her arms about his neck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Please be nice, daddy," she whispered. "Please -be nice."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes managed to draw a handkerchief and blow -his nose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I </span><em class="italics">am</em><span> a fool," he said. "I—Betty, you're -looking so much to-night the way your mother—By -George, I </span><em class="italics">am</em><span> a fool! I think I must be getting old, -Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>§6. In the room at the end of the hall marked -"Family Entrance" to a saloon in Fifty-second -Street, near Eighth Avenue, a red-headed man -dressed in cheap clothes of fashionable cut, was -leaning across a table at which he was drinking raw -whisky with a girl who, had she not been too heavily -painted, would have had a face like that popularly -ascribed to Joan of Arc.</span></p> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 70%" id="figure-29"> -<span id="he-found-it-necessary-to-be-emphatic"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="HE FOUND IT NECESSARY TO BE EMPHATIC" src="images/img-192.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">HE FOUND IT NECESSARY TO BE EMPHATIC</span></div> -</div> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've got him showed to me," the man was saying. -"He lives at the Arapahoe on Thirty-ninth -Street. I'll play lighthouse. All you gotta do's put -on them glad clothes an' get him into Pearl's Six' -Av'nue place. He's in wrong, anyhow. Then I'll -tip off Charley Guth, an' he'll put Donovan wise an' -pinch the joint. See?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl that looked like Joan of Arc nodded -comprehendingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the clothes has got to be real swell," she said.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-x"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER X</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. As Luke left the Forbes house that night, his -step kept time with the beat of his pulses, and he -walked fast. At last he thought that he saw -happiness within reach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was not yet happy; he was quite clear about -this. One half of him, perhaps the nobler half, was -engaged in a political battle with the forces of -corruption, but it was so engaged that those forces -affected it; they invaded his individuality and, -therefore, curtailed his freedom and curtailed -completeness. Happiness, if it was to be found at all, was -to be found only in the perfect development of self, -and such a development was impossible so long as -self, seeking expression in politics, found expression -thwarted by an evil opposition in the political field.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, this opposition, Luke was sure, could -be crushed and swept away; his ideal for the good of -the city, which had become his own good, could be -attained; and then, he told himself, that other part -of him, the part that loved Betty and that Betty -loved, could enjoy Betty as the reward of the whole -man. It was as if he were one of two runners. -Betty he saw not as the goal, but as the prize to be -given him for leading at the goal; not a prize that -any other runner could win by worsting him in the -race, but a prize that he himself could deserve only -if he were to lead at the finish.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was thinking of this when he left the Subway -station and walked toward the Arapahoe, but under -his conscious thoughts the subconscious self was still -tingling with the emotions that had flamed up in him -when he took Betty in his arms and felt her lips on -his. He quivered with the physical recollection, and -though the flame had burned, his flesh found the pain -of it sweet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the corner nearest the apartment house in which -he lived, he became aware of a woman. The street -was nearly empty, but until she was close beside him -he did not notice her. How she came to be at his -elbow he did not appreciate, nor did he at first realize -whether she were young or old, beautiful or ugly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you tell me the time, please?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's experience in Leighton's office had long ago -taught him that such a request was the commonest -form of watch-stealing, but he was not afraid of -losing his watch. He stopped under a lamp-post.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it's late," pursued the woman, "but -I don't know how late."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The words were thick. The voice was the voice -of all the phantoms of the street, low in pitch and -hoarse, but luring because of all that it connoted: -because of the mystery, the adventure which, after -all knowledge of her sordidness and all understanding -of her frigidity, the woman who most reveals -her body has maintained by that revelation's forced -screening of her soul.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke consulted his watch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a quarter to eleven," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He looked at her, and he was glad to look. That -she was well-dressed, but overdressed and wore her -clothes with the defiance of one unhabituated to them, -did not impress him. What impressed him was the -face that, in spite of its tokens of much evil done and -more evil suffered, retained the fragile beauty which -men associate with innocence. The calm, broad brow, -the gray eyes wide and steady, the underlip timidly -drawn back, the delicate chin upturned above a slim -white throat, reminded him of the pictures of Joan -of Arc on trial and foredoomed by her English accusers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It </span><em class="italics">is</em><span> late, isn't it?" she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Luke. He had forgotten about his -watch; he was holding it loosely in his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder," said the woman, "if it's too late for -you to take a little walk with me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her eyes had narrowed coldly; a smile that was -a trade grimace distorted her mouth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The change in her wakened Luke. He restored -his watch to his pocket. He felt a slight chill at his -heart and a self-accusation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he said brusquely; and started to walk away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The woman followed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, come on," she urged. Her tone coarsened -under his refusal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Please?" her voice whined. She put her hand -on his arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shook off the hand. He was too angry with -himself to have pity for her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop this," he ordered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But won't you listen?" The woman's hand returned -persistently; it clutched. "I got somethin' -to——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke saw that they were at the door of the -Arapahoe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry," he said, "but I can't stop to listen -to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He went into the apartment house.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. He really was sorry. Once inside the door of -the Arapahoe, he said to himself that the woman -had only been plying her trade, and that what he -had visited upon her was a portion of the wrath -against his own momentary weakness. He could -never have given way to her, because he was so firm -in his resolve to live worthily for Betty that he could -not enough want to give way to offset the efficacy of -his resolve; only the portion of him subject to his -will without being a part of his will had momentarily -weakened; it could not have rebelled victoriously, -and although it merited punishment, the exterior -cause of its weakness did not deserve censure. -Altogether, Luke concluded, he had behaved in a rather -contemptible fashion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His mind was immediately diverted. As he passed -the clerk's desk in the hall, the clerk beckoned darkly -to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There are some reporters looking for you here," -he whispered. "I sent them into the waiting-room -so's you could get by them when you came in, if you -wanted to. Do you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke almost laughed as he reflected upon the -figure he would have presented to the representatives -of the press, had they been waiting for him at the -door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I'll see them," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They came to him in a body, seven of them. They -worked for the morning papers and, because the -evening papers had printed Luke's letter about his -resignation from the District-Attorney's staff, they -wanted a fresh sensation for their journals.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke leaned against a pillar in the lobby and -talked to them. Most of them he had met while in -Leighton's office. Personally, he was popular with -them, and he liked them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll say anything you want," he agreed. "But -what is there to say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The spokesman was a keen man with curling -black hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might develop the last part of your letter," -he suggested: "the part about the big financiers that -you're going gunning for."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't got the gun yet," objected Luke. "Better -wait and see if I'm nominated, boys."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you'll be nominated, all right. Come on, -Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're going to support the League, anyhow," -said a stout little fellow, whose paper opposed all -reformers. "You can tell us how the League will go -for the men at the top."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To this Luke agreed. He began to speak and, as -he saw the busy pencils noting his best phrases upon -sheets of roughly-folded copy-paper, he fell into -stride with his subject. He declared that the League -meant to put an end to the influence of Big Business -in municipal politics, and, although he mentioned no -names, it was evident what big business men he had -in mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The reporters tried to make him mention names, -but their efforts only seemed to restore his caution. -They urged him to be specific in his charges against -the present administration of the District-Attorney's -office; but here again they encountered the impassive -side of Luke with which they were more familiar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no," said Luke; "there may be a time for -all that, but this isn't the time. Just wind up by -saying we mean, once and for all, to put Wall Street -out of politics and graft out of the administration -of justice in New York City and to keep them out, -if we have to send every financier and every -policeman to jail."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. The reporters made all that they could of -what Luke gave them, and the next morning's papers -were full of it. Leighton, on his way downtown, -read them with anger against Luke and annoyance -with himself for losing a man that might have been -so valuable to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began to be afraid of the effect of Huber's -implications regarding the District-Attorney's office. -Remembering that his party was in no position to -risk putting up a weak candidate, he telephoned to -George J. Hallett and was granted an interview: he -said he knew of the letters in Luke's possession and -knew how Luke came by them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett, whose office was almost the counterpart -of that in which he consulted with his master and -Rivington, sprawled in a deeply upholstered chair. -He smoked steadily at a cigar, and when the letters -were mentioned, he accepted the mention with -complete composure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who else knows about 'em?" he frankly inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nobody," said Leighton—"unless Huber's been talking."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's got 'em, hasn't he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Had them the last time I saw him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyway, you haven't 'em?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, of course, I haven't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett took his cigar from his mouth; he looked -at the cigar, and from it to Leighton.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't see what use </span><em class="italics">you</em><span> are to us, then," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton understood that the only satisfactory -way to deal with this man was the direct way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't be any use to you except to tell you where -the leak is these letters came through."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you want us to do for you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want your support at election time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't promise it. The other side has just as good -a claim on us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Heney?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An' the whole Democratic organization, yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would you promise not to interfere on either side?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't do it. You see, you haven't got much to sell."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leighton ran his fingers through his black hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, Mr. Hallett," he began again, "we -don't know each other personally——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right," said Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, if I can't count on your influence for -the election, may I count on it for the nomination?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who stole those letters?" said Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can count on you people in the matter of the -nomination?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A man named Rollins."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Late that afternoon it was found that Rollins had -made an overcharge for postage-stamps in the course -of his secretarial work. He was arrested and -"railroaded" to jail.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. It was somewhat later when the Republicans -nominated Leighton and then, to the amazement of -the public, the Democrats and Progressives each -opposed him with candidates so weak that every -politician understood this as a surrender to Leighton in -order to defeat the candidate of the Municipal -Reform League. In advance of their occurrence, -however, all these things were gossiped about by the -leaders of every faction and so confidently expected -that plans were shaped in accordance with them. -Somehow, they sent word ahead to the Reform -headquarters even on the day of the happening that set -them in motion, and Venable and Nelson, together -with the other executives of the M. R. L. bestirred -themselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where's Yeates?" asked Nelson, as he came -into Luke's room, where Venable and Luke were -busy. "That young fellow's never around when he's -wanted."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He sent in word he had some other engagements," -said Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Had to play golf with Hallett's son, I guess, if -it wasn't L. Bergen Rivington," Nelson sneered. -"There's too much society in that boy for any -political usefulness."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked up from the notes he was preparing -for his formal letter accepting the nomination that -the League was next day to offer him:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is Yeates a friend of those people?" he asked. -"I knew he knew some of them, but is he a friend?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only socially," he said. "Yeates was born to it, -but politically he is all right. He has high ideals and -a really fine enthusiasm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hum," said Luke. "What do you think of this -paragraph, Nelson?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He read from his notes:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span class="small">"During the past few years, those persons in a position to -observe the inner workings of our politics, both in national and -municipal affairs, have been alarmed to see the steady encroachment -made upon them by High Finance. There is no longer any -room left for doubt. The purpose of this invading power is -clear: its purpose is conquest. Unless the free voters act, and act -quickly, the true government of the United States in general, and -of New York in particular, will not rest in the President or -Congress, in Mayors and Boards of Aldermen, in the Constitution, -the charter, or the courts: it will rest in a combination of Big -Business interests that will control the men elected as -representatives of the people."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Nelson slapped his thigh.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's it!" he said. "That's the talk. We -ought to have had some of that kind of medicine -long ago. Look at all this recent drug-legislation, -for instance. You can't imagine what my firm's been -up against. They're getting an appetite for the -wholesale drug-trade now, these big fellows are, and -they're paving their way by lobbies at Washington -and Albany and half a dozen state capitals!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The three worked over the letter for the rest of -that day, having a scanty luncheon brought into the -office from a nearby restaurant, and talking plans -while they ate. All the time callers were sending in -their names with requests for interviews, workers -were reporting, men at the telephone were ringing -up to ask instructions, and clerks and stenographers -were running in and out to deliver telegrams and -special-delivery letters and to receive replies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's only appreciable pause was to read two -notes of congratulation from his mother and Jane, -the former commending him for adopting a course -that the writer was sure her husband would have -adopted had he lived, the latter full of pride in his -approaching success, but ending with the postscript: -"Jesse [Jesse Kinzer was Jane's husband, the new -Congressman] says that conditions in New York are -'purely local,' whatever that means." Altogether, -Luke had a busy day. He was a tired man when, at -nine o'clock, he again rang the bell of the Forbes -house in Brooklyn.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. To Luke's surprise, it was Forbes himself that -opened the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've been looking for you," he said seriously. -"Can you come into the library? I want to see you -for a few minutes. It's important."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The concluding words were unnecessary. The -tone of the words that preceded them would alone -have been sufficient to warn Luke of trouble: Forbes's -voice was husky, tense, uncertain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course," Luke assented.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He followed Forbes into the library, and there, as -the host closed the door, Luke saw in the face that -confronted him an expression which conformed with -the tone and import of Forbes's first words. The -elder man's face was haggard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shall have to tell you something," he was -saying—"something that I ought to have told you long -ago, or as much of it as had happened then. But, -you see, I had no idea it could be so important—ever -be so important." He broke off with a remembrance -of his accustomed courtesy: "I beg your pardon. -Won't you sit down, Huber? I quite forgot to ask -you. For my part, I couldn't sit still if my life -depended on it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke stood by the center-table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no," he said. "Don't bother—and don't -worry." He thought that Forbes looked as if death -were in the house. "Is anything wrong with -Betty?" he suddenly asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, it's not that. It's what I say. Of course -I never supposed your going in for the Municipal -Reform League movement could have any business -significance——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke, relieved about Betty, was unable to follow -Forbes's disjointed sentences.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It hasn't," he said. "It hasn't any business -significance whatever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah"—Forbes shook his head—"that's what I -thought, too. But it has. Huber, this may mean the -end of R. H. Forbes & Son. Think of it: it may -mean the end of the Business—a business that has -been honorably conducted by my family for three -generations."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What such a catastrophe would mean to Forbes -nobody knew better than Luke, but how the Municipal -Reform League could be concerned in it was beyond -guessing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you try to begin at the beginning?" said -Luke. He was used to getting coherent stories in -preliminary interviews with incoherent witnesses, and -he fell into his professional manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's this way." Forbes turned his gray eyes -away and fumbled with an ornament on the -mantel-tree. "When you came into the Business, I had -several loans outstanding—the Business had. They -were all well secured, and you know how solid the -concern's always been. With the money you put in -and the earnings, I was able to take up some of them, -but there were the improvements and extensions made -necessary by fresh competition and the new -inventions and the machine-trust's raise of prices. Well, -I had to leave a loan outstanding at the East County -National."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Luke encouragingly. "How much was it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two hundred and fifty thousand. It was a good -deal, I know, but, you see, when I negotiated it——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind the reasons now. What were its terms?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was a call-loan," said Forbes in a shaken voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's amazement conquered his reserve.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What? And for two hundred and fifty thousand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. There was the competition. It was -growing hot. The Business——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you ever arrange it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was surprised myself at the time to find it so -easy, but I was too glad to get it to ask questions. -Now, I wish I had. I believe the bank was -influenced by some people that wanted to get us into -trouble—want to form a ready-made clothing trust."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's incredible!" cried Luke. "Not one of the -agents that I had look into your business for me -mentioned this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't know that, Huber." Forbes looked his -appeal. "I ask you to believe me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right. It was my own fault. I should have -asked you more questions. What puzzles me is how -this loan was concealed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was at the request of the bank. They said -it was so unusual that they didn't want it more widely -known than was absolutely necessary, and I agreed -because of the credit of the Business. Now I believe -it was all a trap set by the men that want to form the -trust."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke did not pause to waste reproaches over either -his own stupid blindness or Forbes's culpable -rashness. He pressed forward:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now they're going to call the loan?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes bowed his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we can't meet it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If—if we tried, we could do it only by wrecking -the Business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But we can go somewhere else. The East -County isn't the only bank in New York."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is what I thought. It's what I said."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes was swallowing a sob. "I said it to -Osserman—that's the president—I said it to him himself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" persisted Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well"—Forbes's eyes met Huber's—"it wasn't -any use."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, look here," said Luke. He put into his -voice a calm that he did not feel. "Try to tell me -just what happened. I can't advise you till I know -that, even if I'm not the business-fool I seem to have -proved myself to be. First of all, Osserman sent -you some sort of word, didn't he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, of course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was a letter—just a personal letter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When did you get it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"About eleven this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So then you went over to the bank?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And asked to see this man Osserman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what did he say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said—"I can't tell you exactly; he -was careful not to use definite words; but careful -to make his meaning clear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was his meaning, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He said in effect that he understood you were -interested in our Business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What of it? That's what I want to know, -Forbes. What's my interest in your firm got to do -with your standing at the East County National?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, he didn't say at first. At first he said he -understood we were not sound."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you told him he was mistaken and offered to -show the books?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course I did." Forbes's chin shot upward. -"I told him that the Forbes firm was one of the -oldest and——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes. And then he mentioned me. How did -I hurt the firm's standing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was really very plausible about that. I -must say, Huber, that he rather opened my eyes to a -phase of your political activities I hadn't before -thought of."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What phase?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To be quite frank, he called your public utterances -wild. He said they attacked credit and might -shake it. He even intimated that if you were elected, -you'd go in for a course of action—you had pledged -yourself to go in for one that would upset credit -altogether. And that's true, Huber." Forbes gained a -certain confidence. "When you come to think of it, -the business interests of the city—I mean the sound -conservative business interests—ought not to be made -to suffer for the sins of the big financiers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke recaptured his composure. His face -relaxed; he looked lazy and uninterested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So I suppose," he said, "that this banker asked -you to tell me to get out of the fight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but of course——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really, that's the highest testimony to the -League's strength that we've had yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but, of course, I told him I couldn't do -that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did he say then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He said he was afraid the City Chamberlain -would withdraw all the city funds on deposit at the -East County if the bank kept on carrying a loan you -were interested in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you took all this like a child?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't. You ought to know me better than that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did you do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was indignant. I told you I was. I said I -would not have a loan from a concern that interfered -with the political convictions of its creditors. -I said I would go somewhere else."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you go?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sob returned to Forbes's throat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I did," he said; "and it was the most -humiliating experience of my career. When I -thought of the firm of R. H. Forbes & Son begging -credit, I could hardly bear it. But I went to the -Lexington National."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They turned you down?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They listened very politely and said they would -consider the proposition."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then," said Luke, "you're crossing a -bridge before you come to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I am not; for presently they sent over a -messenger with a note that was no more than an -insulting refusal."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You gave up then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I tried again. I tried Clement & Co." Forbes -seemed unable to conclude.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And they?" urged Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They wouldn't consider it for a moment, Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke did not like to look at Forbes's suffering, but -he had to hear the end.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes flung out his hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What more could I do?" he demanded. "If -it became known that the firm was going begging—yes, -begging—from bank to bank, what would happen -to our credit? I didn't dare to go anywhere -else. I—Huber, I went back to Osserman and asked -him for time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke sat down. He picked up a paper and made a -transparent pretense of glancing at it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did he give you time?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He said he'd give me a week."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A whole week?" Luke tried to appear encouraged. -"That's six good working days. You can get -the money together in that time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Huber"—Forbes came over to Luke and stood -above the newspaper—"I've told you what it would -do to our credit to try. But I've come to the -conclusion that we could not get this money from any -bank in America."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean? Not if we have security?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not if we could offer the Metropolitan Life -Building for security. Not from any bank in -America."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke put down the paper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But that——" He stopped a moment, -and then went on: "But there's only one group -of men in the country that could put up such a wall."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That," said Forbes simply, "is the group I mean."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's eyes were veiled. He rose and walked -across the room. Presently, over his shoulder, he -inquired sharply:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What makes you think this?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes was frank:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know. I can't tell you. A hundred little -things. But I am sure."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought you said something about a clothing -trust."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did. It was the same crowd. Now they have -some additional reason. Oh, I couldn't doubt it. -It was behind every word Osserman said. It was -standing back of his words, but it was on tiptoe, -looking over them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke turned and came up to Forbes. He was -quite calm again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know what you want me to do," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Forbes: it was his way of saying: -"You have read my meaning, and I will stand by it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I can't do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke spoke quietly. It hurt him to have to say -this thing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was afraid that was the way you'd take it," -said Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How else could I take it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know what it means to me, Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I know what the firm means to you, but -I can't do what you ask. You want me to give up -what I think is right for the sake of saving your firm. -I can't do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's your firm, too, Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I've got a right to hurt it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not asking you to do anything wrong; I'm -only asking you to wait."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's just what I can't do," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes would hear no more. He twitched with -a spasm of weak rage. His voice rang high.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a fool!" he cried. "You talk as if I -were trying to compound a felony with you. What -am I asking? I'm only asking you to hold off for -this campaign. I'm only asking you to stand by the -man that took you into his business—my Business, the -one that my grandfather founded and my father -handed down to me. Haven't </span><em class="italics">I</em><span> stood by </span><em class="italics">you</em><span>? -Didn't I trust you? I've kept out of all these big -combinations, but I know how they work—nobody -can help knowing these days—and when I took you -in, how was I to be sure you weren't a dummy -representing somebody else, and so on, higher and higher -up, till the trail ended with just these same men? -But no, I trusted you. I trusted you, and now—— You've -no right to humiliate me! You've no right -to wreck my Business! Do you know what you're -doing? You're making a beggar out of my daughter—out -of the girl you told me last night you wanted -to be your wife!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had been expecting this. The muscles -about his mouth tightened, but all that he said was:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose you have spoken to her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I have. Of course I have!" cried Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what does she say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes tried to take Luke's hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why do you act this way?" he pleaded. "Why -can't you wait? They haven't nominated you yet. -Withdraw your name. That won't hurt the League, -and it will only make you all the stronger for the -next time; and by the next time we'll be ready to meet -all opposition. This time you can't be elected even if -you are nominated. Why do you want to jump into -the fire?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What," insisted Luke, "does Betty say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was at the door. She came in as he asked -the question. She looked from her lover to her -father, and then she ran to her father and put her -head on his shoulder.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. Luke took a short breath. He wanted to -leave them. He felt that he could not face much -more. He wondered what Forbes had said to her -and how much she had heard of what Forbes and he -were saying.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty!" said her father. He patted her head. -Luke thought that the caressing hand looked old. -"Betty!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She spoke with her face hidden:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Luke, you wouldn't hurt father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It isn't that, Betty." Luke was angry. The girl -was behaving as he thought that a girl placed as she -was ought to behave, and he loved her no less for -that, but he was angry at her father's weakness in -putting her in such a position, "It isn't that, Betty, -I've got to do it. You don't understand these things. -You can't understand them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She knows that </span><em class="italics">I</em><span> understand them," Forbes interposed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What of it?" challenged Luke. "Betty, I've -got to do what I think's right. You wouldn't have -me go against everything I believe, would you? You -wouldn't have me do something I thought was wrong?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty half raised her head:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But it can't be wrong not to ruin us!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke turned his words on Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll withdraw from the company," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I couldn't buy you out," Forbes answered. He -bit his lip; shame colored his cheeks. "And if you -sold to anybody else it would be sure to be letting in -our enemies. Even the mere report that you wanted -to sell would wreck us, coming on top of those bank -interviews."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke knew Forbes was right.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty," he said, "a lot of men that believe in me -are going to offer me this nomination. It's a nomination -to a place that makes its holder an officer of the -court, an officer of justice, yet the plain truth is your -father wants me to let these other men's money, or the -power of their money, buy me off from doing justice -to them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense!" Forbes was strengthened by his -daughter's meed of comfort. "You won't be elected -if you are nominated."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They seem to think I will," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And somebody else," urged Betty, "could do -just as well against them, Luke."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's not the point, Betty. It's a personal question, -a question of personal morals; it's a matter of -my own conscience."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She turned until she stood no longer between the -two men. She stood at her father's side. Her cheeks -were damp from weeping, but her eyes shone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But think, Luke," she said. "You </span><em class="italics">are</em><span> young. -Father's twice as old, and he </span><em class="italics">must</em><span> know more. He -must be right. He wouldn't ask you to do anything -that was wrong, would you, father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it's a lot for you to have to give up," she -went on; "but you ought to be willing to give up a -lot if—if you——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I love you?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She met him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's right, Luke," nodded her father.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then," pursued Luke—the tone was his laziest—"what -about her love for me? Isn't it to——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty interrupted. She had taken Forbes's hand:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're not going to make me choose between -you and father, are you?" she pleaded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I tell you," said Luke, "it isn't anything of that -sort, Betty. I've got to do what I'm going to do. -You haven't any choice, and neither have I. You -might almost say it's a religious question. It's like -saving my soul. I've got to do it; I've just got to; -just because it's the one right thing, I've got to do it. -Why"—his manner grew tense—"you don't know; -even your father doesn't know. This North Bridge -wreck, with all those people killed and wounded: -that's what these men did, these men that are trying -to keep me out of the district-attorneyship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The North Bridge wreck?" snapped Forbes. -"That was on the M. & N. What are you talking -about, Huber?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke realized that he had gone further than the -limits of his promise of temporary silence concerning -the letters, but he was too bitterly tried not to go -still further.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he said, "I mean just that. Everybody -knows the N. Y. & N. J. crowd own the majority of -the stock in the M. & N., and you know it, too. -What's more, this wreck was their direct fault. I -can prove that and I mean to. That's why they're -after me: I mean to prove it if they don't square -things. And so they're afraid of me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ridiculous!" said Forbes. "That's just the -trouble with you, Huber: you're going about making -wild, unfounded statements like this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ought not to tell even you two," Luke answered; -"but the fact is, I have letters written by -one of these men that will substantiate every word -I say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean they'll show these people owned the road?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Practically, and ordered the poor rails that caused -that wreck."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Absurd: they couldn't do that. They didn't -operate the road. This sort of thing is what is -upsetting legitimate business: a few men going on the -way you are. I don't think these people at the -top are any better than they should be—I've often -said so to you—but you can't go around calling them -murderers. That's ridiculous."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before Luke could reply, Betty again shifted the -issue.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke, you won't do it?" she appealed. "You'll -give it up—for father's sake?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He started to speak, but she dropped her father's -hand and came to him with hers upraised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," she said; "don't tell me now. Don't say -anything now. Don't speak. You'll only be sorry. -You're hurt and angry. Of course, you are. Go -away. Wait. Go away just for to-night and think -it over, and come back to-morrow." Her hand -crept into his. "I know it's awfully hard for you -to give it all up, even for a few years. I know what -it means to you. Don't think I don't know, Luke. -But——" She looked into his face. "Please, dear?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His face was set.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-by," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll be back to-morrow?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He freed himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he said. "Good-night."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§7. It was simply that he could not stay any -longer. He left the house with his mind made up; -he would not withdraw from the fight for the -district-attorneyship. To keep his word, he would go back -to see her next day, but he would go back only to -end what he had not the heart to end to-night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The thing had ended itself. This was the conclusion -of all his chances for Betty. They were over.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He loved her. He went away from her with the -certainty that nothing which life might henceforth -rob him of could be the equal of this loss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yet he did not blame her. Brought up as he had -been, he believed that her attitude was the inevitable -one and the right. He had ventured that single -question about the test of her love for him, but he -felt that it was an unfair question. Until a girl -married, her first duty was toward her parents. His own -duty and Betty's duty clashed. There was no -possibility of compromise. Forbes was a weakling, but, -in cleaving to Forbes, Betty, Luke felt, did the only -thing that she rightly could do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He wondered what would come of that side of his -life which she had gone out of. As much as might -be, he would crowd its borders with the activities -of his professional and political work, but -something of the space would remain: it belonged. He -was still black with the despair of his loss when he -turned into Thirty-ninth Street and saw, standing -there as if waiting for him, the girl that looked like -Joan of Arc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've been waitin' for you," she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her cheeks and mouth were not painted to-night, -and their lines were softer; they spoke only of what -she had suffered and not of what she had inflicted. -Her eyes were wet with tears; her underlip quivered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought I told you last night," began Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know," she said. "An' then I wanted what -you thought. But not now, not to-night." She spoke -rapidly as if determined that he should hear her out -before he could escape. "Don't mind the way I -talk. I just kind of talk that way because it gets -like a habit. What I want's help. I'm in trouble. -Honest to God I am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was surely in trouble, and she was beautiful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean——" His hand went to his pocket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, not money," she said. "It ain't that. It's -about my sister. They've got her; my fellow has. -Listen." She seized his wrist. "Will you listen a -minute, please? Here, if you don't want no one to -see you in this here apartment house, come on over -here toward Six' Av'nue. They've got her: my kid -sister!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked at the woman. He could see nothing -but sincerity. He was not afraid of an attempt at -robbery, and he could think of no other reason for -her request except the one she gave.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I'll go with you," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She hurried him into the darker street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen," she said: "I'm in the business. You -know that. I don't let on to be nothin' much. But -I've got a kid sister that lives home; an' she's straight, -Jenny is. Well, I was talkin' to her to-night when -my fellow came up, an' he sent me on an errand—we -was all standin' right over on that corner—an' when -I come back, they was gone, both of them—an' I -know he's got her in here in Pearl's Six' Av'nue -place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you know that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I guessed it, an' then I rang the bell an' one o' -the girls told me I was on, an' then Pearl came -down an' yelled for the bouncer an' they throwed -me out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the lamplight of the street her face looked like -the face of an innocent girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why didn't you call a policeman?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, you know them. Pearl stands in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they'd have got your sister, anyhow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not the cop on this beat. I wouldn't give up -to him the other night, and he run me in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They stopped at a narrow door. There was a -shop on one side of it and a saloon on the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is the place," said the girl. "Pearl's joint's -over the store."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You want me," asked Luke, "to go in and bring -your sister out?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl assented. "She's only a kid. I know -what I am all right; but she's only a kid, an' she's -straight; she's always been straight. You won't have -no trouble. They're always scared of anybody like -you. You'll do it, won't you?" She leaned toward -him. "You ain't afraid?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The infamy burned him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Afraid?" he said slowly. "No, I'm not afraid." He -rang the bell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl wrung her hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're good. You're awful good. Mamie'll -owe just everything to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who will?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mamie. That's my sister's name. She'll——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The door opened. A negro servant stood in the -darkened hallway before them. Luke and the girl -stepped inside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait a minute," said Luke quietly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He brushed the servant's hand from the knob. He -saw the two women standing open-mouthed, but -before words came to them, he stepped back into the -street, closing the door behind him. The girl's slip -about her sister's name had saved him.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§8. He was glad to be in the light. He hurried -across the street with no purpose but that of getting -as quickly and as far from the house as possible. He -was escaping.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a minute or more he did not know what it -was that he was escaping from. Then he glanced -back toward the doorway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Three policemen were entering the doorway. As -Luke reached the corner, a gong clanged and a -patrol-wagon turned into Sixth Avenue.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A messenger-boy, who had been standing on the -corner, began to trot after the wagon. Luke stopped -him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the matter?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boy turned to him a leering face:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a raid, I guess. I knowed there was somethin' -doin' when I seen that patrol standin' over on -Thirty-nint' Street."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xi"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XI</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. Luke wanted to dismiss the episode of the raid -as a coincidence. He tried to argue that the girl had -been a stool-pigeon employed to get him into the -Sixth Avenue house solely for the purpose of robbery -by confederates waiting for her there. Schemes of -that sort were common enough in New York and -succeeded in spite of their clumsiness; the more often -one was reported in the papers and brought to the -attention of the papers, the readier a certain portion -of the public was to succumb to the next attempts. -Luke wanted to believe that the appearance of the -police might have proved welcome enough for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the news Forbes had given him that weighed -against any such supposition. If his enemies were -at work to ruin him financially, they might well be -at work to break him and bring him to terms by means -of a scandal in the police courts. It was all very well -to say that the attack on the Forbes company ought -to suffice them: Luke began to feel that these foes -were the kind who want certainty enough to use more -than one method of securing it. He had heard of a -rebellious city official thus captured in a raid on a -gambling-house. That man, he had been told, was -released from the police station only upon signing a -compromising paper, which was thereafter held by his -political superiors as a bond to assure his future -obedience to their wishes. Luke saw how a similar -course could have been followed in regard to himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What worried him most, however, was, of course, -the break with Betty and the difficulties in which he -had innocently entangled her father. He was -sincerely sorry for Forbes, whose shortcomings were -forgivable because of worship of tradition, and the -loss of Betty meant a descent into the pit of despair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was early morning before a sudden hope came -to Luke. He had lain sleepless for hours, not trying -to solve his financial riddle, but only contemplating -its apparent impossibility of solution, and he had -turned from that to the machinations of his enemies -with genuine relief. This time the change must have -rested his resourcefulness, for, in the midst of tearing -at the sticky strands in which Stein and the men behind -Stein had enmeshed him, the name of Ruysdael shot -into his mind as the name of one who could and might -advance the money to save Forbes and bring back -Betty. He would go to Ruysdael at the earliest -possible moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With that thought, he could dismiss all memory -of the raid in Sixth Avenue. Almost immediately he -fell asleep.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. The next day was not without its fresh warnings -from the powers that opposed him, and the first -of these came from the headquarters of the Municipal -Reform League itself. Luke thought it better taste -for him to remain away from the headquarters while -the formalities of the nomination were gone through -with by the committee that was then to make its ticket -regular by means of petition. But it was too early in -the day to call on Ruysdael, so he remained in his -rooms at the Arapahoe, and here, at eleven o'clock, -Venable telephoned him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The meeting is over," said Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good," said Luke. "The ticket is the one agreed on?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. You have my congratulations, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you." Luke thought that the tone of his -supporter was somewhat strained. "I hope -everything went off smoothly," he added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, no," said Venable, "it didn't. It is all -right now, but I am bound to tell you that a little -opposition had developed against you. We overcame -it, but it was there and from some men that we had -every reason to believe would support you. I don't -understand it, Mr. Huber; it was mysterious."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm coming right down," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At headquarters he learned little more. The -committee had met with no indication of approaching -trouble. Save for two or three persons whose means -of livelihood were the practical organization of -reform political movements, nearly all the members -were business men, in small but sound industries, each -of unquestioned probity. The candidates slated for -every other post were accepted as a matter of course; -but when Luke's name was brought up by Venable for -the district-attorneyship, one of the politicians and -several of the business men opposed acceptance. -They were dogged, but vague. The politician at last -spoke of Luke as having courted too much animosity -from the upper regions of finance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He has talked too wild," said this one. "He -oughtn't to have threatened till after election. Of -course, I know what he's got to do if he's elected, -but he needn't have begun it beforehand. I haven't -got anything against him, but he's shown his hand too -soon, and so he won't make a good candidate."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The business men spoke much as Forbes had -spoken. The Municipal Reform League was a -radical organization, but it ought to be radical within -reason. Huber's public utterances had been too -sweepingly radical. They feared him; they thought him -too hot-headed. He was still too young. In -pursuing Big Business, he was sure to trample smaller, -legitimate business; he would upset credit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The majority of the committee was loyal to Luke -and had its way. Luke received the nomination, but -such dissenters as were converted came to him -half-heartedly, and two of the timorous business men -withdrew from the organization.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, there is Yeates, too," said Venable. "He -wasn't at the meeting, but he telephoned he was -coming here to see you about this time, and I gathered -that he isn't in a particularly pleasant frame of mind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke thought of Venable's long years of battle for -reform.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know what's at the back of all this?" he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I do," said Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean: you know </span><em class="italics">who's</em><span> back of it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can guess. Your published attack was rather -clear, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, are you and the League prepared to go -right ahead?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, we are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You, too? You individually?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable's old eyes glittered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I always suspected these people," he said. "I -always felt sure they were against us. They were -never so strongly against us as they are now, but their -being so much more against us now only makes -me the more certain that what we are doing is right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They have a good deal of power, Mr. Venable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know that better than you do, my boy; but they -can't hurt me personally, if that is what you mean. -What little money I have comes from the rents of an -uptown apartment house. It's in a good neighborhood -and full of steady people. Nobody can take -that away from me. It isn't as if I drew my income -from bonds, but if I did, and if these people could -ruin me"—he took Luke's hand—"I should go right -ahead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had been talking in Luke's office. Shortly -after Venable left it, Yeates was shown in. The -young man was excited.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here, Huber," he said. "A little bit's -good, but you're going pretty damned far."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He dragged a chair toward Luke's desk, turned it -about, and sat down astride of it with his arms folded -across its back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A smile twitched at Luke's mouth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What way-station do you want to get off at?" -he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't want you to make a monkey out of the -League," said Yeates. "I've been reading over your -letters and interviews and things, and I think you -ought to realize that this is a reform organization -and not a bunch of Anarchists."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a slow reader, Yeates. Haven't you been -hearing these things talked over, too?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yeates blushed, but he did not flinch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, what if I have? The people I've heard -talking are the people you've been slamming, and I -want to tell you that those people are the backbone -of this country."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't mentioned any names."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, don't think I'm a fool, Huber, and don't -think these people are fools, either. Everybody -knows. What do you do it for? It won't catch any -votes, if that's what you want."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I rather wanted to do some good."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good? Good?" Yeates laughed angrily. -"What are you talking about? You're talking as if -these men were pirates. You're talking like one of -those fellows that make speeches on a soap-box on -the corner. It's all right to fight police-graft, and -it's all right to run the crooks out of town—that's -what the League's for and why I'm for the League—but -I'm not going to keep on with an organization -that's mixing up the biggest men in America with -that sort of cattle. I won't stand for having my -personal friends called thieves. I can't stand for it, -and I won't!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked at his watch. He rose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have to be uptown in half a hour," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But see here——" Yeates's chair clattered to -the floor as Yeates sprang up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When this nomination was offered to me," said -Luke, "you were present. Do you remember something -you said—something about outside influences -and so on?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, rot! Who's talking about outside influences?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am. The nomination was given me along with -certain promises. I've accepted it. I mean to act on -the strength of those promises."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean you're going crazy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, the League's going crazy, too. As the -only sane man in it, I'm afraid you won't find -yourself in congenial company, Yeates. You'd better get -out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get out?" Yeates could scarcely credit his ears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get out," Luke repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I like that!" shouted Yeates. "This is a nice -reform party, this is! Anti-boss! Why, you're more -of a boss than Tim Heney ever dreamed of being."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had not looked at the matter that way. He -saw now that he was indeed using boss-methods, -but he also saw that boss-methods were unavoidable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This League," he said, "is pledged to a course -of action you don't agree with, so you can't -consistently remain in it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will!—I </span><em class="italics">will</em><span> get out!" cried Yeates. "I'd -like to know who had more to do with this League: -you or me. Why, you only came in the other day, -and it was me and my friends got you in. But I'll -get out all right: you needn't worry about that. I'm -through."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He left the room. It was a few weeks later when -Luke heard of Yeates's engagement to the girl whose -diamond pendant Luke had admired the first time -that he went to the Ruysdaels' house. That, Huber -knew, was indeed coincidence, but the previous -connection of Yeates with the Municipal Reform League -served the more to shake Luke's confidence in the -radicalism of some of its remaining members.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. His mission to Ruysdael was far more -satisfactory than his talk with Yeates. Luke did not tell -the millionaire the circumstances that made it -necessary for R. H. Forbes & Son to borrow money, nor, -as things fell out, did he have to explain why the -Ruysdael estate, and not a bank, was wanted as a -creditor. He went into details only concerning the -nature of the securities that Forbes could offer; he -was honest about the chances of the business, which -he believed to be good, and he was no more pressing -in his request than he thought it wise to be.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So," said Ruysdael, smiling, "you find some use -for predatory wealth, after all?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke remembered Jack Porcellis's assertion that -the Ruysdaels were in some way connected with the -forces now opposed to the loan, but the connection, -if it existed, must be slight. The Ruysdael money -was not in a form that could well be hurt by Luke's -enemies; and Ruysdael, though subsequent pressure -might well stop him from further aid, was the sort -of man who, having gone into such a venture as the -present one, would not undo anything he had already -done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't consider you one of the pirates," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No? Well, I'm not active, perhaps," Ruysdael -reassured him. "I was just thinking you rather -strong in some of your public utterances. There's no -use in attacks unless they can win, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The swarthy man was interested in Huber's -request, though solely on Huber's own account. -Ruysdael felt that he had been in a measure responsible -for Luke's investment, and he was anxious to protect -that investment so long as the protection was real -and not a mere tossing of good money after bad. -He took Luke at once to the offices of the Ruysdael -estate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There it was clear that, whatever influence Luke's -enemies might have, they had issued no orders against -him. Perhaps they had not thought of the possibility -of his turning in this direction, perhaps they had -meant to do no more than frighten him by their -show of power with the banks. In any case, old -Herbert Croy, the manager of the estate, was amiable -and suggested that Forbes be sent for without delay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a moment of triumph for Luke. He met -Forbes in one of the outer offices of the suite used for -the administration of the Ruysdael estate, and he was -not entirely sorry to find Forbes contrite.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it—it's really true?" asked Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had been having a bad time. His face was -drawn, and the feverish hand that grasped Luke's was -trembling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Luke. "I think I've induced -Ruysdael to advance the money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes looked away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry—very sorry for my attitude last night, -Huber; and yet, you must have seen——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right. Forget it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know. You're good. But I do want you to -understand. And you have turned out to be the real -business man of the pair of us, after all!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So it seems," said Luke dryly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes missed the reflection on his own ability.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but you have! Huber, you've—you've saved -the Business!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; that's up to you. I've only made it possible -for you to get the money. You have to finish -convincing these people; so buck up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will, I will."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And they'll probably turn in and fight us in the -market."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll see about that." All of Forbes's courage -had come back to him. "Let them try. Huber, I -can't thank you enough. I never can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then don't try to." Luke took Forbes by the -arm and led him to the door behind which Ruysdael -and Croy were waiting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Forbes felt that there was more to be said. -"It was splendid of you," he continued, as Luke -drew him forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was it? You overlook the fact that I stood to -lose a little money of my own—if nothing else!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I did. I actually did! By Jove, I don't see how -you can forgive me, Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's answer was to push open the door. Within -half an hour the interview was concluded. Forbes -had deposited his securities and received a certified -check. It was all so simple that, while Luke was -wondering why he had not thought of it twelve hours -before, Forbes was saying to himself:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How was it </span><em class="italics">I</em><span> didn't think of it last night?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Luke intended to go from the Ruysdael offices -to those of the League, but as he parted from Forbes -on the street after the loan had been secured, -something happened that changed his plans. At the foot -of the elevator-shaft of the building, he noticed a -little man leaning against the marble-paneled wall: -the man was an unostentatious fellow, commonplace -as to both face and clothes, but Luke thought he had -seen the figure before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He passed with Forbes through the revolving -doors of the office-building and walked to the curb. -He glanced back and saw the commonplace man -coming through the doorway behind him. Then he -remembered: when he left the Arapahoe that morning, -he saw this man walking down the other side of -Thirty-ninth Street. He had thought nothing of it at -the time, but now his experience of detectives told -him that this man bore the marks of the -detective.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke called a taxicab. The man, he saw, prepared -to call another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll try to keep my promise to see Betty to-night," -said Luke to Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must," said Forbes. His gratitude, though -not so hot as it had been, was still warm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll try. There's a lot to be done—politically, -you know. But I'll try-"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They shook hands. Forbes started away. Luke -gave his chauffeur that address in Wall Street at -which he had issued his orders to the men who were -now fighting him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was disappointed; the person whom he sought -was not there. Luke doubted the statement of the -doorkeeper, but could get no other. He went to the -offices of Hallett and to those of Rivington, but with -no better luck. At each descent from his taxi, he -caught sight of the detective and knew that the -detective meant to be seen. Then he sought the quarters -of Stein, Falconridge, Falconridge & Perry, and was -immediately admitted to the presence of the head of -that firm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge sat at his handsome desk, a telephone -at one elbow and a vase of Abel Chatney roses at the -other. His plentiful white hair and his smooth -frock-coat still potent, still spread around him the aura of -dignity. He rose slowly as Luke came in and bowed -with magisterial calm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you do, Mr. Huber?" he said pleasantly. -"I am glad to see you—very glad, indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He resumed his chair. Luke took a chair close by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The papers," pursued the Judge, "tell me that -you are open to congratulations. You have mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you," said Luke. He stretched his legs. -"Yes, I got the nomination. There was a little -opposition, but I got it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Opposition?" The Judge raised his white -eyebrows. "Hum! Well, of course, Mr. Huber, you -had to expect that in the circumstances."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What were the circumstances, Judge?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stein shook his head and smiled benignantly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There you go," he said. "You will insist on -flattering me with your assumptions of my omniscience."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But not of your omnipotence, Judge; for I did -get the nomination. What were the circumstances?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge still smiled:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can't expect to hurt the more important -business interests without hurting the lesser ones; and -the lesser dislike being hurt even more than the -greater, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I gathered that you might think so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This time the Judge's smile was a song without -words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," said the younger man. "As I say, -I overcame the opposition inside the League. I -believe I can overcome the same opposition at the -polls."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope so," Stein answered. "But it is a pity -that you have not more powerful backing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have a very active following at any rate."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will require a great deal of activity to -overcome the prejudices of the majority."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but I'm not talking about the activity of the -voters. I am talking about the active following I -am having from my apartments to my office, and -from my office wherever else I go."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Judge Stein leaned over to smell the roses on his -desk. When he looked up, his firm mouth seemed -innocent. He offered the vase to Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aren't they beautiful?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I often think it is such a pity that they haven't -more perfume. What they have is good, but it is not -a great deal. What we gain in form, we lose in -scent. The law of compensation, I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know this detective had orders to let me see he -was following me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge put down the vase.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am sorry you don't care for roses," he said. -"Yes, Mr. Huber, I dare say you are followed. -You are fighting the Democratic police force and -the Republican District-Attorney's office; they both -have detectives attached to them, and I have heard -that they frequently use their detectives to watch their -political rivals. You are fighting the Progressive -organization, too, and they could use private detectives. -I quite agree with you that it isn't pleasant."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This fellow isn't on the job to watch me. He's -only used to frighten me. I'm not easily frightened, -Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. If I had been, I'd have turned tail when your -friends tried to ruin a business I am interested in, or -when they tried to have me caught in a police-raid." Luke -spoke as if he were mentioning incidents in the -lives of people dead these thousand years. "The -raiders didn't find me, as you, of course, know. -What you don't know is that the business move has -failed just as badly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If he had not known it, the Judge's face betrayed -no surprise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really, Mr. Huber, I told you at our last interview -that I had no professional interest in this matter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You admitted that the people back of all this -were your friends."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I </span><em class="italics">said</em><span> that I was a friend of certain persons."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then, you might as well say now that your -friends intend to prevent my election and that they'll -use any means to do it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't get excited, Mr. Huber." The Judge's -right hand waved a deliberate protest against Luke's -violent language. "Of course, I say nothing of the -sort. What I do say is that you must understand that -your own plan of action is bound to alienate the -voters. There are more people interested in this election -than you and me—more even than my friends. A -great many people don't want to see you elected -District-Attorney. There are the business men, there -are the police, and there are the people of the -underworld. You have been reckless enough to make no -ethical distinctions. You lump the good with the -bad, and attack everybody. Well, you must not be -surprised at the result."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke kept to his low key.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I only came here to tell you that I couldn't be -scared."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why to me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps just because I like to talk to you, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge bowed a sincere acknowledgment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have already told you," he said, "that I think -you could go far if you were cooler. Now you are -confusing possible legitimate influence—I say -possible, not certain—with physical attack."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They've both seemed probable, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The former may be. As to the latter—well, like -most young enthusiasts, you have forgotten that -elections go by majorities, and that the majorities are -controlled by the lower forces of society. That is the -one flaw in our republican system, and nothing but -social evolution, generations of free education, will -cure it. You have not only very wrongly assailed -legitimate business; you have quite properly threatened -to close to the criminal classes their chief sources -of revenue. It is their livelihood against yours. My -friends can have nothing in common with these -people. We cannot control them. You must know that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shrugged his shoulders. Stein continued:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As a politician and a lawyer, you must have -counted on the opposition of the criminal classes when -you began your campaign. If you did not" the -Judge bent his head to the roses—"well, I don't want -to alarm you, but if I were in your place, I should -leave the fight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke got up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The alternative?" he inquired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge did not answer. He merely looked at Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't take it," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I tell you again, that we have nothing to do with -the forces that seem to worry you most."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know you say so. Well, we haven't got much -further than at our last talk, have we?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At that talk, Mr. Huber, I said to you that you -could help yourself, your party, the public good——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I'd do what you wanted? I won't. I merely -thought that if I told you you'd failed so far, you -might do what </span><em class="italics">I</em><span> asked."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge sadly shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you would only listen to reason!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll wait for the month and not a day longer. -Meanwhile, I'm not the kind that's easy scared. -Nothing you can do—you, and your friends, or -anybody hired by your friends—will stop me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge stood up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am afraid you will be stopped," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Try it," said Luke. "Good-by."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-day, Mr. Huber," Stein replied. "I shall -always be glad to have a call from you. I am -interested in your career—more genuinely interested than -you suppose."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. That night it was Betty who came to the door -when Luke rang the bell. She ran to it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke," she cried, "father told me! I knew you -would find a way out. And, oh, Luke, I don't believe, -in the end, I could have given you up, even if you -hadn't found one!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Luke had been lied to at the offices of Hallett and -at those of Rivington, but at the first office at which -he had called, he was told the truth: the stout man, -with the bright, short-sighted eyes and the pointed -teeth was not at work that day. He was not at work -for several days, and breaths of rumors, tremulous, -expectant, began to shake the threads which centered -at his working-place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The business of that place proceeded with its usual -regularity and speed. Conover, promoted to the post -of confidential clerk, went back and forth from Wall -Street to his master's house in one of his master's -motor-cars. Atwood and the other brokers -telephoned hourly for orders to the house uptown. -Simpson saw callers. But in the inner room, -Washington wasted his stupid solemnity on emptiness, the -ticker spun its yards and yards of tape for none to -see, and nobody looked from the high windows down -the maze of streets on which the people buzzed like -flies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All this had been thus before, and more frequently -thus during the past few years; the man with the hairy -hands and crooked arms often suffered attacks from -some malady that the newspapers did not name. His -world, therefore, should not have taken the present -seizure too seriously; but it always leaped to the -belief that each seizure was the last. Rumor never -learned from precedence, and on each occasion -expected the worst. Now official bulletins and -authorized announcements of a slight cold and a catarrhal -affection of the mucous membrane of the throat did -not check rumor. The doctors said no more than that, -the papers printed no more; but news of another sort -spread with a stronger conviction than the doctors -could secure and a wider circulation than the -circulation of all the newspapers combined.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rumor said that the sick man had always been a -glutton, and that now, at last, his digestion had given -way. Rumor said that he had been in the habit of -rising early and working late, in the dawn and -through the night, planning the crowded actions of -the too brief business day; and rumor added that the -price of these exertions must, at last, be paid. Rumor -said that the man overworked his brain and nerves, -and that, at last, the brain was working no more and -the nerves strained to breaking-point. Rumor -whispered of a projected sea-voyage and a change of -scene to Biskra or the Riviera, and rumor sagely -shook its many heads.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The luxurious house in which the sick man lived -among the best things that his money had bought -him, and from which he used to dart out each -morning to his office in the maze, was closed to the -reporters and to most of the acquaintances who called -there. L. Bergen Rivington went in and came out, -worried and elliptical. George J. Hallett went and -came out with loud, but brief, denials. The -newspaper men, from the steps of a house directly across -the street, watched in relays and, every hour, -rang the muffled bell of the sick man's house and -asked the same questions, and were given the -same answers, from the servant who came to the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, one morning, at its old-accustomed hour, the -motor-car that the sick man had most affected purred -up to the house. The door opened. The sick man, -apparently no longer a sick man, came out, neat and -trim in a suit of russet brown, stepped into the car -and was started for his office before the quickest -reporter could get a word with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He has quite recovered," said the doctors, when -the newspaper men overhauled them, and, although -they swathed the answer in long phrases, they would -say no more than that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's quite well again and will not leave New -York," said Simpson to the representatives of the -press when they reached his Wall Street offices; and -Simpson would add nothing save that his employer -was too busy with accumulated work to have time for -press interviewers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Simpson, however, and Conover too, and all the -office-force and all the brokers, knew something more. -They knew that, whereas their master was generally -not quick of temper, he had returned to work in an -ugly mood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was, indeed, a great deal of work for -him to do: enough to ruffle the temper of any man. -He did it all grimly, speedily, with no waste of -words. He attended to each detail with as much -energy and care as he gave to every other detail, and -one detail that he dealt with in a necessarily long -talk with Hallett he dealt with thus:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What about that Huber matter?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington was not in the room, but the master of -the room was seated at the head of the table just as he -always seated himself when both Hallett and Rivington -were there. He crouched with his large hands on -the mahogany surface, the thick fingers extended, his -elbows raised at right angles to his torso and pointing -ceilingward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hallett was as near to nervousness as he could be -brought.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothin' yet," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hasn't any action been taken?" snapped the -man at the head of the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A lot of action's been taken, but nothin's come -of it yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He hasn't been bought?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stein says——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know that. He hasn't been stopped?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop him. He's got to be stopped. Don't -you know that he really might hurt us? Stop him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," said Hallett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now what about this Memphis & New -Orleans deal?" the man in russet brown went on. -His beady eyes glittered, and the tips of his stumpy -fingers caressed the shining surface of the table.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xiii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. Luke was no longer inclined to doubt the wide -extent and the unscrupulous power of the influences -opposing him. When he had first come to acknowledge -their evil, he thought it latent rather than -active. Disillusioned in this respect, he then -minimized its activity, maintaining that there was a vast -difference between merely questionable moves in the -game of business and the hiring of criminal violence. -He assumed a tolerant skepticism toward the vague -stories of how his enemies, long before they became -his personal enemies, employed the basest tactics to -crush rivals or gain ends, and even when he narrowly -escaped arrest in the raid on the house in Sixth -Avenue, he tried to tell himself that these enemies were -only endeavoring to frighten him. Now his second -interview with Stein convinced him of the truth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Notwithstanding this, he stubbornly persevered. -He no more belittled the puissance of the wrong -against which he had arrayed himself, but he believed -too firmly in the strength of his own right. Had he -accurately perceived relative values, he might have -broken his promise and tried to make the Rollins -letters public; but he was sure that he could evade harm -until the month was past, and so he kept his word and -went about his hurrying and harrowing political -work with the letters scornfully bestowed in an -inside pocket among a collection of trivial memoranda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Events moved rapidly. The Ruysdael loan served -its turn, but its turn soon gave evidence of being -brief. As if from plans matured at least a year -before, the ready-made clothing trust that Forbes had -feared sprang into full being. It issued from the -offices of Hallett, but it originated, almost as frankly, -from the brain of the man whose lieutenant Hallett -was. It threatened the life of the Forbes firm. -Controlling nearly all the other large firms of the -country, it could dictate to the retail trade, and secure -favors from the railways. It so combined its mills -as to reduce running-expenses as a whole while lowering -prices on the one hand and, on the other, raising -wages in its consolidated factories.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had no doubt that this trust had been long -prepared; he also had no doubt that its birth had -been hurried as a new move in the war against him. -He knew that the combination was contrary to the -most rudimentary business ethics, and he hastened to -inquire into its charter and organization, in the hope -of finding some chink in its armor through which the -blade of the Sherman anti-trust law might be thrust. -He overhauled the law-reports in the libraries, he -consulted the most eminent corporation authorities in -his profession; but he discovered nothing to his -liking. The trust was built upon the statute itself; the -weakness of the latter was the firm rock on which -the former was founded. Its strength lay in its -iniquity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is absurd for us to suppose," the greatest -lawyer in New York told him, "that we can end the -trust by passing laws. The trusts are a step in social -evolution, and you can't successfully legislate against -evolution. When the trusts can't hire the law's -makers, they will still be able to hire better lawyers to -build new trusts within the law than such lawyers as -the voters can afford to elect to Congress to frame -new anti-trust laws. The laws against the trusts are -of no more practical use than the laws in favor of -the unions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke returned to Forbes with this dictum.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't we get some of the outside firms to join -us?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes did not approve the idea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have had several offers of the kind," he said, -"and I am suspicious of them. I think the firms that -made them weren't really independent. I think it was -a move to let the trust into our concern. Besides, this -house has always been a Forbes house, and it must -remain that or go down honorably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There'll be trouble," Luke prophesied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I know something about the trade," -Forbes said: he had moments when he did not wholly -like the superior ability shown by Luke in securing -the Ruysdael loan. "This is my part of the Business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was too much occupied by the political -campaign not to acknowledge that, weak or strong, -Forbes must be left in control of the firm. The battle -for votes was four-cornered without being square; -it was hot and bitter. On the issue of the -district-attorneyship, the Democrats and Progressives were -helping Leighton and the Republicans by directing -all their energies against Luke and the Municipal -Reform League. They raised high the accusation of -demagogism and appealed to business large and small -to rescue credit from the hurts that Huber threatened. -Leighton, supported by the full strength of his -organization, was pretending that Luke's disaffection -was that of a discharged servant; the District-Attorney -pleaded for a safe and sane conduct of the office -of the public prosecutor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Although the League's lesser workers undertook -the task of canvassing the city, treating with politicians -and employers, advertising, arguing, pleading, -promising, and threatening, doing all the mysterious -multitude of things that are necessary to practical -politics; although, too, the other candidates and the -volunteer and hired speakers performed heavy shares -of the speech-making from cart-ends and stages, on -street and in hall, Luke was constantly being called -on to help his associates and had more than enough in -his own department to keep him busy from the time -when he got out of bed of a morning until, often the -next morning, he got in again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By telegraph, telephone, motor-car, and messenger, -he had to be in perpetual touch with every election-precinct -in the city and with every important Leaguer -in every precinct. He had to answer hundreds of -letters, see hundreds of callers, give out scores of -interviews, compose and deliver from three to a dozen -speeches a day to as many different sorts of -audiences. There was nothing considered too small to -merit his attention, nothing too large to be beyond -his watchfulness. Once every day he was in each -quarter of New York, and he was nowhere for more -than half an hour at a time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Only his elaborately acquired calm and his -inherited strength of constitution saved him from -nervous breakdown. Except for them, his burning -sincerity, his zeal, and the endless calls made upon these -characteristics, would have driven him to a hospital. -Even so, his body grew leaner and his face deeply -lined. He was fighting with every ounce of muscle -and every particle of brain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For now, as in every alley and at every turning, his -political progress revealed some new though ever -partial phase of the power he attacked, Luke saw all -that he hated centered in one figure, originated by one -mind. He individualized Evil. That entire -meshwork of wrong which he was trying to tear into -shreds, he traced directly to the plump, pale man in -russet brown, the malignant thing with the hairy -hands and beady eyes, the creature that he had once -seen crouched at the end of a mahogany table in a -Wall Street skyscraper, from the windows of which -the maze of streets resembled the strands of a web -with men and women struggling on them like -entangled flies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of all the fine and fatal threads that were snaring -alike the helpless and the strong, what threads were -not spun by </span><em class="italics">him</em><span>? Of all the corruption that was -poisoning the country and infecting the ideals of the -Republic, what was there that did not proceed from -his fangs? Luke seemed to see it all now—was -certain that he saw it—with awful clarity. The Rollins -letters, the interview in Wall Street, the action of -the banks, and Osserman's hint from the City -Chamberlain, the part played by the street-girl, the raid -by the police, the talks with Stein and the daily -partial liftings of the political curtain: these, -reviewed in the lurid glow of the campaign, confirmed -the accumulated gossip of years, corroborated every -wild story that came to him on the teeming battlefield: -of bribery and thieving, of perjury and murder, -of all the crimes that men have known, each -committed again and again and again—safely committed -in the dark, cravenly done under the protection of -bought-and-paid-for law.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What mattered now this power's culture? What -mattered its benefactions, its colleges for the -ignorant, its hospitals for the ill? As Luke saw them -now, these were only dust for the eyes of the public, -cheap peace-offerings for intricate wrongs. The good -could be counted on the fingers of the hand, the evil -was as the sands of the sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was everywhere. It mocked religion, because -It supported churches; It debauched Government, -because It governed the governors; It destroyed Law, -because It controlled the Law's administrators. It -was master of the means of production and distribution; -It owned the storehouses of wealth; the clothes -upon the backs of the people, the houses that they -lived in; the meat on the tables of the rich, the bread -in the bellies of the poor. It secured Its own prices -for them, and withheld them as It chose. Directly or -indirectly, the whole nation took Its wages—such -wages as It chose to pay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the great League meeting in Cooper Union, -Luke, fronting a wilderness of faces, shouted his -defiance of this Power. He said no name, but none -that heard him could doubt whom he meant. For -that night, Luke Huber's friends no longer knew -the languid young lawyer in this shouting, quivering, -torch-bearing evangel on the historic Cooper Union -Stage. The boy had died that, bound for New -York, thought himself as a Templar entering Jerusalem, -but from his ashes there rose a new Peter the -Hermit preaching a new crusade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If we had the eyes to see," he said, "we'd know -that from this city, the center of our civilization, -slender threads, so numerous as to be beyond our -counting, run out to every corner of the land. -Slender threads: the merest gossamer, but so tough -that, once entangled in them, no man escapes. No -man, no woman, and no child. The delicate filaments -catch and hold us by the thousand every day. They -catch us at our birth and they hold us till our death: -life-prisoners even when we are unaware of it, more -desperately prisoners when we are unaware of it. -The good and the bad and the hopelessly -neither-good-nor-bad; efficient and inefficient, every sort and -condition, men and boys, women and girls—the net -has use for us all: for the labor of the child, the body -of the woman, the hand or the brain, the money or the -muscles, of the man. It has uses for our virtues and -more use for our vices. All are needed, none that is -caught goes free. If we had the eyes to see, we -should see it; but the strands are as fine as they are -tough, and only when a victim has so much blood in -him that his dying struggles ensanguine the thread -that holds him do we, noting his blood, note what has -received his blood—and even there, we rarely -consider that thread in relation to its fellows, hardly -ever realize that it is part of a plan, hardly ever -trace it to its center."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke followed the Power along thread after -thread through the labyrinth of American life, and -he made it clear that the Power was one man. He -pictured the stock-market, where the trade in traitors -began and where the fortunes of speculators and the -riches of the country were counters in the game of -roulette that this Power conducted with a braced -wheel. He passed on, across the map of the Union, -through the wrecks of industries that this Power had -razed. He showed how it had ruined numberless -houses and spoiled countless lives. He pointed to the -bloated bodies of the suicides it had flung into rivers -it had never seen, the graves it had filled in the -potters' fields of distant towns, the twisted limbs of -children it had enslaved, the bodies of women it had -forced into the arms of lust, the muscles of men it -had condemned to lifelong servitude. He described -its command over Congress, legislatures, and judges; -its collar around the necks of the police, who brought -to its service, in return for criminal immunity, -gamblers, thieves, highwaymen, tramps, prostitutes, and -pimps. He clutched its hairy hand in the ballot-box, -and called upon his hearers to end this Power's -practices as they loved their souls.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke pledged himself, if elected, to drive the thing -out of every department of the city's life that the -District-Attorney could in any way influence. He -pledged himself to fear no man and to serve none.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have the eyes!" he shouted. "If you'll -only use them, you have the eyes to see. Look about -you, and what you see will give you the strength you -need. This thing thwarts and perverts the purposes -of Government, and you know it! The men that are -pledged to the people, it buys with gold. These are -its crimes, but not the worst of its crimes. The worst -it does is not what it does to things material. The -worst it does is what it does to things spiritual. The -spoiling of high aims, the rape and ravage of honorable -purposes: these are its sins against the Holy Ghost!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. Betty had gone to the mass-meeting, and so -had the Rev. Pinkney Nicholson. Even in the rush -of his campaign, Luke had found time to see Betty -every day, and, because the Ruysdael loan had -resolved all her doubts, she was his most ardent -supporter. He sent her two stage-tickets to the -gathering at Cooper Union, one of which he hoped that -her father would use; but Forbes was busy with plans -to meet the competition of the clothing trust and to -quiet the grumblings of his employees, who wanted a -raise of wages to the sums paid by his rivals, and so -was kept late at the offices of the firm. Betty, -therefore, brought Nicholson with her, and Nicholson, -thinking that it would not be wise for a clergyman to -seem to give the sanction of the Church to any party -in a political fight, had taken her not to the stage, -but to the body of the auditorium.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl listened to Luke's speech with parted lips -and flushed face. She was inspired by her lover's -every word and proud for each interruption of -applause. She was so inspired and so proud that she -did not notice the increasing frigidity of her -companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Isn't he wonderful?" she demanded of Nicholson -as the meeting ended with the entire audience on -its feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The band was playing "The Star-Spangled Banner," -and it had been hoped that the crowd would -sing that national anthem. Most of the people -present did not, however, know the words, and those who -did know them had voices of too slight a range to -accede to the severe demands of the music.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Isn't he just wonderful?" repeated Betty. She -caught Nicholson's arm. "He reminds me of a -French orator father and I once heard in the Chamber -of Deputies in Paris. You must take me up to the -stage to tell him so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson had listened with mixed emotions. His -attention, moreover, was loose because he had lately -been much worried by the presence of a heavy debt -on his church.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think he is an excellent speaker," said Nicholson, -"but I'm afraid I don't approve of his tone."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His tone?" Betty turned sharply. "What's -the matter with his tone?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson's ascetic face relaxed. He quoted:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden;</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Too like the lightning."</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"He isn't rash; he's brave," said Betty. "And -he isn't unadvised or sudden, for he has been thinking -of all these things for a long time. But he is like the -lightning, and these people he says are so wrong -will find that out."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. Mr. Irwin was at the mass-meeting, too; he -of the gray Vandyck beard and pink cheeks and -twinkling eyes, the member of the law firm of Stein, -Falconridge, Falconridge & Perry, whose name did -not appear on the firm's letter-heads.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Irwin left Cooper Union directly the chief speech -of the evening ended. He had been seated in an -unostentatious corner high in air and close beneath the -roof. The people about him must have thought him -a warm admirer of the speaker, since he was so busy -taking notes of what was said that he had leisure -for only the most perfunctory applause. Irwin -hurried down the Bowery. He went into the nearest -public telephone booth, and from it he called up the -hotel in which ex-Judge Stein made his home.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Ex-Judge Stein had himself experienced a -trying day, and Irwin was absent from the office, or he -would have known it. Somebody, it seemed, had -asked embarrassing questions of George J. Hallett -and issued exacting orders to Hallett, who had passed -on the embarrassing questions and the exacting -orders to Stein. The questions and the orders gained -in intensity by transmission, and Stein was upset.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes, this is Judge Stein," he answered into -the black transmitter of the telephone when Irwin -called him. "Who's talking, please?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Irwin."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Eh? Well, where have you been, Mr. Irwin? -I have wanted you to-day on some important business.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think I have been attending to it, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where have you been?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Several places. To-night I've been to that -mass-meeting in Cooper Union."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. Was there much enthusiasm?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A great deal."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Spontaneous? Genuine?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Partly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the tone of the speech?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Irwin went at some length into that side of -the subject. He read excerpts from his notes. It -was evident that, since the afternoon when his senior -partner had first discussed Huber with him, necessity, -had forced a greater degree of confidence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The present conversation continued for several -minutes. No eavesdropper, unless previously -acquainted with the facts of the case, could have -gathered much from it, but it was intelligent and -significant to the principals. At its end, Stein said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is very little time left us, and this young -man means us to understand that he will keep his -word. The people for whom we are acting are -rather importunate, Mr. Irwin. They are not -satisfied; not at all satisfied; and I've already had to -extend to you the time-limit I first gave you. I have -received instructions to the effect that we must act at -once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That had better mean to-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll do my best."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think you had better, Mr. Irwin. I sha'n't be -going to bed for two or three hours yet."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. Irwin left the telephone and hailed the first -taxicab that passed. It was free, and he had himself -driven to a political club with quarters not far from -the office of Anson Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The quarters were over a saloon in Second Avenue. -The entrance was a hallway and a stairway back of -the saloon. Here Irwin rang a bell, which was -immediately answered by a man in his shirt-sleeves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Quirk upstairs?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said the man. He eyed the questioner sullenly -in the twilight of the hall. "I don't think he -is," he added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Irwin took a card from his pocket. He placed it -in a blank envelope, sealed the envelope, and handed -it to the doorkeeper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give him this," he said, and stepped back into -the street to wait.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man closed the door upon him. It was presently -reopened by Quirk, his round face smiling, his -manner jovial.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hello," said Quirk. "It's time good little boys -were in bed, but I'm glad to see you, anyhow. Come -in and have a drink."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, thank you," Irwin replied. "I'll be back -here in two hours. There's something you've got -to do in the meantime."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Me? Now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You; right away. We've been too slow about -that little business, Quirk. We can't stand them off -much longer. There's not much more time for delay, -and the people higher up want to be shown action."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Want to see the goods, do they?" chuckled -Quirk. He rattled some coins in the pocket under -his round abdomen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, what do they want me to do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Show the goods, I guess."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Any suggestions?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, that's up to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm on," said Quirk. "Come back in two hours. -I'll run right upstairs and get my hat. An' here, if -you won't take a drink, have a cigar: it's a long wait. -See you later."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. The great bulk of Police Lieutenant Donovan -was hunched up in an upholstered armchair beside -the table in his private office when Quirk entered. -He looked as if his caller was not welcome.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothin' doin' so far," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk, too, was serious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it," said he. "They fell down so hard -in that raid scheme that they must have had all the -sense knocked out of them. Well, you've got to put -some in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan's growl was wordless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've got to," said Quirk. "To-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To-night?" Donovan stood up. "What in -hell do you think I am?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The lawyer leaned across the table.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think you're a bluff," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you? Well, I'd just like you to have my job."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donovan," said Quirk, "if you don't put this -thing across, an' do it soon, somebody'll have your -job sooner than you think."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" thundered the lieutenant. But -before a reply was possible, his tone changed; his -hands thrust deep in his pockets, he turned away, his -shoulders drooping. "Oh, I know you've got the -evidence to use for an excuse," he said: "I know -you could do it, an' I know you would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to," said Quirk -gently; "but you know how I'm fixed myself. Don't -take it so hard, Hughie. You can pull this thing -across, if you'll only try. I'm sorry, but if I haven't -something to show pretty soon, I'll get it in the -neck—hard, I will."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan walked to the door of the rollroom. He -opened it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Say, one o' you fellows," he called to a group -of officers in plain clothes. "Go out an' find Guth -an' tell him to come in here right away. I want -him." Then he turned to Quirk: "It's got to be -to-night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk nodded:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Make it an hour and a half if you can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I can't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then as near as you can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gee," said Donovan, "I certainly am sick of this -whole business! Well—come back in an hour an' -forty-five minutes an' we'll see what's doin'."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§7. He greeted Guth with a roar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a hell of a cop, you are! What sort of -a job do you think you've got, anyway? Rag-pickin'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Guth, who was used to these rages, stood at -attention. The scar from his mouth to the corner of his -jaw-bone twitched heavily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I done all I could, Lieutenant," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a liar!" said Donovan. "You've been -on this job Gawd knows how long, an' your foot's -slipped twice. All you've found is that he hasn't -got any safety-deposit box. You know he must have -the goods at his office, an' you're afraid to get 'em."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They might be at his apartment house," said -Guth. He shifted his feet uneasily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They might be, but they ain't. I had Anderson -play that end of it. What d'you mean lettin' Reddy -Rawn t'row you down this way?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He ain't t'rowed me down. He wouldn't dare."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wouldn't he? Well, then, he's stallin' you all -right, all right, an' he's had a cinch doin' it. This -thing's got to stop. I got to have them letters right -off. To-night. Now. Get that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The giant subordinate gnawed his upper lip.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's goin' some, Lieutenant," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you don't do it, you'll be goin' more: you'll -be goin' off the force. Now then: you beat it. Get -Reddy on the job. Tell him Mitchell knows the -officer on that beat an' 'll see he an' his friends ain't -interfered with. Nobody'll be in the offices to-night; -they've all been over to Cooper Union an' 'll be tired -out. Reddy'll be as safe as if he was at home in bed. -He'd better have the Kid to help him." Donovan -banged the table with his fist. "I want you back -here in an hour with everything that's inside that -fellow Huber's safe. See?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§8. In that shadowy alley near Forty-third Street -and Third Avenue, where he had talked to Reddy -Rawn before, Patrolman Guth talked now with -Reddy Rawn and the Kid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It ain't my fault," he said. "I've stood him off -as long as I could. You gotta do it now, an' if you -don't he'll have you two up for Crab Rotello's -assault. I know it. He means business this time. You -can crack a safe, Kid, can't you?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§9. On the stage at Cooper Union, Luke was -holding an impromptu reception. Hundreds of -people were streaming by him and shaking his hand. -His arm ached, but he was proud and glad.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the end of the stream came Betty and Nicholson. -Luke saw the girl long before she could reach -him, and he smiled to her over the heads of the -crowd.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You dear!" she whispered when, at last, her -hand caught his. "I'm proud of you. I'm so -proud!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He pressed her hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's the best praise of all," he said, and to -her companion: "I'm glad you're here, Mr. Nicholson."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson shook hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was glad to be here. I admired your delivery -even where I disapproved of your treatment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" laughed Luke. "Is the church going -to make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness?" He -was hoarse and hot and nervous, but he -was too warmly aglow with his success to heed -seriously the reply that Nicholson was beginning when -one of his friends on the stage plucked his sleeve. -He turned. "What is it?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nelson wants to see you. I don't know what -about, but he says it's very important."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right." Luke faced Betty and Nicholson -again. "You'll forgive me for just a moment, won't -you?" he said. "I'll be right back, and then, if -you'll let me, I'll drive over to Brooklyn with you -both. I have a note from your father, Betty, asking -me to come to the house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought he was at the office," said Betty; "but -I do hope you'll come with us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's back at the house now. This note came by -messenger."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then," said Nicholson, "I shan't interfere with -business. I'll go home from here. Run along, -Mr. Huber. I'll guard Miss Forbes while you're gone."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke followed the man that had sought him and -found Nelson standing at the farthest corner of the -stage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The wholesale druggist was in evident distress. -He was an honorable man and a practical, and these -qualities spoke in the lines of his troubled face. As -soon as they were left together, Nelson came to the -point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Huber," he said, "I've got to get out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out? What of?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The League. I've got to leave it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nelson was almost the last man that Luke would -have expected to desert. Moreover, he had so long -been prominent in the reform movement that his -defection would be a serious blow to the League. Luke -had to call loudly on his lethargic manner to conceal -his anxiety and surprise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" he inquired. "What's wrong?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This speech of yours to-night," explained -Nelson. "You've been getting nearer and nearer that -fellow all along, but I'd no idea you meant to go -right at him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was the matter with the speech? I didn't -tell anything but the truth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I dare say you didn't, but I can't honorably -stand by you, Huber, now that you've openly taken -this line."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nelson swallowed hard. It was plain that he did -not like the dish prepared for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't understand," said Luke. "If it was true, -and if we're to make a real fight for real reform, -we've got to begin at the cause of corruption."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know. I admit it was the truth, but it wasn't -the whole truth. He does lots of good."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good and bad are relative. Relatively he doesn't -do any good."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not so sure of that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but there's the League to think of."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The League nominated me,"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course it did, but you're not the whole ticket -nor the whole movement."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was a detail that Luke in his triumph had -forgotten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still," he said, "we can't dodge the facts. I -won't dodge them, Nelson."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand," Nelson said. "Perhaps you're -right. Anyhow, right or wrong, you've done what -you've done, and so I've got to go."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nelson fidgeted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I may as well tell you," he at last said. "You -know my business has always been one that didn't -cross these fellows' trail. But lately they've been -coming toward us. I think I mentioned that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I've been hard up. The other day I -needed money badly. I had to have money or I'd -have failed. I have a wife and family to think of, -Huber. I tried everywhere to raise the wind, and -there was only one place where I could raise it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean—" Luke wet his lips. "You mean -that crowd?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It came from </span><em class="italics">him</em><span>?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It came direct from L. Bergen Rivington. But, -of course, it really came from </span><em class="italics">him</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke put out his hand. Nelson wrung it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wasn't bought, Huber," he said. "You don't -think that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know," said Luke kindly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish I'd told you sooner, Huber. I didn't -expect you'd go so far."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'd have gone just as far, Nelson. I'm sorry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry, too, Huber. Good-night."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§10. "Betty," said Luke, as the girl nestled -against him in the darkness of the cab that drove -them toward her home, "this is going to be a hard -battle."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you'll win because you're right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not so sure."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her arms went round his neck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care whether you win or not," she -whispered, "so long as you ought to win."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§11. Forbes was waiting for them in the library. -His rapidly-graying hair was disordered, and his -face was even more worried than Nelson's had -been.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better run to bed, dear," he said to Betty -as he kissed her. "It's late, and I've some heavy -business to talk about to Luke."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm wide awake," protested Betty. "I couldn't -sleep if I did go to bed. I'll sleep late to-morrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But then there is the business we must talk about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care. I'll like it. I won't interrupt." She -looked at Luke. "May I stay?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish you would," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes made a gesture of surrender.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," said he. He turned to Luke and, as -Betty seated herself between the two men, who -remained standing, he continued: "They're going to -strike."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At the factory?" Luke had feared this. -"What do they want?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They want us to meet the hours and the wages -that the trust is giving."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can meet them as to hours, can't we?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We might. It would hurt us, but we might."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But not the wages?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not in five years."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke lit a cigarette. He noted that his hand -was steady, and its steadiness gratified him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're well enough paid, aren't they?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know the scale."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it's a fair one, isn't it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What does that matter to them when they think -they can get more?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you say they can't, Forbes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't convince them of it. Their attitude is -that if we can't pay them what they want, the -Business had better go out of existence.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You saw the men's committee?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This evening. That's why I couldn't come to -your meeting."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And they won't compromise?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They might have, but things have gone too far. -A lot of these I.W.W. organizers and agitators -have been at work among them. I don't know what -will happen to the Business now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can get in strike-breakers and run the -factory in spite of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If we do, there'll be rioting. They might burn -the building. These Industrial Workers of the -World—you don't know them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't see that we have any choice."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes looked away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have one," he muttered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke caught his wrist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look here," he demanded, "do you mean to -say that this may have a political origin?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I believe it has. I believe those letters you told -me about——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You want me to knuckle under?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes looked at him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Think what a strike might do to you politically," -he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care about that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your friends might."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not if they want to stay my friends. Besides, -it can't be true. The writer of those letters hates the -I.W.W. like poison. He can't have inspired them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, not that. I know he can't. But if you'd -be sensible about those letters, I believe he'd be -willing to put down the trust's wages and join us in this -fight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did you tell the men's committee?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't show them what I felt," said Forbes. -"That would never do. You can't tell workmen -what you really think. I just said if they wanted to -strike, they would have to strike."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke flung aside Forbes's arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then stick to that," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Huber——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke interrupted. He fronted Betty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty," he said, "do you understand what your -father is asking me to do? You know how I am -placed, and you heard my speech to-night. Now, -your father wants me to go back on all that in order -to save him from poverty and you from poverty and -me from poverty and defeat. I won't do it. -Whether you like it or not, I won't do it!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl got up slowly and put a hand on his -shoulder. Her eyes, as she looked from one man -to the other, were very beautiful, but they were firm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father," she said, "I've learned a lot lately. -Luke's right and—and I'm with him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes turned toward her irritably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, go to bed!" said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke laughed and, reaching up, patted the hand -that was on his shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no," he protested, "you mustn't intrigue -with my allies, Forbes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Forbes, "you'll see that I'm right -if you keep on antagonizing these people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can starve them out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not before there is violence."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The law will defend us there. We'll have the -police: they can't deny us adequate protection in -such a matter—and if we have to, we'll get the -Governor to call out the troops."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes argued and pleaded for a long time, but -to no avail. Luke would not go over to his enemies: -the strike must proceed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've got to leave you now," he said. "I'll have -to have a statement ready about this for the papers -first thing in the morning. Perhaps I'll get out of -the Subway at Fourteenth Street and open up the -League's headquarters and get it ready there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was Betty that stopped this plan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll do nothing of the sort," she ordered. -"You're tired out. I won't let you kill -yourself." She kissed him on the mouth. "You must -promise me to go straight to the Arapahoe and to -sleep."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the touch of her lips, he softened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," he promised, "but I'm no more -sleepy now than you said you were an hour ago."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§12. Luke would not have had to open the offices -of the Municipal League; that was being attended -to. While he was still in the Subway train returning -from Brooklyn to Manhattan, two men, one of them -carrying a small bundle, crossed Union Square and -turned down Broadway. Before the entrance to the -building in which the League was housed, they paused -to speak to a policeman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right," he told them. "I know. I -got me orders ten minutes ago. That's why I'm -standin' here. But get a move on, you fellows. I -don't want to stick here all night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two men rounded a corner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the deserted street, the officer of the law walked -up and down, twenty paces to the north, then twenty -to the south. A party of strayed revelers came by -and tried to talk with him; but he ordered them to -move on if they didn't want him to arrest them. He -resumed his walk when they had gone, his thumbs -tucked in his belt, his lips pursed and whistling softly -a popular tune. Once he heard the sound of a -window opened overhead. A little later he saw a dim -light pass from one window to another in the -building above him. A dulled report sounded from -behind the walls: the Elevated is not near Broadway -at this spot, but in the night noises travel far, and -this noise might have been the crash of a late -train. The officer of the law did not raise his -head....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Around the corner came two figures. Both of -them carried bundles now.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The officer of the law strolled past them. He -did not stop as he spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," said one of the figures.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The officer of the law walked on, whistling his -popular tune.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§13. Somewhat nearer the hour of sunrise, -Mr. Irwin, his merry eyes grown weary, stood in the -sitting-room of the Hon. Marcus Stein's suite of -hotel apartments. He was bending over a table on -which lay an opened bundle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stein was bending over the table, too. His -dignified demeanor was ruffled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is nothing but a collection of junk," he was -saying. "It is no use to anybody but its owners. -Get it out of here at once, Mr. Irwin, and tell your -friends to return it to the place they got it from."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xiv"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIV</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. As every man has his day in court, so nearly -every man has his day in the newspapers, and which -is the more trying it is difficult to decide. The day -following the night of the Cooper Union meeting -was Luke's: the morning papers seemed to contain -little news that did not refer to him; the editorial -columns presented satiric paragraphs and serious -leaders regarding his speech and his position before -the public, and spread over the first pages were -accounts of his address and stories of the strike in the -factory, with which his connection was now loudly -heralded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Comment on the speech was about equally divided. -Half of the press ridiculed it as the vaporing of a -misinformed dreamer, and half denounced it as an -anarchistic appeal to the violence of the mob. Some -journals gave stenographic reports of the entire -matter; most printed only those portions which, lifted -from their context, were best suited to the policy of -the paper using them. The extremes were shown by -two headlines. One read:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>NIGHTMARES OF A CANDIDATE</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span>Br'er Huber Consults His Dream-Book -<br />And Says Innocent New York Is -<br />Being Tortured Without -<br />Knowing It</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>And the other flung across eight columns, in letters -of vermilion, the legend:</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>CANDIDATE PREACHES PRIVATE WAR -<br />WITH FIRE AND SWORD!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>In the treatment of the strike, Luke fared even -worse. He was held up as a hypocrite that -championed the People from the platform and sweated the -poor in the shops. He was paraded as the real owner -of R. H. Forbes & Son. The papers generally most -bitter against labor movements published long -accounts of the strike, denunciatory interviews with the -strike-leaders, and tables showing how badly the -wages paid by the Forbes firm compared with the -wage-scale already in operation in the factories -controlled by the clothing-trust. There was a hurriedly -drawn cartoon that depicted Luke wearing a -Liberty-cap and hurling a bomb at a figure labeled -"Conservative Business": he was addressing a mob from -a soap-box that was supported by the bowed -shoulders of his oppressed employees. The most -respectable newspaper in New York hinted that his political -attack was made against his business rivals solely -because they were his business rivals, and the least -respectable declared that his quarrel with the workers -stamped his election doctrines as the gospel of -Murder for Profit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As Luke entered the door of the Broadway building -in which the Municipal Reform League had its -headquarters, he came up with Venable also going -in. The old man's hand trembled as he greeted -the candidate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We seem to have raised a real thunderstorm," -said Luke, smiling. "I hope it'll clear the atmosphere."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you know?" asked Venable. "You've -seen it in the papers?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How could I help it?" said Luke. "It's all -over them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, the speech?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That and this strike at the Forbes factory, yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't mean those things," said Venable. "I -meant this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He took from his coat-pocket a folded newspaper -open at the financial and real estate page. He pointed -a shaking finger at first one and then another obscure -paragraph, both printed in small type and far -separated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke read the paragraphs. Each applied to the -same block of an uptown street. The former said -that a new branch of an elevated railroad would -be run through this street, and the latter curtly -announced that two of the apartment houses in the -block were about to be converted into tenements for -negroes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My apartment house," said Venable simply, "the -one that all my money is invested in, will have those -'L'-tracks running in front of its second-floor -windows. It is just between the two houses that are to -to be made into tenements."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke swore softly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who's back of this?" he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know what influences control that elevated -road," said Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the tenements?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They've just been bought by Hallett."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's ruin?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will be very close to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke gripped Venable's shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You get out of this," he commanded. "Leave -the League and go to them; they'll change their -plans: that's why they've made their plans the way -they have."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Venable, "I won't do it. I can't. -I'm pretty old to be poor, but I'm too old to change -my opinions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was still talking in this manner when they -entered the League's quarters and were greeted with -the news that burglars had been there the night -before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothin's been touched in any of the offices but -yours, Mr. Huber," said the breathless clerk who -poured out this story to them; "but there the safe's -been blown open, and I don't know what's missin'. I -sent for the police right away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The police?" said Luke. "Stop your joking, Charley."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm not jokin', Mr. Huber. I did send for -them. They've been here. They said they'd have a -detective over from headquarters before long."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke hurried to his office. Bits of charred -blanket and several match-ends lay about the floor. -The door of the safe swung lamely upon a single -hinge. Inside was a tumbled mass of papers. -Otherwise the room seemed undisturbed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quickly, Luke ran over the papers in the -yawning safe. He looked up at Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Everything's here," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you sure?" asked Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite." Luke went to his desk. Its lock had -been forced. There had been a rude attempt to -restore the contents to the order in which Luke had left -them when he quitted the office the day before, but -he saw at once that everything had been examined. -"And they didn't get anything from here, either," he -added.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder what they were after?" said Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So do I," said Luke acridly. "At any rate, they -didn't get it." The telephone rang as he bent beside -it. He took the receiver from its hook. "Yes?" -he said. "Oh, Mr. Venable? Yes, he's here—right: -he's here in my office, I say. Want to talk to -him?" He held up the receiver. "It's that new -worker, Jarvie," he explained. "He wants to talk to -you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rapidly as events had of late happened to Luke and -the Municipal Reform League, they were happening -this morning with a speed theretofore unequaled. -Venable had not exchanged a dozen sentences over -the telephone before he told Jarvie to wait a minute -and, ringing off, faced Luke, with his cheeks gone -gray.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This—this is the worst thing yet!" he gasped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was leaning against the desk, his hands closed -over its edge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This, that Jarvie says. It's—Oh!" Venable -flung up his hands. "It's too much!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's grip tightened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell me what it is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable crumpled into the chair before the telephone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A couple of the Progressives' detectives have -caught Jarvie trying to buy one of Heney's lieutenants."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" cried Luke. The veins stood out, big -and blue, on his gripping hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course the Heney man was really working -with the detectives," moaned Venable; "but that -won't help. They had a dictaphone in the hotel -room——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In what hotel room?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The one that Jarvie was to meet the Heney man -in. I thought he'd be more careful. I told him——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke stood erect. He folded his arms. Venable's -confession shook him, but he exerted all his strength -of will to command himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are you telling me?" he asked. "Are -you telling me that the League has been going in for -rotten work of that sort? Are you telling me that -you—you of all people—have been engineering it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable's terror gave quick place to amazement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't mean to say you didn't understand -that?" he countered. "How do you suppose politics -are run, anyway? Where have you been all these -years under Leighton?" Anger came to his aid; his -loose jaw wagged. "Don't try to get out of this -trouble by pretending you didn't know about it. -What we do, we do for the best ends, but I have -always said—always—that the only way to beat the -devil is to fight him with fire."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wait, please," said Luke. "I want to get this -thing straight. You say that all your reform -movements have had some of this element in them?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I say we have always fought the devil with fire."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And this campaign. You've used your fire in it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As little as possible. We never used more than -we could help."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did the committee know it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable reached for the telephone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't waste time over such quibbles now," he -said. "Jarvie's arrested and we must get him out -and learn the details to prepare our defense."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the committee knew?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, ask them yourself! They have a meeting -this afternoon. Of course, they knew! They have -been in these fights since long before you were sent -to school, and they are not fools."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You bet I </span><em class="italics">will</em><span> ask them!" said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He walked out of his office, out of the League -headquarters and into the street.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. His tired brain demanded action. It presented -one picture, a canvas as full of figures as a battlefield -by Delacroix. There he saw all that he had done -or caused to be done: Yeates turned back to the baser -cause, Nelson forced to follow, Venable facing -financial disaster and soiling his old hands with crime; -burglary, prostitution, and fraud stimulated to defeat -him; police, city officials, and bankers corrupted to -ensnare him; his little fortune, on which hung his -mother's living, imperiled; Betty imperiled, Forbes -and the honorable business history of his firm -imperiled; the factory's employees fronting starvation -and threatening violence; the elder political parties -dragged into a repetition of their former offenses, -the reform organization sharing in the evils it -sought to reform—these were the present results of -his endeavors to civic righteousness. Could -mankind be so closely linked? Was there no end to the -lives and souls that must be wronged or made wrong -by one man trying to do right? He could not -contemplate the question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To escape thought and find action, he went to -Brooklyn. He took a taxi to the factory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The huge brown building rose taciturn before him, -ugly, dour. It ran the whole way across the end -of the street and was flanked by rows of tumbledown -dwellings. One tenuous column of smoke curled -from the chimney of its engine-room, but, all about, -the streets had an air to which Luke was wholly -unaccustomed. The traffic that used to rattle through -them had ceased; they seemed at first sight empty; -yet at every corner were groups of men and women, -idle with that idleness which sits like the outward -tokens of a contagious disease upon workers who -have ceased their work in anger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke saw them glance up at him as his open -taxicab whirled past them: uncouth, slouching figures, -with stooped shoulders and sullen faces. He had -not supposed that he could be known to a score of -them, but the portraits of him distributed for -campaign purposes had made him familiar: the first few -groups merely looked at him and sneered; then -someone shouted an obscene epithet after him, and when -the cab drew up before the office-door of the factory, -a half-brick, tossed from the farther side of the street, -shattered the glass windscreen at the chauffeur's back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's impulse was toward physical reprisal. He -jumped from the taxi and darted around it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the other side of the street there was only a -single figure in sight: a figure that leaned against a -lamp-post. Once it had been a woman; now it was -only misery. Red toes burst from its bulging shoes -from which the stockings fell so far that, the filthy -skirt held up by a claw-like hand, at least six inches -of thin shank, a pale blue, were visible. The ragged -jacket hung open over an open blouse that showed -a flat chest. Tangled hair, hatless, fell about and -almost hid a red and swollen face. Through the -hair a loose mouth gaped, and a pair of eyes burned -yellow. The right hand was extended, clenched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You go to hell, you hypocrite!" croaked the figure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke turned toward the factory-door. To reach -it, he had to press through a double line of men and -women, silent, ominous: the strikers' picket-line. The -woman's voice croaked from across the street:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Hall</em><span>eyloolyah, I'm a bum—bum!</span></div> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">Hall</em><span>eyloolyah, bum again!"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Luke's memory saw a small, crowded room -papered in green, with framed advertisements about -the walls and many tables, at one of which sat an -unshaven, uncollared man who wore a greasy derby -hat....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke pushed open the office-door and hurried to -Forbes's office.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. The office was crowded. Forbes, determined, -sat at his desk; he faced a line of slouching men in -shabby clothes, who held their hats in their hands -and shuffled their uneasy feet, and were headed by -one man, dressed as they were, but better fed and -brawny, his large face hard, his hat upon his head. -Luke knew that this was the workers' committee led -by the organizer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't another word to say," Forbes was -declaring. A hint of relief came to his voice when he -saw Luke. "Oh, Huber," he broke off: "Good-morning. -Come over here and sit down. I am just -telling these men for the last time that we will meet -them in the matter of hours, but we can't and won't -grant them the ruinous increase of wages they want." As -Luke took a chair beside him, he continued, -addressing his employees and carefully avoiding the -organizer: "I have one gang of men coming here in -half an hour to take your jobs. There are more -where they came from, and we'll be running full blast -this time to-morrow. If you're not back at work by -the time the first gang of men gets here, you'll never -get back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke expected a growl of anger: there was no -sound from them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The organizer coughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Forbes——" he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes smacked his hands together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know you!" he snapped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You know who I am," said the organizer calmly. -"I told you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't recognize your right to be here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't any right, because it's against the -principles of our organization to treat with employers, -but I thought——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Raging, Forbes stood up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Against </span><em class="italics">your</em><span> principles, is it?" he cried. "Well, -it's against the principles of this firm to talk to -</span><em class="italics">you</em><span>!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Forbes——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all I've got to say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The organizer was unruffled. He maintained a -rather terrifying dignity. He turned to the men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come on, fellows," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a loud scraping of feet, the strikers and -their leader passed out of the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke and Forbes remained quiet. Even for some -time after the room was empty, they said nothing, -and while they sat thus, a boyish voice rose from the -street:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Oh, I love my boss:</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>He's a good friend o' mine;</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>An' that's why I'm starving</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>Out in the bread-line!"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Somebody laughed, and several voices took up the -chorus:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Hall</em><span>eyloolyah, I'm a bum—bum!..."</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The boyish voice continued:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Oh, why don't you work</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>Like other men do?</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">How in Hell can I work</em></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">When there's no work to do?</em><span>"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"That's their logic," said Forbes fretfully. He -nodded toward the street. "How can you argue -with people of that sort?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It didn't strike me that you were arguing," said -Luke. "What are you going to do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What I said."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You meant it, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Every word. I've taken your advice, after all: -I've employed that strike-breaker: Breil, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had heard of him. Breil, he knew, owned -several hundred fighting-men and took them to all -parts of the country under the pretense that they were -workers anxious to start the wheels of industries -stopped by strikers. Wherever Breil went, trouble -followed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you'd better employ the Pinkertons, too," -said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're too expensive," Forbes said. "Besides," -he added, "that sort of thing's un-American. -We won't need detectives to protect the right of the -worker to work. If we need any help, we'll call -in the police. I thought you understood that. I'm -afraid you will never learn the art of handling men, -Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was anxious for a fight. The corruption -that he had discovered in the League fired his -primitive instincts. He was angry, and it was of small -consequence to him upon whom he visited his anger. -Here his own fortune, honestly come by, was threatened; -his mother's support, Forbes's and Betty's. It -was an excellent opportunity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm with you," he said. "When do you expect -the first contingent of Breil's men?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When I said: in half an hour."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you 'phoned police headquarters?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. What's the use? I don't want to court a -fight. The presence of the police before there was -a fight might only start one. Headquarters sent me -down two extra men this morning when I asked for -them, and that's enough for the present."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke bent to the telephone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't agree with you," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes's protest was mild. Luke called police -headquarters and stated his case. When he -mentioned his name, he was told that the Police -Commissioner was not to be found.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then find him," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think he's gone out," came the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you don't find him after what I've told you, -I'll show up your action at the next meeting I speak -at," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Commissioner was found.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But what trouble have you had so far?" he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We haven't had any so far," said Luke. "What -we want is to avoid trouble."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think you're easy scared," laughed the -Commissioner. "Have there been any threats?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, what's itching you, anyhow? My -department's got three campaign parades and a -dozen meetings on its hands to-day besides its -regular business. I can't spare my men unless I know -they're needed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He rang off.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. Luke wanted to stay for the arrival of Breil's -men; but there was something else that he had to -do and could not postpone. He left the factory -a few minutes before the hour at which the -strike-breakers were to arrive. He passed into a street -slowly filling with strikers, but he reassured himself -by the reflection that what he had to do would be -brief and that he would soon be free to return. He -hurried to the League's headquarters, where he knew -that the Committee would soon be in session.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For, under all his absorption in the affairs of the -factory, and in spite of his desire to abjure thought -for action, his brain had been busy. It was telling -him something new about politics. It was receiving -the truth about parties as, from his vantage-ground, -he had seen it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did not stop in his own office. He went at -once to the committee-room, which opened from that -of the typists'. The Committee must have received -a special summons and begun its work before the -usual time. Business, as Luke entered, was already -under weigh, and the room was filled. In the body -of the narrow hall a crowd of men lounged upon -rows of those collapsible chairs, clamped together, -which undertakers hire out for funerals; most of -the men had cigars in their mouths, and the smoky -air smelled of tobacco and the fumes from the action -of alcohol on the digestive juices. On a small -platform at one end of the room sat Venable, who was -chairman, and, among the several persons grouped -about him, Luke was surprised to note both Yeates -and Nelson. Nearly all of the company looked at -the newcomer, and Venable, after looking, glanced -quickly away. Several committeemen whispered -together, and one laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke sat in the first vacant chair that he could find.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is moved and seconded," Venable was saying, -"that the order of business be suspended. All -those in favor will signify their consent in the usual -manner."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A droning assent answered him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So ordered," said Venable, and looked uneasily -in Luke's direction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was an embarrassed pause. Finally Yeates -got to his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Chairman," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Venable bowed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yeates's hands were in his pockets; his glance was -fixed on the floor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I propose this resolution," he said, his voice -low, his words coming rapidly: "That it is the belief -of the Executive Committee of the Municipal -Reform League of New York that Mr. Luke Huber -should be asked to withdraw from its ticket, on -which he now appears as its candidate for -District-Attorney, and that he is hereby so asked to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no hubbub; everybody but Luke -appeared to have known what was coming. If there -was any discomposure, it was plainly due to Luke's -unexpectedly early appearance. Everybody looked -at him again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From a front seat, one man, evidently assigned -to the task, rose abruptly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Second the motion," he mumbled, and sat down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was standing before Venable could ask:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Any remarks?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Question! Question!" called a dozen voices.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's voice was raised above theirs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want——" he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sit down!" yelled somebody behind him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke turned, but the interrupter did not reveal -himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to say one word about this motion," -Luke began. He swept the room with a steady gaze -and then let his eyes rest on the chairman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Perhaps because their candidate had never seemed -more lazy or unconcerned, the Committee offered no -immediate objection. It was Venable that, without -meeting Luke's glance, interposed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Considering the topic under discussion," said -he, "it would be more in accord with the usual -procedure if Mr. Huber were not in the hall."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good for you!" cried a man in the back row -of chairs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No! Give him a chance!" cried another.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke raised his hand to quiet them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Considering that this is supposed to be a meeting -of the Executive Committee of the League," he -said, "it would be more in accord with the usual -procedure if any motions made to it were made by -members of the Committee. Mr. Yeates is not even a -member of the League."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Sit</em><span> down!" said the voice from the back row.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, sit </span><em class="italics">down</em><span>!" echoed a neighbor wearily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can easy find somebody else if Yeates won't -do!" cried another voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am well aware of that," said Luke, "and so -I don't propose to quibble——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ain't he obligin'?" called the back-row man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And besides," Luke continued, "if you would -only listen to me for a minute, you'll find out that I -came here with my mind made up to do just what -you're now asking me to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could feel their amazement at his words and -so he no longer heeded the back-row man's comment:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean you came here to sit down?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have I the floor?" asked Luke of Venable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The chairman writhed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In that case," Luke pursued, choosing to accept -Venable's movement as a sign of assent, "I only -want to say that I made up my mind this morning, -</span><em class="italics">of my own free will</em><span>, to leave the ticket and the -League."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was interrupted by a roar of disapproval. -The crowd had recovered its wits. Resignation -would not suit its purpose. Dismissal alone would -suit that. A turmoil of voices arose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As if to climb above their noise, Luke stood on -tiptoe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because this morning," he shouted, "I discovered——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Old Venable banged his desk with the gavel</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out of order!" he bawled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke waved him down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That this League," he yelled, "was as corrupt -as——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were all on their feet. Some were standing -on their chairs. The men next to Luke tugged -at his coat. Other men rushed at him crying threats. -They shook their fists and cursed him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was as mad as any of them now. His hands -struck out at the twisting figures about him. The -tendons of his throat swelled like knots as he -screamed:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"——as corrupt as its enemies! Corrupt! -Corrupt! Corrupt! And I leave you to your own -rottenness!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He fought his way through them to the door. He -flung one man across a chair that crashed under its -sudden burden. Another man who stood in his way, -he struck with an upper-cut under the chin and sent -him bouncing against the wall. Hooting, swearing, -yelling, they crowded behind him, and he fought his -way clear and almost ran through the outer room -full of astonished stenographers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A girl ran after him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Someone was wantin' you on the telephone, -Mr. Huber," she panted. "I think he said his name -was Forbes and I know he said it was very important."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke paused, looked at her as if she were speaking -an alien tongue and, unanswering, pressed on to -the elevators.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. What now?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He thought about the newspapers, because his -whole soul was still set upon self-justification. He -went to the Union Square Hotel; found the public -stenographer, dictated to her, and signed, copies of -a statement briefly saying that he had left the ticket -of the League because he had found the organization -corrupt; posted these to the press, and then, already -wondering why he had bothered to follow a course -of publicity that was really directed solely by habit, -turned again into the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The idea of party had been torn out of him, and -he felt as if an arm or a leg had been torn out of -him. He could not imagine a man being whole without -being part of a party and thereby having a party -as part of him. Even yet the lingering hope of the -impossible made its claim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But his reason fought that claim with the sword -of remembered experiences. It recalled his faith in -the party into which, almost literally, he had been -born, and how that faith was shattered; his -subsequent belief in the theory of reform within the -party, or the party's ability to reform itself, and -how that belief was broken; his intimate knowledge -of corruption at the head of the other two parties; -his discovery, that morning, of the same baseness -in independent reform movements. Certain as he -was of the rightness of his attitude toward those -strikers at the Forbes mill, he was yet able to see -that even the working-class, cheated by one political -organization after the other, could not win its -ultimate desires through any political organization, -though they formed one of their own. Where was -the entity? What was a party but the people that -composed it? Could a party be a thing-in-itself? -Could it have any existence save in and through its -members? That mattered nothing. Whether the -members imposed evil upon the organization that -they created, or whether the thing that they created -imposed evil on its creators, the evil was -inherent in Party. The irrefutable fact was that the -disease lay not in the form of a party and political -system, but in the system itself: parties were wrong -ab initio, politics were evil in their conception and -being. Not this or that party was responsible, nor -were these or those politics; parties were not diseased, -politics were not diseased. Party in the abstract, -Politics in themselves were the disease.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, he would hold those letters for a -little while....</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. That turn of his passing thought toward the -position of Labor reminded him of the message that -the stenographer had given him. He went to a -telephone and called up the factory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Over the wire, Forbes's voice came in a broken -cry. Breil's men had arrived on time, and the -strikers were waiting for them. There was a pitched -battle in the street. The few policemen on duty -disappeared. The strike-breakers fled into the -factory, where two of them now lay dangerously -wounded and a dozen others were badly cut and -bruised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why didn't you telephone sooner?" Forbes -demanded. "It's awful! I sent for doctors and -nurses. I've been trying everywhere to get you. -There's one man—I couldn't find you anywhere—I -don't know——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke gritted his teeth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Haven't you 'phoned for more police?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course I have; but the Commissioner said -it wasn't anything but a street-fight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I'll try the Mayor."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have done that, Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did he say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He said—you would hardly believe it—he said -that these matters were the Commissioner's business."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§7. Luke went himself to the Commissioner and -the Mayor, and was given the answers that Forbes -had been given. The Commissioner said that he -had the reports of his patrolmen, and that these -spoke of the matter as trivial when it happened and -described it as now ended. In the Mayor's office he -was told:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have to depend on the word of my Commissioner."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke spent the remainder of the afternoon trying -by long-distance telephone to reach the executive -office at Albany. When he got an answer, it was -from the Governor's secretary, and was to the effect -that he now expected: no troops could be called -out for service in any county of the State until the -local civil authorities asked for them.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§8. That night, when there was a lull in the -turmoil around the factory, Luke and Forbes sat late -in the library of Forbes's house, trying to devise -some plan to save the situation. It was two o'clock -in the morning when Luke walked into the darkened -hall; but there Betty's warm arms were around his -neck, and Betty's voice was whispering in his ear:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will come out all right. I know it will come -out all right, because </span><em class="italics">we're</em><span> right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He kissed her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope I do better at this than I did in politics," -he said. "I haven't had time to tell you, but I lost -there, dear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, you didn't." He felt her hair brush his -cheek as she shook her head in contradiction. "No, -you didn't. You had your choice between doing what -was right and what was wrong. The only way to -win was the way they thought was losing. But you -did what was right—and so it was they that lost, and -it was my brave man that won!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xv"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XV</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Something had gone wrong again with the head -of that office in the Wall Street skyscraper where -George Washington watched the stock-ticker and -where the windows looked down on filmy streets -full of figures bobbing like entangled flies: the plump -man in brown, the man with the pointed teeth and -the beady eyes, was once more absent. The slight -cold that the doctors mentioned, the catarrhal -affection, had returned; the mucous membranes of the -throat were re-inflamed; the malady that no -newspaper gave a name to renewed its war.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As always, the office work proceeded with silent -regularity. Simpson, the almoner, saw callers. -Atwood, the chief broker, telephoned for orders -uptown. Conover, the confidential clerk, traveled -several times a day between his master's house and his -master's place of business in one of his master's -motor-cars. At the brown man's home, the famous -physicians issued their non-committal bulletins; -L. Bergen Rivington and George J. Hallett came in -and went out, the former worried and elliptical, the -latter loud in denial. And directly across the street -the relays of reporters resumed their watching, asked -hourly the same questions and received always the -same replies. Rumor once more hinted dark things -about a ruined digestion and an overworked brain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nevertheless, there was a difference between this -occasion and its predecessors, and the delicate nerves -of the financial world quivered with their subtle and -sure appreciation of it. The interval of good health -had been briefer than ever before. Simpson looked -grave. Atwood received few orders. Conover more -often than not failed to see whom he sought. The -famous physicians called other famous physicians into -consultation. Rivington and Hallett were sometimes -denied audience. The reporters sent their chiefs -a word that made every newspaper-office in the -country hunt up a certain long-prepared obituary, set -it in type and keep it standing on the bank with a -slug-line that read, "Hold for Orders." Rumor -shook its thousand heads, and this time rumor was -right: the thumbs of the gods were turned down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No more rising early and working late for the -man with the beady eyes and hairy hands. No more -gluttony. No more scheming. All hours are alike -in the sickroom; his only food was tepid broth, and -about a brain too tired to scheme for itself, the only -scheming was how to drag forward from minute to -minute its life that was death-in-life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the street straw had one day been strewn to -quiet the noise of traffic, and the next day commands -from City Hall closed that street to traffic. Outside -was silence, and silence was inside, behind the -brownstone walls and shuttered windows, over the rich -rugs, among the pictures by the great dead artists.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a darkened room, in a big Louis XV. bed, -bought from the poor descendant of a Provençal -marquis for whose mistress it was made, the patient -lay. His legs were beneath the covers, but an -upholstered bed-rest propped him so that his trunk was -almost upright, wrapped in a house-jacket of French -flannel, russet brown. Freshly shaven and carefully -brushed, he was as neat as if he were about to go to -business; but his cheeks hung like folds of dough over -his heavy jaw-bone; his short-sighted eyes were fixed -on the tapestried canopy above him, which showed -the rape of Europa; his lips, turned pale, were pulled -back tightly over his yellow fangs. On the edge of -the coverlet, high-drawn, his hairy hands gave the -only sign of life in all his body: the rounded tips -of their stumpy fingers moved constantly as if they -were spinning ... spinning...</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He would not go to business any more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the day on which Luke's month of promised -suppression was to expire. In the sick-room of -the man in russet-brown two doctors stood at one -side of the bed now, with a nurse between them. -L. Bergen Rivington and George J. Hallett were -admitted to the room, and Rivington stood at the foot -of the bed with his trembling hand before his face, -while Hallett, beside him, squared his jaw and looked -at the dying man, who did not look at him. Some -servants that had worked in the house for twenty -years hovered in the shadows and sobbed, because -they loved their master and had long cause to love -him. A clergyman, in his vestments, knelt at the -side of the bed opposite the doctors and read from -a little book.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"O Almighty God," read the clergyman, his voice -sounding loud in the quiet of the room—"with -whom do live the spirits of just men made perfect, -after they are delivered from their earthly prisons; -we humbly commend the soul of thy servant, our -dear brother, into thy hands..."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One doctor quietly reached out and placed a -seeking finger on the dying man's wrist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"... that it may be precious in thy sight..."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The doctor looked over his shoulder at his colleague. -The colleague's eyes asked a question. The -examining doctor nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"... it may be presented pure and without -spot before thee."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the man on the bed died. He died silently, -speedily, grimly. The stumpy fingers stopped their -weaving motion; they shot into the palms of the -hands, and the hands clenched until only their hairy -backs were visible. The lips tightened for a moment -until the pointed fangs seemed to have bitten through -them; the beady eyes protruded still farther from -their sockets; the crooked arms curved stiffly toward -the belly; the crooked knees shot toward the chest; -the whole figure seemed to curl up; the mouth fell open.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The clergyman looked, hesitated and continued:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"... teach us who survive, in this and other -like daily spectacles of mortality, to see how frail -and uncertain our own condition is; and so to -number our days, that we may seriously apply our hearts -to that holy and heavenly wisdom, whilst we live -here, which may in the end bring us to life everlasting, -through the merits of Jesus Christ, thine only -Son our Lord. Amen."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Far down in the offices on the twentieth floor of -a Wall Street skyscraper, everything was going on -as usual. Only one room of the suite was empty, and -even in it, under the solemn Washington, the -stock-ticker was weaving out its yards and yards of tape -by the windows that looked to the web of streets on -which the people buzzed always like entangled flies.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xvi"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVI</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. Public opinion had been unanimous concerning -Luke's break with the Municipal Reform League. -Only in the terms of their condemnation did the -newspapers differ: they were all agreed that Luke -was anathema. His letters to the press served him to -small purpose; the Executive Committee issued a -statement declaring that his withdrawal had been -requested "because of inflammatory utterances and -practical policies contrary to the spirit and purpose -of the organization." The official statement was -accepted and his individual version treated as a futile -attempt to blacken a reputable, if mistaken, -movement. It was everywhere believed that he had been -forced to resign because of his Cooper Union speech, -and it was in some quarters hinted that his former -comrades held him responsible for the attempt to -bribe the Heney lieutenant—a scandal made the most -of during the subsequent period of the campaign and -thereafter dropped before it reached the courts. -In spite of the fact that the Committee had met in -secret session, some of its members gave their own -story of its turbulent dénouement to the reporters, -and this was published in a form that made Luke -appear as a cornered bully.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span class="small">"Mr. Huber [said the most dignified editorial on the subject] -was once doubtless a well-intentioned young man, but his first -taste of popular applause seems to have intoxicated him, made -him see visions of one real evil in every impossible quarter and -caused a fit of that acute mania wherein one's best friends are -mistaken for one's worst enemies. This is the only charitable -explanation of the tragic end to a promising career, but on that -end the Municipal Reform League is certainly to be -congratulated."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Other editorials laughed at Luke's habit of hitting -at vast conspiracies of which he never produced -proof, and some charged him with flagrant -dishonesty. He reverted for a time to his belief in -publicity and bombarded the papers with letters of -explanation; but the papers at first garbled and then -forgot to print what he wrote. He sent for reporters -to give them interviews, but, although the men still -liked him, and politely took down his every word, -they could never get their "copy" beyond the -editorial desks. Within a few days, the former -candidate was a newspaper joke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had, of course, written to his mother and sister -about his engagement to Betty, since publicly -announced, and they had replied with kindly letters, -glad because of his planned marriage to the daughter -of a man of good family supposed to be well-to-do, -and hopeful for his continued happiness. Now, with -the news of his political overthrow published -broadcast, Jane wrote to ask him why he had been so -foolish and to quote her husband the Congressman, to -the effect that what Luke needed was an apprenticeship -at practical politics; his mother's comment was -one of love triumphant over the defects of the loved -object and forgiveness for behavior inexplicable in -his father's son.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The strike dragged on wearily. After the first -outbreak of violence, the leaders were able, for a -time, to prevail upon the strikers to use more -peaceable methods; but the resulting days of siege were -as trying for both sides as the active warfare had -been. Forbes's boasts to the contrary notwithstanding, -the firm, handicapped by the unskilled labor of -the strike-breakers, found itself unable to fulfil its -contracts; the new recruits were all raw men, whereas -much of the factory's work was intended for trained -women: badly needed money was being forfeited. -The dispossessed employees, on the other hand, -rapidly exhausted their own supplies; because they -had gone over to industrial unionism, the American -Federation of Labor, to which their old "local" had -been attached through the trade-union that it was a -part of, refused help and forbade the union to give -any; there had been a national reaction against the -I.W.W., and it could furnish but little money. The -strikers held angry meetings and faced starvation; -Luke and Forbes met in long conferences and faced ruin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In those days, only Luke's love for Betty -sustained him, and Betty, being new to both love and -disaster, remained loyal. She was confident that the -politicians and the papers were conspiring against -him, and, knowing her father's gentleness in his -home, she was equally confident that the strikers were wrong.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke did not inquire as to the reasons of her -steadfastness. In the first darkness of disaster, he was too -glad for support to quarrel with its origin. She was -warm and human, sympathetic and at hand; she -loved him. With all his heart and soul, he returned -her love. In the last analysis, he fought, he told -himself, for an ideal that, if greater than them both -or separately, was yet necessary to them. The ideal -had an undeniable lien upon the best of his strength -of body and mind; yet whatever of these the ideal -could spare was not for him, but for Betty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then came the death of the man whom Luke had -regarded as the personification of the evils from -which the country was suffering. It came close -enough upon the Cooper Union speech to make -that speech appear in the worst possible taste; but -it was an event considered of such tremendous -importance in itself that Luke was forgotten and -once for all swept from the columns of the newspapers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those papers, even the daring few that had once -or twice had the temerity feebly to question the lesser -schemes of the man who now pursued no more -schemes, were crowded with reverential accounts of -his illness, awed pictures of his last moments, -laudatory descriptions of his Napoleonic career, and -editorials that spoke only of his undeniable greatness -and his outstanding benefactions. The country talked -as if its king had died; the achievements of none of -the three presidents killed while in office had -received louder praise or more lengthy attention. He -left two large fortunes to individuals: one to the -niece to whom Yeates was engaged, and one to be -divided among more distant relatives, with bequests -to faithful servants in his house and businesses; but -the bulk of his money went to the colleges and -hospitals that he had so magnificently assisted during his -life. Firmly, the entire press observed the Latin -maxim: they let nothing but good be spoken of the dead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was by this time prepared for such an attitude -on the part of the papers, but, on his own part, -he permitted no illusions. The fact of death must -always be solemn; but the force that ended wrong-doing -did not palliate it. This blow was like a -judgment from Heaven. Luke did not think so much of -how it would benefit him as of how it would benefit -the country, but he was of too common clay not to -spare some reflection to the influence of the event -upon his own affairs: it would probably mean the -dissolution of the antagonism to him in business; it -would surely mean the cessation of the personal -persecution that had already wrecked his political and -professional career. Yet it was more for the triumph -of the larger and broader good that he felt ready to -chant a </span><em class="italics">Jubilate</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once the thoughts crossed his mind: If Heaven -were just, and this death were indeed Heaven's -judgment, why had Heaven's judgment been so long -delayed? And, since Heaven had been tardy when -the death of a single man could thus ease the world -and make for social righteousness, how could he -have held it wrong had some sufferer from that evil -struck, in Heaven's default, this single blow for the -freedom of society? But he was in no mood to front -casuistry: the thing had happened, and that was -happiness enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was reading the news in his rooms at the -Arapahoe. He had sat up late with Forbes the night -before and had risen late this morning, breakfasting -in the apartment house. He knew that he ought -to go to the factory, but he could not go at once.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began again to dream dreams as he used to -dream them. His personal failure counted for -nothing in what must happen now. Suppose he were -discredited and unable to win back the public -confidence: somebody, without party and without -politics, a larger and better man than he had been, would -assume a national leadership, where his had been -small and local, and would now bring the whole -country back to the simple political faith and the plain, -honest financial and industrial policies of the nation's -founders. The mercenaries of darkness that had -served the evil mind could not now, with the evil -mind in perdition, stand for one day against the -Army of Light.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Himself? He would begin over again, with Betty -and for her. In the new order, under the reign of -equity, public opinion would soon clarify, and he -could re-establish himself and perform some part, -however small, of the mighty work of reconstruction. -He had been too busy of late with love and politics -and business to continue in the social life in which Jack -Porcellis had launched him. Porcellis's sporadic -returns to New York—the man was just now in India -on the pretense of studying its religions—were, -latterly, Luke's sole occasions of approaching that -existence. Save to secure the loan, he now contritely -recalled, he had neglected Ruysdael, whose agent as -yet evinced no misgivings over the effect of the strike -upon Forbes's securities, and on his last incursions -into Mrs. Ruysdael's set, though Luke had found -himself liked, he was made aware that the liking -for his small-talk was severely tempered by scorn -for his enthusiasms. He must overcome all -that now. To be of use, to help Betty, he must regain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he was a small boy, his ambition in life had -been carpentry. At some remote time or other, he -must have seen and admired one of those journeymen -joiners of the elder type that used to tramp the -country roads from small town to town and keep -alive by doing odd jobs at the houses on their -endless way. He loved tools and he loved wandering; -even yet he loved them, and this figure had once -represented Romance to him as definitely as the dead -man in russet brown, long afterward, represented -Evil. This morning, while he smiled at the memory -of those young imaginings, Luke felt a little of their -charm: it seemed impossible for him to form, as he -should, his new plans while he sat in an apartment -house in the city in which his plans must eventually -be applied; he wished that he could drop everything -for the day and go somewhere far out into the -country to tramp the dusty roads and dream at -ease.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was then that the telephone announced a caller: -ex-Judge Stein.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. The Judge, as he entered, presented the same -dignified figure that he had presented when Luke last -talked with him. His strong face was solemn, but -undisturbed by its solemnity. He arranged with care -the tails of his frock-coat as he seated himself in -the best chair, but on this occasion he came directly -to the point of his visit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber," he said, "a great many things -have happened since we met."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shrugged his shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll admit you've kept me pretty busy, Judge."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was not referring to the unnecessary trouble -in which you involved yourself. I was referring -to the fact that your month has elapsed and that -the man you threatened is dead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The news of the morning had temporarily annulled -Luke's sense of time. Only yesterday he had -wondered what use he should make of the Rollins -letters, now carried in a safer place than his -coat-pocket; to-day he had forgotten them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he said, gathering his thoughts behind -his impassive face: "the month's over and the man's -dead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge leaned impressively forward. He -shook his white head gravely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Death," said the Judge, "wipes out all animosities. -I know you would not use those letters -now, Mr. Huber, because I know you would not -strike a dead man. So I have come to ask you to -deliver them to me." He held out his opened hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke blinked at it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't understand," said he. "I thought you -always represented yourself as—well, as not -professionally retained in this matter?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am now," said the Judge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh! By the estate?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not directly and not altogether." Stein chose -his words. "I am retained by the company whose -property those letters are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought you had left the railroad-claim business -long ago. Perhaps you are specially retained for this -one job?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge looked hurt. His firm mouth quivered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber," he said, "I am in no frame of -mind for joking to-day. This man is dead, and he -was my friend——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry to have seemed to joke," Luke interrupted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Stein bowed and went on:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is dead, and whatever his faults—we all have -our faults, Mr. Huber—they died with him. I am -here only to ask you to show a decent respect for the -memory of a dead enemy. I am here to ask you to -be magnanimous, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Magnanimous? You talk as if I had won!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The living are always the winners," said the Judge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke began to doubt that theory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so you want me to surrender these letters?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly. What use can they be to you now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There were other people involved. Are they -willing to accept my terms? I know they can't hurt me, -because I know they haven't the courage or the -power of the man you've been talking about. But -that's neither here nor there: will they accept my -terms?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They did not write either of the letters, Mr. Huber."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're inculpated by them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not legally."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Enough inculpated to serve my purpose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you think that," said the Judge, "I can only -repeat the offer I made you when I called here before."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I can only refuse it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber," the Judge began again, "the man -is dead——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's nerves had been strained for many a day. -He leaped to his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course the man's dead!" he cried. "He -was dead this morning, and he's still dead. Why do -you keep saying that over and over? I'm tired of -hearing it." He saw the look of pain return. "I -beg your pardon," he said; "but I might as well tell -you first and last that I won't surrender those -letters, no matter what you plead or threaten. I won't -tell you what I intend to do with them, either. And -the only reason I know that they must be of use to -me is your coming here and saying they aren't any use."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Judge rose also.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber," said he, "I am very sorry to hear -you speak this way. I can't tell you how sorry I am. -You ought to know by this time——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I couldn't know anything," Luke cut in, "that -would make me change my mind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But suppose," said the Judge heavily, "suppose -my friends happen to know that the situation of the -Forbes Company——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's face went very white.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He opened the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-morning, Judge," he said.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. Stein's polite, but portentous adieux were not -a quarter of an hour old before Luke sought the -office of the newspaper that had been the last to -refuse him space in its columns for his political -explanations. The man that was dead had, it seemed, -left a something of his influence behind him: Luke -resolved to strike at it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The office-boy was a long time returning, and, -when he did, it was to announce:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He says ter find out whatcher want."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give me my card," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He scribbled on the card: "Non-political."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now," he said, "try him again."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. The editor was one of those men whom -newspaper-work so affects that they look any age between -thirty and fifty. His nervous face was full of tense -lines, and every few minutes his mouth twitched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke told his story and showed the letters. The -editor read them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why do you want to do this?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" Luke was amazed. "Because I want -to protect the public."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you'd better go to the M. & N. railroad."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you know they wouldn't do anything. -They've promised before."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't believe that," said the editor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't believe it. You have always been too -sudden, Mr. Huber—if you'll pardon my saying so. -At any rate, we can't print these things." He -returned the letters. "After all, the man's dead, you -know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that got to do with it?" Luke's voice -rose in reply to the hated phrase. "I want to keep -some other people from dying."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The editor picked up a proof-sheet and began to -read it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would be bad taste for us to print that, just -now," he said. "Come around in a couple of weeks, -and we may think about it. Why, the body's hardly -cold yet."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. As Forbes had once gone from bank to bank, -Luke went that morning from newspaper-office to -newspaper-office. Yet there was this difference: that, -whereas Forbes had only tried a few banks, Luke -tried a dozen newspaper-offices. His search included -the papers notoriously controlled by the money or -the advertising of the power that opposed him; he -even tried some of those journals of the city which are -printed in foreign tongues, and he tried the radical -press. He tried all in vain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Most of the editors were men that had fought -him when he was the candidate of the Municipal -Reform League; some that he sought were of those -who had tired of him when he pestered them with -explanations of his political overthrow. Many -refused to see him; one or two pronounced him mad. -The radicals shared the view of the man with whom -he first spoke: they would not be guilty of bad taste. -Wherever he got word with a person in authority, -the word was the same; he met with that all-sufficient -argument:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"After all, the man's dead."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. When, finally, he acknowledged defeat, his -wearied nerves manifested their condition through -deep physical exhaustion. He could not front the -thought of passing the remainder of the day at the -factory; could not go at once from one losing fight to -another. However much he might be needed, he -could not do it. Until he had rested, he would be -useless, and worse than useless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did not go back to the Arapahoe. Instead, -with the open country calling him, he went to the -Grand Central Station and took a train into -Connecticut.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The day was Saturday, and the cars were filled -with released workers, but Luke avoided them by -going far and descending at the least important of -the train's stops. Tired though he was, he walked -beyond the little town. He cut across fields to a hill -crowned by a clump of trees and there, in the shade, -threw himself on the ground and lay for hours -thinking of nothing and looking at white clouds sailing -across a blue sky. He wished that he could lie here -forever....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was one o'clock in the morning before he -returned to his rooms. It was far too late to reply -to the score of telephone-calls that, he was told, -Forbes had made on him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke remembered that he had promised Betty to -go with her to service at Nicholson's church.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§7. He was strengthened by his brief rest, and he -went to Betty with a heart renewed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father's still asleep," she said, as she met him in -the hall of the Forbes house, her gloved fingers -busied with her hair, preventing the escape of one of -the yellow wire pins that held the few strands too -short for her pins of tortoise-shell. "He wanted -to be called, but he was so tired out, I told the maid -not to disturb him. He sat up ever so late, waiting -for you. Where were you, Luke?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke had rarely seen her looking better. The -Sunday calm had erased all the tokens of the recent -trying days from her face: it was rosy and young; -it was appealingly almost childish. The morning sun -was in her hair; her brown eyes were wide and -bright. He did not want to spoil her by the story -of his yesterday's defeat, and so he passed it by -with some facile excuses for his absence from the -factory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're late," he said, as he helped her into the -Forbes motor-car.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The chauffeur ran close to the speed-laws all the -way to Manhattan. They reached their journey's -end immediately after the choir had taken its -position in the chancel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ritualistic church of St. Athanasius is one of -the handsomest in New York. It was built in close -imitation of Beverley Minster, and so elaborate was -the work done upon it that, in spite of its wealthy -congregation's assistance, it still staggered under the -load of a heavy debt. It has the Yorkshire building's -two Early English transepts, Perpendicular towers, -and a Late Decorated nave with flying and pinnacled -buttresses. Inside, as Luke and Betty entered it, the -warmly-colored light fell through many Lancet -windows on the crowd of fashionable worshipers kneeling -before narrow chairs. Nicholson's voice, coming -from behind the choir-screen, sounded clear but far -away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke and Betty walked up the nearest aisle and -took the seats assigned to the Forbes family, close -to the carved pulpit and under the triforium. The -high arches were carried on clustered pillars, and, -down the perspective of the nave, Luke could see into -the choir, to the Decorated reredos, where, as in -Beverley, the piers increased in size by successive -groups of shafts that projected like corbels. He -knelt beside her and tried to give his mind to the -service; but his eyes, familiar though they were with -the church, wandered to the north aisle's windows -and the ogee and foliated arcade under them, to the -people in front of him, and so, inevitably, to the girl -at his side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The service proceeded. The people said the -Lord's Prayer; Nicholson recited the collect, and -then read the Ten Commandments of Moses, the -congregation responding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts -to keep this law."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After the creed, Nicholson walked to the pulpit. -He climbed its steps, and for a few moments only his -clasped hands were visible as he knelt inside. Then -rising, he took his stole from the pulpit rail, kissed the -cross embroidered at the top of the stole, and put -it on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In the Book of Ecclesiastes," he began, "in the -ninth chapter and the second verse, it is written:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'All things come alike to all: there is one event to -the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and -to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that -sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not.'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson's face was earnest. It was at once stern -and irradiated, the face of an ascetic turned seer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And in the General Epistle of St. James," he -proceeded, "in the second chapter and the -twenty-second verse:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, -and by works was faith made perfect?'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson spoke without notes, but without hesitation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A great man," he said, "has just died. We have -heard evil report of him, and good report. We have -heard whispers against him, and we have seen good -that he has done; but his greatness no man -questioned. To-day he has passed to his last account. -To-day the dead man stands before his Eternal Judge. -One of those events that happen to the rich and poor -alike has happened to him. With what he has done -that is over, the Court of Heaven now alone, in all -its boundless mercy, has to deal. We that remain -here on earth may not judge of that. We that remain -on earth must consider the things that he has done -and are not over, the things he has left behind; we -must concern ourselves only with what concerns us; -it is our duty to remember him by the works that he -has made his monument."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The preacher dwelt upon the dead man's rise from -poverty to vast riches, a hopeful lesson in the reward -of thrift and wisdom to every poor boy in a republic -that grants equal opportunity to all. He spoke with -an admiration of the genius that had carved its way to -power until its will was felt in the uttermost corners -of the earth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he proceeded, Nicholson seemed to forget his -admonition against the judgment of things over and -done with. He made direct reference to Luke's -Cooper Union speech, and he looked full in Luke's -face as he made it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not long ago," he said, "while this man was -tottering upon the brink of eternity, another man, a -sincere, but misguided man, made terrible charges -against him, charges that reflected, however veiled, -upon the character and motives not only of the man -now dead, but a whole group of people eminent in -public and business life. And what was the result? -Nothing that lent the least credit to the accuser's -intelligence or appreciation of the value of evidence, -for nothing at all was proven, nothing even corroborated."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke flushed. He felt Betty looking at him, but he -would not return her gaze. He felt other people in -the congregation turned toward him. He could not -guess what had changed Nicholson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sermon was proceeding with praises of the -dead man's benefactions. One by one they were -described and extolled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His greatness," said Nicholson, "would have -availed him nothing at this one event for the righteous -and the wicked if he had not had charity, for we are -told that though we speak with the tongues of men -and of angels and have not charity, we are become as -sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. Charity, -however, this man had. The institutions that he -supported and has endowed have given and now forever -will give learning to thousands who, but for them, -would have lived in ignorance—healing to -thousands who, but for them, would have died in agony.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Charity: but charity alone will not suffice. -Sounding brass itself, unless it is informed by faith! -And this man's sublime faith even his worst enemy -cannot deny. For his counsel and advice, for his -painstaking and sagacious investment of its funds the -Church is indebted to this man as it is to no other. -Many a denomination outside our own fold can truly -say the same of him and should say and does say how -much we owe him, also, for the unceasing flow of his -money into our treasuries. He did not speak of these -things. He did not let his right hand know what his -left hand did; but we of the Church remember that -he gave millions of dollars to the faith.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The faith of men of money is tested by their -money; yet this man's faith had many another test and -rose triumphant from them all. His attendance at the -Church's services—not only on Sundays, but on fast-days -and holidays, on saints'-days and work-days—never -failed. His wisdom was free to our councils, -and I have been told on reliable authority that he -never rose in the morning, went to bed at night, or -embarked on any business enterprise, however small, -without first humbly and privately asking direction of -the Most High. He knew in his every act that the -greatest man is as nothing before God; and when he -came to die, he died like a Christian, a priest of God -by his side and the words of God's mercy sounding -in his dulling ears. From first to last, his works and -his faith were one: 'Seest thou how faith wrought -with his works, and by works was faith made -perfect?' For us who are Christians, that is enough. -It is enough to make us each pray to meet his end, -each at his own station in life, as this great man met -his. </span><em class="italics">De mortuis nil nisi bonum</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Only amazement had held Luke in his chair. At -this phrase, he half rose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson, however, was concluding:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is but one word more, a word personal -to us of this congregation, to be said. I need not -recall to you the heavy privations that this church in -which we now are has undergone. They were -generously met and nobly borne, but, in spite of all your -nobility and all your generosity, the time came, a -week since, when it seemed indeed as if the forces of -evil were about to conquer, and as if, unless Heaven -intervened, this beautiful building must pass out of -our hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three days before the death of the man I have -been speaking of this morning, an impulse came to me, -and I wrote him a letter. My friends, I do not -believe that that impulse was of this world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have since been told that when the letter reached -him, his eyes were too dim to read it; yet, when he -was informed of its purport, he asked that it be read -to him. It was read, and then, with a hand already -trembling at the touch of death, he took a pen and -signed the last check of his career. That check was -our emancipation; it was a check for the entire sum -for which this Church of St. Athanasius—this -beautiful church in which it is our privilege to worship -God—stood indebted. I ask you to join in prayer for -the soul of our dead benefactor and then to unite in -the doxology for thanksgiving to God. 'Seest thou -how faith wrought with his works, and by works was -faith made perfect?'"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§8. "Where are you going?" gasped Betty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The people were kneeling, but Luke was on his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going to get out of here," he answered. -"I'm going to get into the open. I want fresh air."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He strode down the aisle under the clustered pillars -of the triforium, and Betty hurried after. At -the church door stood a table bearing a pile of leaflets, -and unconsciously he took one as he passed.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§9. In the sunlit street, he felt a little ashamed of -his impetuosity. Betty was indignant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why did you make such a scene?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry," said Luke. "I simply couldn't stand -it. A priest talking like that! And Nicholson the -priest!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He shouldn't have attacked you," Betty granted, -"but you didn't put him in the wrong by behaving -impolitely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I don't care about putting him in the wrong, -and I don't care about his attacking me!" Luke -helped her into the waiting motor, and the car started -smoothly on its return journey. "What I couldn't -stand was the Church making a hero out of such a -man; the Church selling itself for a few thousand -dollars."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the man did do good, Luke."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much—compared with the evil he did?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't know that. Who can?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You talk like Nicholson!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I don't." She put her hand on his. "But -what good can come of abusing the man?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't want him abused: I only don't want God's -Church to make a saint out of him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nobody's doing that, Luke. They're simply -being decent about him. After all, he </span><em class="italics">is</em><span> dead."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke shook her hand free. Then, suddenly, he -tossed back his head and broke into a high laugh. He -frightened her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke! What is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could not at once answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, what is the matter?" she pleaded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You!" he laughed. "You, too!" To control -himself he unfolded and looked at the leaflet that he -had picked up in the church doorway, and had been -heedlessly folding and unfolding ever since. His -mirth stopped. "Listen to this," he ordered. "By -Jove, it's not Nicholson alone; it's the whole bunch, -and speaking officially, too! Listen to this. It's a -printed statement issued by the General Executive -Committee of the whole church—not St. Athanasius -alone, but the entire denomination—and it's worse -than Nicholson's sermon." His eyes ran from line to -line. "'We call upon the prayers of the faithful,'" -he read as well as the motion of the car permitted.... -"'He has not buried his talent nor hidden his -candle under a bushel.... So far as a man's life can, -his life exemplified Law and Order, realized the -truth uttered by Richard Hooker: "Of Law there -can be no less acknowledged, than that her seat is in -the bosom of God, the harmony of the world."'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty had been listening attentively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Well?'" repeated Luke. "'Well?' Don't -you see? The whole Church is standing up for him. -And not our Church alone: all churches. He'd -bought them—bought them!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke! How can you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, he has. One way or another. He or -his kind: for I'm beginning to see at last he wasn't -alone—never was and never will be. And seeing -that, I'm not blaming him so much—any of the </span><em class="italics">hims</em><span>. -I don't say, any more, he was worse than the rest of -us; he was only stronger. Maybe he was only the -average man in extraordinary circumstances. He -didn't make them—I'm beginning to believe that, -too,—they made him. But the Church! The -churches! They've sinned against the light. They're -liars. They're—why, they must be founded on a -lie: their light must be darkness!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl had edged away from him, her brown -eyes big with horror at his blasphemy. The motor -was drawing up before the door of the Forbes house; -it was drawing up in a quiet Brooklyn street. And -there, in that Sunday stillness, and among those -surroundings of commonplace respectability, suddenly -the Marvel came to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It came to him, this denial of Religion, as a -profound religious experience. It was Miracle, burning, -blinding, transfiguring. Elemental, tremendous. It -was a stroke that affected his entire being; suffused -him; changed him, spiritually, in every atom. It -hurled him from all his old bases and set him in a -new relation to the universe. It was not reformation; -it was revolution. Luke was another personality: -this was the "new birth." He saw the glory of -individuality, the divinity of his humanity. In the flash -of revelation, he learned to walk and knew that for -all his life he had been permitting himself to be -carried. Without guessing it, he had been, he now -knew, all these years, afraid, and now, with this -new inspiration, he faced all things and feared none. -Believing, he had been dead, but denying, was alive -again; faithful, he had been lost, faithless, he was -found, and not by any other help than his own: he -had found himself. It was the thing that, in the -twinkling of an eye, can make an honest man of a liar, -an abstainer of a dipsomaniac, good out of evil. -It was the same thing that happens to a penitent at the -moment of "conversion," of "receiving grace," of -"experiencing religion"; the same force operating -with the same power and the same manner, but in an -opposite direction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As St. Paul rose from the earth after his vision -near Damascus, so Luke staggered from the Forbes -motor-car. His hands groped at the air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty!" he gasped; "tell your father I can't see -him. Not now.—I'll be back later.—Perhaps in a -little while.—Later."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She put out her arms to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it, Luke?" she cried. "What's the matter?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His eyes looked at her, but he did not see her. He -turned from her to the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know," he said, "but I think—I think -I'm Being Saved."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xvii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. For an hour, for two hours, he tried to adjust -his mental and spiritual sight to the blazing -illumination; but adjustment, he at length realized, must be -a matter of many days. The illumination was too -sudden and too intense. He could no more assess -moral values and determine ethical duties than a -new-born baby can know the use of those objects most -habitual to its elders—a new-born baby to whom the -lamp on a table and the moon in the sky are one and -the same. There must be false starts on wrong roads; -there must be disappointment and stumbling; there -must even be moments of relapse. The great thing -for Luke was that, as the lives of some men are -changed forever for the better by an affirmation of -faith, his life had now forever been changed for the -better by a rejection of faith. He had denied the -superhuman in man's affairs, and the banishment of -the superhuman raised the human; it left the man no -longer a pigmy trembling before a giant, but himself -a giant, limited and mortal, yet self-sufficient and -divine. He had found what was for him the ultimate -strength; for the knowledge of how to use that -strength rightly he could wait.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, there was the patent obligation to -Forbes. Forbes needed him; Luke returned to the -Forbes house.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. Forbes was waiting in the library.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where were you yesterday? Are you going -crazy, Huber? You knew I needed you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The elder man had borne disaster hardly. He -looked tired and ill.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry," said Luke. "I was busy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Busy? What could have kept you busy in town -when you knew this strike was going on? And you -went to church this morning instead of waking me! -Betty says you're sick. Are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. I'm only getting well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes's tone was more considerate:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyhow, you might have come in to luncheon. -Have you had anything to eat?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm all right," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But Betty says——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is she?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's in her room. I told her to lie down. She's -all upset. Really, Huber——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke seated himself by the table covered with -magazines and sprawling sections of the Sunday -newspapers. Outwardly, he was as self-contained as -during his days in Leighton's office.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was it you wanted to see me about?" he -interrupted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes took a chair opposite. He assumed the -voice of persuasion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want to be perfectly frank with you, Huber," -he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke thought: "I wonder what he is going to keep -back." All that he said was: "Yes?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," resumed Forbes, "and I want you to be -perfectly frank with me. You once told me you'd -made enemies of the people who've since made such -trouble for us, because you had some letters or other -that belonged to them, didn't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke bowed assent. He knew now what to expect.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," Forbes went on, "the only use those -letters were to you was political. Now that you -can't use them politically, why don't you give them up?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean now that I've been chucked out of -politics?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you know you've ruined yourself there. -You can never get back again. When you can't hurt -your enemies, why not make them your friends?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, thank you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But these letters are of no use to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How do you know that?" asked Luke quietly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes blushed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are they?" he countered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And why," persisted Luke, "didn't you suggest -this to me days ago?" His eyes probed the man -before him. "What else did Judge Stein say to you?" -he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes drew back in his chair. His flush deepened, -but presently he made an impatient gesture.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, very well," he said defiantly, "the Judge did -see me yesterday, and if you had been at the factory, -as you should have been, you'd have seen him, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke thought it unnecessary to remark that he -had been honored by a previous call from Stein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What else did he say?" Luke repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He said a great deal; but the upshot of it was -that he would induce your enemies, who are the men -that control the trust we're competing with, to lower -wages and join the fight against the employees, if you -would agree to surrender those letters."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't do it," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't be hasty," Forbes implored. "Think of -me. Think of Betty——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke winced.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't begin that," he commanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But what have you to gain?" asked Forbes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing. I've nothing to gain. I've only -something to keep: my self-respect."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your self-conceit, you mean. Be reasonable, -Huber. These people won't give in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So I must?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They won't give in, and you can't get back to -politics and can't get any paper to take up your -case."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh,"—Luke could have laughed—"so Stein -told you that, too, did he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind what he told me. The point is: his -people can help you if you'll only acknowledge defeat, -now that you're defeated. They can give you back -all you've lost, and nobody else can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if I don't admit I'm whipped, they'll whip -me some more?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They'll finish what they've begun, Huber; they -will wipe out the Business, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sorry," said Luke—"very sorry for you, I -mean. But there's no use arguing: I won't give in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes exhausted his every resource. He pleaded -for the business, for Luke, for Betty. For an hour he -sent the squadrons of his appeal against the -impregnable wall of Luke's determination.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What have you to gain?" he reiterated; and -once he said: "The worst of the crowd is dead, anyhow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was not listening. He was saying to himself:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it I am to do next? There is still a little -money left to my account at the bank. It will keep -me for a year and mother for a year—and then? I'm -making Forbes hold out against the trust, and if he -does hold out his mill is doomed. No hope there! -Can I go back to the Law? I can't, because the Law -is just what the Church is. The Law was made by -the powerful, it is interpreted by their paid servants -and administered by their slaves. It is a game -devised by the crafty powerful to cheat the simple weak. -The last five years have proved that to me, and I'm -ashamed that it took me so long to learn. Betty——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did not dare to think of Betty. He thought -rather of the open country, of the smell of the earth -on which he had been lying twenty-four hours ago, -and the coolness and freedom of the white clouds -against that sky of blue....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes was saying something about his -grandfather and the Business. Luke got up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's no use your wasting your breath," he -declared. "Nothing that you could say would -change me—no, nothing that even Betty could say! -But I'll do this: I'll never be away from the factory -again when I ought to be there; I'll stand by you till -we've beaten these strikers or till they've ruined us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He walked out of the room and closed the door -before Forbes could answer him, and he walked into -Betty's arms.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. "Luke," she whispered, "what was the -matter this morning? Won't you tell me, dear?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He felt the blood mount hotly to his head. Her -hair was sweet to his nostrils.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't," he said sharply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Luke——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He drew her hands from his neck. He imprisoned -her wrists in his grasp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't quite know what's the matter—yet," he -said. "It's all come too suddenly. But, Betty—O, -Betty, I don't believe I'm the man for you!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She asked him what he meant, and he could not tell -her. She pressed him, and he could only repeat his -conviction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean"—she drew her hands away—"that -you like some other girl better?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He laughed rudely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he said, "not that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you don't care for me?" She recovered all -her dignity. "If you don't care for me, why aren't -you brave enough to say so?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The afternoon sun fell through the hall-window -and showed her to him very fair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty," he said slowly, "there are only two kinds -of marriages you understand: there is the Church, but -I don't believe any more in any church; and there's -the Law, but the Law can't make a marriage for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At least the immediate purport of the words she -understood. Her face burned red and then became -white and still.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean——" she began. Her hands -clenched. "Oh!" she cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She tried to pass him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Passion left him, but a great sorrow took its place -as his master. He wanted to justify himself; he even -so wanted to repair the hurt done her that he would -have shut his eyes to the new light. He seized her -hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She wrenched her hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me go! I want to go to father! Let me go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Betty, wait—listen——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She freed her hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shan't tell him. Don't be afraid. He has -enough to worry him. Only don't let me ever see -you again!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. All that night Luke walked the streets. It -was breakfast-time when he returned to the Arapahoe. -His letters and the morning papers were lying on the -floor of his sitting-room where they had fallen when -the bell-boy dropped them through the slit in the -door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He read the letters first. There were not many, -for his correspondence had of late declined to almost -nothing. The only things of interest were a note -from Porcellis, announcing that he would soon return -to New York and a letter from Luke's mother, saying -that she had written Betty to pay her a visit: "It -is only right that your fiancée should do this," wrote -Mrs. Huber, "and that I should have an early -chance of knowing the girl that is to be my son's -wife."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke wondered how Betty would reply to the invitation. -As he was thinking of this, his eye caught the -heaviest headlines on the first page of the newspaper: -during the night, a body of strikers at the Forbes -factory had marched to the main entrance and -battered down the door in an endeavor to drag out the -Breil men who slept there as guards by night and -worked there by day; the Breil men resisted; there -was a general battle with at least two deaths; the -attacking party were repulsed, but the police, -summoned by a riot-call, gained what appeared to be no -more than a preliminary skirmish, for the entire -neighborhood was in arms and more bloodshed was -expected to-day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke dropped the paper with an oath. He was -more hungry than before for a part in this fight—in -any fight. If Religion was a coward, he would make -one more appeal to Government, to force. He called -Albany on the long-distance telephone. He kept on -calling until he had brought the Governor to the -other end of the wire, and then he was astonished to -hear that the proper civil authorities in New York -had already asked for troops.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is always best," he was told, "not to drag local -men into an affair of this sort, if it can be helped; -so I'm having the Adjutant General send down a -company from Poughkeepsie. That ought to be -enough for the present, and they ought to get there -by noon."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke muttered his thanks and rang off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know why that was done," he said to himself: -"They think they'll make more trouble for us -with the militia here than without it. Well, we'll see."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stripped off his clothes, went to the bathroom, -and began to run the water for a cold plunge. He -was talking to himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The worst of the crowd's dead," he said. "That -was Forbes's way of putting it. There he had a -glimpse. Started down to rock-bottom. But he -didn't arrive. I felt that way till only a little while -ago. But I see I was wrong. I thought this was a -one-man show; I believed in a sort of personal Devil. -I wish I'd been right. It would have been all so -simple, if I'd been right in that. But I wasn't. It -isn't the men; it's the system. The man didn't make -the system; the system made the man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was wonderfully clear about that now. All -his fight against evil had been directed toward one -man, and the man was dead and the evil remained. -He could almost pity that man in russet brown. That -man who had sat at the fountain of forces reaching -up and down through all the life of the world, seemed -to originate the forces and use them for his own -malign purpose; but now—and herein lay one of the -reasons for Luke's present wonder at life—he -perceived certainly that the man had been only a little -better treated by the forces than the forces treated all -the rest of mankind, was their creation and their slave -just as wholly as the most obscure victim. Industrial -evolution, working through the collective ignorance -of the race, had devised the Great Evil. Here -was a web that no spider wove, a web that killed -spiders as well as flies, lived on with a life of its -own, grew and spread of itself. So long as the web -existed, there would always be a spider. The Web -remained. It was the Web that must be broken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yet he wanted to fight. He would fight. The -Gospel of Negation had given him its light; it had -yet to teach him to see.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. Other forces vitally affecting Luke were at -work that day, at first far distant from the factory. -They were forces that had affected him imperfectly -heretofore, but that now were set in motion in a -manner no longer to be diverted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ex-Judge Stein was summoned from his office -almost at the moment of his appearance there. His -motor-car took him into Wall Street, to a certain -skyscraper, into which he went and was taken as far as -the twentieth floor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He entered an unmarked door and passed an -attendant who bowed to him respectfully. He passed -another attendant. A third, at sight of him, got up -and went through a second door, leaving the Judge -to wait in dignified repose. Then the last attendant -reappeared and nodded, and the Judge passed the -second door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He remained inside for an hour. When he came -out his mien was undisturbed, but his strong and -kindly face was even graver than usual. He almost -forgot to return the farewells of the attendants as he -left them. He rang twice for the elevator, although -the elevator was not long delayed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The office," he said to his chauffeur as he climbed -again into the car.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. Returned at his own quarters at half-past ten, -he sent immediately for Irwin, to whom he talked for -perhaps forty-five minutes. He spoke with a sad -inevitability.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No more excuses, no more extensions of time, -no more delays," he concluded—"and no more failures."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The twinkle left Irwin's eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could not fail to understand. His superior had -been once and for all explicit. Judge Stein, during -his service to the public on the bench, had never been -called upon to pronounce a sentence of death, but, -had he been so called upon, he would have spoken -much as he now spoke to Irwin.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§7. "I hate to have to tell you this," said Irwin -to Quirk at noon in the latter's shabby law-office, -"but if that job isn't done before to-morrow morning, -those affidavits charging you with jury-fixing are -going to be turned over to the District-Attorney, and -the people that have them are now in a position to -make Leighton act on them, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Irwin also had become specific. The plump Mr. Quirk -lost his habitual smile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a rotten business," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is," Irwin agreed; "but your arrest would be -a worse one—for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We may have to go the limit," said Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then," said Irwin, "you'd better go it. That's -no affair of mine."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§8. "This time," said Quirk, "you've got till -to-night to make up your mind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was talking to Police-Lieutenant Donovan. It -was just after lunch-time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What about?" asked Donovan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Whether you want to bluff us again or lose your job."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We never did bluff you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then: whether you want to get those letters -or get fired. Not </span><em class="italics">try</em><span> to get them: </span><em class="italics">get</em><span> them. It's -get them or get out." All the kindliness and -good-fellowship was missing from Quirk's voice. "It's one -thing or the other. We got evidence to fire you on. -You knew we had, last time I talked to you. Well, -they were easy on you then, Hughie. This time they -mean business."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Donovan looked at Quirk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Suppose somebody gets hurt?" he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quirk shrugged his shoulders.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§9. When Guth came in late in the afternoon, -Donovan said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I got a warrant in my desk for you, Guth. A -friend o' mine swore it out. If I don't stop him, it -means a criminal trial where you won't have the -chance of a goat. You know what it's for: that little -girl up in Fifty-second Street. The only way I can -get him to hold off's for you to get Reddy Rawn to -do what you'd ought t' got him to do long ago. If -somebody gets hurt, it ain't our fault."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§10. At eight p.m. in the shadowy alley near -Forty-third Street and Third Avenue, Patrolman -Guth's twisted mouth was menacing the darkness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's down at the Forbes factory now," said -Guth. "There's sure to be a fight there to-night, an' -anybody can get in. It's a cinch."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The darkness did not reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyhow, you got to," said Guth. "The old -man's crazy mad. He says it's the chair for yours if -you fall down this time. Crab Rotello's got worse. -He can't live the night, an' the old man says he's -goin' to have you railroaded soon as Crab cashes in, -if you don't do what he says. He means it, too, -Reddy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Out of the darkness came the answer:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll maybe have to croak this guy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's up to you," said Guth. "It'll look like -some strikers done it. It's his own fault for bein' a -fool. What in hell do you care, anyway? We'll -look out for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right," said the darkness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mind you," Guth repeated, "no more stallin' -this time. If you don't get the goods, an' get 'em -to-night, you're a dead boy, Reddy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was an instant of silence. Then the darkness -spoke again:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It won't be me's the dead one."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xviii"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVIII</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. The text of the newspaper article, which Luke -read carefully while he dressed, added few facts to -those marshaled in its headlines. To Luke it was -evident that the past few days had brought the strikers -to desperation. Their own funds were gone, and they -had no help from outside. They were not strong in -numbers, and many of them were women. The ranks -of the men had, however, been swelled to a formidable -figure by unsought additions from the hundreds -of hooligans that, in every city, are attracted to seats -of industrial war, and these provided an element -which the leaders were unable to control. The -affair had gone the usual way: a picket had jeered at -a non-union worker; two policemen attacked the -offending picket; the crowd ran to the rescue, and a -general disturbance, with the assault on the mill, was -the inevitable result. Now there was no telling -to what extent the trouble might go.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke was savagely glad that physical action was -imperative. He wanted something that would stop -thought. He wanted rest from thought: from the -spiritual strain, from the yearning for Betty. Again -and again, as he hurried through a breakfast forced -upon himself only by the knowledge of his need, he -found his mind playing with the childish idea of the -carpenter that he wanted to be, tramping the country -roads from casual job to job. He might well come to -that. Meanwhile, it was good to have this chance for -a fight.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. Luke drove to the factory in a taxicab that he -insisted should be open. As he neared his destination -through rows of grimy buildings and vacant lots -in which goats grazed among ash-heaps and tin cans -and "For Sale" signs, the streets began to look as if -a heavy skirmish had been fought through them. -Knots of idle sightseers already lined the uneven -sidewalks and pointed to the relics of the conflict; at -corners the former workers were gathered in low-speaking -groups—shrunken figures; slouching forms in -poor clothing, whose business was the making of -better clothes for luckier beings; faces angry and sullen, -faces savage, debased, hungry; women's faces as -sexless as the men's—and everywhere, furtive and -sinister, those other faces, the faces most to be feared, of -the gathered condors of the underworld, the feeders -on economic carrion, who had slunk here from the -darkest corners of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City, -rising from a hundred alleys and pot-houses, and -circling toward the factory as birds of prey come from -the four quarters of the compass toward a battlefield; -he saw them crouched at the shadowy thresholds of -tumble-down dwellings, leering from fetid passageways, -peering from the swinging doors of stinking -saloons, stealthy, determined.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Overhead the sky was clear sapphire. A strong -breeze came in from the Sound, laden with health. -It fanned the memories of yesterday out of his brain -and for a moment made the present seem a picture -from the remote past. It was unreal: he felt himself -an unimportant spectator of some unconvincing play.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, rising above rows of rickety houses, the mill -came into sight, blocking the street-end, and restored -his appreciation of the imminent. A wrecked -coal-wagon lay horseless in the middle of the street -opposite a bent lamp-post, the coal heaped where it had -fallen. Battered hats were in the gutter, and on the -pavement was a coat, torn and muddy. No smoke -curled to-day from the chimney of the mill's -engine-room, and in front of its shattered main-door, rudely -repaired by unpainted planks of fresh pine, two -policemen lounged, facing a string of mute pickets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke passed the door unmolested and entered the -office. The superintendent, a whiskered man named -Whitaker, was there, and one or two pasty and -frightened clerks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Forbes down yet?" asked Luke briskly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir," said Whitaker. "He just sent word he -was sick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sick? What's the matter with him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know exactly, Mr. Huber. It was Miss -Forbes telephoned, and she said he'd had a kind of -fainting fit right after breakfast."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke sat down at the desk and called up the Forbes -house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Forbes there?" he asked of the maid that -answered him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir. Mr. Forbes is in bed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ill?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not very well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ask Miss Forbes to come to the 'phone. This is -Mr. Huber talking. I'm at the factory, and I must -know something about Mr. Forbes' condition."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The maid assented, but, after he had waited, it was -again she that spoke to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Forbes asks you please to excuse her. She's -very busy. She says to tell you Mr. Forbes was a -little dizzy and had to lie down. He thinks he can -get to his office late in the day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke felt the mortification that it was patently -intended he should feel; but he lost no time over it. -He turned at once to Whitaker and the clerks, and -secured from them what verification he could of the -newspaper's story. Then he sent for the brawny, -flannel-shirted Breil and learned what remained for -him to know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You think there'll be more trouble?" he asked, -after he had sent Whitaker and his assistant from the -room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sure there will," said Breil cheerfully, "but not -before to-night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When'll the soldiers get here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Long about noon, I guess."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How many police have they given us?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Half a dozen. I couldn't beg more."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Better send some of them out to have that coal -cleared away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I tried to, but they said it wasn't their duty, an' I -couldn't get any satisfaction at City Hall. You know -how these cops are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Couldn't you have a detail of your own men do it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'd like to first-rate; but it'd mean a fight, an' we -don't want to put ourselves in the position, to the -public, of courtin' that. Mr. Forbes said Saturday——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He was right. How many men have you in good shape?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Seventy-two. I'd send for more, but they're on a -job at Hazleton."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will City Hall send more police if there's trouble?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not till they can't help doin' it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hours passed slowly. Luke made the rounds -of the mill as the commander of a fortress inspects it -before an attack. He saw that the strike-breakers, an -anxious lot of men, were stationed at the vulnerable -places, and he talked again with Breil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forbes did not appear, and Luke was too proud to -try a second time to question Betty about him; but -reporters came and sent in urgent requests for a -statement from the company. Luke refused to see them. -It was his turn to refuse the newspapers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Better feed 'em a little pap," Breil advised.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I won't so much as look at them," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They'll knock us if you don't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That can't hurt us. I won't see them and you're -not to talk to them either, Breil."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began to chafe under the delay. He made the -rounds of the mill again and smoked incessantly at -cigars that he found in a box in Forbes's desk. He -bolted a cold lunch sent in at noon, and he wondered -why the soldiers were late.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The soldiers came at two o'clock. Out in the -street there were some derisive shouts, and then the -regular tramp of marching feet. Luke hurried to an -office above Forbes's, a room furnished with a small -desk at one side, a large table in the center, and a few -chairs, and there, from a window, saw the column of -men in khaki, advancing four abreast, down the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're nothing but a lot of boys," he said as, -when they drew nearer, he looked at their young -faces. "It's a shame to send a lot of kids like that -into—a mix-up of this kind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He received the Captain and the first-lieutenant in -the main office. The Captain had taken off his -broad-brimmed service hat and was mopping his face with a -blue bandana handkerchief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Phew!" he said. "This looks as if it was goin' -to be the real thing!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It </span><em class="italics">is</em><span> the real thing," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You haven't got a drink handy, have you?" -asked the Captain. He was an olive-complexioned -young man of twenty-two or -three with a girlish -mouth and bright black eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke produced a bottle and glasses, and the Captain -drank. He spoke in the high tone of excitement -as he rattled on:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Somebody threw a brick at us just up here. Did -you see 'em? It near cracked Sergeant Schmidt's -coco. Poor old Schmidt; he was scared yellow, -wasn't he, Terry?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Terry was the lieutenant, a raw Irish lad with the -face of a fighter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You bet," said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke drew the Captain aside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You may as well understand at once," said he, -"that this isn't any picnic. You've been sent here to -protect our property, and you may have a hot time -doing it. We have seventy-two strike-breakers here -under Mr. Breil; the superintendent; one or two -clerks; and five foremen who've remained loyal to the -company. That, with me, makes up the inside force. -There's half a dozen police, too. What I want you to -do is to draw a cordon of your men along the front -of the building. Stand them on the pavement. -Breil's men'll watch the back. Half your people had -better go on duty now and be relieved by the other -half at five o'clock. But from seven on, we'll need -your whole company on the job."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Captain looked serious and worried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You think there'll be real trouble to-night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shouldn't be a bit surprised, especially as I see -the Governor's sent us just enough of you fellows to -excite a mob and yet be powerless against it. What -were your instructions from up top?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was to use my own discretion."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked at the young man and smiled at the -idea of intrusting men's lives to such discretion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, the main thing is not to lose your head," -said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They'll outnumber us?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If they attacked, yes—undoubtedly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Captain returned to the whiskey bottle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we'd be powerless, unless——" He hesitated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Unless you fired," Luke concluded for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They looked at each other, the man and the boy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mustn't fire," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said the boy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Unless you have to," said the man....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The afternoon dragged by. Luke gave up all hope -of Forbes and spent most of the time in the upper -office, looking at the soldiers stationed in front of -the building and at the groups of men staring at the -soldiers. It seemed to Luke that the numbers of the -staring men were increasing....</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. The night was dark. The purple arc-lamp -that burned directly in front of the main entrance to -the factory flared vividly upon a circle of the street -beneath it, but beyond this circle, which was long -empty, one could scarcely see, one could rather only -feel, the presence of a slowly gathering, silent crowd. -In the main office, Luke was again consulting with -the Captain, Breil, and a policeman. The policeman, -as if acting under instructions, had sneered at the idea -of further trouble so long as the crowd was -unmolested, and Luke would not ask again for aid from -City Hall. His lieutenants were standing about the -room in attitudes of uncertainty. All were agreed -against precipitating a fight by attempts to disperse -the enemy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Captain drew up his boyish form.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My men——" he began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your kids," corrected Breil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're all right, anyhow," the Captain lamely -concluded, his cheeks hot under this indignity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Raucous cries came now and then from the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've got enough to take care of with your -own affairs," said Luke. He turned to the policeman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are there many in that crowd out there?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not many," said the policeman, "but I think -there's more comin'!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Still smarting under Breil's rebuke, the Captain -felt some show of his bravery to be a duty to the -organization to which he belonged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can handle 'em all right," he said, "however -many there are. They're mostly nothin' but -foreigners, anyhow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke wanted above all to preserve harmony in his -ranks, but an imp of perversity whipped his tongue.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's your name?" he asked the Captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Antonio Facciolati," said the Captain, "but I'm -a naturalized American citizen."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke patted his shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right," he said reassuringly. "What -have your men got in their guns, Captain? Blank -cartridges?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not much," said the Captain boldly: "ball."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good," Luke smiled. "But don't use it. Butts -are best for this work."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He decided that Forbes, well or ill, ought to know -how things were going. He bent to the telephone, -placing the receiver to his ear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no answer. He rattled the hook impatiently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the matter with this 'phone?" he growled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He rattled the hook again, but could get no reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breil left the room. Presently he returned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've tried the one in the hall," he said, -"and the one in the cloth-room. The wires are cut."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment nobody spoke. Facciolati's hand -crept to his sword-hilt, and the sword clattered. -From somewhere far up the street came a choral -murmur of voices:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Hall</em><span>eyloolyah, I'm a bum—bum!"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Breil stepped to the window.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's them. That's the others. They're comin'," -he said.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. The men ran to their posts. Luke climbed to -the upper office and went to its window.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were coming indeed. They were there, -vividly from the circle of light beneath him, vaguely -to the walls of the tumbledown dwellings across the -street. At his feet was a line of khaki-clad militiamen, -standing at ease beside their magazine-rifles, along the -curb; beyond them a few yards of open street, and -then what at first looked to Luke like a field of wheat -under a high gale, gigantic wheat, black of stalk and -white of head, tossing in the wind: the shoving, -swaying bodies, the gesticulating arms, the threatening -faces of the mob.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had come to complete the work of the previous -night. His startled eyes could pick out no one -individual, his ears could select no single word; but he -could see leaders, who had lost their leadership, -making gestures of despair; men, who had seized license, -waving fists and shaking sticks; could hear a turmoil -of cries and curses. The whole impression was -blurred and general; yet, as he looked, the wheatfield -changed to a roaring sea, the black pitching and -tossing of a terrible tide ever mounting nearer, -nearer to the soldiers drawn up in front of the broken -factory door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The thought mastered him: this was his property -which only that frail door separated from -them—that frail door and those frightened boys in khaki. -They were going to destroy his property—his!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A second street-lamp, farther up the way, lighted -the rear of the crowd, and into the circle of its -illumination Luke saw running a motor-car. He saw the -mob scatter, the car stop, the crowd close around it. -He heard more distant shouts above the shouts that -were nearer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The broken section of the crowd swayed, hesitated, -attacked the car. For an instant, the arms of the -chauffeur beat at the man that climbed to his seat, and -then the chauffeur was pulled to the ground. Luke -strained his eyes to see if the car were familiar to him. -It was. There was a woman in it: its only occupant. -It was the Forbes car, and the woman must be Betty.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. Luke circled the center table and ran down -the steps three at a time. He nearly fell upon the -huge form of Breil, coatless, a revolver in his hand, -hurtling from one group of his forces to another. -Luke pushed him away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where are you going?" cried Breil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke did not answer. He was tugging at the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breil's heavy hand fell on Luke's arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here! Stop that!" he bellowed. "Where -d'you think you're goin'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get away!" shouted Luke. "I'm going out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The door leaped open. The howls of the mob -beat upon the two men's faces.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breil thrust his lips against Luke's ear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you crazy?" he yelled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes!" said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He slipped through the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Facciolati was there, white-faced, standing behind -his soldiers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke made an egress through the ranks by shoving -away a soldier with either hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're not going out </span><em class="italics">there</em><span>?" cried the -Captain. "They'll kill you!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke jumped to the curb.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care!" he answered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was crazy, and he didn't care whether he was -killed or not. Of these two things he was certain. -He was mad from the torments of his conflict -between logic and desire, and death would be an easy -solution—perhaps it was the only one. It flashed -upon him that such a solution might be cowardly; -but the next instant he had but one impulse; he was -going to save Betty, and that was enough. A new -madness, the madness of what seemed an absolutely -unselfish act, of an act that intoxicated him with its -unselfishness, gave him the strength of ten and fired -a berserker rage in his breast, hurled him forward -like a rock from a ballista. He was going to save -Betty, and he was a hundred yards away from her in -the midst of a mob that hated him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The ocean of raging men closed over his head; its -pandemonium smashed his ear-drums; but he was -deep in the crowd before any of its members realized -whence he had come. He was clearing a way, -striking, kicking, biting, shouting he knew not -what—shrill oaths and guttural threats—thrusting their -heavy bodies from side to side. He felt their hot -breath, encountered their resisting arms and legs, -smelled the sweat of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop him!" yelled somebody. "He came out -of the factory!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He saw a host of faces about him, dark with anger; -eyes big with hunger and hate. He felt blows that -could not hurt him, felt his own fists sink into flabby -bellies, crack upon stout skulls.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The scab!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A hand fell across his mouth, and he used his teeth -like a were-wolf; he tasted the smooth salt blood -before it began to trickle down his jowl. A second -hand snatched at his collar, another grabbed his arm. -He pulled frenziedly, he struck out blindly, he threw -all his weight far forward. He knew that his coat -ripped; he twisted his arm free, lowered his head -and dodged forward, men sprawling before him. He -had gained the motor-car.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty was standing up in the tonneau. Her hands -were clasped before her breast, her face was set. She -saw him falling toward her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke jumped beside her, his coat gone, his shirt -torn, his face bleeding from a cut above the right eye, -his hair matted over his forehead. She did not know -him as he seized her roughly and picked her up in his -arms; but, in the moment that he balanced on the -edge of the car, with the light full in his face, the -crowd knew him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's him! That's Huber!" they shrieked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He jumped with her directly back into the crowd.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While he was still in the air, he thought that was -the worst thing to have done. Without him, she -might have had some chance; with him she would -have almost no chance at all. But it was too late -now; he could only fight until he could fight no more, -and then they must die together....</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§6. They did not die. Somebody, as the mob -laid hold of them, broke through its ranks—somebody -with still some shred of authority left him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get back, you fools! Get back! Do you want -to kill the woman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was that organizer of the strikers whom Luke -had seen in Forbes's office when the employees made -their last appeal to Forbes. It was the man Forbes -had ignored.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With infinite slowness, against infinite opposition, -the rescuer made way for them. Grumbling, growling, -threatening, the crowd fell back. It menaced, it -cursed, it hurled ribald jokes; but it fell back before -the leader that it no longer obeyed in anything else, -until he, followed by Luke with Betty in his arms, -came to the line of soldiers at the battered factory -door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke swayed a little. Facciolati stepped up and -tried to steady him, but he tossed Facciolati away. -Luke turned to the organizer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you come inside?" he panted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man shook his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm—I can't tell you how much I owe you for -this," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you go to Hell," said the man.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§7. Inside the factory, Luke would not waste a -glance on the strike-breakers that gathered, -open-mouthed, around him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get away," he ordered. "I'm taking her to -the upper office. Nobody is to disturb her there. -You understand? Nobody."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§8. During all that frightful progress back -through the mob, she had lain in his arms silent, her -eyes closed. Only now, when he brought her to the -upper office, banged the door behind them and put -her in an arm-chair, which he kicked the length of the -room in order to place her as far as might be from -the window, did she look at him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't faint," she said. "I only pretended. I -thought that was safest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had dropped to his knees beside her and had -begun to chafe her hands. He was unconscious of -the renewed din outside. Thus alone with her, he -was thinking only how much he wanted her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was leaning far back in the chair. The rays of -the street-lamp were the only light in the room, and -they made her face seem as peaceful as the faces of -the dead. When she opened her eyes, her eyes were -luminous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're safe," she continued. "You're safe, -aren't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He kissed her hand hotly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You!" he said. "I'm all right. But you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She stood up, smiling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He rose also.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The brutes! the beasts! I'd like to—I'll do it, too!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had stepped into the light. His shirt was torn, -his hair dank. Blood caked over the cut on his -forehead, and his jaws were red with the blood of the -man whose hand he had bitten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke! You </span><em class="italics">are</em><span> hurt!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She came toward him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I'm not," he persisted, but he let her fingers -touch the wound on his head, and her fingers thrilled -him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke," she said, when she had convinced herself -that the cut was superficial, "I'm glad it was you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That came for you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I didn't do much. I was nearly the death of you. -For a minute I thought it was death. That other -fellow's the one you have to thank."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyhow, I thank you." She pressed his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A shout came from the mob. It brought him back -to material concerns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you come to this part of town?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had complete command of herself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't you guess?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her eyes were unafraid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't say you came on my account."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I did; I did. Father's too ill to ask questions. -It was a slight heart attack, the doctor said: -he's been so worried lately, Father has, and so -overworked. But I wanted to know, and I tried to -telephone here, but they said the connection was broken. -Then I was sorry for not answering that call you -made before, and when they said you hadn't got back -to the Arapahoe, I was afraid. So I told Father I -was going to Mr. Nicholson's mission—he must have -thought me dreadfully unkind to leave him for -that—and I had James drive me—Oh!" she broke off: "I -wonder if </span><em class="italics">he's</em><span> hurt?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The chauffeur?" Luke remembered. "I saw -him just as I got to the car," he chuckled. "He'd -reached the outskirts of the crowd and was running -for dear life. I don't think they'll catch him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The noise of the mob would grow from a hoarse -mutter to a loud howl and then sink to a low murmur.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke," she said, "it </span><em class="italics">was</em><span> you rescued me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He listened to the noise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I've probably only rescued you from the -frying-pan to dump you into the fire. I wish I'd had -the sense to take you in the opposite direction. I -don't know what I could have been thinking of. Of -course, they'll simply have to send more police soon -and attack these fellows from the rear: the soldiers -haven't the right to drive away the crowd, and Breil's -men daren't leave the building. But I do wish I -hadn't brought you here!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've brought me where </span><em class="italics">you</em><span> are," said Betty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her eyes were wide, her lips parted. Luke's breath -caught in his throat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Betty," he said, "do you mean——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She did not quail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean I love you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" He drew back, afraid of her, afraid -of himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know you weren't yourself," she said. "I -know how all this trouble has upset you. I know you -didn't mean those things."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The reversal was too much for him. He leaned -against the table and burst into laughter. An instant -ago the roar of the crowd had seemed miles away, -had seemed no more than any recurrent noise of -city life. They two, Betty and he, had seemed to -him set apart from it all, remote from it, together. -Now——</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke!" she was crying.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A picture drifted into his mind. It was a picture -of pine trees and the sun in a blue sky full of fleecy -clouds and a long white road winding, dusty and -carefree, to the end of the world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Luke——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could not hear her now. He saw terror in her -face, but the noise from the street rose, rattled at the -window-pane, and engulfed her words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A new cry rang out from the mob—a cry so sharp -and loud that both the persons in the room forgot -themselves and ran to the window. They looked out -upon the tossing faces below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The crowd had turned. It was elbowing, straining -necks, rising on tiptoe, gazing backward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Far back there something dark fluttered in the -night air. It was seized and passed from hand to -hand. It reached the circle of light and waved high -above the center of the crowd, a banner of crimson, -tossing like a beacon over the swarm of black heads, -defiant, audacious: the Red Flag.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then came a new sound. It began in the heart -of the mob and spread outwards like circles in water -broken by a dropped stone. It did not stop the other -noises; it assimilated them. It was low, but strong; -it seemed to contain all the history of past wrongs, -all the arsenal of present determination; but it was -touched with far hopes and freighted with tremendous -dreams. It was a chant, a song, a hymn, and all -the crowd was singing it with the strength of a -thousand pair of lungs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" asked Luke, although he -expected no answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the girl gave him one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a thing called 'The International,'" she -said, her voice trembling. "I heard it once in Paris. -It's a terrible song."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's eyes were caught by a movement at the -window of one of the tumbledown dwellings across -the street. He saw the window open and a frowsy -woman lean out. She held something white in her -hands. She raised it, then dashed its contents toward -the nearest soldier. The shot fell short, and two men -in the crowd were drenched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hymn ended in a shriek. The mob believed -that the insult had come from the factory and -instantly resolved itself into a fuming whirlpool. Luke -saw tossed aside people who were evidently strike-leaders -frantically trying to quiet their one-time -followers, but he did not guess the purport of the new -commotion in the seething mass. Then he saw -something that made him jerk Betty away from the -window and fling her against the wall at its side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a crash—a pause—a tinkling. A gust of -air, fresh and cool, invaded the room. A missile had -broken the window. A whole volley followed, -smashing more glass and battering at the factory walls. -The mob was using the coals from the dismantled -wagon that Luke had noticed in the street hours ago.</span></p> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 68%" id="figure-30"> -<span id="the-mob-was-using-the-coal-from-the-dismantled-wagon"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="THE MOB WAS USING THE COAL FROM THE DISMANTLED WAGON" src="images/img-380.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">THE MOB WAS USING THE COAL FROM THE DISMANTLED WAGON</span></div> -</div> -<p class="pnext"><span>Somebody had been pounding unheard at the office-door. -Luke saw the door bend and ran to it. He -flung it wide.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breil stood there, his revolver in his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've got to disturb you——" he began, and, -though he shouted, his voice did not reach to where -Betty stood against the wall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right," called Luke. "I've been a -fool and a coward to stay here. Give me that gun."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He wrenched the weapon from Breil's resisting -hand. He leaped to Betty and slipped the revolver to -her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Got to go downstairs," he cried to her, for the -broken window let in a roar that made ordinary -speaking tones futile. "Bolt the door after us! -You'll be safe! We'll fall back to the stairs, if we -have to fall back. Good-bye!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He would not look back. His last sight of her was -of a woman standing erect, alert, comprehending, the -revolver shining in her hand. Then, with the following -Breil calling out that he must go to his own men -at the rear, Luke ran down the stairs, opened the -main door and, leaving it gaping behind him, -plunged outside.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§9. Coherent purpose he had none. All that he -realized was this: here was a struggle; here was a -final endeavor to destroy his property, which, -however endangered by the trust, was almost his sole -means of support. There would be no more chance -given him for delay; there would be no further help -from the police—the half-dozen sent that morning -had disappeared—until help was too late; there was -only the boyish soldiery. He would go to them, and -he would fight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he emerged upon the street, he saw the circle of -light empty of the human mass that had lately swirled -there. A resounding cacophony from the darkness, -and dimly perceived objects moving a hundred yards -and more away, told him that the rioters had -withdrawn to the upturned coal wagon. At the moment -of understanding this, he heard a rending staccato -noise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The frightened Facciolati heard it, too. He was -standing on the pavement by the door and had drawn -up his men in a closer column before him. His bared -sword was in his right hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's the tongue of that coal wagon," gasped the -Captain, "they're rippin' it off."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What? For a battering-ram? For this door?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Italian nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I heard someone yell for them to do it. -Then they all ran over there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A terrible stillness fell. Behind the curtain of the -night, the mob only hummed and shuffled its feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His eyes pierced Facciolati's. His voice was -pregnant with meaning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What had I better do?" faltered the Captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before Luke could reply, a strident yell came from -the invisible ranks of the mob:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now then: come on! Burn their damned shop!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A thousand voices echoed:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Burn it! Burn it down!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Captain turned to Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've got to stop them," said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The din increased.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"O my God!" said Facciolati.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In Luke blazed up all the furnace of battle. He -gripped the Captain's collar and shook the man as if -he were a frightened, disobedient child.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give the order!" he commanded. He hated this boy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a shrill, hysterical voice that cut the rising noise -of the mob, Facciolati gave the preliminary order, -and the rows of lads in khaki, standing on the curb, -raised their black-blue rifles to their shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We won't shoot!" he called into Luke's ear. -"We'll only frighten 'em!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Burn it——" From the street the cries were -merged into a wordless roar. There was the wild -rush of two thousand feet, and into the light burst the -mob again: a long trotting column with the Red Flag -swaying overhead, and in the midst five or six men -bearing the wagon-tongue leveled like a lance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A veil of crimson seemed to flutter before Luke's -eyes—the eyes of the man that had counseled caution -and the use of only the butts of rifles. He did not -think, he could only feel—only feel that here at last -was the chance, here the unavoidable need of action -that had the splendid conclusiveness of brutality. -This was man's work. This was no rescuing of a -girl: it was war. The world had meshed him in a -net of intellectual doubts and quibbles: here was his -moment to cut the net, and to cut his way to freedom, -to take vengeance on the world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That and something more. Betty was in danger -and the property that was partly his, that in part he -owned and had bought. But above all this, riding it -all, goading it, spurning it, mad with its mastery, -the blood-lust, the Sense of Power, the dizzy -knowledge that he could kill.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The mob was almost upon them. It was a tidal wave.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now!" shouted Luke to the Italian.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the Captain caught his hand. He gabbled the -nothings of panic. Luke threw the boy to the pavement. -With all the breath in his body he vociferated:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Fire!</em><span>"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§10. Hell belched its flames: a thunder-clap, a -thunder-cloud knifed by red flashes of lightning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke felt his head bashed against the wall of the -factory. He was choking in a cloud of smoke. He -could see nothing, but once he thought he heard the -crack of other shots from somewhere above.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he felt his knees clutched. He felt a pawing -at his elbow; and presently he heard the chattering -voice of Facciolati screaming against his cheek:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why in Hell did you do that? How in Hell did -you dare?—Don't you know what you might have -done? Who's in command here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shut up," bellowed Luke, "or I'll show you -who's in command." He tried vainly to see through -the smoke. "Take your hands off me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was as if he were in the crater of an erupting -volcano. The reverberation split his head, and through -it came shrieks, groans, curses, and then, as the smoke -slowly lifted, the pound of two thousand feet on the -paving-stones, while, with the Red Flag sagging to -and fro like a wounded eagle above it, the mob fled -pell-mell up the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the Captain had not heeded Luke's warning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now they'll be back!" he was wailing. "We'll -all be goners now. Why did you give that order? -Why didn't you let me change it?—I'd instructed -the men to fire over their heads—An' you didn't let -me change it—An' of course they </span><em class="italics">did</em><span> fire over -their heads—an' nobody's hurt—Do you know what -that means? They'll be back and kill all of us!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was impossible for Luke to believe. Then, not -fear, but the rage of thwarted blood-lust sent out his -clawing hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You did that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He caught Facciolati under the arm-pits and raised -him clear of the ground.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A new sound interrupted him. At first he thought -that the mob had wheeled a machine-gun into the -street and turned it on the factory. Then the sound -became a clatter and, looking through the ranks of -soldiers, Luke saw, far ahead, a tangle of rearing -horses and falling men: even City Hall had been -unable longer to hold its hand; one of the patrolmen -who had fled to the factory must have telephoned a -final word to headquarters; the mounted police were -charging the crowd; the riot was ended.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§11. Luke ran up the stairs to the upper office and -found the door unbolted. He did not know what he -went for. He was not glad that the riot was ended; -he was raging like a man-eating tiger foiled of its -quarry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty stood at the window in the full light of the -street-lamp. He scarcely knew her face. He had -never seen her look like this. He had never dreamed -that she could look like this. Her hat had fallen to -the floor; her golden hair tossed above her head like -licking tongues of flame; her eyes were bright coals; -her cheeks were scarlet; her white upper teeth bit deep -into the vermilion of her lower lip. As if to give -freer play to a breast that panted, she had torn open -her dress at the base of her splendid throat. The -revolver was in her hand. It was cocked and -smoking. She looked like Bellona invoked and materialized -from the fire and smoke of that roaring inferno -of the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How many?" she gasped. "How many have we killed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke stopped at the door. He knew now that he -had indeed heard shots from overhead. He knew -that the same primæval passion which had made him -a tiger—and still maintained its sway—had worked -this metamorphosis also, had changed this gentle girl -into what he saw. At another time, in another mood, -he would have loathed it; but in his present mood he -gloried in it. He thought that he had never seen her -so beautiful or imagined her so splendid; her madness -matched his own.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He came toward her, circling the table that stood -between them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"None!" he cried. "That fool Captain told the -men to shoot high."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He put out his arms. He wrenched her to him. -His right arm clutched her about the supple shoulders, -the fingers of his right hand sinking into her -firm left breast. With his left hand he shoved her -face upwards. Brown from the caked blood of the -man he had bitten, his opened mouth closed upon hers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He heard the revolver clatter to the floor. She -writhed in his embrace. He had expected the perfect -response. Meeting an abrupt refusal, he was taken -off his guard, and she escaped from him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She staggered into a corner. The devil that -possessed him had lost its power over her. She had -reverted to her natural being. She did not cry, but -she stood there with her hands pressed tight against -her breast, the fingers mechanically busied with -repairing the opened blouse, her face all horror at the -thing she had been.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What must you think of me?" she was moaning—"I -don't know what came over me!—What must -you think of me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He thought nothing. He could think nothing. -He could realize only that he was again to be robbed. -Twice to-night the cheat that played with men at the -game of life had given him the winning hand, only to -sweep the stakes from the board just as Luke reached -for what he had won. The blood-lust changed its -form; it assumed an ungovernable fury. Something -crackled in his brain as he had seen imperfect -feed-wires at the touch of a trolley-wheel. The crimson -veil fluttered again before his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned and bolted the door. He turned again -and ran to her. His face was wet with sweat, black -with powder, terrible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She understood. She lowered her head and tried -to dodge past him. She cried out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His strong fingers caught her hair. The hair -streamed down. Her forward lurch brought it taut. -He jerked at it; she fell toward him. His free hand -caught her throat and stopped her fall. He tossed -her against the table; her feet brushed the floor, but -he pressed her shoulders tight to the table's top. -He bent over her, one hand at her throat, the other -raised to stop her mouth, his beating breath on her face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was wholly in his power now. The outside -world was impotent because the outside world could -not have heeded her appeal; the woman herself was -helpless because her captor's was the strongest body. -Again came to Luke the frightful sense of Power, -again the dizzy knowledge that he could do -whatever he chose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At that instant the madness fell from him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A physical motive there of course was, since the -more intense the passion the briefer is its duration; -but even if it originated in the physical, this reaction -transcended things material and wheeled about to -crush them. It was the second and fuller phase of -that revelation which had come to him in the Sunday -quiet of the Brooklyn streets. Burning, blinding, -transfiguring, the Marvel and the Miracle, elemental -and tremendous, returned, and what they had once -done from the flesh to the spirit, they now did from -the spirit to the flesh. They returned to remain. -They completed the revolution, the new birth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke saw yet more dazzlingly the glory of -individuality, the holiness of his humanity; but it was -as if scales fell from his eyes, for he saw entire. -Here had been one of the false starts on a wrong -road, one of the moments of relapse that he had -expected. The individuality was divine; physical -passion was a splendid thing; but when the individual's -physical passion stooped to force or cunning, what -had been splendid became foul, and what had been -divine was bestial. Luke, in his denial of revealed -Religion, was no longer a pygmy trembling before a -giant; he was himself a giant; but what he was in -actuality he must recognize as potential in his fellow -creatures. His mental and spiritual sight was at -last adjusted to the new illumination. He could -assess moral values, could determine ethical duties -now. It remained only to find their reason and -decipher their credentials. On Sunday he had gained -his strength; to-night he had gained the knowledge -of how rightly to use it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He ran to the door and tore back the bolt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Whitaker!" he called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The superintendent came cringing from the main -office, where he had cowered through all the riot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get two policemen and have them see Miss -Forbes safely home."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty was secure now, and the mill was safe. He -borrowed a hat too large for him, and put over his -ragged shirt the alpaca office-coat of some clerk, -which he found in a locker. He walked out into the -street. Far away he heard a woman's strident voice -singing:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Oh, why don't you save</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>All the money you earn?</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">If I did not eat</em></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">I'd have money to burn.</em><span>"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>There was the sound of a distant shot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then silence.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xix"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIX</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§1. He could not stay in the factory while she -was there. To go to the upper office where he had -left her, to attempt to explain, to offer a shoddy -apology—this would be to add the last insult to the -wrong that he had done her. He thought that worse -than to have completed the thing that he had begun.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He cut northwestward toward the more peopled -part of the borough, not because he wanted to be -among people, but because he did not even yet want -to have to think. He tried to think, but he did not -want to. He saw clearly his new duties and his new -restrictions; but they presented themselves to him as -isolated facts which, offending his reason, spurred -his reason to demand their credentials, and these he -could not yet read. Moreover, the memory of the -scene with Betty would rise before his restless mind, -burning all else away, and, to burn memory away, -his heart drove him into the more crowded streets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Women of the streets accosted him. He passed a -house from a window on the ground-floor of which -two girls with painted faces beckoned. He passed -brightly lighted saloons that sent into the street -inviting streams of light and the lure of clinking glasses -and laughter. In a jostling thoroughfare he noticed -that passersby were looking strangely at him and, -recollecting what a queer picture his disordered -clothes and bloody face must present, he blamed -himself for not repairing the damages of the fight before -setting out. He turned again into the less frequented -quarters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here he looked at his watch, but his watch had -stopped at half-past seven, the moment, probably, of -his charge to Betty's rescue. Seeing the lighted -window of a jeweler's shop near by, he went to it and -looked at the clock displayed there. It was nine -o'clock. As he could not have been walking for more -than an hour, and as the active rioting must have -begun no later than seven-fifteen, all the events of the -riot must have been massed within forty-five minutes. -He turned back toward the factory. He hated -these city thoroughfares. His boyish dreams of the -open road and the tramping carpenter returned to -him....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If he could only read his credentials....</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§2. When Luke entered the office on the ground -floor, the little militia captain was there. He had -come for whiskey and finished the bottle. He was -quite drunk, and evinced a thick but facile desire to -describe the victory that his troops had won.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, go away!" said Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned Facciolati out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breil came next, and some of the policemen, the -former anxious to report the present condition of the -mill, the latter that of the streets; but to these men -Luke was scarcely more civil than he had been to the -Italian. Whether he liked it or not, he must think -things out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's no reason for you to stay any longer, if -you don't want to," said Breil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke looked at him vacantly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do want to," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One of the policemen glanced significantly at the -empty whiskey-bottle and smiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have some things to think about," said Luke. -"I'll go up to the office over this. Tell the fellows I -don't want anybody to butt in, Breil."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He decided that it would be well for him to do his -thinking in the room in which he had so nearly done -Betty what she must consider the ultimate wrong. -He went there.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§3. He closed, but did not lock the door; he -trusted to his orders against intrusion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The street-lamp furnished the room with sufficient -illumination. Luke saw that one of the chairs had -been overturned and lay close beside the table. He -must have overturned it while struggling with Betty, -but, so far as he could recollect—and his mind for -some time employed itself with such trifles—he had -not remarked the fall at the moment of its occurrence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He went to the broken window and lounged there, -now looking out upon the scene of the street-battle, -now back at the scene of the essentially similar combat -that had been fought inside. It was astonishing how -little he remembered of the details of either, but -perhaps the reason for that was to be found in the size -of their results.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Something glittered in the lamplight on the floor at -his feet. He stooped and picked it up; it was one of -those yellow wire hairpins that Betty used to -supplement the pins of tortoiseshell. Down in the street -he saw a draggled necktie that had been torn from the -throat of some striker. His gaze wandered from one -object to the other and back again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stood there for a long time....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was beginning to find out at last the logic that -he had sought.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Betty was lost to him, and if she were not lost he -must give her up. All that was vital in what he had -all along felt for her was only one of the forces that -go to make up complete love—right enough, he told -himself, when combined with its fellow elements; -right enough upon occasion when frankly acknowledged -between a free woman and a free man; but, he -determined, disastrously insufficient to be made the -sole element of anything more than the briefest union -between two individuals, and criminal when it was the -only motive of but one of the individuals in any union. -About what Betty had felt for him he was equally -clear; it was another of the forces that compose real -love; it was the element of Romance, just as insufficient -and just as wrong, when it was alone, or when it -existed on the one side only, as was the merely -physical. Real love was the fusion of the physical, the -romantic, the spiritual and the comradely, the fusion of -two people for whom there was but one means of -salvation. He knew now, beyond all questioning, -that, however they had deceived themselves, Betty's -thoughts and his, her hopes and his, her aims and his, -her work and his, were and had always been divided -beyond the possibility of junction. No marriage -service that might have been performed between -them could have married but the least of their -outlying selves. Not Church and State together could -have joined their true selves that, living where -there was no church and no state, had yet no natural -relationship to each other. Some day real love might -come to him; some day it would surely come to Betty. -To-day, though it tore his heart, though it was as if -he were ripping the heart out of his breast, he must, -for Betty's sake—since she was the weaker—even -more than for his own, tear her out of his life. His -desire for her would long remain; the moments would -be full of her when he sank from waking into sleep, -or climbed from sleep to waking; but though he might -regain the power to enslave her soul and make a -servant of the self of which he could not make a -work-fellow, to use that power would be to sin against -what was best in her. He must not see her again, -even were she willing to see him, and he must leave -her thinking the worst of him in order that she might -the sooner want to forget him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He tossed the gilt pin out of the window. Following -its flight, his glance came again to the worker's -necktie, lying in the street.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What right had he over the man who had worn -that? What right that he did not have over Betty?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His reason answered: None.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There, he tremendously realized, was the key to -his credentials. He leaned heavily against the -window-sill. He understood. It was a bitter lesson, but -he learned it, there and then.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What he had done to these men was what he had -tried to do to Betty, not in the riot only, but in -accepting the position that society had offered him in -relation to them; it was what every employer, from -the actual boss to the smallest shareholder, -everywhere was doing. It was living upon the work of -others, profiting by values for the creation of which -the pay had to be low enough to permit of profit. It -was compulsion. If he sold dear what he bought -cheap, what was it that he bought cheap but their -labor? If he wanted pay for executive ability, what -executive ability did he, or any shareholder in any -company, exercise? If he claimed a return for the -risk of his investment, what return did these men get, -who invested that labor-power which was their whole -capital? If any stockbuyer talked of profits as the -reward of previous years of saving, how could he -explain the fact that his savings would secure no profit -until they employed labor to produce it? He had -been fighting against his own ideals. It was the -workers that had been right and he that had been -wrong. What the man in russet brown had been to -him, that he and all who directly or indirectly -employed labor for profit, had been and were to the employed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, quite as suddenly as he had come to see life in -the new light, he came now, in the little office of the -lonely factory, to see the reason from which the light -proceeded; there was only one evil in the world and -that was Compulsion; only one good, and that was -power over one's self.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The awful thing, he said to himself as one who -reads what is written, was not to have too little power -over others; it was to have too much. To have the -means of oppression was to go mad and use them; it -was to confuse the means with the right. Too much -power over others and too little over himself, both -states a result of a system based upon compulsion, -had made the man in russet brown all that the man in -russet brown had been; it made Luke a potential -murderer and ravisher. He saw all life as endlessly -creating and no two hours the same. Seeing this, he -understood why it was that, when authority was laid -upon any one, that one rebelled in proportion to his -vitality. He saw the present wrong and the future -impotence of churches and laws, of politics, -governments, and property. To believe in any one of them, -to traffic with any of them, was now to exercise -compulsion over his fellows and now to delegate to his -fellows his power over himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He must give up everything that was easy and -comfortable—the easy thought and faith as freely as the -easy food and lodging. He must join the oppressed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He leaned through the battered window and filled -his lungs with the pure night air. He looked up to -the patch of heaven overhead where a yellow moon -was riding.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't let their corruption destroy my purpose," -he said to the moon. "I've simply put myself -where they can't destroy </span><em class="italics">me</em><span>. I've put myself where -they can't lie to me again. I'll fight them as one man -against the world; I'll lose, but I won't be using their -weapons; I won't be what they are, and I'll lose as a -free man. So far as the world inside of me's -concerned, they invaded it and bossed it. I've chucked -them out of it, and </span><em class="italics">I've</em><span> destroyed </span><em class="italics">them</em><span>!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It seemed wonderfully simple now and wonderfully -peaceful. He would go to Forbes to-morrow and -draw up a legal paper, the last legal paper he would -ever put his name to, his last compromise, turning -over his interest in this factory to his mother; and -Forbes—poor old Forbes! He was sorry for Forbes, -but he knew what would happen; left alone, Forbes -would end by selling out, profitably, to the trust. And -then for Luke the open road, the old open road -that he had always loved, the learning of a manual -trade, the sale of his labor-power no more than was -necessary to keep him alive and free to go wherever -slaves fought the system of corruption for their -liberty, until sometime, when the soldiers would -have Luke before them instead of behind them, and -did not shoot over the heads of the mob. He was -tasting of contentment for the first time in his life. -He was glad that he had not died out there in the -riot. There was so much to do. There was so much -to do in this life that he did not see how he had -ever had time to think of any other. And now he -was about to do his part of it conscientiously, with -open eyes and with all his soul, and to do it with -complete power over himself, using no compulsion -upon others and allowing no other to use -compulsion upon him. Luke had conquered. For every -soul there is, somewhere, a separate road to -salvation. Luke had found his own....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Somewhere out in the city a clock struck eleven. -He knew that he had been standing at the window -for a long time, but he had no idea it was so long as -this. If he had been so engrossed, what, he -wondered, had finally roused him. He remembered: it -was something about the door. He had not heard -it move; he merely thought that it was moving. He -turned to it, but it did not move. Perhaps a draught -of air had deceived him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The factory was very quiet....</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§4. "Don't open your trap! I got you covered! -If you let out one yip, I'll croak you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The door had opened and closed, letting in a figure -that quickly bolted it and then discreetly avoided the -light from the window. Luke saw a dim form in the -shadow. All that projected into the shaft of light -was a fist tightly clenched about a leveled revolver.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you want?" asked Luke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was not afraid to disregard this intruder's -command to silence. He was curiously fearless. He -supposed that this unseen man was some fanatic -from the mob. Anybody could have slipped into -the factory through the door that Luke had left -open when the terror of the soldiers' fire swept the -street and the smoke of it clouded the doorway. -This was an avenger thus arrived. Luke felt the presence -of a certain crude justice. He had deserved this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't worry; I'm not going to yell," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was expecting death now, expecting absolute -extinction; but he faced it with a serenity that mildly -surprised him. This was not the mad courage, too -sudden to be fine, which had hurled him into the -crater of the riot to rescue Betty. It was a courage -that weighed results. He thought of the dusty, open -road. He was rather sorry to have to miss that, but -no doubt he would never have got it anyhow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he said with a faint touch of impatience, -"why don't you answer my question? What do you want?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The barrel of the revolver wavered ever so -slightly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The intruder's voice came again out of the darkness; -it was as if the darkness itself made answer:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I want them letters."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke's teeth came together with a snap. He had -been carrying the letters in a money-belt about his -middle, next his body. It was hours since he had -thought of them. He had just now been feeling that -perhaps he ought to be shot, but this feeling had no -origin in the affair of the letters. They were a -different matter. For the letters he had fought so much -and so fairly that he was ready and willing to fight -for them once more. He tried to gain time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What letters?" he asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I dunno," said the darkness. "But you do. -Come on, now; don't try to flimflam me: them letters -you got in your coat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke glanced at the alpaca coat that he had put on -when he last left the factory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you want anything that was in my coat, you'll -have to look in the street for it: I left it there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The intruder did not at once reply. Luke saw the -revolver advance toward him in the light. It was -followed by a thick, short arm, and the arm was -followed by a short thick man. He wore a velours -Alpine hat. It was pushed to one side of his head, -and Luke saw that the hair below it was red.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That was almost the last thing he did see before -the shot was fired. Luke made a flying leap at the -red-headed man and tried to knock the revolver into -the air. As he did so, the revolver spat at him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A loud report. A darting arrow of flame.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luke lay on the office floor. The red-headed -man's skilled fingers ran deftly through his clothes. -Then the killer raised the shattered window and -dropped into the street.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>§5. One of Breil's strike-breakers, making his -round of the factory, heard the shot and came -running toward the noise. He ran to the upper office -and burst into the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A curling cloud of lazy smoke was weaving graceful -figures in the shaft of light from the street-lamp -outside; it embraced an overturned chair, and circled -the top of the center table. Above it the -strike-breaker saw the upper half of a disheveled figure, -the figure of Luke Huber, leaning out of the window -and shaking its fist at all the city round about. In -a high, cracked voice, Luke was yelling curses at the -world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"God damn your system and your politics!" -yelled he. "God damn your law and your -government! God damn your god!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned toward the noise behind him and -showed himself with matted hair and staring eyes, -with a cut in his forehead and a white face that had -brown stains about its lolling mouth, with a slowly -broadening patch of blood in his torn shirt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Huber!" gasped the strike-breaker. He -ran forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he did so, Huber's voice howled into shattered -song:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Hallelujah, I'm a bum—bum!</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>Hallelujah, I'm a——"</span></div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>He lurched forward into the strike-breaker's arms. -Before those arms closed about him, he was dead.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="chapter-xx"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XX</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>On the twentieth floor of a Wall Street skyscraper, -in that office where the engraving of George -Washington hung between the windows, three men sat in -the mid-morning light, about the mahogany table. -They were talking business. Each man had his own -offices and his own businesses, but they frequently and -quietly met in this one because most of the businesses -of each were closely allied with the business-interests -of all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was nothing unusual about the outward -appearance or public actions of this trio; they were -apparently but three units of the legion that makes this -portion of New York a city by day and a desert by -night. Each had come down town in his own motor -that morning, defying speed-laws and traffic -regulations, just as scores of his business neighbors had -done. Each had descended at his own offices, passed -through half a dozen doors guarded by six bowing -attendants, and proceeded to his own desk in his -own private room, precisely as a small army of other -business men were doing at the same time within a -radius of half a mile. Each looked like the rest of -that army. All three were men of about the average -height, not noticeably either above or below it, and -two were inclined to bulkiness. Those two had pale -faces and close mouths and steady eyes, which looked -out from under bushy brows with glances that gave -the lie to the lethargic indications of the little -pouches of lax skin below their lower lids. They -wore flowers in the lapels of their coats; one wore a -white waistcoat; the cropped mustache of one was -black; that of the other was touched with grey. -Hallett chewed leisurely at the end of an unlighted -cigar; Rivington's slim hand stroked his mustache -with a contemplative movement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table was almost of -the age of the man that used to sit there, but he was -somewhat shorter, and he was thin. His clothes fell -loosely about his bony frame. His eyes were -narrow. He sat before a neat pile of memoranda, with -his thin hands, the blue veins of which marked them -like a map, tapping upon the surface of the table. -Like his predecessor's, his elbows were raised at right -angles to his torso and pointed ceilingward; his -chest heaved visibly, but his breathing was inaudible. -His eyes were everywhere.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had come to his office betimes that morning. -He had read his letters, directed his charities, -instructed his brokers, given his orders to lieutenants -at the state capitals and to such lieutenants at the -national capital as needed them. Now he was -receiving his fellow commanders in council.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"McKay?" he said in thin comment on some -remark of Rivington. "What McKay?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Henry," said Rivington. "Dohan's successor -in the M. & N. He's the sort of man——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can unload this stock," said Hallett, "any -time now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Rivington began a question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all right," nodded Hallett. "And by the -way, that little Forbes concern's come into the -combine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know," said Rivington; "but those letters—You -remember——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stein sent 'em over to me yesterday morning. -We'll burn 'em this time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man at the head of the table rapped with his -spatulate finger-ends.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are too busy to bother with trifles," he -said. "I've got here"—he indicated the -memoranda—"all the reports on the proposed -foodstuffs monopoly. I must decide on that right -away...."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>After a momentary silence, the stock-ticker, with -metallic insistence, went on weaving out its yards of -tape beside the windows that looked down to the -web of radiating streets, on which minute black -objects that were men and women bobbed and buzzed -like entangled flies....</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>THE END</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold">BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE -<br />THE GIRL THAT GOES WRONG -<br />THE SENTENCE OF SILENCE -<br />THE WAY OF PEACE -<br />WHAT IS SOCIALISM? -<br />RUNNING SANDS -<br />THE THINGS THAT ARE CÆSAR'S -<br />ETC., ETC.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>THE SPIDER'S WEB</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45866"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45866</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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