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fflnftttTinitim'tfiiiEftflr -«< *•.. *t Jt W '*M *#JX3&C. r r r::x »AQ£ TWO BARNWELL SENTINEL, BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA : ./'• v t— 5 —n/\ 7 ‘‘ /;• - -.• • :■ By CYRUS TOWNSEND ' !• , - A • •. ^ ^ . •- - * • / 5* Copyright by Fleming H. Revel! Co. FATHER AND SON . ■r r ’ f <- I- * * I ± ~ • ; j i sr ' i-—?- r-. P BERT MEADE’S FRIENDS LOSE TRACK OF tWM WHEN HE DOES WEST, CHANGES HIS IDENTITY AND GETS A' . JOB, BUT THEY SET .OUT TO PROVE HIM v • BLAMELESS OF THE BRIDGE DISASTER Berjrfun Meade, Sr., -plans un international bridge fur tin* Martlet (Jpnstruetjnn company. Ills sou.Bertram Meade, Jr., resident engi neer uf the l>ri<lK«?* site, and Helen lJlingw'orth r -4«ugbter qf Colonel Illingworth, Bead of the , Mar tie f OoihTTaTiy.HKe eii jfai>e«T tU^lHffFTy' when the bridge i.s completed.- Youhg Meade had questioned his father’ff calculations !»ut was laughed at. The bridge collapses with 150 workmen. , Meade, Sr., drops dead after writing a letter for the * 'put>ti*\‘ • tntrt«g--it*H- iifeiwe •Thlsfetter i.s hidden- by Shurtiffe, a faithful old secretary. Young Meade takes all blame to protect Ids father's professional hotior, , breaks the engagement -with Helen uud disappears. \ * ^ It whs a very,Bawble program^ not“it- would..have ^irnOynji her fairer^>e- ^ at all prccrtateo'b*'‘heroic or. romantic, Tvond expression-, it \vOHtd__nLt-haveA’ 1 "' 111 ' :u "' "' jilt. .-sinfemi-ria ,„.i KSt ££ >" and w„lf."-Tti,r y Ly that all tWfcs T ,»;r her la,hit Virk. OJhTr^l ; <>f ,uo ofjla- l.m--I,., were j Come to him who waits. ! half true. S§mie things That is only _ come to him -who waits-siflnetiyw.s. That is more ! nearly accurate.--Well, he .could think- ’ fit «jbO better plan,’ So lie bad(‘ Win ters gdod-by, swearing him again to Secrecy until he slmuld lift the ban against speech, and rode aivay. When he got to the little village on the Picket Wire below . the darn he stopped a long time gazing at the long bridge, or viaduct, of steel that was re placing the old wooden trestle and currying the rallroad /nun the Iiills to thgeastward over the river. . X was not such an undertaking as -The lost international, still It was In teresting engineering construction. - It j was work tby t \youbJ be- |qten.sely. con: filial, to which he was - - -■-* * n . , |n ■->- 4* 1 ■ - I \ ? 1 \i r - jf- CHAPTER XI—Continued. Again the train was delayed rind held up for half an hour just ns It reached the Mississippi river. Ho left his seat In the dining cur;-his dinner uneaten on the*tfdrie r -to go-out- and In spect the bridge during the lmlf-hour that the “limited” lay idle. The next day some enormous irrigation works in western Nebraska so engrossed his attention and rirnnsrerttris Interest that in spite of himself he stopped over between trains to see them. And these actions were typical. Yef after every one of these excur sions back Into bis own field, his con- jfcfefH'w smote biiii. Was be never to get away from this onglni ortnc?--•• Wus. there nothing else for'TrrnT~trrTt-frrIek~ and stone, steel and concrete, designs uud plans and undertaking and accom plishment III the world? Because It wus .tip* thing that he must abandon and put out of bis mind, engineering seemed the only thing he cared'for. There would be no engineering on that ranch on the -slopes of the range; He -could settle the question there. Winters was glad to see him. lie and Itodney and Meape laid Wen the warm est of friends. Uf course Meade could not tell Rodney the truth on .account of his newspaper connections, hut he decided finaliy that lie could.and would tell Winters under assurance of abso lute secrecy. For one tiling the big Cattleman laid bluntly Kdltsed to credit his friend’s first statements; and, when, he ut last heard the truth, he blamed him roundly while lie appreciated fully the nobleness of his self-sacrifice. The clear-headed, practical Winters put it this way: Meade was capable of do ing splendid service to liumalift v as an engineer and’ bade fair tp4»e- even greater than his father, yet .for. the sake'of the fame of a dead man, to Whom after all it would matter little, he had thrown away that splendid.op portunity ! - This was a new thought to Meade ■■ nnMpi" as 4»v<»Il WwttvS"was forced to nc- knowledge,' the suggestion came .foaj .-lute. The course'had been-entered up on. It would be cowardly to try to change it nmv. Indeed it would have been Impossible with the disappear ance-of the w ritten protests and botes. Even If ShurtlilT had been willing, no \One would have believed a delayed re- traction and explanation, and Sliurtiiff would opt have* been willing Meade well knew\\Neither for that matter ■Whs Meade himkelf. lie was glad that the affair had • heenfcKttled and would not change it even nowHlmugh Win ters' rough-and-rcady preseiitYUjon of the situation disquieted him. Winters, .who saw how greatly over: wrought and unstrung! ills friend was', • contented himself with the assertion. - — ♦ - . -• He did not press the pfiint or argue it with him. He rented quietly confident that matters would, right themselves some way in the long rum die treated Meade exactly, right.' lie left him to Ids own devices., lie did'h'ot.force his company upon him. • SniurtiiiiesjUie'env- gineer would jnouiit a liorsi^— and all at the ranch were at his disposal—and would ride away into the wDuds and mountains with a camping mttfit. Some times he would be.gone for several days, coining back white find haggard and exhausted but "victor in some "hard battle fotlght out alone. ----r—- One day there came to the ranch a ^letter to Wlpters from Rodney, full of friendly chat und pleasant remini scence. “Meade has disappeared absolutely,” wrote Rodney in,closing. “Even Miss nilngworth, to Whom he wus reported engaged and upon'whom I have called occasionally, says she doens not know his whereabouts. Of course you Saw In the papers his connection with the tragedy and failure of the Internation al? Although his frank statement w;as corroborated by that of the older . Meade’s private secretary, I have never been able to* believe it, neither does Miss Illingworth. I,know Beet, nnd so does she. Wo can’t accept even his own testimony. We-have been work- tag together to establish the truth, but with very faint prospects of success so far. There’s some tremendous mystery about it I have thought-that maybe Meade might have come to yotL If he has show him- this letter and beg him 1 to tell us the exact truth at any rate." I fr r «‘ s Istfbly, yet* be managed to hoiiT Wiliters passed the letter over to blinSglf aloof.'Ihe hlartiet people Were Mt'acTiy.. without cbnuiieirt. The en- i Ibis steel bridge and they had giiieer. rggil It with passionate eager ness. He was hungry for any news of' ,r,osa - A well-known construction omn- Ilelen Illjngwiirth- Rijdney wjps cull ing upon her. A sharp pang of jeailousy shot through him at That, although he knew there was no reason. Dear old Rodney! He could sec his grave face,. Ids disapproving munnetvhis air of un belief, as he had taken down Meade’s words Jn the office that tragic diiy. Just finished the arch ; up under-the that she hail Rodney to thank-for this -lacy; Engineering Is In Meade’s blood. He is the. fifth of his family to gradu ate at Harvard and three of his for bears were engineers, his grandfatlW noted and his father worid-famous. He fairly idolized his father,^ The affect tlon betwepn them was delightful. The king coub 1 do no Nvrong,' Meade wus v lck-teiiifiereil rftuT not very' receptive to cdticisin, but he would take the se verest stricture frqm the old.nmn with: ot^t a murmur.” - “Here we have,” said the wojjmn, who had listened with. stjr^Ined atten tion, “an, early devotion to a f+erson and an r unbounded- respect for his at- talnmenfs_. <Io on." “TheTiext point is. Mobile was In- ordinutelv pri>mi family rt^i ;,,, i c .,| An ^ r , . ... v . i uisnngui.siied one, but his career.mi omission and after she had time to col- .. . ^ r. , i.,T , , , ~ [little interest-for'Meade,' I have hear lei t herself she asked him to call tipoirt i - . , , t ,... r ,, niut say .that there .hud' been- a. stead; her. He was very-g ad to come. . . . r very- “I'Sent for you, Mr. Rodpev. on ac count of Mr. Bertram Meade,” she bi*- gan, after thanking him for his cour tesy toward her the day the older Meade died and thereafter. “I want yOU tO he4p_|»ei’—— —— '-—r— “P'tB.hall be delighted to do so for - your own sake. I know how deeply* .interested you are in Meade’s rehabili tation.” “Mr. Rodney,” returned the woman, flushing a little, “you know of course that we were engaged. He considers the engagement broken.” ••• «-*T- 'triippoge so. - Thatwould be* Vke n»vn nlmost|h.im,” .fmld Rodney gravely.. “Indeed as a man of honor hp could do no,less.” “You are all alike.” said the wom an a little bitterly.' “Your notions are nol engineers, one wtis a soldier- and a (listinguished one,_but Ills career lupl rd ady upward movement in bis family, tliat "bad reached its culmination in his fa-' ther,- He lipped to be a good, useful engineer, but he never dreamed of-go ing any higher or even appryacliing the altitude of the oilier man,”.... - * T It. was a sort of fetish with- him then, wasn’t it-?” asked the wjoinfan us Rodney stopped again. the others noticed It, but I Ms my busi ness to take in even inconsiderable de- y tails. The pen was still between his fingers. His hand was constricted and ‘ the pen had not'dropped out—In fact," I myself took it odt and laid it oa the djesk.’ -F.- “His last conscloqs act was to write pany was building the great earth d:nn across the Hekct Wire in the valley. Meade’s engineering' life had been spent mainly out of the United’ States. He had never been connected-with the Martlet and its emptw^eos until he had been associated with hiS-father on the International,’ He could fitjve gone' something,, therefore?" “Yes; for confirmation I ascertained t. that there were ink-stains on his dn- ; ger»*! . *[; ■; .1, ■ “What did he write and to vt'mm?’* ♦ “I don’t know. I can only guess.” “What do you guess?” “Tlie assumption of entire rcsponsl- - billty and,.the exculpixtion of his. son, probabtv' to' some naper.” ‘-Prom 3 the —smfie motives that^; liroiapte^h-Bet-t?” ’> ’’ :• V^Co, beciBisc it was true.* TSut that* is only an assumption, although not al- tog*»tbcr without further evidence.” . “And what is that?” asked the-worn- , an eagerly. . ' . . ; She had sat down -opposite- Rixln^y ~ at the table and was leaning toward him. Her coloi - came and went, her breathing was rapid and strained .un- ' der five -wild beating of her hpart. “The blotter mn the desk. I exam ined it at my leisure. It had been used some time. I went over it with a magnifying,glass. Meade, Sr., had evi- . <• -—C_^_ ?. “You have hit it exactly. Ills love 1 dentty written a letter. I found the for the man. his admiration for the words‘fault is mine.’ 1 have.the hlot- engineer, which sometimes blinded ter In my desk. - The word ‘fault’,1s Of course, Helen Illingworth was not nmnn *- thorn with little.danger of irn- a recluse as he was. Slie mingled in ,n ediate discovery; since mostjpf the society. STie took up life with its <de- !n '' n be had known had'gone^b*wn with mauds. She entered into Its pleasures hri-'lg:**, but he decided not to do and fulfilled its duties. IP* was Jea lous of everyone Who might come in contact - with.Herr'Pul .he . the names of none except Rodney. jAnd they were 1 suspicious of his avowal! That was balm to his soul, of course Helen Illingworth was sus picious, hut why should Rodncjr doubt bis assumption of the blame? .And they were working to establish his in nocence. The thought disquieted hiiq lest they should discover the truth In some way. And It gave him Joy also. They would work despite any remons trance from him. He thought of that protest to his father ahyiivs with un easiness. If lie could only have found it and destroyed it himself he would have been'happier. Could It be In ex istence somewhere? Would It thru up? Would they unearth it? .WelU-he had done his best for his father, yet he was glad those- two disbelieved und were working for him. Meade had been the most brilliant. Winters tin* most'indifferent, Budm-y the most persevering, of the trio at col lege. He remembered that well. His first thought was to forbid .Rodney to do anything furthejG f ...although how far so. The work on the dam would be. simpler and he would have less oppor tunity- to betray himself and it-would give him more chance to wojrk up in a plausible and reasonable, way. Bhsliles, f if Colonel Illingworth came-on to in spect the bridge, as he would probably do, Meade_would ha vt* to leave before his arrival. The dam would lie safer. No one would ever think of looking for blui there. 'And-ntr oxiv-woul i ever recognize in the rough-L'earded work man the clCar-cut, smoothfaced young engineer of other days. V The darn was twenty miles up the valley, yes, he would he less apt to be observed ^working tlipre. than oiVthe bridge. Yet as he reculled that pri vate car and that it might come there, he realized that she might lie on it. him, and his pride in his father’s career as typifying his family, was Un bounded.” „ “You have established a motive for aiiy strcriflce plover respertrpride “ ' . ‘‘ThaTsTfie way It presents itself to me. Miss Illingworth. I know thor oughly the quixotic, impulsive, -self- sacrificing nature of the man. I-kmnv that he would have done anything on, purely decipherable, ‘fs’ can be made out ^ith- di file pity, but ‘mine’ is quite plain. T am familiar with the older Meade’s handwriting, and though this ts tvejTkrr'rinti' feetiter find TiTrrrp"itrr*gn- ' lari than /was FiiS "custom--ordinarily he wrote a bold, free hand—this is-un mistakably his. Of course no one ran say that he -wrote uuv letter^ This Is piling assumption upon assuniption. earth to save his father, even ut the ! an< ^* furthermore, there Is no evidence sacrifice of his own career, and since 1 of :in - v signature having been written have seen* ; you i can realize how po\v*:tT ) eneath it." seen tnes erfiii these motives must have been.” Rodney said this quite simply, as if It were a matter of course, ratlver than tf-'compliment, ami bluntly ns he might “There one more bit of evidence. * The^slnjdf of paper oq which the de- • sign orniipu t aOons for the Coj u.pres Si on have said'it. to a friend and comrade. members a| > pear wait-- net with and Helen l n| pg iv '' rth hn H ^rst‘“id e«d“^h^--otlirT~~pIunsTind tragings of the t was grateful* *" -s. * ~ I br.ldge. 7T~ * “It has been a grief to nioThat I‘ do you know?, ^ c~. weighed so little in comparijHfn/Vshe ; ‘ Fbese plans were taken oyep by said Simply. I shouldn’y put It [the Mhrtlet company after Meades ft wav exact- j 'ly^th. and Mr. Curtiss and I examined “The King Could Do No Wrong.’ 1 ly,’" observed Rodney^ carefully. “You see eve’u if.it coulq be-shown that it was the old myh’s fault entirely the young one wpfild still have tu share some of theTilame.” “You Yfmun lie should* have foreseen it atpf'poiMted it out?”- • ~ ■ ■■ /“I think he did. but if he (lid fore see it and point it out, he should not have allowed the older man to overawe him or force him to uccept what he be- [ lievial to be structurally unsound. I don’t know whether he reasoned it out. ! , 'i ddh’t think he had time to argue the ShurtlilT, tlimp. We found that sheet^ missing.” “U’k\womlerful!’’ cried the girl, tier eyes shilling. “I was convinced be fore. - but. i fY Jmd not been,* you would have persuadedNme beyond a doubt.’ “I have p(*rsua(u*d mj seif, too," Rodney. “But thereTs not a sUdt+e thing"here that wimTJvfuStlfvjirfis pub licity. even if we were pivpifrcd to go against Meaile’s obvious dt*sireN As 1 say, it is all assumption. No one cbqld prove it.” ~ > ^ “You are \ w rong,” said the girh ^Us heart leaped even as it had leaped a{ tlie sight of the viaduct then build ing, as it had, quivered to the familiar rat-tat-tat of tin* pneumatic riveters and the clang and the -clash of the structural steel. Bui fvhat \vas. tine use? He wotild not dare trust •hirmWMf to look at her even from a diiffinee. supreme. You nmy^sacrifice love und your best friend so long as you pre^ serve tho«» motions of honorinnirt.” “And yet if w.e weri*n’t honorable men ypu wouldn’t care for us at all.” “Yes, I suppose that’s It. Well, I do cftre sexy much, as you underst a ml. I may as well lie frank with you. My falher, of course^ is bitterly antagonis tic to Mr, Meade, He won’t even al- ense, the shock was sd swift and sud den, but as soon as he did see the situ- ,'" u - a tlon he discovered that you were lost arywny, except of the charity -of your affect-k>n,. which—he could'md accept, and that he could save his father. This rnay all he the wildest Speculation, but “I wondered if that would occur to . .. M • * ‘>)f course. You think that Meade, ,Sr.. wrote ri letter assuming the blame because It was his. I have no doubt in the world nmv that Bertram Meade had made his protest- in writing. Per* this 1s the way It presents itself to j ^P 8 Jj® indorsed it on the missing ' shODt. continued the woman, making bold and brilliant, guesses “Or maybe he wrote a defter 'that w as attached nn Nd, It was the dam that best spfted his -low his name to’be mentioned, purpose, Vo he turned away "from the “One can hardly blame him for that,- Ids friend would respect his wishes he [bridge and rode up the .valley. There' Miss Illingworth. The failure of the 1 “And to me,” said Helen, “but before we go any further, bet me say I should _ rather be his wife than enjoy utiv otherhe__din» t Jhat we. lack,, and Mr. , -—-— j Meade got it out of the safe and fortune.” ,, _ “That is the kind of affection liis ! " Trttr llis IctTPf and attached it with could not tell. Anyway, he did not he,was fortunate in falling Into a po- have to decide'that matter, because he could not say a word to lijm. To have allowed Winters to write would .4w>WIHin<*>|il»OITTTirfP~TSi sltinn, as has been set forth. CHAPTER XII. 'h»r»iihnttfa 3EZ was living with Winters under an as sumed name of course. • He had had his hair cut differently and had'grown a beard and mustache. He thought It would,have taken a keen eye Indeed to' have recognized him with Uti&e changes. - ' ,, In tin* end*In* handed the letter back to Winters, only charging him that if* lie wrote to Rodney l^e most not'betray tin* fact that Meade waswjijlli him. Jie bail plenty of St into to-tlii.ilk ovt*r the sit tintion„....lie...decided ..lixia-lPy^lrrttt. s<f Marshaling thrf Evidence. For all her sweetness and tlfft' M discuss the affairs Bridge coinpany,” said Helen, , Helen-.Illingworth was dowered w'KJi e sRng though they may be., but to set intense, energy and., u pow erful will. ! ^ by working together* there was not What she begr^p sin* fthlshed, and i some wuv bv which we could prove was not-deterred from beginning things j that Bertram Meade has; assumed The by fears of consequences. ,She was con- blame to sa've the honor and fame of vincod that Meade bad not told the iiridge seriously embarrassed the Mart- nullities merit and would evoke in Jet Bridge company, and it is u great t * u> '"hoi of a discerning woman, handicap for them to overcome in seek*'- 1 hank jou. W ill jou go on. now? log any further contracts.” -• course you Know,that wlmt wt* ' lAMiiiiiid itijutti .iiMiji mo. ir»tw WrFtiTTT tmThirfi ^'nfTlTTPTfy of the Martlet inter- =ttt= i Bertrands .protest*.to the. mining draw ing and gave them to ShurtTitT and told him to take them to the papers. You know Sliurtiiff said that aid iMnumni4t' sumption: perhaps, presumption.” truth in that famous declaration in his yfaThyr's office. She respected him for 'his desire to shield his father’s name gind -fame even autfte expense of his veracitjvMiibcit sin* would not, have An'-c'mCwoman if sill* had not resented Hie Tact that in sri doing he* had sacri ficed her happiness asrwell as Ills own. The quts.iibn;.• MeaiU*. Jr., Was-the more, resporfsit^le or seven re- *^ ’ * ■ J * jv-Y ' his father.” . ‘ . | “You believe that’, Miss Illingworth?" j “IamsureOif.it." * | earnestly. “To you and to me, yes. Welt.” lie continued. “I remember that M<-a<Tf* anikl wore talking just before he wont to Burmu three years.ago.about a new Ixtmk by u Herman n.\mCd Kcbmidt- CTieinnitz, in which certain methods of calculations wore proposed for the de sign of lacings. You know it \Vifs the Meade de* he told the reporters so. ShurtlltT has, “It’s os true as gosp*el,” saiiTTlie glrl^/.lT h^knows who has, tin* missing pa per.: “But what-motive would the secre tary have-for such concealment ?” ... “He idoliz'd tin*. Older -Meade. Mr„ Otirtiss told me about him. A- failure “So am I.” spid Rodney quickly. • 1 , ... “Thuulc •iinl," crivd vU v Kiri a llt.le.-C*""** ut ,‘T ^ members of the cantibwer tlfat gave ’ hysterically, surprised and almost swept off ' iiiit ‘ feet • by this, prompt avowal by one who, though young, was already an authority in tin* literature of engineering. “Why do you say thrit? What eNddencrrhave you?” 1 s'ntihvitde* ’ :iY all ' Wn's'-’rhiiVC ' ’oK ’ II.1' ’W.V* T r’ ’ V■ ’ ” *.' * / * »,*,> * ' * ’ * ’ * > * i > > v ' * > * > spoiiMoo in .in was irqirt. or_n ss “t nfortunately,” answered Rodney* 'i, ; a cm <-v won academic- to - -Colonel Illiiig^yonli. lie ■"^4, +r XI U f H 'X x Winters Passed the Letter Over to Meade Without Comment. -tl \ -* " •' • * \ . -.* long hri he had been born an engineer and trained and' educated Its an en gineer he would havie to be until the end of the chapten He wauld go out tftd-.hnve had nothing further to do with either of'them if. both -wCreHiving and certaitily not with the youngerxiir vivor. He tried to believe that ifHt bad come to.a final choice tlie daugh ter,.in spite of the fact that such Is e Habit of women in tin* experience (»f nft*. would not.have given up age amVhec fMjh j r for'youth, and her, lover. Indeed she wthMao genuinely devoted to her father to 004that except as a last resort. . ; -She cherished-the hope^^&cst, that Meath* could re-establish liimseTf^-she , - * ■ ' ^- J* * " had too sweeping, a confidence in h l-charactep and capntdty to doubt that— rand second, that it cmiltl lie - shown that hh had not been responsible for the <nllur,e of the hrbbtr»*. Slie was more aq\l more convinced thot his as sumption of the blame had been die- “I haven’t any tiuiglb'le evidence what ever. but I knmvJBert Meade as few 1 people know him, Miss Illingworth. | pOrhnpsr not even you,” he went bn, in spite "of. her unspoken, Hut vigorous protest nt that last-stafement, as she slbaik 1i»*p head and smiled at him. “Aim, thrirp a re--several little clrcum- staneek that make me ..’.feel that lie could not haye been to blame. Have you any ground for your conviction?” “Probably abiHty aid experience^ but- under some assumed name he would begin at the very beginning, at (he foot of the lad der as a rodman, if he could; and gagemenLor of its b then he would work on quietly/“Taitli- fnity, obscurely, praying fm big cIihuw. If Jt eame be \tould strive to be fqual tp the opportunity; if It did not at ieast be would be engaged in honest work in an honest way. 31 tated by the highest of motives athF^Lunething. ■or Ten- i^Thp' suggestion is admirable, instead of being fit subject for; sure and condemnation,Tie nthrited ad miration and applause. She hoped with her woman’s wit to prove this event ually, perhaps in spite of her lover, and to this end she applied, herself as- siduousiy to solve the problem. *P r fc, not such work qs his I To her^, alJieT, request,, camjLJtod: ney. Nou^the reporters hud dealt very gently with "Helen Illingworth. 'They had mad^no announcement of the co oking at her fa ther’s earnest request. There jvas no necessity of brfifgtng her Into the bridge story, although it would have added a dramatic touch to their nar- ratitea. Her Inclination Tiad been to avow* it But upoo reflection aha aaw red less than you have ithtT yet'I. tooNmow him.” Helen II- lingwArth looked b\to the plain, h<|f»e-' ly, but strong; rd fable face of the naq nnd dismissed any. thought of re- sefvefrom her mind. - \ - “I.et^U^niace,” she began, “tie little circumstances^ upon which our intui- tirins are baSod/HMt^iuitions are ever based on anything tivndble, together. Perhaps the-sue of thehs^may yields sorted Rodney, “and as^ I knew him first and longest I will begin. Perhaps it would be well, too, to take notes so that we may consider them mt leisure, getting r Umeye .Yletv.asrwell as an ear View ol them.” .“Kaw. .la ttpr first, placft” .La writing and speaking, at the same tttne, “point one is Meade’s absolutefy un-' bounded devotion to hjs father. The old man was not always/Hght. The boy was as clear as ty'oeW on most thtTTgs,"bi»t FroeaH thoVhe-wouW itoeHr way. . “iVdl/Mcadc and I got into a lfot dis cussion . over, some of Schmidt-Chcm- tfi Iz'B fctrutuhtHlI minnfaincu that they were' wrong.' r ~l le took t lie ' opposite view.,..He- Aa.* right. He was so iu- ‘terestfHFr-in the nfflfter that, after we separated he wrote-iue'a letter abou.t it. adding-somo new arguments to 're enforce bis contention. Thy other day I made a careful search among iny pa pers and by Jiappy chauce I found the letter. I was half-convinced by his reasoning then, although the matter was dropped. ^ I ain. .altogether con vinced tmw. His argument i.s very j clear. I have examined since then the plan and sketches for that bridge. The calculations did no't agree with those ,of Scliniidt-Chemuitz. Ills methods <yere not used. Meade could not haVe forgotten the matter. I am moral! certain that he made a protest to Jfls father, pfobahiy“Tn writing, then al lowed himself to be persuadyd^by his father’s reasoning. As ti^ruatter of fact, I suppose that Bejrfrum Meade, Sr., waa-a-greater authority on steel sbridge diWtlgnipg tpiu1 even ScJjmldt- Chemnitz.. AVeUy^ometimes, the small er man is righh We know now*, and B^rt^am ^Ie^^de,.Sr., would admit it if he werK^jfive. that Sch'mldt-Chemnitz w as rl^htr^tstF we can make a good gu^as that youn^-Afeade did not let it ^>tfss without a proteSL^:, “Mr. Rodney. iL’« wnntterfuL’’ tain his father’a/'proposltlona tena- ly, determbiedly. long after every body, jjerhap* eyen the old man him self, had Keen convinced of thdr fal- ‘Well, that’s not all. There not a Tittle bit of hesitation in Mea assumption of the blame, not n person who beard it doubted itr- apparently But I was the first man to gee the older Meade except bis son and Shurtlltf.” 4 0h, Shqrtllff! “We’ll come to him presently. It obvious that the older Meade bad been writing. I don’t know-whether The Woman Rose to Her Feet. himself when he was a young man, Mr. Myade had faith in him and of fered to promote his engjneerlng^ ef forts, but the man preferred to attach himself, personally, to Mr. Meade and .so. be became his private secretary. By his own showing he had been with * tbs' dead man on that afternoon. He has the papers.” The woman rose to her feet as she spoke with fine conviction. Fate, it seems, nas maraed a strange pathway for young |eade to follow. Thing#, begin to happen around him at his new jobXThere are interesting dewlopmcntfry^n the next la stalimcnt (TO BE CONTINUED^