Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1912 — The RING and the MAN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The RING and the MAN

f With Some incidental \ reimion lb The Woman Cyrus Townsend Brady /uvsrmT/o/fis By Dehbborn Mo-v/li gg . cmworr /M 9 armmr «*> * ctmnonr 1,1 *» -

SYNOPSIS. A foolish young tenderfoot becomes fascinated with the hold, artful wife of a drunken prospector In a western mining town. They prepare to elope in a bunaIng bll2zara but- are confronted by tne maudlin husband. He is shot by r* l ® wife, but the chivalrous boy P*ns a note to the body taking tlus crime upon himself. In their flight to the railroad station the woman s horse falls exhausted; the youth puts her on his own and follows hanging to the ptirrup strap. Seeing he is an Impediment, the woman thrusts her escort into a snow drift and rides on. Half-frozen pe stumbles Into the railroad station just as the train bears the woman away. Twenty-five years later, this man, George Gormly, is a multi-millionaire in New York. He meets Eleanor Haldane, a beautiful and wealthy settlement worker, and co-operates with her in her work. Gormly becomes owner of a steamship line and finds himself frustrated in pier Snd track extension plans by grafting alermen, ba<3ced by the Gotham Traction company. An automobile accident brings the Haldanes to his country home. Gormty announces that he will he mayor of New York and redeem the city from corruption. The political declaration of the merchant prince produced a tremendous sensation. The whole machinery of the city's detective force Is to be used to dig up something damaging to Gormly. The ■ press heretofore unanimously favorable to the merchant candidate, under pressure, divides and the campaign waxes warm. A resolution is introduced granting a gratuitous renewal of the traction franchise. Gormly offers ten million dolJiU’9 for the franchise. Miss Haldane congratulates Gormly on what she terms a new Declaration of Independence, and he' gakes an unexpected declaration of love. e Is shocked by the confirmation of his suspicions that her father Is the bead ana backbone of the notorious traction company which he Is attempting to overthrow. Young Haldane- discovers his father’s connection with the Gotham Traction company, and is Incensed. In an interview between Gormly and Haldane the latter practically offers his daughter’s hand as a bribe for Gormly to withdraw. Gormly refuses. In an Interview with Gormly Miss Haldane learns Of her father’s baseness though Gormly vainly tries to hide it.-

CHAPTER XlV.—Continued. “Stop! You are on oath now, by Your honor as a gentleman, by your belief in God, by your faith in womankind, by your love for meL, J. want the truth. Indeed, It Is almost unnecessary for you to speak. Your silence, everything, confirms me in that belief. A man who would do what he has 1 done would not hesitate at that. But J must know, and I must have your answer.” “And I can’t tell you.” “You can.” “Well, I won’t then. I have told you enough. Anything else you must get from other people." “And so you refused me?” said the girl standing up. “Look at me!” She stretched her hands out and stood boldly, magnificently, defiantly before him. “You refused me! Many men have wooed me; many men have Bought me for a wife. I did not love you, I don’t love you; but I might have learned. You might have had me. You say lam the dearest desire of your heart. A little silence, a paper torn In two, a momentary forgetfulness, and I should have been yours.” She picked the paper up from the table as she spoke and held it befor her. “I could tear it up in a moment. Think what you might have had:" She stepped slowly around the table and approached him. She came nearer to. Mm. He stared at her fixedly without moving. She was by his side now. She laid her hand upon his shoulder. “Me,” Bhe said, “for this, and you refused 1” He nodded. It was the hardest task life bad ever laid upon him, this discussion. “What ire you made of?” she cried. “I don’t know,” gasped the man hoarsely. “I was a fool!" “Will you take me now?” she interposed swiftly, “and suppress this? If I say that I will marry you tomorrow, will you keep this a secret forever?” “Great God!” whispered the man, "how you tempt me!’’ “Will you do It? Answer!” ‘‘No!” said Gormly faintly at last. "I won’t’” “Why not?” “Fbr two reasons. I would not be Worth your respect for a moment If I did. I could never hope for your love In that case. And I won’t have any woman that I have to buy.” “And we have both tried to_bribe you. my father and I, and we have both failed." “You did not try to bribe me, El- 1 eanor. I am sure you did not know what you wore doing.” ‘1 did." she said. “I wanted to test yon. I wanted to try you, I wanted to see If it was true. I wanted, assurance that my father had done this thing. I wanted to measure your manhood by my womanhood. Oh!" she said in a sudden change of mood, “the light has gone out of life for me!” “My dear child,” he began tenderly. She shook her head and sat down once more and once more burled her face In her hands. He ventured to come near to her. He laid his own hand on hex head and stroked it gently, murmuring broken words; mean-'' lngless. save to her on whose ears they fell indistinctly. At last she lifted her head and looked at him. She caught his hand in'both her own. “You are a gnat man,” she said, “a strong man, a true man, and I am only a poor, wretched woman. I kiss the hand that smites me.” ( Before he cmild prevent it she suited the action to the word “Now,” she said, “go. You hare done all yon can. I understand. I believe. Sometimes I think But won’t you go now?"

Without another word Gormly turned and left her. =— - He found Miss Stewart and Young - Haldane still in the hall. They sESfetf at him awestruck at the tragedy In his grim face. '' " ’ “Go to her!” he said as he passed them. “She needs you." CHAPTER XV. The Last Council of War. Summoned by Liffey at Haldane’s urgent request, the governing members of the ring met that night at their secret rendezvous. There - were present besides the two mentioned, Van Slyke and Mcßonald, Rutherford, Connell,' Habberley, Benson representing the allies, and the mayor. When Haldane arrived, he found the others already assembled. “Well?” asked Mffey as soon as the other entered the room. “He’s found It out and he’s going to do It” “Pound out what and going to do what?” asked Rutherford. “Gormly has got onto us, Mr. Rutherford,” was Liffey’s reply. The boss realized Instantly that Haldane had failed to postpone the disclosure. “He’s found out the secret history of the Gotham Freight Traction company. He’s found out the whole bloomin’ history; where we git our money, how we spend It.” “And who was the traitorthat betrayed you?”, asked Benson fiercely. “I’d like to know that same,” answered Liffey, his fat jaws clamping together, his “pompadour” crest bristling. “I don’t imagine anybody betrayed us,” said Rutherford. “We’ve known all along that the thing was bound to get out sooner or later. If It had

been later, it wouldn’t hare made much difference; but now Is he going to publish it?” “He Is,” answered Haldane. “When?” demanded Van Slyke. “Tomorrow, It will be in every paper in the city except our own.” “Great God!” exclaimed Connell. “If we could only Stave It off for just three more days. Gimme three days, and—- “ Did you bid for him?*’ questioned the chief of police. Haldane nodded. “Did you go high enough?” asked Benson. s“I went so high,” said the man, "that his refusal covered me with worse shame than the publication will do” .T"'•' •" T -—— “And It wasn't enough?" queried Rutherford* wbo bad a clearer comprehension of what the offer might have been than the others. “No." “So it’s coming out tomorrow, Is itr ' V..'. •* “TYes.” “WelL I dqg’J kpow what we can do/ said Liffey. “but grin and take it> ’ . ' “Gents, hear me!” burst out CoaselL "1 can’t throw no light on this situation; I don’t see no way of keeping Odi rot out of the papers unlade we

could burp up the plants or ploae ’em down some way, which I’d like to haTe the job of doin’. But we ain’t beat yet. “This man that's posin’ as an angel of virtue before the people of New York and talkihY reform afad so onts an adulterer, thief, and a self-con-fessed ————- “What!” roared the men present “Vmi’rft iiraaitiing! You’re mad!” “I am, am I? Well, you just wait,” returned the chief, “and you’ll find I'm the sanest man in the whole bunch. You know the other night when you was jammin’, through the franchise at the city hall and Gormly made his great play?” .“Yes.” V " ■ ’ ’■ . ♦■well, nn(> of mv men—l had a bunch of plain clothes men scattered through the crowd —with his eyes and ears open heard a man say, lookin’ at Gormly standin’ up on that automobile and givin’ the crowd his infernal rot, ■Well, if that ain’t a dead ringer for a boy named Gdbrge Fordyce that I used to know back in Kill Devil Camp in Wyoming twenty-five years ago, I’ll eat my hat!’ My man sized up the speaker at once. He was a big western man free of speech as he was with his money. His name’s Bill Hamilton, and he’s a big Montana mine owner. They call him colonel out there. They struck up a friendship right away, had a few drinks together, and my man got enough out of him to get on the trail of the story we been lookin’ for without Hamilton in the least suspectin’ what he was after. 1 sent a dozen of the smartest men on the force out to Wyoming to rustle up old inhabitants of Kill Devil Camp, which has long since been blotted off the map. It seems that this Gormly, or Fordyce, or whatever his name Ib, once run away with a miner’s wife, first robbin’ him of his pile and shootin’ the miner.” The little group of men listened to the chief’s startling story in a fever of excitement and surprise, which Connell greatly enjoyed. “Now. we knew that fae irever came to New York with no woman,” he ran on. “We’ve got his whole history from the day he landed here, every minute of it. We reasoned that the woman must have deserted him, or he her. Naturally she’d make for one of the big cities, especially if she had the money. We believed that she had it; for he had practically none* when he landed. He went to work as a clerk

in a Btore at five dollars a week. A woman like that’d he pretty sure to turn up on the town soinewbere sooner or later. We’ve got a detailed history of everyone of ’tem here and elsewhere. If she went down to the gutter, she’d be dead. If she went up to the parlor, she’d be alive stllL It was only necessary to look among those that are runnin’ the thing. We found one, who’d come from Wyoming. I went to see her myself, and I’ve got her confession here.” He hauled a paper out of his pockeh “She didn’t want to tell nothing about 1L She don’t come out of. It especially creditable; but we had means to make her. All we got to git now Is the stuff from Wyoming, a witness or two to identify Gormly with Fordyce, and that’B the end of him.” Connell snapped Ills finger In derision. 7 . , •.•■,->----4 : “Has the woman seen the man?” asked Benson as soon as he could get his breath. \- “Often.” / “Does he still- " ' * “Lord, he, don’t know she’s on the earth.” “Is she sure be is the man?" “She says so.” “Has she never tried to UaOlanmil hlmr

“Never. She’s glad enough to IM him alone, I guess.” “Why isn't she witness enough then?” asked the district attorney. “Well, she’s mixed up in it in rather a nasty way. j She’s afraid she’ll suffer if her part of it is made public.” * “I can fix that,” said Rutherford coolly euodgh. “A promise of Immunity, and “She won’t do it," returned the chief. “You can drive these women just so far, and there you stop. Besides, it ain’t never goin’ to come Into court.” “"What do You mean?” asked Benson. “I mean,” said Connell emphatically, “that Gormly is goin’ to gi?e up the game.” _ _______ = “Give up the game!” repeated Halr “That’s what I said. It’s goin’ to be put up to him as to whether he wants this told or whether he withdraws from the field.” “You might back your ‘put up’ to him with a warrant for murder, I believe,” said the district attorney. “If the evidence is what you say. Til have charges preferred against him.” “All right,” answered the rhlaf “Mr. Rutherford and I will fix that up. Now, gentlemen, you leave this to me. I am accustomed to deal with criminals, and I’ll fix Gormly. I ought to have all the reports in my hands the day after tomorrow.” “Wouldn’t it be well to spring it tonight?” “Hardly. Besides it’s too late. Not even Gormly himself could keep the stuff out of The papers now. 5 ~ “I guess now, Mr. Haldane,” said Rutherford, as the assembly dissolved and the two found themselves alone together, the others being gone, “that you are rather glad than otherwise that your bribe did not work.” “Yes, 1 suppose so. I don’t know,” answered Haldane brokenly. “I had heard some intlniations of this, nothing definitely. Connell has been very close mouthed. I tried to bluff Gorm ly with that. I don’t know what effect the disclosure is going to have. I don’t know how true it is. It seem* rather suspicious.” “Connell had better be careful whal he does,” returned Rutherford. “He’d better be very sure of his facts.” “Why did you leave the handling ol the affair to him?” “Well, he’d make a good scapegoat If anything went 1 wrong,” answered Rutherford with cynical indifference. Now, as it happened, Colonel Bill Hamilton was not so guileless as he looked. After the first Exclamation and the first few confidences' over the drinks which he gave to the plain clothes man who had so adroitly sought to get his story on that eventful night, Colonel Bill shut up like a clam. The Interest of ths stranger In the story was suspicious. Colonel Bill knew a great many things that he had not told, and did not intend to tell unless it was necessary. Therefore, he soon got rid of his new friend and went to his room to think it over. He was morally certain that Gormly and the man whom he had known as a boy as George Fordyce were one and the same. Fortunately he had always liked Fordyce, and he wag not “disposed to do anything that would injure him. Of course he had heard, as had everyone else In the United States, of the remarkable campaign of George Gormly for the mayoralty of New York. He had not had a great amount of personal interest In the matter, however. But when he identified Gormly with Fordyce, the affair at once engaged his keenest attention. Since the day he had left Kill Devil Camp, he had never beard one word of either the man or the woman. He had supposed, as everyone else had, that they had perished In the storm, and although their bodies had never been recovered there were plenty of reasons to account for that What was he to do? Was he. to sep Gormly, or Fordyce as he called him, and put him on his guard? Or was he to wait and be governed by circumstances? This was not an easy problem to decide; but Colonel Bill Hamilton finally came to the conclusion that his best game was the waiting one.. Besides he liked to play a lone hand, and he felt every confidence that he could do it. Meanwhile he determined ~to fortify himself with such evidence as he could secure, and at the proper time, If the story was ferreted Out and an attempt was made to make use of it, he would, as he phrased it, “butt into the game!” He eet the telegraph to work, therefore, and presently received from his partner in Butte by express a tin box full of very private official documents. Thereafter he amused himself by following the progress of the campaign .and doing some highly profitable local investigating on his own account, the result of which filled him with joy and satisfaction. The demonstration of the alliance between the Gotham Freight Traction company and the Sachem society, the publication of the membership of Haldane and his friends in the traction company, the exhibition of its iniquitous processes, came off according to schedule, Sq<ch a storm of wrath and indignation rose in the public breast after the disclosure as had never been equaled in any political campaign In New York. The stocks of the Gotham Freight Traction company had fallen off terrifically, and every other interest furthered by syndicate of which Hal dane was the head had suffered accordingly. The city was on the verge of a tremendous panic. Unrest, ex citement, uncertainty, were In the air The people had been aroused as never before. _ , (TO BE CONTINUED.) Too much son Is as great an evfl ai toe little ’

"He’s an Adulterer, a Thief, and a Self-Confessed Murderer!"