Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1914 — JOHN RAWN PROMINENT CITIZEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

JOHN RAWN PROMINENT CITIZEN

by EMERSON HOUGH

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John Hawn, a clerk In a St. Loujs railway office, hears his daughter Grace s lover, a young engineer named Charles Halsey, speak of a scheme to utilise the lost current of electricity. He appropriates the Idea as his own and Induces Halsey to perfect an experimental machine. He forms a company, with himself as president, at a salary of SIOO,OOO a year, and Halsey as superintendent of the works, at a salary of $5,000. Rawa takes charge of the office in Chicago. Virginia. Delaware is assigned as his stenographer. She as; slats in picking the furniture and decoration for the princely mansion Rawn has erected. Mrs. Rawn feels out of place In the new surroundings. Halsey goes to •■New York with Rawn and Miss' Delaware to explain delays in perfecting the new motor to the impatient directors. He gets a message that a deformed daughter has been born to his wife, Grace Rawn. Rawn bargains with Miss Delaware to wear his Jewelry and appear in public With him, as a means to help him In a business way. Rawn is fortunate in market speculations, piles up wealth and attains prominence. He gives his wife a million dollars to leave him. He asks his daughter, Mrs. Halsey, to take charge of his household. Grace moves to Graystone hall, and Halsey continues to live alone in his cottage near the works. Virginia Delaware becomes more and more indispensable to Rawn. He takes her to New. York on a business trip. Idle talk pronipts him to ofTer her marriage. They are married. Halsey threatens to get a divorce because his wife refuses to return to him. He tells Rawn that he has broken up all the machines after proving the success of the invention. Rawn, in a great rage, threatens to kill him. Halsey declares Tie will"never build another machine for Rawn and slaps his faee. Virginia Rawn implores Halsey to reconsider, because his decision will ruin them all. Halsey tells Virginia that he has abandoned his invention because it would put a great power In the hands of a few to the detriment of the many. At Rawn’s Instigation Virginia agrees to try to bring Halsey to terms, no matter what it costs. The directors plan to get the control of the company away from Rawn. Rawn goes to New York to attempt to avert impending disaster. Halsey takes up his residence at Graystone hall, where his wife and daughter are seriously 111. Rawn is ruined financially. Halsey and Virginia confess their love for each other. The butler ovefhears and tells Halsey’s Wife. Grace .kills herself and the child. The first Mtfe'-Rawn returns to be with her daughter. --Virginia and Halsey tell Rawn of their love for each other, and that they intend to get married as soon as Virginia can get a divorce.

CHAPTER XX.—Continued. "You’ll never tell!” .went on Charles Halsey slowly. “You’ll never need to tell. But here's what I want to tell you, once more. Whatever this is—and it’s about bad enough—it’s come because of you. You —you were the cause of this!” "You blame me—why, what do yon mean!” burst out John Rawn. "Where have I been to blame, I’d like to know! What do you mean, young man?" “Every word I have told you, and more than I can tell you. You’ll not think —you don’t dare to face the truth; hut there’s the real truth. If you can’t understand that,—take what you can understand. Your wife isn’t to blame —I’m to blame. Love is to blame. I love her. I’ve done this.” "You have done —what?” ‘Tve taken your wife away from you, can’t you understand; J ~you fool? She’s going to marry me as soon—” “Jennie!—what’s this fellow talking about?” The veins on John Rawn’s forehead stood high amj full. “He Is only telling you the truth,” she said calmly, wearily. “I don’t care one picayune whether or not you know It! I’m tired! I’m done with all this sort of thing! Yes, I’m going to marry him as soon as we can get

away. As soon as it’s decent, If anything’s decent any more!” “And you love him, you’ll rob me, you’ll leave .me —you’ll—why, are you all crazy? What are you talking about? When I’ve given you everything you’ve got—when you were so much to me! Jennie!” “No, no!” she raised a hand. “Don’t talk about that! It’s all over now.” She tore at her throat, at her fingers, heaped-iip in bis hands the gems she wore even then, the gems she had put upon her person to protect them from uncertain servants, gems 'which left her biasing like some waxen queen in her tomb —white, dead, enjeweled. “Take them!" she cried. “I don’t want them." She went on, piling hi# hands full of glittering, flashing things He stood gazing at her, stupefied. Then, slowly, the burden of .years, the burden of businesa failure, and lastly this —the burden of the worst of man’s diaoomfitura. the worst of a Qian’s possible tosses —began to weigh down upon him. He shortened vlaibly; shriveled; drooped.

They had no pity for him. Youth has no pity for age, love no pity for a mate’s inefficiency; but after all some sort of contempt, at least, seemed due him. “Rawn,” said Halsey, “it’s pretty hard. We’re all of us paying a hard, heavy price for what, we thought we had. But we can’t evade it, any part of it. It was your fault that Grace left me. We were going to part You sent your wife after me, as you call ft. I suppose Grace found that out You know what she* did then. I said I blame you, and so I 'do. But I was going ka get a divorce —” ter! John Rawn’s daughter!” “Did you not divorce her mother—you, yourself?” “But I loved—my wife—l mean, this woman—Jennie, here!” "So do I love her; more than you do or ever will know how to do! What you have done we’ll do. Is it worse Jor us than it whs for you? What’s the difference?” • “But she’s my wife! Why, Jennie!” He held out a hand to her. “So was Laura Rawn your wife, my wife's mother,” went on Halsey. “What’s the difference?” - -Virginia Rawn stepped between the two. “I’m as much to blame as any one of us all,” she said quietly. ‘ “I sold out to you, didn’t I, Mr. Rawn—down there in New York? I married you, didn't I? Very well, what you did, I have done. No more, and not without equal cause. I love him. I’m going to marry him. You and I are going to be divorced —if we were not I’d go to him anyhow. I hatte you, I loathe you! My God! how I detest and loathe the sight of you! Go away —go away—go away from us! You’re not any part of a man!” “It’s true!” gasped John Rawn to himself; “My God, it’s true! She said that —I heard her—to me? What have I done to deserve this? ... I ought to kill you,” said he to Halsey slowly. v “Of course you ought,” said Halsey. “If you were any portion of a man you would. But you’ve tried that, and you know where you ended.” “But Halsev—Charley’— you don’t slop to think!” began Rawn pitifully. “You will go back—you will go back to the factory, in the morning? You will help me pull it together, won’t you?” —, ' - . “No, not one step back to the factory—never In the world! I’m done with that. I’m going away somewhere, J and she’s goirig with me, I don’t know where. Let some one else work out what you thought we could do, and let some one else take the consequences —lt’s not for me. You’ve got what you earned—l suppose I’ll get what I’ve earned, too. I don’t care about that any more.” Rawn could not answer the young man as he went on slowly, dully, bitterly. “If I’ve been traitor to any of my own creed I reckon God’ll punish me. Very well; I will take my punishment on my shoulders. I’ve no apologies to make in a place like this. “Haven’t you gone up—oughtn’t we to go up now—up-stairs?" he added at last. He put down Virginia’s arms from his shoulders; for once more she. had come to him. Rawn sighed. “I suppose I must go up there,” he said vaguely. He turned and walked away, heavy, stumbling.

CHAPTER XXI. The Means'—and the End. Halsey turned toward Virginia. They did not again embrace, but stood silent, almost apathetic now. Passion was far away from them, indeed had never fully seized them. The despair in human love was theirs; and love is half despair. She might have been some beautiful statue in white marble, so cold was she; and as for the man who faced her, his anger gone, he himself might have been the image of hopelessness. Central figures of an' irreparable ruin, and seeing no avenue to happiness, for the time neither had word for the other. . At last Halsey raised his head, aa some sound caught his ear. “What’s that?” he said. “I heard it,” said she. "I think It’s, some one coming up the walk.” “Yes,” he answered. “Listen! Why, it sounds like a crowd. What cap that mean, now? Wait?”

He left her and hastened out to the front door. He stood there, outlined fully by the hall lights behind him. Those who approached recognized him. He was greeted by a derisive shout, half-maudlin, scarce human in ite quality. The solitary servant rushed up, excited. “What is it, Mr. Halsey?” any trouble? Oh, I ought to have gone away with the others!” “Get out of the way," replied Haisey ealmly. “Get back behind the door. I’ll go out and meet them.” “Here, you men!” he called out in sudden anger to the visitors. “What do you mean, coming here tbiß way?” He was advancing toward them now. “Don’t you know any better than to come here at this time, yo|U people? There's trouble in this house. There’s death in here. Go on away, at once!” The leader of the scattered group

of ill-dressed men stepped forward. “No, we’ll not go away at once. We know who you afe, all right, Mr. Halsey. Trouble! We’re In trouble, too! We’re lookin’ for some more trouble, now." “Well, I’m not to blame for that. What do you mean? I Who are you, anyway ?” “You ought to know us! We’ve done up some of your damhed sneaks. You cut your workmen down to the feist copper in wages, and you didn’t pay them that. Then when the pinch came, you shut the doors and slunk off, like the coward you waß! Then they came over to u«; at last! Your scabs is in the unions now.”

“I haven’t done anything of the kind!,” retorted Halsey hotly. “I haven’t been to the factory for days. When I left there, every cent was paid up. That wasn’t any of my business anyhow—l was not cashier, but factory superintendent.” •fit’s a lie, you know it’s a lie! We’ve come to show you up. We’ve come to take old man Rawn and you out of this place. We ought to ride him on a rail, and you with him! That’s what we ought to do! We want that money.” The leader advanced toward him menacingly. “Why, men, I have not got your money—” expostulated Halsey- “If I had, this isn*t the way to get If from me! I’ve always used you fellows squareT-Yett'vegot to act that way with me. I'm m trouble now, I tell* you. My wife’s dead, and my baby—-to-day—in here. You are accusing the best friend you have got! Where’s Jim Sullivan? Where’s Tim Carney? Where’s any of you men that used to work with me there In the factory? Any one of you ought to know better.” “They ain’t here; but don’t talk that to us! We know what you was doing with them machines. We know what you was up to. You wanted to take the bread out of our mouths! We seen allin _tke papers, the whole thing,

plain enough. No wonder you kept it all blind as you could—you wanted to put us off the earth.” “It’s a lie!” cried Halsey sternly. ”1 broke them up. I threw up my job. I quit because I didn’t want to #,see the bread taken out of your mouths. I stood between the company and just what you say. 1 wouldn’t allow them to make it harder for you than it was. I never lost you a cent of wages—l stood for you all the time, I’m with you now. Why, men, I’ve been at your meetings, I’m one of you! Don’t you know? Don’t you remember? You’ve never asked a thing of me I haven’t tried to do, that was in reason. You know me! What difference about the union if I’m your sort?” “Yes, ve do know you!” broke in a squat and pallid Jew, forcing himself through the thick to the front, and usurping the place of the wavering Teader. “By Gott, ve do know you, Mister Halsey! You’fe lied td”us7 that’s vat you’fe done! You’fe been to our meetings, yess, but you’fe betrayed us! I seen you there, yess!” "That’s not true!" answered Halsey hotly. “There Isn’t a word of truth in it! I’ve lost everything in the world I’ve got just because that isn’t true. My wife’s lying dead in that house back there —just because of that! My child’s dead there too—just because of that —I’ve lost everything In the world I have got—just because that isn’t true!”

The Jew shrieked aloud, half-insane. “To hell vith this country!” he said. “To hell vith the rich that rob us. If your vise’s dead, it iss vat’s right.' My vise, she’ll die too, she’s starting. To hell vith Rawn and all like him!” “Look here, my men, that’s about enough of that!” rejoined Halsey. "You’re drunk or crazy, and we’re not going to stand for that here. It’s no place for this kind of talk. I tell you, I’ve done all I could for you. I haven’t sided with Rawn. If I had, I could be rich to-day.” . “You are rich!” cried the Jew; “and ve are poor. You eat fat, you sleep soft. You are rich! But vat do ve get? I’m hungry! My folks —they are starting! 'Ve has no money. Ve get no money for vork ve did so long. It buys us nothing now. Meat is no more for us; breat, hardly. This is no country for the people. There is no land vere laws are just This is no republic of man. Jehovah, send Thy power! Smite and spare not, this so wrong a land!” ‘‘You fanatic, Bhut up!" began Halsey savagely. “Get out of here. You don’t know your own friends! Who’s to blame for your troubles? Haven’t you got heads of your own? Haven’t you got votes

of yqur own? Can’t you right your own wrongs, the first minute you get ready to do it, I’d like to know? I’m for-you, do you understand; but you make it hard for any one to help you, You’ve jiad sluggers after oui*men all the time over there, and now you come and want us to pay you for that. You’re over here to make trouble tonight, maybe slug me —perhaps that’s what you are trying to do to me—and you want us to pay you for that. You talk about monopolies and trustß—what you’re trying to do is to make the worst trust in the counI try—a monopoly in ignorance and savagery. Go on home and let me alone! I tell you, my wife is dead. I am Ipfc Ing back to her!”

"He’s lying to us!” cripd out a voice in the crowd. “He’s trying to get us sorry for him!” “That’s it!” screamed Ahe Jew, who had edged to the front and who now stood crouched, menacing, not far from Halsey’s erect and irate frame. “That’s vhat he iss. He’ss only trying to fool us. Kill him! Ve’ve vaited long enough. Gif it to him!”. He sprang to one side, crouching. Those back of them, at the gallery, in the rear of the entry, heard some sort of scuffle, a snarling of voices, curses. There were sounds of blows. Then came a flash, a shocking report; after that, a THalf-lnstant of silence,

and the sound of scattering and departing footsteps. There remained only one figure, lying outstretched on the gravel. To render succor to this, to offer aid, there was now only one human being left in all that place—she who now came hurrying forward. Virginia Rawn half raised Halsey as he lay. “Charley!” she said quietlv, “Can you talk?” ~ ~ He gasped and nodded. "Through here!” He touched his chest, “I guess I’ll not—be able—” She called out, to any back of her, for aid. The frightened servantrcame, and between them they got him somehow into the house, dragging him to the gold-room library which they had but lately left. They placed him there upon a couch.-Virginia Rawn rose and waved the man away. He hurried after help. “Charley!” she said, turning to him; "can you talk?” “A little. What is it, Jennie?” “You’re hurt bad — very bad.” “Through here,” he Baid again, and touched his chest. His breath was hard. His garments were soaked with blood. His face was bluish-gr&y. She looked into his soul the query of her own. Perhaps there was something not wholly unworthy in the bond between them, Bince now it enabled them to talk, one soul with the other, almost without words. . . . The great, secret, all-powerful, world current, interstellar, not international, the one great power— of love, as she once said —was theirs. . . . Yes, it was theirs, if only for a little while. “They’ve killed me,” he began after a time — “I tried to do something for them. He —Rawn —would have used it for himself. I didn’t want to. . . . “Jennie,” he.said, after a time; “I beg pardon, Mrs. Rawn— l forgot—would you take the doll, the little rubber one on the table there, up to the baby? Poor little thing! Oh, well!” He sighed. She quietly laid him back upon the couch. She heard the blood drip, drip, through and across the brocaded couch, falling at the elge of the silken rug, on the polished floor, eddying there; thickening there. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

He Shortened Vlaibly, Shriveled, Drooped.

Came Hurrying Forward.