Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1907 — The Manager Of the B. & A. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Manager Of the B. & A.

By VAUGHAN KESTER

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. I—Dan Oakley, Manager of the Buckhorn •nd Antioch railroad (known as the • Huckleberry”), receives two letters, one telling him that his convict father, Roger Oakley, han been pardoned, and the other that General Cornish, the owuer of the B. & A., la about to visit Antioch. ll—Oakley visit- Dr. Emory •nd meets Constance Emory. Other visitors •re Griff Ryder, owner of the Antioch Herald, and Turner Joice,the local artist. Ill—Oakley tells General Cornish that in orderto keep the car shops running a cut In wages Is necessary. I\--Oakley tells Holt, his assistant treasurer, of the proposed cuts. V—Koger Oakley appears in Antioch. He is a worthy old man. who killed an enemy In self defence ■nd was unjustly convicted of murder, v 1 Roger Oaklev goes to work in the car shops. Gr'ff Ryder tries to induce Dan to keep a friend at work, Oakley refuses. VII-Oakley and Ryder are rivals for Constance Emory's favor. Vlll—Through Kenyon, candidate for congress, whose cousin is warden of the prison in which Koger Oakley was confined, Ryder learns the old man's history. IX—Oakley cute wages in the car shops He is attacked by the Herald. X-Oakley's office boy learns from the son of one of the men that the men are planning a strike and that Ryder is spreading the tale that Roger Oakley is a criminal. XI —The men in the car shops refuse to work witli Roger Oaklev. Branyon, their leader, is discharged. Oakley tells Dr. Emory that he will stay In Antioch and face the situation. Xlll—Oakley has a final interview with Constance. XIV and XV—The car •hop men go on strike. XVI and XVll—Koger Oakley visits Ryder to try to induce him to cease his attacks on Dan. In a struggle the editor is killed a cidently. The body Is found and the slayer's Identity discovered. The old man Hees. XVI 11-Ttie sheriff arrests for the murder a man who Is afterwards released. XIX-Koger Oakley is forced by forest tires to take refuge at Buckhorn. He meets Dan there. XX—Dan has gone to Chicago, intending to resign. His resignation la declined by the B. and A's vice-president General Cornish being absent. Dan secures a big contract for the car shops. On learning that Antioch is in great danger from forest fires he decides to return. XXl—Oakley decides to run a relief train carrying fire engines to Antioch. his father, the only man avallab'e at Buckhorn, acting as his fireman. XXll—Antioch awaiting the relief train. XXlll—Oakley reaches Antioch with the train, but his father is killed.

When lie readied New York the first thing the doctor did was to look up Oakley. lie was quick to notice a certain constraint in the young man’s manner air they shook bands, but this goon passed off. “I am awfully glad to see you,” he had said. “I have thought of you again and again, and I have been on the point of writing you a score of times. I haven’t forgotten your kindness to me.” “Nonsense, Oakley. I liked you, and It was a pleasure to me to be able to show my regard,” responded the doctor, with hearty good will. “How Is Mrs. Emory and Miss Emory ?” “They are both very well. They were just a little hurt that you ran off without so much as a good by.” Oakley gave him a quick glance. “She ig—Miss Emory is still In Antioch?” The doctor nodded. “I didn’t know but what she might be In the city with you,” Dan explained, with evident disappointment. “Aren’t we ever going to see you in Antioch again?” Inquired the doctor. He put the question with studied Indifference. Dan eagerly scanned bls face. The doctor fidgeted awkwardly. "Do you think I'd better go back?” he asked, with a perceptible dwelling on the “you.” The doctor’s face became a trifle red. He seemed to weigh the matter carefully, then he said: "Yes; I think you'd better. Antioch .Would like mightily to lay hands on you.” p. i Dan laughed happily. “You don't suppose a fellow could dodge all that, do you? Y’ou see, I was going west to Chicago in a day or so, and I had thought to take a run on to Antioch. As a matter of fact, Cornish wants me to keep an eye on the shops. They are doing well, you know, and we don't want any falling off. But. you understand. I don't want to get let in for any fool hysterics,” he added Impatiently.

Notwithstanding the supposed confidence in which telegrams are transmitted, Brown, the day man at Antioch, generally used his own discretion in giving publicity to any facts of local interest that came under his notice. But when he wrote off Dr. Emory’s message announcing that be and Oakley were In Chicago and would arrive in Antioch the last of the week he held it for several hours, not quite knowing what to do. Finally lie delivered it in person, a sacrifice of official dignity that only the exigencies of the occasion condoned in bis eyes. As he handed it to Mrs. Emory be said: “It’s from the doctor. You needn’t be afraid to open It; he’s all rigid. He’ll be back Saturday night, and he's bringing Mr. Oakley with him. 1 came up to see if you had any objection to my letting the town know." Mrs. Emory saw no reason why the knowledge of Oakley’s return should be withheld, and In less than half an hour Antioch, with bated breath, was discussing the news on street corners and over back fences. That night the town council met in •ecret session to consider the weighty matter of bis reception, for by common consent it was agreed that the town must take official action. It was suggested that he be given the freedom of the city. This sounded large and met with instant favor, but when the question arose as to how the freedom of the city was conferred the preeident turned, with a slightly embarrassed air, to the member who had made the motion. The member explained, with some reserve, that he believed the most striking feature had to

do with the handing over of the city keys to the guest of honor. But unfortunately Antioch had no city keys to deliver. The only keys that by any stretch of the imagination could be so called were those of the courthouse, and they were lost. Here an appeal was made to the Hon. Jeb Barrows, who was usually called in to straighten out any parliamentary tangles in which the council became Involved. That eminent statesman was leaning dreamily against a pillar at the end of the council chamber. On one of the cards he had already penciled the brief suggestion, “Feed him and have out the band.” He handed the card to the president, and the council heaved a sigh of relief. The momentous question of Oakley’s official reception was settled. When Dan and Dr. Emory stepped from No. 7 Saturday night the station platform was crowded with men and boys. The brass band, which Antioch loved with a love that stifled criticism, perspiring and in dire haste, was turning the street corner half a block distant. Across the tracks at the railroad shops a steam whistle shrieked an ecstatic welcome.

Dan glanced at the doctor with a slightly puzzled air. “What do you suppose Is the matter?” lie asked unsuspiciously. “Why, man, don’t you understand? It’s, you!” There was no need for him to say more, for the crowd had caught sight of Dan and a hundred voices cried: “There he is! There's Oakley!” And in an Instant Antioch, giving way to wiki enthusiasm, was cheering Itself black In the face, while above the sound of cheers aud the crash of music the steam whistle at the shops shrieked and'pealed. The blood left Oakley’s face. He looked down nt the crowd and saw Turner Joyce. He saw McClintock and Holt and the men from the shops, who were, If possible, the noisiest of all. He turned helplessly to the doc tor. “Let’s get out of this,” he said between his teeth. The crowd and the noise aud the excitement recalled that other night when he had ridden Into Antioch. As he spoke he swung himself down from the steps of the coach, and the crowd closed about him with a glad shout of welcome. The doctor followed more slowly. As he gained the platform the Hon. Jeb Barrows hurried to his side. “Where is he to go, Doc?” he panted. “To your house or to the hotel?” “To my house.” “All right, then. The crowd's spoiling the whole business. I’ve got an address of welcome in my pocket that I was to have delivered, and there’s to tie a supper at the rink tonight. Don’t let him get away from you.” Meanwhile Dan had succeeded In extricating himself from the clutches of his friends and was struggling toward a closed carriage at the end of the platform that he recognized as the Emorys’. In his haste and the dusk of the dull October twilight he supposed the figure he saw In the carriage to be the doctor, who had preceded him, and called to the man on the box to drive home. As he settled himself he said reproachfully: “I hope you hadn’t anything to do with tills.” A slim, gloved hand was placed in his own, anil a laughing voice said: “How do you do, Mr. Oakley?” lie glanced up quickly and found himself face to face with Constance Emory. There was a moment’s silence, and then Dan said, the courage that had brought him all the way to Antioch suddenly deserting him:

“It’s too bad, isn’t It? I had hoped I could slip in and out of town without

any one being the wiser." “But you can’t,’’ with a little air of triumph. “Antioch la going to entertain you. It’s been In a perfect furor of excitement ever since it knew you were coming back.” “Well, I suppose there Is no help for it,” resignedly. "Where Is my father, Mr. Oakley?” “I guess we left him behind,” with sudden cheerfulness. He leaned forward so that he could look into her face. “Constance, I have returned because I couldn’t stay away any longer. I tried to forget, but it was no use.” She had withdrawn her hand, but he had found It again, and now hts fingers closed over it and held it fast. He was feeling a sense of ownership. “Did you come to meet me?” he asked. “I came to meet papa.” “But you knew I was coming too.” “Oh, no!” It was too dark for him to see the color that was slowly mounting to her face. “Constance. I don’t believe you,” he cried. “I was not sure you were coming,” Constance said weakly. “You might have known that I’d come hack—that I couldn't stay away.” “Don’t you think you have been a long time In making that discovery?” “Well, yes. but when I saw your father”— “What did papa say to you?” with keen suspicion In her tones. “You mustn’t blame him, Constance. It was not so much what he said as what he didn’t say. I never knew any one to be quite so ostentatious about what was left unsaid.” Constance freed her hand and, shrinking into a corner, covered her face. She had a painful realization of the direction those confidences must have taken between her father, who only desired her happiness, and the candid Oakley, who only desired her love. “Was there any use in my coining? You must be fair with me now. It’s too serious a mjitter for you not to be.” “You think I was not fair once?” “I didn’t mean that, but you have changed.” “For the better, Mr. Oakley?” “Infinitely,” with blunt simplicity. “You haven’t changed a scrap. You are just as rude as you ever were.” Dan cast a hurried glance from the window. •>—-• •-

“Constance, we won’t have much more time to ourselves; we are almost home. Won’t you tell me what I have come to hear—that you do care for me and will l>e my wife? Y’ou know that I love you. But you mustn’t send me from you a second time without hope.” “I shouldn’t think you would care about me now. I wouldn’t care about

you if you had been as unworthy as I have been,” her voice faltered. “I might have shown you that I, too, could be brave, but I let the opportunity pass, and now, when every one is proud”— “But I do care. I care a great deal, for I love you Just as I have loved you from the very first.” She put out both her hands. “If you had only looked back when you left the bouse that day you told me you cared”— “What, Constance?” “I was at the window. I thought you’d surely look back, and then you would have known”— "My darling!” The carriage had drawn up to the Emorys’ gate. Dan Jumped out and gave Constance bls hand. Off in the distance they beard the band. Constance paused and rested her hand gently on Oakley’s arm. “Hark! Do you hear?” “I wish they’d stop their confounded nonsense,” said Dan. “No, you can’t stop them," delightedly. “Antioch feels a sense of proprietorship. But do you hear the music, Dan?" “Yes, dear. It's the band.” “Of course it’s the band. But do you know what It is playing?” Oakley shook his head dubiously. She gave his arm a little pat and laughed softly. “It might be difficult to recognize it, but It’s the bridal march from ‘Lohengrin.’ ’’ "If they stick to that I don’t care, Constance.” And side by side they went slowly and silently up the path to the bouse. , TH® END.

"There he is! There’s Oakley !”

“My darling!”