GOODWIN' S WEEKLY. 17 H
his hat Into the ring, and now was
obliged to chastise them drastically,
lie sighed, thrust his neck out stiffly,
and said, trying to be cocky, but, now
that the excitement had died down,
realizing that it would be easy to bo
gloomy:
"Funny Pembroke isn't here. '
He proposed to scorn that person,
he was keyed to a mighty candle
power of hot contempt, but he want
ed to get at it, get it over with, be
fore his energy had oozed away.
"He'll be along," said Wallace.
"Is it eleven, yet?"
"Just."
Out came Broadway's neck again.
He was even rather nervous. "What
are we going to say to him when he
gets here?"
"Remember that you promised to
let me handle him' said Wallace
warningly. "He thinks I'm your sec
retary." The judge saw that they were wor
ried. "If you boys want to talk things
over I'll skip along."
"No, stay here, judge," Broadway
urged. "We may need a lawyer."
The judge's face glowed with h's
satisfaction.
"We're just waiting for Pembroke,"
said Wallace.
"Pembroke! Oh, yes; some of the
men told me that he is in town.
What's he coming here for?"
"To try to give us a whole lot of
money," Wallace answered. "But
we're not going to take it." He grin
ned up at Broadway. "We don't need
it, do we?"
Jackson looked at him with mourn
ful eyes, recollecting all the bills he
had left behind in New York City.
"Don't make me laugh. I didn't sleep
well."
The judge saw his young friend's
increasing discomfort. "You've made
the people of this town very happy
today, my boy. You ought to sleep
well after this. They owe you a
great debt."
Jackson passed the compliment,
but winced. "Please don't talk about
debts! Let's get on a cheerful sub
ject." With a sickly effort to relieve
his mind he turned to Wallace.
"How's the barber?"
The judge seized this opportunity
to extol a local genius "Aain't he a
I nice fellow, though?"
"Yes," said Wallace dryly, "ho cut
Taft's said once."
"I shouldn't bo surprise," the judge
assented heartily. "He's from Hart
ford." His remarkable appreciation of the
dignity and glories of the little cities
was a continual joy to the two
friends, who smiled across his nod
ding head at one another.
Wallace looked around appreciative-?
ly. "The old gentleman had pretty
nice offices here.''
"Yes," the judge agreed. Ho nod
ded toward the desk at wh'ch Broad
way had carelessly taken his position.
"Seems strange not to see him sit
ting at that desk." He sighed.
"First, old Oscar Jones sat there, and
he died; then John sat there, and he
died; then Andrew sat there, and ho
died; now " i
Broadway, who had listened to the
The Task of the Century I
The United States Government has nearly completed the biggest job in the world fl
Two oceans have been wedded and a continent cut in two M
The total cost of the Panama Canal is $375,000,000.00 B
Three Hundred and Seventy-Five Million Dollars to dig a ditch M
That's a lot of money, but M
It's less than three-fourths of the money the Bell Telephone System has paid M
in wages to its employes in the last five years fl
Right here in the Mountain States we paid our operating employees last year,
over three million dollars in wages alone fl
You see it does cost something to make your telephone service fl
The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Go. I
" The Corporation Different' ' H
brief but tragical recital with expand
ing orbs, got up, and, as he edged
away from the too fatal piece of office
furniture, eyed it with suspicion and
distaste "That's the last time I'll
sit there," he declared.
But Judge Spotswood had not seen
the byplay and did not hear the
youth's resolve. Ho was launched
on reminiscence. "Every man in the
plant loved the old gentleman. They
all feol mighty bad. Just think ho
was alive 72 hours ago, and now the
whole town's in mourning!"
It was at this juncture that Hig
gins, a new and happy Higgins, en
tered, cap in hand respectfully. He
was smiling genially. 'Excuse me,
Mr. Jones, the men want to know
if you have any objection to their
celebration tonight."
He bowed respectfully to Josie, who
entered at that moment.
"They're thinking of having a
torchlight parade and fireworks in
honor of your taking up things at
the works. Is it all right?"
The judge beamed happily. What
could be more significant of the new
day which had dawned on Jonesville H
than this speech from H'ggins, erst- H
while the dissatisfied, the complain- H
er?" That's a bully idea!" he ex- H
claimed enthusiastically. H
Wallace and Jackson looked at one
another in a pleased appreciation. It H
was Josie who instinctively saw the H
flaw which had escaped the horde of H
workmen in the shops and which now H
escaped the four there in the office. H
"Why, judge!" said she, shocked and Ml
scandalized. H