Mr. Crewe's Career, Book I.

or him. After passing the time of day, as was his custom, the patient freely d

ung lady as I ever see, and I don't believe she had a thing to do with it. But I suspicioned they was up to

innocent, I'm sure," sa

wimmen-folks to save 'em money," said Mr. Meader. "I knowed she wa

other

Mr. Meader, "d

thing," sa

Hilary Vane

!" Austen

know what my price is now. But say, I didn't suppos

at for a few moments he could not c

the road," he said at length;

since his son was interested. Talked a sight of law gibberish I didn't understand. Told me I didn't have much

aid Auste

s to know how to deal with 'em, and I told him so. I asked him what they meant by sending that slick Mr. Tooti

n spite of his m

d Mr. Vane sa

ey'd done better to trust to the liberality of the railrud. Liberality! Adams' widow done well to trust

was

e wanted to know what lawyer was to have my case. Wahn't none of his affair

nd on the farmer's

ver expect to have a

shot a gl

t your fayther, Austen," he said; "

derstand each other

hen he stopped, swung on his hee

thing up they may offer you more than you can get from a

Zeb Meader's eyes were riveted on him, and he kne

d Mr. Meader. "You a

understood this man and the

decide-whether you can get

. I ain't lived in Mercer and Putnam County all my life for nothin'. Hain't I seen 'em run their dirty politics there under Brush Bascom for the last twenty-five years? There's no man ha

heard what Zeb had said; his mind had been going onward

not speak for

ttle hasty, Austen,

f you're' willin' to take the risk, you tell

, Zeb," sa

e Leith and Fairview lay hidden. He had come to the parting of the ways of life, and while he did not hesitate to choose his path, a Vane inheritance, though not dominant, could not fail at such a juncture to poin

evel light, for the place where the enchanted realm might be. Just what the state of his feelings were at this time towards Victoria Flint is too vague-accurately to be painted, but he was certainly not ready to give way to the attraction he felt for her. His sense of humour intervened if he allowed himself to dream; there was a certain folly in p

descended the mountain in the gathering darkness, upon the fancy of the springing of a generation of ideals from a generation of commerce which boded well for the Republic. And Austen Vane, in c

gone by had fared forth into the woods to find Sarah Austen, had his supper hot for him. Afterwards he lighted his pi

u, Judge?"

Hilary grunte

r wild expediti

legs a little," Austen answered

lary, "I never had this mania for s

into the woods and climb the hills

aired out yesterday, up

able H

ould hear of it,"

day. Gave Mr. Flint

es

o me first-did you? Said you we

conside

er a little. "I made that remark ironically. I I am a

little finer than y

ve that two men who try to be honest may conscientiously differ. But I also believe that certain customs have gradually grown up in railroad practice which are

this boy whom he had so often chastised took a clearer view of practical morality than himself? It was preposterous. But why the uneasiness of the past few years? Why had he more than once during that period, for the first time in his life, questioned a

only served to stiffen Hilary Vane more than ever. A lifelong habit of admitting nothing and a lifelong pride made the acknowledgment of possible professional lapses for the benefit of his employer not to be thought of. He therefore assumed th

a man of your experience and position especially since I have the honour to be your son, and have made a good deal of trouble by a not irreproachable exist

elling me, was there?"

ave found it out as s

in partnership with you, I bear your name. And in-as-much as I am to have a suit a

ilary was silent

ve-do YOU?

y presence may

y; "you've got a right to take any fool cases you've a m

us in this matter. As he looked up at the gable of his old home

against your wishes and judgment it occurred to me-well, t

t, Hilary Vane turned on

when you'd want to go off

n Ripton, Judge. I bel

at

that the mission of the one was to tear down what the other had so laboriously built up. And yet a growing dread of

aid. "I knew you had fanciful notions about-some th

id Auste

u if I hadn't want

thing of the feeling which underlay this brusqueness

ilary, "but what I want to know is, why you didn't advise that eternal fool of a Me

m to accept it,"

ith him?" the Honour

oyal retainers as Ham Tooting and Brush Bascom." And Austen thought with a return of the pang which had haunted him at intervals throug

onsciously using a phrase from the 'Book of

rom their fellow creatures by the use of any and all weapons that may be at hand? who believe the acquisition of wealth to be exempt from the

son in the woods, and her son's question sounded so like the unintelligible but unanswerable flashes with which the wife had on rare occasions opposed the husband's authority that Hilary Vane found his temper getting the best of him-The name of Emerson was immut

hich had already continued too long. The Honourable Hilary retired to rest;

ewspapers did not mention it; and Mr. Paul Pardriff, when urged to give an account of the proceedings in the Ripton Record, said it was a matter of no importance, and spent the afternoon writing an editorial about the domestic habits of the Aztecs. Mr. Pardriff, however, had thought the matte

counsel; and Mr. Meader, although he had not been able to work since his release from the hospital, had been able to talk, and the inte

a red ticket. Austen Vane had to pay his own way from Ripton, but as he handed back the mileage book, the conductor leaned over and whispered something in his ear that made him smile, and

e possessed a certain self-confidence which arose from a just and righteous anger against the forces opposing him and a knowledge of their tactics. To his mind h

witnesses. The agate eyes of Mr. Brush Bascom flashed from the audience, and Mr. Nat Billings bustled forward to shake Austen's

hear; and added, in a confidentially lower tone, "We lawyers

shaven, and at Mr. Billings' shifty eyes and mouth, which its muscles could not quite keep in place. Mr. Billings also had nic

Billings, still confidential. "Brush is sour-look at him. But I understand how you feel. I'm the k

me a lesson. I suppose it is folly to contest a case where the Railroad Co

and wondered how many points of his argument he could remember, but when he had got to his feet the words came to him. If we should seek an emblem for King David's smooth, round stone which he flung at Goliath, we should call it the truth-for the truth never fails to reach t

he Railroad Commission about that crossing, and had received evasive answers to the effect that it was the duty of citizens to look out for themselves. On cross-examination they declared they had no objection to grade crossings which were properly safeguarded; t

y. "When the railrud is represented by the kind of politi

gh stricken out, wa

nding the jury of the debt of gratitude the State owed to the Northeastern Railroads for doing so much for its people; and if they were to eliminate all grade crossings, there would be no dividends for the stockholders. Besides, the law was that the State should pay half when a crossing was eliminated, and the State could not aff

t that all bills introduced to thi

s been chairman of that particular committee

of answering this question by a loud voic

is legs crossed and his arm over the back of the seat. The offender was put out, order was restored, and Mr. Billings

it from me to impugn any man who has held offices i

Billings wriggled his mouth and gave a strong impressio

rcer, two miles away. No, it was nearer. Pressed to name the exact spot, they could only conjecture, but near enough to be heard on the crossing. Other witnesses-among them several picnickers in the g

ted a pass from the Northeastern Railroads when he went to the Legislature,

ustained, and Mr. Billi

ose appearance the audie

Mercer. He had lived,

maintained that he was

ccident occurred, an

o this witness, "that Mr. Brush B

illings had finished his protest, "that this man was on

d contained more quotations from the "Book of Arguments." He regretted, he said, the obvious appeals to pr

ve the people. So noble, indeed, was the picture which Mr. Billings'

Mr. Meader would never again be able to do physical labour of the sort by which he had supported himself, and ended up by calling the attention of the jury to the photographs and plans of the crossing he had obtained two days after the accident, requestin

ent approval with which it was received in the court room. Quiet being restored, Mr. Billings requested, somewhat vehemently, that the case be transferred on the

tained throughout the congratulations he rec

his way to where his counsel stood. "I suspicio

d," Austen answered, smiling. "He hasn't the least notion

you one thing, as an old man. I've been talkin' to Putna

without the friendship

n, so

d to this mild sort of humour,

a mite disgruntl

nds were pushing forward. One grizzled veteran took h

"but I never heerd 'em talked up to lik