The Lion and The Mouse

during that time neither John Burkett Ryder nor Judge Rossmore had been idle. The former had immediately set in motion the mac

on the current gossip, there was a howl of virtuous indignation from the journalistic muck rakers. What was the country coming to? they cried in double leaded type. After the embezzling by life insurance officers, the rascality of the railroads, the looting of city treasuries, the greed of the Trusts, the grafting of the legislators, had arisen a new and more serious scandal-th

s immediate circle of friends, entertained the slightest doubt of his guilt. It was common knowledge that the "big interests" were behind the proceedings, and that Judge Rossmore was a scapegoat, sacrificed by the System because he had been blocking their game. If Rossmore had really accepted the bribe, and few now believed him spotless, he deserved al

was entirely incapacitated for work and he had applied to Washington to be temporarily relieved from his judicial duties. He was instantly granted a leave of absence and went at once to his home in Madison Avenue, wher

the news cut him to the heart like a knife thrust. Yet, he mused, her very unwillingness to believe it should really be his consolation. Ah, his wife and his child-they knew he had been innocent of wrong doing. The very idea was ridiculous. At most he had been careless. Yes, he was certainly to blame. He ought to have seen the trap so carefully prepared and into which he had walked as if blindfolded. That extra $50,000 worth of stock, on which he had never received a cent interest, had been the decoy in a carefully thought out plot. Th

he chances of exposure. Yes, there was no doubt possible. He was the victim of a conspiracy, there was an organized plot to ruin him, to get him out of the way. The "interests" feared him, resented his judicial decisions and they had halted

no time, and filled with renewed hope he wrote to the Colossus a strong, manly letter which would have melted an iceberg, urging Mr. Ryder to come forward now at this critical time and clear him of this abominable charge, or in any case to kindly return the two letters he must have in his possession, as they would go far to help him at the trial. Three days passed and no reply from Ryder. On the fourth came a polite but frigid note from Mr. Ryder's private secretary. Mr. Ryder had received Judge Rossmore's letter and in reply begged to state that he had a vague recollection of some conversation with the judg

erately ruin his fellow man whose hand he had grasped in friendship? He had been unwilling to believe it when his friend ex-judge Stott had pointed to Ryder as the author of all his misfortunes, but this unsympathetic letter with its falsehoods, its lies plainly written all o

failed to grasp. Mrs. Rossmore found much comfort in this philosophy, which gave a satisfactory ending to both ends of the problem, and she was upheld in her view by the rector of the church which she had attended regularly each Sunday for the past five and twenty years. Christian resignation in the hour of trial, submission to the will of Heaven were, declared her spiritual adviser, the fundamental principles of religion. He could only hope that Mrs. Rossmore would succeed in imbuing her husband with her Christian spirit. But when the judge's wife returned home and saw the keen mental distress of the man who had been her companion for twenty-five long

ancy occurred in the city magistrature, he was successful in securing the appointment. On the bench he again met his old friend Rossmore and the two men once more became closely intimate. The regular court hours, however, soon palled on a man of Judge Stott's nervous temperament and it was not long before he retired to take up once more his criminal practice

this indignity put upon the only really honest man in public life whom he knew, so i

demonium reigned on the floor of the Stock Exchange. White faced, dishevelled brokers shouted and struggled like men possessed to execute the orders of their clients. Big financial houses, which stood to lose millions on a falling market, rallied and by rush orders to buy, attempted to stem the tide, but all to no purpose. One firm after another went by the board unable to weather the tempest, until just before closing time, the stock ticker announced the failure of the Great Northwestern Mining Co. The drive in the market had been principally directed against its securities, and after vainly endeavoring to check the bear raid, it had been compelled to declare itself bankrupt. It was heavily involved, assets nil, stock almost worthless. It was probable that the creditors would n

d she found at the little village of Massapequa just what they were looking for-a commodious, neatly-furnished two-story cottage at a modest rental. Of course, it was nothing like what they had been accustomed to, but it was clean and comfortable, and as Mrs. Rossmore said, rather tactlessly, beggars

hy boom in real estate imparts plenty of life to them all and Massapequa is particularly famed as being the place where the cat jumped to when Manhattan had to seek an outlet for its congested population and ever-increasing army of home seekers. Formerly large tracts of flat farm lands, only sparsely shaded by trees, Massapequa, in common with other villages of its kind, was utterly destitute of any natural

rs. Robinson's tea party and the highly exciting sessions of the local Pinochle Club furnishing food for unlimited gossip and scandal. The newspapers reached the village, of course, but only the local news items aroused any real interest, while the women folk usually restricted their readings to those pages devoted to Daily Hints for the Home

reparation of the defence, and he came out from the city every evening. It was now June. The Senate would n

fter meals, claiming that it quieted his nerves and enabled him to think more clearly. Besides, it was necessary to keep at bay the ubiquitous Long Island mosquito. Mrs. Rossmore had remained for a moment i

hter? Does she know of this ra

f Shirley that very moment, and by some inexplicable means-telepathy modern psychologists called it-the thought current had crossed

heart to tell her. She has no idea of what's

more puffs he added confidentially in a low to

ar to have her return now. I couldn

His eyes filled with tears and he began to smoke furiously as if ashamed of this d

to have told your daughter. Her place is here at your side. She ought to be told even if only in justice t

imed the judge, visibly perturbed at

ossmore, who emerged from the house at that instant. "Don't yo

rminedly. "The judge wouldn't hear of it, but I to

to seeing his ailing, vacillating wife do anything on her own initiative and r

ed that for once in her life she had asserted herself. "I ca

" inquired the jud

home at once. To-morrow;

he would be here. Then it became a question as to who should go to meet her at the dock. The judge could not go, that was certain. It would be too much of an ordeal. Mrs. Rossmore did not know the lower part of the city well, and had no experience in meeting ocean steamships. There was only one way out-would Stott go? Of co

she dressed up she looked like a valentine. Her greatest weakness was a propensity for smashing dishes, and when reprimanded she would threaten to take her traps and skidoo. This news of the arrival of a daughter failed to fill her with enthusiasm. Firstly, it meant more work; secondly she had not bargained for it. When she took the place it was on the understanding that

duty to seek at least a bowing acquaintance with the Rossmores by paying them a formal visit. So the day following the conversation on the porch when the judge and Stott had gone to the

his physiognomy. Theology was written all over his person and he wore the conventional clerical hat which, owing to his absurdly small face, had the unfortunate appearance of being several sizes too large for him. Miss Deetle was a gaunt and angular spinster who had an unhappy trick of talking with a jerk. She looked as if she were constantly un

n shaking her head, she added:

a card from a case and handing

ong. Here, my girl, take her this card. Tell her that the Reverend Pon

door, the Rev. Deetle coolly entered the house, fol

girl, who had not budged and who stood

" demanded the cleric

lie to a minister of the Gospel-leastways no

had disappeared, then he rose and looked

ook, not a picture or anything that would ind

lying on the table and after glancin

s-the god of this world. Eviden

sat stiffly and primly in her cha

e? I said they are

le, "and as such they will not than

he parson, resenting this imp

ted his sister angrily. "I

htened up and threw out

ed All Souls Baptismal Presbytery, it is my duty t

her widows or orphans,

it. Furthermore it is my duty to my congregation to find out who is in their midst. No less than thr

a pack of old busybodie

aised his fin

its them. They have avoided a temple of worship, they have acted most mysteriously. Who are they? What are they hiding? Is it fair to

rs. Rossmore, who thought rightly that the quickest way to get rid of

am much honoured," was he

mpression, was all smiles and bows. The idea of a pos

tammered. "I-er-we-er-my s

, waving him to a chair. He danced aroun

be amiable. He took a seat at the further end of the room an

s. Rossmore about the

festival next week-a festival with strawberries-and our trustees thought, in fact it occurred to me also that if you and Mr.

gazing fixedly in the fireplace. Then turning on Mrs. Rossmore so s

ike straw

get a word in edgeways. "Indeed, I appreciate your kindness most keenly but my

actually thrown at him. He congratulated himself on his cleverness in having inspired so much confidence and thought with glee of his trium

sad! You met w

as sitting in her corner lik

inexpressibly sad! They

to explain just what their reverses had been, but

terrupt y

did not speak

the whites of his eyes u

ation. My dear Mrs. Rossmore, in the name of the Unified A

re these strangers that intruded on her privacy offering a consolation she did not want? Mi

ffered a strawberry festival which Mr

. Deetle, glaring at his sister

re; "but we could not accept in any case. My d

tle, grasping at the slightest straw to add to his stock o

t, life was sweet and wholesome and one's hopes of future salvation fairly reasonable. He was not a brilliant talker when the conversation extended beyond Massapequa but he rambled

, Massapequa is a lovely spot, isn't it? We think it's the one place to live in. We a

I shall tell my husband you ca

eing that further efforts to pump Mrs. Rossmore w

hted to have made this little visit and I trust you will assure Mr. Rossmore t

agony was over and as the door closed on

had resulted in a finding against the judge and a demand had already been made upon the Senate for his impeachment. They could do nothing now but fight it in the Senate with all the influence they could muster. It was going to be hard but Stott was confident that right would prevail. After dinner as they were sitting in silence on the porch, each measuring

the Kaiser W

ir