EYENIK0 frEP&EB-PHIL-APKLPHT SATURDAY, APRIL 29, iDltf. -M, MONTE CRISPEN A Remarkable Story) of the Millionaire-Hero's Adventures in Kensington A B r 1 ( r . I, Jtfortte Crtonen, upon the death of his Uncle, James Montgomery, inherited a vast estate, comprised chiefly of steel and textile mil' In the vlclnlt y of Phila delphia. A proviso in ihe ttlH mode It necessary for Monte not to go more than SO miles from Philadelphia during the first year after his uncle's death In order to gain clear title to ihe millions. DUrlno the course of the preceding story rt part of the Grlspen Btccl Mills is blown Up by the agents of Baron llochmcltler, because tear orders for- the Allies are being filled. The next day a cryptic cross icarns Monte that a similar attempt tUM be made to cripple the tcxtltc mills In Kensington. Strikes arc planned, and If these fall dynamite ulll be resottcd to. The sequel begins at the point where Monte, traveling Incognito, arrives in Kensington to team conditions at his mills. By ARNOLD GARRY COLM CHAPTER I Among the Workdrs TRULY It Boomed llko tho end of tho world to Monto Crlspon when ho got to Kensington with a single pleco ot luggage and no body sorant The fixed habits of tho past, relics of his former ljfo of plush-llncd easo, rose llko mock ing spectres dnd smoto hard against his grim determination to stick out at all costs any discomforts Incidental to now IK standards of living. There was tho sting of tho cactus under every step ho took in tho mill district. At first tho irritants wore'' many, and his aroused nerves refused polntblank at times to tako orders from his brain. Ho kept saying over to himself "How can I seo If I keep myself fbllnd7" until Tadually tho wigwagging of tho ban ished comforts becamo fainter and fainter. Tho facts which towered so high in tho" fogs of yesterday an always ready bath, variety ot wearing apparel, exactly two-mlnuto eggs, etc. strangely changed their proportions. Ho saw their limitations and ho felt the Joy of stand, ing alone, superior to their absenco, unafraid In tho presenco of aft cxlstenco shorn of them. A mechanic who becomes a capitalist has no no cities to offer. Ho draws to ward him tho warming-pan, the mani cure and tho tailor. But tho capitalist who becomes a mechanic, let it bo for a slnglo day ah! thoro wo havo a real somebody, a gc'nulno centre of interest. Did not John D. Rockefeller, Jr., en banco his standing with tho American public when ho went to Colorado to study for himself the problems under lying tho industrial disturbances there? In tho languago of the merchant, tho middlemen had "oversold" young Mr. Rockefeller and ho broko away from trndltlan; ho wanted 'facts guaranteed fresh from the labor reservoir, so ho took a train for tho West But wo cannot tarry long with theso reflections; this is a story and not nn essay. And our vlrllo hero Is signaling. It was after 6 of a lato November aft ernoon, bleak and chill. It was already dusk in McPherson Park, and street lights wero beginning to twinkle In tho little narrow corridors of homes that ran hither and thither back from tho open square. Ono of theso was Halsoy street, and up and down its sidewalks came tho patter of eager footfalls, tired home comers. There wero stalwart mechanics and lltho girl mlllhands from t tho nearby factories; clerks from the downtown wholesale and retail houses soon to feel tho benefits of rapid tran sit. As each reached a particular door, made known by habit, he or she would suddenly disappear from sight. Tho wonderful necromancy practiced in many sections of our great Industrial city is the nightly finding, of onofs own homo. In tho rows and rows of "Just alike," one and two story dwelling houses. Truo enough, there are tho private marks known alone to each set o occupants, such as a familiar door scratch, a chipped step, a mended win dow blind or a distinguishing arrange- ent of curtains. But to a stranger 'atchlng the piquancy of this pageant f dally life in Philadelphia the picking out of tho right portal is a profound achievement. Vet wo think nothing of It Through rain or biiow, sunshine or darkness, we and our neighbors actually sense our I way home. Unconsciously we turn fa miliar corners, treading our way through the labyrinth of similarities; encircle a pool of water in the crossing or a bit of rough going in the sidewalk until we suddenly emerge almost mirac ulously at the portal of portals our home. "What wero the forest-piercing talents of tho American Indian com pared to tho home-finding genius of the true Phlladelphlan? As nothing. For half an hour Monte Crlspen, In dulging in such reflections, had been 'watching with fascinated eyes the prac ticed arrivals at the two story brick fronts in Halsoy street. Bundled tup in a warm coat, Monte quite Ailed the cold steps of No, 29, his presence blocking the entrance of the dwelling where CralglAndrews, the lawyer, had secured him a rear parlor with breakfasts at $3 a week. He was known only as "Mr. Taller," and with a. pair of heavy- rbnmed glasses, a rapidly sprouting "third eyebrow" on his upper lip and tho most ordinary of ready-made clothing, there was very little in evidence of the dandy of the Bellalre-Blltz Hotel and ri foreign watering places. H HUf.- Wallow ..111 narnn .- Monte turned, a bit startled, and faced a girl about to enter, who loolted straight into his eyes with a frank and' pleasant curiosity. He recovered his poise: "Ah! I see J am in the way. Miss Marley, I be lieve," He lifted his (tat politely, and mado space for a free, passage Into the house. "You are mother's new roomer?' she said timfdly. i-Tfes," L "I leave so early for the mill that I have missed you Up to now," Monto saw that her features wero delicate, and her mouth was shapely and sensitive. Her brownish hair, which showed an Inclination to wave, was blowing about her head under a Jaunty tam-o'-shanter. Sho was Btnall but welt formed, and sound ns a trained nthleto. Monte looked down nt her from his six feet two with undisguised admiration. "The mill," he repeated vacantly after the girl, her ruddy young face and laughing hazel eyes seeming out of as sociation with any suggestion of looms, knitting machines and other mechanical accessories of Sptndleland. "Oh! I forgot for tho moment," she volunteered lrt explanation, "You aro a stranger In the Kensington district. "Wo nro all workers up here my mill is ono of tho Crlspen group." Monto winced. Ho managed to keep his voice steady and his faco straight a ho asked: "Let mo see, Miss Marley; you havo a now boss, young Crlspen, back from abroad for his inheritance?" '"Precious llttlo wo have seon of him, or oxpect to; and It's too bad, for ho ought to know tho way things aro going." "Qolng?" ho repeated after her. Sho cited an Instance: "Other mills in tho neighborhood havo put in safety devices'. "Wo haven't." "How about your not expecting to seo tho now heir?" ho asked whimsically." "From what I hear at tho mill, Mr. Crlspen is not tho sort of an employer to get wild about They say ho Is a 'do-nothing? I guess you know tho sort of man I mean there, I should not have spoken so frankly, Mr. Taller. Still, you aro a worker and understand. I havo my own opinion of Idlers." "Exactly," he answered, with a slight choking sensation that was completely hidden. And then, ns If to give especial em phasis to her opinion of nonactlves, sho bounced Into tho house with this part ing shot at herself: "Which reminds me, Mr. Taller, that thoro is work for mo inside." Monte, left alone, mused on. Ho had learned first-hand what Andrews had intimated; that an abscntco ownership begets wholcsomo disrespect. He was pot qutto suro that ho liked tho wasp that dominated tho girl's contempt of this unknown Monto Crlspon. He re called she qualified hor opinion with "they say," and there was comfort In that. Ho chuckled audibly at tho thought of her some day learning his Identity. Ho was surprised at finding himself altogether moro pleased than annoyed; thoro wero fine depths in this young man. t Already you are saying of young Crlspen in Kensington: "What a silly ass thing for him to do. Emancipation from luxury, lndcedl He still had his homo in "Walnut street, only CO minutes' trolley ride from McPherson Park. Is this chronicle of industrial life In Phila delphia going to degenerate Into another ono of those social-uplift, humanity- saving sermons In dreary dialogue and torpid action? As a man on Chestnut street well put it: "I got all those books at home." Homeant Tolstoy, Thoreau' and the other famous rcnunciatlonlsts. Bight hero the teller begs ono tiny paragraph on the difference between Idealism and leallsm. Tolstoy and Thoreau typify the Idealist. They wero great mental physicians; words and example wero their cure-all. Alas! For the example part, tho Russian social reformer, for all his fine renunciations and the peasant work ho did In tho fields, slept and ate In his well-appointed house, later run in his wife's name; and Thoreau, the American recluse, used to steal away regularly from his near-nature hut on Walden pond for the good homo cooking in a nearby farmhouse. These men went into sackcloth and ashes for "copy," material to put Into writings. Monte Crispen's bold fling of self into the mill district was wholly practical; pure realism. He was "north of Market street" to post up; a belated apprentice ship in the human elements of manu facture. He was in dally touch with his lawyer and ready for emergencies; Monte kept the blue limousine at a garage in Jasper street, near Frank lin Cemetery, with Lars, tne faithful chauffeur, rooming-within sound of tho car's siren horn. Many young men of today dodge their responsibilities more through a realization of their incapa cities than a wilful intent to be idlers. There is nothing mawkish about a man who wants to "see It tick," and has the will power to lay aside the frock coat and silk hat for the time being and get Into overalls. Having put our selves right, we shall now proceed with events. For every vanishing home-comer from the sidewalk Monte surmised a warm welcome waited within. He saw in each street door the drop curtain of somebody's haven, a sheltered place where worries and vexations ot the out side struggle went tumbling into vapor under the soothing spell of the eve ning meal, soft slippers, relaxation and that craved appreciation always found among one's own. He realized how vital to these many homes it was for those at the helm of industrial affairs to keep the spindles burning, looms creaking and knitting machines click ing. "When it seemed that the street's last breadwinner had been nested, and the sidewa)k4 'were again fairly empty, Monte decided to intrude at No. 3; something within lilm hungered for a portion', ever so small, of the evening welcome spirit that appeared to ooze from the chimney -pots and other pores of the dwelling and flU the night air. "My gating arrangement was for breakfasts only." he apologized to. Mrs. Marley, very dignified nd gentle, with Ill HI itm m mWmili-mIMMM I'll "'.K'r!.!-) f KOTasHil fJtmfe&'c p' WMimmrM iSKn'-??'-?-'-' 5 m Bi JiHHriiniMKI m i flpB?;r vjMMraigMtfra&reiM i iBaiip, -- m ' ' nil IWmmttmmmi' linCLjr Z X. mill ,..". "From what I hear at the mill, Marley black hair turning gray and lots of lines on her forehead and round her eyes, whom he met in the narrow hall. "I hopo you aro quite satisfied?" she replied, an anxious look crossing her faco. Roomers aro Jtfngs with strug gling widows. "Perfectly;" said tho young man. "Only now and then I might llko a din ner. Tonight, for instance. Is it pos sible?" Relieved, Mrs, Marley answered: "Why, yes. Our food Is plain, most simple. Perhaps I had best speak with my daughter. Sho gets our dinners." Instead of entering his own room, the aforesaid back parlor, Monte divested himself of coat and hat, utilizing the battered rack in the front hall, and fol lowed his landlady into the dining room. Everything was spotlessly clean and well ordered. The oom was bright and cheerful, with a live-coal grate Are, and through the open-door Into the kitchen he could seo the light of another Are and hear the contented humming of the mtllglrl as she prepared the evening meal, "Unity, dear, Mr. Taller will have din ner with us," he heard Mrs. Marley say. The humming stopped short, and a sweet young voice said; "But, mother, we have only lamb chops and potatoes; no other vegetables. There Is apple pie In the Icebox for dessert. You startle me, mother." Monto stretched his ears and heard Mrs. Marley say in that soft, faded sort of voice: "Mr, Taller Is a real gentle man; he won't mind, I am certain." Monte instantly voted himself an Inconsiderate brute for intruding Into this restful family circle. He thoUght of escape, yet never moved from his chair under the motto, TGod Bless Our Home." Then came the dinner, served by the same gifted hands that pre pared it He soon found himself chat ting easily with the Marleys, drawing to the surface their Borrows and their hopes, the latter chiefly centring around an absent brother, Strong, who was a weaver on a night shift, who went to work for an 18-hour stretch with a double-portion lunchbox. "Fear of unemployment and part time employment hangs a permanent pall qver Kensington," said Miss Unity. "So when there la extra time to be had like now. Strong makes the most of it. He sleeps Ave hours out of the 24. and ha is glad ot the chance to mako the overtime." Miss Unity said little of herself. Her Mr. Crispun is not the sort ot an employer to get wild about," Miss said frankly. "They say he is a 'do-nothing.' " laughter a Monte's friendly sallies and anecdotes ot travel was infectious. It was a natural rlpplo of musical sound, most melodious, and Indicated tho hid den ptesenco of a rich, untrained sing ing voice. It mado him vibrato at each unexpected drop and rich coloring in her bell-like notes of mirth. Our rich young researcher felt vaguely sorry to And such a flne sped man of the feminine sex In her lowly position. He was to learn that our mill girls in the gioss are lively, happy and capable, not at all tho drab creatures fancy and Action has pictured them. He might have chatted longer, but there came a ring at tho doorbell, which Unity answered. Sho came back Into the room completely changed as to manner and mood. She looked at her mother, her eyes distended by fear, and she trembled con vulsively. "What Is it?" aBked Mrs. Marley, frightened but calm. "It was Jennie Reed's mother. Jen nie Is worse again. Tho doctor says 6he may die before morning, Jennie wants me. I must go there, right away." And she was gone In an Instant, a shawl over her head. "Is Jennie a mlllglrl?" asked Monto for the want of something to say. "Yes, poor child, sho was on the next loom to Unity, right across the 'alley' at the Crlspen' mills," replied Mrs. Mar ley, with a Bad, weary expression. "Jen nie is a victim of Tho Kiss of Death." " Almost mechanically, Monte repeated, MThe Kiss of Death?' " "Yes," droned the elderly woman. "Other mills have self-threading shut tles. Night and day I worry over Unity, She Is in constant danger as long as the Crlspen Mills use the old fashioned shuttles." "In danger of what?" said Monte, very much puzzled. "Go over to the Reeds' and see Jen nie's doctor. We don't like to talk of It In Kensington. The doctor will ex plain it all. I cannot." Whereupon the good woman burst into tears. Monte rushed from the room, and, seizing his hat from the rack, literally flew across the street to No, 26, where the Reed family lived. CHAPTER II The Kiss of Death TIMIS and maximum production Is the hydra-headed Urant of the presentt day weave room, for as long as weaver are paid at a fixed rate per yard by piecework with tempting bonuses rid ing upon earnings above a certain amount, thoro will probably be Jennie Reeds In tho Kensington district Monto Crlspen was young, Inexperienced and emotional, else he would havo accepted existent conditions Instead of flaring up ut Mrs. Marley's exposition of "Tho Kiss of Death." "It's over," the doctor was saying very solemnly to a circle of neighbors in the parlor of tho Reed dwelling when Monte entered. "Jennie's gone; oh, dear me! There will bo no one left soon,," said an elderly woman, who took each loss In a younger generation as evidence of a rapidly de creasing population. Monte quietly asked for particulars when the doctor looked in his direction. "Quick consumption," said tho physi cian in a low voice. "Help me clear out this room." They soon had th,e ground floor liberated of all save Immediate members of the family and Mls3 Marley. The incredible swiftness of the calam ity had plunged the mill girl's family into a dumb grief. Unity was busy comtoiting Jennie's mother and two younger sisters, while a practlcal-mlnded brother had taken up mortuary ar rangements. "I tell you that Miss Marley Is a cool hand for every fevered brow," comment ed the physician to Monte, admiringly, as he prepared to leave, adding; "And who a.re you? I thought I knew every body in this neighborhood," "My name is Taller; I am a' newcomer hereabouts," replied Monte. "Recently took up the study of some problems af fecting the Crispen mills. I confess I am interested, and want to know all about '"The Kiss of Death. " "Come along with me and we can talk uninterruptedly," said' the physician. "I am Doctor Willing, ten years ifi the mill district; 'my father, also a physi cian, was before me here for half a century. Good night, Miss Marley." "Which way?" asked Monte. "Bunvr! It Is cold. Let me fetch my coat." "If you don't mind a good, stiff walk. I am bound for The Beacon,' on West Lehigh avenue, wljere I have two con valescing grip patients." Dropping down to the "bottom of Mc Pherson, Park, th? two men shortly aft erward were swinging south along Kensington avenue, each warm tn the pleasure of a budding acquaintance that l presaged friendship. "Tho modern loom is n wonderful automaton that has no brains," said Doctor Willing. "Let sufficient power bo supplied, it can go on weaving in cessantly, no matter what happens to tho warp and weft or Ailing. Oh! yes; I know all the terms, the argot of tho district. What I aim" to point out is that tho weaver Is no longer the trained expert who dexterously tossed boat shaped shuttles, threaded with weft, from hand to hand between two lines of warp called the warp-shed. Nor does he control this passage for tho shuttles with the aid of strings and levers oper ated by his feet with the skill of a church organist. Tnat was the condi tion In my dad's time. "Our twentieth century weaver has become a BWltch-tender. Ho or she aro engineers no longer. The real weaver is the mechanical loom. It lifts and drops tho hcalds to form the warp shed; It does the shuttle-throwing nnd it beats up the weft thread or Ailing Into position. Indeed, in its roaring awe inspiring presence it is difficult to real lzo how very different were tho condi tions in whicl our" great-grandfathers and even our grandfathers lived and worked." Thoy had passed Somerset street and were under the Reading grade crossing. Monte paused to drop a dime into the hand of a crlpplo who was seated on tho sidewalk, his back against the stono wall. The shout of the man brought them both back to htm. "I am no beggar," said he. "Here are your nowspapers and change, sir. Good evening, doctor; I did not see you at flrst." Monte looked so crestfallen when they had resumed their walk that Doctor Willing explained: 'That cripple was once a mill operative. He was laid off during the panic of 1907 and got a tem porary Job in a railroad freight yard, where he lost his legs. He took to sell ing newspapers for a living. He Is proud and he won't accept charity. But as I was saying, the demands upon the weayer of today are different from those of ancient times." "Go ahead; I am keenly interested," assented Monte, as they turned west on Lehigh avenue. "He or she must needs have a quick eye, vitality, alertness, ambition, system and the right temperament to keep pace with the needs of the great mechanical loom," said the doctor, "Each loom In the eyes of an employer Is so many yards In so many hours. To get the maximum production from the loom there must be as few and short stop pages of the looms as possible. Pre miums are paid on earnings above a cer tain amount to spur weavers to supreme efforts. I know of a girl weaver who wove 10S yards In 3t hours, while an other" weaver on the identical machine wove only 90 yards in the same time." "Where does 'The Kiss pf Death' come in?" asked Monte persistently. "Patience,"' laughed the doctor- "I have flrst outlined all the primary condl. tlons surrounding the work of a weaver to show you that he or she Is about in the position of a horse tied in the rear of a racing automobile. Employ ment Is contingent upon his or her abil ity to get a maximum production out of the loom. This ability includes prompt ness in starting and stopping the loom, seeing that broken warp ends are quickly repaired and Inserting full bob bins or spools with new weft thread the moment the last prick a prick Is a single strand pf weft reaching once across a, piece of cloth Is thrown across from an empty bobbin, a few weavers can change bobbins without stopping the loom. Lastly, weavers must attend, that the metal shuttles which travel across the width of the, loom with the speed ox express trains are promptly re threaded," Ml. 1 , ' ' "Now I grasp whore lies the menac to the operatives' health," exclaimed, Monte. "It Is this rethreadlng of thai shuttles, their drawing of tho thread or yarn throughfctyeye, of the shuttlo by, means of the suction of tho breath." "Precisely, Mr. Taller," said the phy sician, "Weavers themselves often ob Ject to a shuttle a hook HCMTglFMLKUj; to thread It itlt 16 quicker to suck IBB thO hook. Thus tuberc other ln- fectlona arXTlrarisfe workor to worker, Glassbtowcf the same blowpipe are In tho ear zono. It Is this contact with is of dls- ease that caused tho ' chrliithn tho process of shuttle-sj 'Jhe Kisa of Death" 7 "What Is tho percentage of tuber culosis urncmg weavcrs7" "An Insurance company took a sample flve-yenr period and found that between 25 and 45 years of ago tuberculosis' claimed 46 per cent of ordinary flfpivcra who died and 70 per cent of laco'wcav ers." "A real menace?" "Well, rather," growled tho doctor. "You havo all tho facts and you will have to place tho blame. No mill owner I know would willingly cause tho death of an operative. Many havo installed klssless shuttles." "Can they bo had?" "Yos. There nro many sanitary, non suction Bhuttlo appliances on the mar- , kot The nearest approach to a perfect shuttle, I should say, would bo ono with a porcelain oyo and metal carrlago with" no split to weaken It; ono that can bo threaded quickly by hand, as in tho old way. But moro Is needed than a proper sanitary shuttle." "What?" Doctor Willing and Monte had reached a comparatively now building at Waterloo streot nnd Lehigh avonue, lighted from ground to roof. It was "Tho Beacon," known to every worker In the mill district, a social headquartera for wage earners, founded and run on nonsectarlan lines by a remarkable man nnd his oqually rcmarkablo wife. "What is needed are moro mill owners i with wide visions," replied tho physician. "There Is something in this industrial world above financial gain. What if weavors do prefer to tako chances with tho old shuttles rather than Ioso tho time attending threading sanitary onea by hand! Tho mill owner Is1 tho guar dian of tho health and physical welfaro of his employes. It is up to him to pro vide a wage scalo that does not drive his workers to risk tholr lives. You can tell tho crowd running tho Crispen Mills my vlows. Thank God, all mill owners nro not alike. Good night. Taller. Como nnd seo me and dad when you got lone some. Wo aro on Allegheny avonuo near Broad street." " It all seemed uncanny to Monto Crls pen. As ho walked back to Halsfcy street his faco hardened at tho thought of an employer who would nit do his utmost to lesson tho weight of the bur den upon a woman worker's back. Suddenly it dawnod upon him that ho was drifting into Just that sort of nn employer. How glad ho was to havo had this glimpse of truth. It had been denied his uncle, John Montgomery, who belonged to the old school. Then Monto thought of the whlto browed, musical voiced Marley girl, whoso lips on the morrow might touch tho self-same poison-coated shuttle which Doctor Willing insisted had Aoodcd tho body of Jennie Reed with the germs of a fatal malady. He felt himself at close grips with a personal responsibility for Unity's futuro well being. Why should he despair? His wob the power to roll away the stono from her tomb, and this fanciful thought flooded light like a sunburst to show him the open road. Impulse can always outrun smug propriety. There wero many drug stores along Kensington avenue, yet Monts walked several blocks before he found one with boothed telephones. On one thing he was Armly resolved; he was going to have things changed at the Crlspen Mills and at once. He remem bered that sanitation had become a live tendency of tho age; to wit, tho disappearance of the common drinking cup from railroad trains and public places under health regulations. In his present state of mind he wanted action on the shuttle question, and a most stimulating sensation fllled hln velns when he Anally cork-screwed hla long body Into tho right telephone booth. He asked for "Filbert 9900." He popped a nickel Into the coin box and said; "la this 'the Independence Club; Get Mr. Craig Andrews, please. Blast the rules) Never mind who wants him. Find him quick and put him on the wire. He will know who Is calling. Hurry!" Andrews was a bachelor end ho lived at the Independence Club. He left a. game of solitaire and hurried to the tej- ephone. "Yes, this is Andrews," he said, "Hello!" "I know you. my boy. What'a up?" 'There has got to be something donoj right away or I don't sleep" tonight" "Go ahead." "It's 'The Kiss of Death,' the thing has got on my nerves." ' "Rubbish! Blanchard. our mill boss, says the phrase was probably coined la soma muck-raking magazine. Our skirts are clear, he says." "Andrews, I mean business," replied Monte. There was the determined ring of old John Montgomery In his voice and tho lawyer saw that his young multimil lionaire client was thoroughly roused, Monte continued: "If you Insist upon chaffing me I will get aboard the blua limousine and come into town red eyed.' (CONTINUED IN MONDAY'S EVENING LEDGER)