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A TALE OF
RED ROSES
Po
By
GEORGE
RANDOLPH
CHESTER
Copyright, 1914, by the Bobbs-
Merrill Co
eo
a
Bert came in from the conservatory
for the glimpse of her which he was
to be permitted, and naturally he
spoiled the picture by starting to dart
upstairs, an action which had the re-
sult of sending not only Molly and
Fern, but the admiring maids scurry:
ing back to the boudoir, the door of
which sacred apartment they locked
and bolted and would have barred had
there been any means to do so. Bert.
quite properly defeated, came back
down the stairs and joined Marley.
“A bridegroom doesn’t amount to
much anyhow,” he conventionally ad-
mitted.
“And a husband to less,” supplement-
ed Marley. “You'll discover by and
by, my boy, that the lorgs of creation
are only lords by proxy.”
“You're trying to scare me,” Protest:
ed Bert
“No. only to encourage you.” insisted
Marley. “The happiest man in the
world is one who finds a wife capable
of directing him and generous enough
to let him think he is doing it all him-
self.”
“That's a new idea to me.” pondered
Bert complacent through condescen-
gion only as he stroked his carefully
curled mustache and reflected upon his
own ability.
“Phe worst of it is you have to grow
old to realize it.” Marley gently insin
pated. *‘I was a smart man until my
wife died. Won't you have a drink?”
“No. thanks.” refused Bert. walking
disconsolately to the library. “I prom:
ised Molly the minister shouldn’t smel’
it on my breath.”
“Afterward, then,” laughed Marley,
and, returning to his den, closed the
door just as the bell of his extension
telephone rang.
“Helle, Marley!” hailed the voice of
Willie Walters. “Had your franchises
canceled and regranted?”
“Don’t need it,” replied Marley, re-
flecting instantly that he was out of
the franchise worry, but curious never-
the less. “What do you mean?’
“The Allerton bill was put thoongh
its final passage last night.” explained
Walters.
“Oh, yes, the Allerton bill,” smiled
Marley. “I knew all about that.”
“You don’t seem to have got in early
on the advantages,” remarked Walters,
scenting a story. “It’s a law now, op-
erative from its passage.”
. “It won’t hurt anybody,” chuckled
Marley. ‘There wasn't much of im-
portance in it.”
“No?” queried Walters. ‘‘Just enough
to make a political corpse of Allerton.
They'll embroider that fifty year fran-
chise clause on his shroud.”
“Franchise clause? I don’t under-
stand.”
“I thought you didn’t know the pro-
visions of the bill,” went on Walters,
delighted to have unearthed a new an-
gle to the story. ‘The thing is so
beautifully juggled that it automatical-
ly extends all franchises granted with-
in the last ten years to an extra fifty
years of lifetime on the same terms as
their original charter.”
“Good!” returned Marley. ‘All my
franchises have been renewed within
the last ten years.”
“Now I know you've been asleep,” re-
joiced Walters, not that he had any
enmity for Marley, but merely that he
Hked a good story. “The bill specifical-
ly does not apply to renewals, but to
original franchises. Why, yours abso-
lutely expires in three years, if that’s
the case; moreover, the franchises at
the end of that time belong to Sledge’s
company.”
“Impossible!” gasped Marley.
“Get your alarm clock fixed,” advis-
ed Walters. “Monday night the coun-
cil in secret session granted franchises
to Sledge’s company covering every
street in the city, including—now, listen
—including those streets now covered
by franchises when those franchises
exp 13%
For just a moment Marley felt the
strength leaving him, a spasmodic im-
pulse due to an entirely automatic men-
tal impression that he still owned the
old company.
“It’s a bald faced steal!” Ye hotly
charged, indignant at Sledge’s whole-
sale appropriation.
“It's a pippin!” agreed Walters.
“Fact of the matter is, Marley, that
unless you completed that consolida-
tion with Sledge at the expiration of
three years he can make you tear up
your rolling stock and other trash
Did you consolidate?”
“No,” laughed Marley, and for a mo-
ment Walters professionally hoped that
he had been mentally unbalanced by
the news. “No, Walters,” Marley
chuckled when he had succeeded in
controlling his voice; “I didn’t consoli-
date. I sold out.”
“On the level?” queried Walters in
eredulously. “To whom? How much?
Dia you get the cash?”
“J got the cash, but that’s all I'll
answer,” laughed Marley. “I might
reveal somebody else’s secrets if I
told you more.” and despite the plead
other statement.
He turned from the telephone, still
chuckling, but suddenly noticed that
his hand was trembling as if it had
been palsied. His body seemed to
have realized before his mind the over-
whelming disaster which he had es-!
caped.
Why, if he had not sold out at the
exact minute he did his stock today
would be worse than worthless. The
entire company would not bring more
than the junk heap value of its worn
out equipment. He could not have met
the mortgage on his house, he could
not have paid a dollar of his debts, he
would have been left without a penny,
and be would have dragged down into
bankruptcy hundreds of poor families
like Henry Peters’, who had their all
invested in his enterprise. True, they
were ruined anyhow or would be, but
he had a curioysly unmoral sense that,
by stepping out from under before the
crash came and by being no longer at
the head of the doomed company, he
was passing along the moral responsi-
bility of their downfall to the up state
syndicate and to Sledge.
ke was safe.
Again his bell rang.
“Marley ?’ queried a tense person.
“Yes,” he acknowledged. trying to
: place the voice as that of some news-
paper wmian of his acquaintance and
feeling again that comfortable sense of
escape.
“This is Coldman,” rasped the voice.
“Say, Marley. we're in a pickle.”
“What's the matter?” inquired Mar-
ley, watching his right hand curiously.
It wabbled spasmodically where it lay
on the table, and he seemed te have
no control over it.
“Firm revoked my authority to act
two days ago. Just got their notifica-
, tion.”
tng of Walters he refused to make an-
“Yes?' queried Marley, with a
strange inability quite to grasp the
meaning of this.
“Well.” went on Coldman, “I’m send-
ing out your stock by a messenger boy
You may as well tear up that “heck
It’s no good.”
CHAPTER XVII.
The Minister Comes.
5 ONEST, I can’t giggle about
anything any more,” regret:
ted Fern, rescuing a dis
_ carded shoe of Molly's from
under the boudoir couch and looking
anxiously about her for any other
traces of untidiness which the flus-
tered maids might have leit behind
them. “I’m solemn in spite of my-
self.”
“Please don't,”
most piteously.
my last prop is gone.”
“I didn’t mean to,”
“But geiting married is rather a
weighty thing after all. Besides that,
my conscience hurts me.”
“It should, I suppose,” agreed Molly.
“Anybody’s should. Why?"
“About Sledge. Molly, he's a nice
old fatty.”
“] never can remember him with an
ugly thought,” admitted Molly. *1
daren’t sympathize with him, though.
He started a rough game with me, and
I beat him. I had to be rough to do it.”
“We were mean to him,” declared
Fern. “I’ve a notion to marry him
myself to make up for it.”
The pang of distaste which Molly
felt at that speech was not jealousy;
far from it. If anything, it was a
objected Molly ai- |
‘mere questioning of Fern’s taste in
making such a remark. That was it!
“I suppose poor Bert's lonesome,”
she suggested. “We really ought to
go down and keep him company until
the minister comes.”
“Murder!” objected Fern. ‘Molly.
you haven’t a bit of style about you.
You mustn’t even see Bert until you
walk in the parlor on your father's
arm and take him for better or—well.
for better.”
“You don’t seem any too hopeful,”
laughed Molly, looking longingly at the
couch, but remembering her gorgeous
gown. “I don’t believe you like Bert
very well.”
“Indeed I do!” remonstrated Fern al-
most too quickly. “He’s still the hand:
somest fellow I ever saw—tall and big
and fine looking and the very best
dancer 1 ever swung across a floor
with. I just couldn’t get through en-
vying you when I first came.”
“Yes, I was jealous of you,” con-
fessed Molly. “Bert is a fine dancer.”
“All the girls will be envious of you,”
went on Fern, determined to say nice
things. “You should be very happy.
Molly, about the new home and the
fine business prospects and the social
triumphs which I know are waiting
for you, and youll have a polished
husband, of whom you can always be
proud, and just bushels and bushels of
love, of course.”
“Of course,” agreed Molly, looking at
the little Dresden clock on the mantel.
“Goodness, Fern, the minister is due
to arrive in ten minutes, and Jessie
Peters isn’t here yet!”
“If she knew the importance of your
informal invitation tc call this after-
noon she’d have been here hours ago,”
laughed Fern. “I don’t wonder, Mol-
" ly, that of all your girl friends she was
. the one you insisted on having here.
She’s a darling!”
“She's true,” added Molly. ‘‘Some-
how I always feel safe, even against
myself, when she's around me. I love
you to death, Fern, but you're wicked.”
“] guess I am,” giggled Fern. “I
never can see anything else when
there’s a chance for devilment.”
Mina knocked at the door.
“Miss Peters,” announced Mina,
gloating once more over her handiwork
as she surveyed the handsome Molly
and the pretty Fern.
“Have her come Heit 28 * directed
Molly, brightening, app aited with
an expectant smile, whic h on nged to
a look of col » when she saw the |
poorly concealed traces of tears in Jes
sio’s eyes.
“What's the matter, Jessie?” she ask
Thank God. |
“If you turn solemn
. how badly he hurts.
apologized Fern. W y b
! vehemently.
| clared Jessie
; ed, stepping hastily forward, and Jes-
1 5s, forgetting or not seeing that pain-
fully fluffy wedding gown threw her- !
self dismally into Molly's arms.
“They didn’t want me to come!” she
gulped. “But I had promised you, and
Dicky said 1 might.” :
“Where is Dicky?” asked Molly.
“He went on downtown on an er-
rand. He'll be back after me in half
an hour.”
“Why didn’t they want you to
come?’ asked Molly anxiously.
“On account of your father.”
“Father!” gasped Molly.
about him?’
“Don’t you know?’ wondered Jes
sie, half crying again.
“Why, no, child,” worried Molly.
“What is it? Tell me,” and she heard
Fern slipping quietly out of the room.
She led Jessie over to the couch, and
all forgetful of her shimmering satin,
with its beautifully uncreased folds.
sat down.
“It’s the street car stock,” Jessie ex
plained. ‘Dicky just came out to the
house with the news. There is to be
no consolidation. The old tracks are
to be torn up three years from now.
and nobody would have the stock for
a gift. And it's Thanksgiving day!”
“That's only some wild rumor,” Mol-
ly assured her, wondering. neverthe-
less, at this new and strange turn of
financial gossip. ‘Even if it were true.
though, how is father to blame?”
“I don’t know, except that my fa-
ther’s like a maniac about it all and
forbade me to come near this house.”
Molly. held her closer.
“Dicky brought me. though. He said
that he didn’t think Mr. Marley was
the thief, and that if he was you
weren't, and that if I wanted to come
I was coming. He’s a good Dicky,
Molly,” and here Jessie cried a little
more, just on account of Dicky 8 good-
ness.
“It isn’t father’s fault, it’s mine.”
confessed Molly. aghast, as she began
for the first time to fully realize the
hundreds of real sufferers in this high
handed game which sue and Sledge
had played. “Mr. Bledze wanted to
marry me. and I was enzaged to Bert.
He broke Bert. Then father said he
had money enough for all of ns: so
Sledge trie! to break father. and 1
don't know how many people hesides
us have had to suffer for that. It's
Sledge and I. Jessie, not father.”
“Sledge is a beast.” charged Jessie
| “He is the most crue
and vicious man in the world, 1 think.
[Ply says he should Le killed.”
“He isn’t really so bad.” declared
Molly, trying to be just. “He's like
other strong people. He doesn’t know
He's like a foot-
ball player shaking hands with you.”
“He is a brute!” shuddered .Jessie.
“1 stood by him in Maberly's candy
store yesterday, and 1 was actually
afraid of him for fear 1 would annoy
him by being in his way and he might
turn around and be rough to me."
Molly laughed softly at the idea of
Sledge’s being rough to little esgic
Peters.
“Why, he’d be so Sehille to you as to
be ridiculous,” she said. “Not even
Dicky could be more gentle.”
Jessie straightened immediately.
“How. absurd!” she laughed. *“You
don’t know Dicky, Molly. He isn’t like
other men. Why, when we found that
we had lost every cent we had in the
world and would be in debt besides
and would even lose our home father
blamed mother for signing the mort-
gage and has been cross with her ever
since be got into difficulties, and there
isn’t a better father than mine. But
Dicky! Why, when the West End
bank failed because it held too many
street railway securities and Dicky lost
the $6,000 he saved to buy us a home,
do you know what he did? He took
me to the theater and patted my hand
all through the show and told me how
young we were, and how much money
we were going to make, and how happy
we'd be even if we didn’t, and be
wouldn’t hear to father’s having us
postpone our wedding ‘for a minute.
Why, Molly, he can’t do without me.
and I can’t do without him. It’s won-
derful!”
Molly patted Jessie's shoulder
thoughtfully.
“l guess you and Dicky love each
other very much,” she suggested.
“I don’t know how to tell it,” con-
fessed Jessie shyly. “Love is such a
tremendous thing, Molly. It cries.”
Molly was startled into silence.
What was this thing that she was do-
ing? She was entering on the most
serious relationship in life as the ter-
mination of a game in which love, such
as Jessie knew had had no part, in
which even romance, to which every
girl is entitled at least once, had been
made subservient to business, to stock
manipulations, to real estate deals and
to stubbornness. The only one who
had been at all romantic—and she
smiled with a trace of humiliation as
she remembered it—was big, coarse
Sledge.
“You're going to be very happy, Jes-
sie,” admitted Molly, refusing to own
she was envious.
“I'm so happy I’m selfish,” replied
Jessie comfortably. “I’ve even for-
gotten to ask why you were so insist-
ent this morning upon having me come
over at such an exact minute.”
“I wanted you at my wedding.”.
smiled Molly.
“Molly!” exclaimed Jessie. ‘““That’s
why you and Fern are all in white.
Oh, and I came over in my old blue
tailored suit.”
“That’s lucky,” laughed Molly. “You
know the old rime, ‘Something old and
something new, something borrowed
and something blue.” ”
“I shan’t be something blue,” de
“I'm too happy for that.
and so are you. You're a lucky girl,
Molly
“What
|
|
{
|
They Found Frank Marley Sprawled on
the Floor.
world—friends and money and a pret-
ty home and everything you want. in
cluding the man you love.”
You have everything in the |
“1 suppose | am lucky.” agreed Mol
ly. putting her arm more
about her friend.
not like to let go of little Jessie.
There was a knock at the door. but
it was Fern who stood there in place
of Mina.
“The minister is here.” whispered
fern in her most mysterious air. and
her eyes were dancing. “He's in the
parlor. trying not to see that shocking
pigture. and Pert's in the library pull-
in his thumbs. apd your
the den. most respe~tably quiet. .les-
sie, you come dopvn with me. I'll send
up Mr. Marley. and when he and Mol-
ly start dowustairs you're to play the
wedding march. while I back Bert up
under the chandelier. Now. everybody
to their posts.”
She flew down the stairs and hur-
ried back to the den. A moment later
they heard a shriek, and. running to
the den. they found Frank Marley
sprawled on the floor with Coldman’s
check crumpled in his nerveless fin-
gers. .
i (To be contirued.)
a
aE
SHOWS TRAINM EN'S PAY
B. & O. Claims They Are Paid ‘Higher
Than Other Employes.
roads that the earnings of organized
train employes concerned in the move-
ment to assure increases of approxi-
mately 25 per cent in their regular
wages and of 87 and one half per cent
for overtime through the basic 8-hour
day, with time and half-time for over-
time, are already higher than the
‘wages of any other classes of trans-
poration employes, and larger than
any other class of industrial workers
in the world, the Baltimore & Ohio
has prepared a statement from its
pay rolls for October, 1915, showing
the monthly pay of the highest five
employes in the different classes of
service on each division of the sys-
tem.
On the Connellsville division five
‘engineers in passenger service earn-
ed from $233.25 to $149.30 for the mo.
freight engineers from 204.95 to 193.-
‘15; yard engineers from $139.80 to
$126.15; passenger conductors from
$135 to $100.35. The man earning
According to the agreement with the
a minimum monthly wage unless he
remains out of service voluntarily;
freight conductors $181.40 to $164.25
and yard conductors from $147.60 to
127.55. The figures include all the
branch lines of the Connellsville di-
vision.
WELLERSBURG.
George Delbrook and sons, Carl
and Stewart, and Lena Bachman of
Pine Hill spent Sunday evening at
the home of the former’s mother,
Mrs. Catherine Delbrook.
Mrs. A. Gessner of Mt. Savage was
a guest at the home of her brother
G. W. Witt, over Sunday.
Mrs.
for a three weeks’ visit with rela-
tives in Pittsburgh.
Earl Witt and Elsworth Beal spent |
Sunday evening in Frostburg.
Miss Grace Shaffer and Mrs. Ed. |
Law were shopping in Cumberland
last week.
G. W. Wilt and son, Robert, were |
| business callers near Berlin the for-|
{ mer part of this week.
Miss Wilhelmina Wingert went to
| Cumberland last week,
expects to spend the
{ Mr. and Mrs. A. C.
tur street.
Mrs. Eleanora Shaffer, after spend-
ing several days with her son, F. P.
“town last week
summer with
Kenmnell, on Deca |
ALCOHOL 3 PER CENT. {
AVegetable Preparation fords.
similating the Food and Reguta:
Bi the Stomachs and Bowels of
5 ey PromaaDiss stoned
.| ness and Rest.Contains neither
.| Opium Morphine nor Mideral :
NOT NARCOTIC. |
se
Aperfect Remedy for Consfipa
Oe Sour Stomach. Diarrioe
¢/| | Worms Coivulsions.Feverish
: ness and LOSS OF SLEEP.
TacSinile Signature of
/ lida.
\GASTORIA
For Infants and Children.
| Mothers Know That
Gentine Gastoria
Always
Bears the
Signature
Use
For Over
“] THE CENTAUR COMPANY, |
Bek NEW YORK. _
RY. VL ELL LER GE
lovingly
Somehow she did
father's in |
| 0 © ES DosEs — ran
Exact Copy of Wrapper.
» #
EE RR RR RR RR RRR RRR OO
. MOTTLED
God layers of large, white
eggs. -:-
Cost less to keep than ordi-
nary fowls, and lay more
eggs, Mature Early and
Do Not Set.
Improve your flocks, make
more money.
In support of the claim of the rail-.
$100.35 worked less than a full month |
Brotherhood he is guaranteed $135 as’
J. E." Shaffer left last week |
where she |
BOOS 4 50 bd 15
PRR RRR RR RR BH AOR OBOE BORER
Have Birds of Which You will be Pr wl by Buying a Netting igi Begs
T. W GAIN,
Thirty Years
GASTORIA
THE CENTAUR COMPANY, NEW YORK CITY.
ANCONAS a,
RRR RRC HORORORORCRO: OF)
DIANA, W. VA.
Miss Dorothy Shaffer, been
1 working in Cumberland for the past
week, spent Sunday at her home in
town.
Miss Edna Witt was a guest at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Poor-
baugh of near Glencoe over Sunday.
We are glad to see that Mr. A. H.
Long, who has been unable to walk
for several months, is now able to
get around with the aid of crutches.
NEW AGREEMENT SIGNED
BY COAL OPERATORS.
Granting increases in wages which
it is estimated, will total three and a
half million dollars a year, the check-
off clause for both miners and labor-
ers and other concessions, the bitum-
inous coal operators of the central
Pennsylvania district at Philadelphia
Friday night signed a new agreement
with the officials of District No. 2 of
the United Mine Workers of America.
The new scale takes the place of
the agreement which expired March
131 and under which the men have
since been working. Fifty thousand
miners in the district are affected by
the increase, which is said to be the
largest ever granted.
| The new agreement is for two years
and provides for the following rates
of wages: Pick mining, 75 cents a ton
gross, net ton the equivalent; mach-
ine loading, 44.43 cents a ton gross,
net to the equivalent; drivers, $2.77
a day; trappers, $1.25 a day minimum
all day laborers, 56 per cent increase,
from $2.64 to $2.77 a day; all dead
work and, yardage, 5 per cent increa-
se.
The operators agreed to the check-
j off clause for both miners and labor-
| ers and for the first time conceded
| the right of the miners to make spe-
cial assessments.
It was also agreed by the operators’
» | committee that letters be sent to all
operators in the district urging upon
them the seriousness of the car push-
| ing question and requesting that the
| complaints of the miners on this mat-
| ter be rectified in order that it should
| no ot be a cause of contention when a:
new agreement has to be drawn up
two years hence.
Mrs. Frank K. Sanner. of Somerset,
first alternate to take the examina-
tion for entrance to the United States
{ National Academy at Annapolis.
John N. Penn, of Waynesburg, has
been appointed sec ylternate. The
| principal for admis Robert el
| Gause, of Uniontown.
! Congressman Hopwood has appoint- |
ed George R. Sanner, son of Mr. and |
Harry Lauder
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The pipe of this king of
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But the big secret of that unequalled
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