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Fame and Fortune Weekly No. 7 Winning His Way-Frank Tousey · Hardy Boys: The Mystery of Cabin Island

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  Speaker 1: Fame and Fortune Weekly, number seven, New York, November seventeenth,
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  Speaker 1: nineteen o five, published by Frank Towsey. This is a
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one of Winning His Way or the Youngest Editor
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  Speaker 1: in Green River by a Self Made Man recording by
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  Speaker 1: Keith Sallas. Chapter one, in which Frank Morris becomes the
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  Speaker 1: youngest editor in Green River. I know you are bright
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  Speaker 1: and ambitious, Frank, but and missus Morris looked lovingly but
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  Speaker 1: somewhat doubtfully at the eager face of her handsome, manly boy,
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  Speaker 1: who sat facing her in the bay window of their
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  Speaker 1: pretty Queen Anne cottage, overlooking a reach of the Green
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  Speaker 1: River in the suburbs of the thrifty town of the
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  Speaker 1: same name. I feel sure, mother, I can make the
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  Speaker 1: paper pay, replied the boy, confidently. Father gave me a
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  Speaker 1: good education at the grammar and high schools here and
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  Speaker 1: here he lived. I was to have attended Michigan College
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  Speaker 1: beginning with this fall, but that is out of the question.
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  Speaker 1: Now I have acquired considerable insight into the management of
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  Speaker 1: the Argus, for of course, father intended that eventually I
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  Speaker 1: should succeed him, and I would have learned much more,
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  Speaker 1: but for father's long illness for mister Jebb, whom he
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  Speaker 1: hired to run the paper, has persistently refused to allow
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  Speaker 1: me to lend a helping hand. But my son, mister
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  Speaker 1: jeb who is an experienced newspaper man, says that it
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  Speaker 1: will take quite a bit of money to put the
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  Speaker 1: Argus on its feet again, and since your father has
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  Speaker 1: left us little more than this cottage on which there
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  Speaker 1: is still a balance due on the mortgage, he advises
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  Speaker 1: me by all means to accept Squire Broach's offer of
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  Speaker 1: eight hundred dollars for the paper. Eight hundred dollars, exclaimed
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  Speaker 1: Frank Morris indignantly. Why, Mother, that is sheer robbery. Father
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  Speaker 1: paid over two thousand dollars for the Augus years ago
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  Speaker 1: when Greenriver was a mere village. Now it is a
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  Speaker 1: thriving town of over twenty thousand inhabitants. I know, Frank,
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  Speaker 1: but the Argust isn't what it was when your father
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  Speaker 1: was able to look after its interests. I know it isn't, Mother.
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  Speaker 1: It has gone steadily backward ever, since Father got mister
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  Speaker 1: Jebb to run it for him. He may be an
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  Speaker 1: experienced newspaper man, but he hasn't given much evidence of
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  Speaker 1: the fact since he took charge of the paper. I
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  Speaker 1: do not remember ever hearing your father say that mister
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  Speaker 1: Jebb was not competent. I don't believe Father knew the
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  Speaker 1: true state of affairs. Several times when I wanted to
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  Speaker 1: call his attention to matters connected with the paper, which
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  Speaker 1: I felt sure he would not approve of, especially when
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  Speaker 1: Dan Harwood, our best compositor and local reporter, was summarily
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  Speaker 1: discharged by mister Jebb for no good reason that I
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  Speaker 1: could understand. You headed me off because the doctor said
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  Speaker 1: Father ought not to be worried by business matters. I
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  Speaker 1: did what I thought was best, said missus Morris, beginning
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  Speaker 1: to cry again. His thoughts of her dead husband, who
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  Speaker 1: had been a kind and generous protector, force themselves on
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  Speaker 1: her mind. I'm not blaming you, mother, dear, said the boy,
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  Speaker 1: getting up and putting his arm around her neck in
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  Speaker 1: sympathetic tenderness. But the fact remains that mister Jebb has
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  Speaker 1: simply run the argus into the ground before he came here.
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  Speaker 1: The paper I've heard father say, paid handsomely. Look at
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  Speaker 1: it now it has dwindled in circulation and reputation. Under
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  Speaker 1: his management. We have lost our best advertising patronage, as
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  Speaker 1: well as a large part of our job printing. And
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  Speaker 1: now mister Jeb advises you to sell the argust a
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  Speaker 1: Squire Roach for eight hundred dollars, just the amount of
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  Speaker 1: the balance we owe him on the mortgage which he
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  Speaker 1: holds in this cottage, and which will run out the
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  Speaker 1: first the next year. Mother, I don't like the look
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  Speaker 1: of things. I have often thought our editor was on
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  Speaker 1: uncommonly familiar terms with the Squire, who is no particular
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  Speaker 1: friend of ours. You have always said, Squire Roach is
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  Speaker 1: a proud man, and being accounted rich. He and missus
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  Speaker 1: Roach never quite considered your father and myself on the
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  Speaker 1: same with themselves, and Duncan Roach. Their son seems to
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  Speaker 1: have copied after his parents, for he never regarded me
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  Speaker 1: as good enough to be decently familiar with. I've had
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  Speaker 1: the satisfaction, however, of keeping ahead of him at school.
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  Speaker 1: I've beaten him out of all the sports in which
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  Speaker 1: we both took part, and with a grim smile I
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  Speaker 1: gave him a good thrashing two months ago for persistently
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  Speaker 1: annoying Elsie Gray, Farmer Gray's daughter. I'm sorry you fought
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  Speaker 1: with him, Frank. I told you at the time I
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  Speaker 1: feared you had made an enemy of him. I don't
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  Speaker 1: think I shall lose any sleep over that fact. Mother.
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  Speaker 1: He never was a friend of mine. He always seemed
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  Speaker 1: to hate me because I did things better than he
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  Speaker 1: could do. He's about as mean a fellow as I've
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  Speaker 1: ever heard about. For all his wealthy prospects and position
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  Speaker 1: in Green River, he isn't particularly popular among the boys.
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  Speaker 1: The few who do toady to him have a purpose
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  Speaker 1: in view. I'll beat his own particular set field there
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  Speaker 1: just as good or better than he, and they don't
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  Speaker 1: take their hats off to him. Worth a cent. To
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  Speaker 1: return to the subject of the argus, my son, I
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  Speaker 1: must decide now what is best for me to do.
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  Speaker 1: Considering the present reduced income of the paper. I do
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  Speaker 1: not see that I can afford to keep mister Jebb
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  Speaker 1: at the salary he is receiving. I should say not,
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  Speaker 1: said her son decidedly. If he goes, I must either
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  Speaker 1: sell the paper or let me run it for you, mother,
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  Speaker 1: I am afraid the responsibility would be too great for you. Frank,
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  Speaker 1: why do you say that I must make a living
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  Speaker 1: force at something? Why not with this paper? I now
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  Speaker 1: stand in my father's place toward you, your protector and provider,
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  Speaker 1: and I will do my duty towards you, mother, if
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  Speaker 1: I live, my dear generous hearted boy, sobbed the sweet
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  Speaker 1: gentle widow, whose life companion Reginald Morris had been laid
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  Speaker 1: to rest in the cemetery of Green River, but a
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  Speaker 1: week before emereas try, mother. If I should fail and
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  Speaker 1: I don't recognize the word, it will not be for
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  Speaker 1: want of confidence and hard work. I may be only
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  Speaker 1: a boy, but the boy of to day is in
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  Speaker 1: many ways smarter and more up to date than the
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  Speaker 1: boy of twenty years ago. We are better equipped, by
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  Speaker 1: education and observation to tackle the stern realities of life
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  Speaker 1: at any rate. I feel as if I could do
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  Speaker 1: as well as most men under the same circumstances. I
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  Speaker 1: did not claim to know at all, but I have
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  Speaker 1: the will to succeed, the capacity for hard work, which
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  Speaker 1: a writer once said was a real lescence of genius.
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  Speaker 1: I am open to conviction. I have ideas there is
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  Speaker 1: no good reason why I should not be able to
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  Speaker 1: recover lost ground and place the Argus not only where
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  Speaker 1: it was when Father was taken sick, but several, not
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  Speaker 1: just higher. I only ask for the chance to show
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  Speaker 1: what I can do, mother, for your sake as well
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  Speaker 1: as my own. But I cannot spare you any money
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  Speaker 1: to speak of, frank, she said anxiously. I do not
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  Speaker 1: ask you for a dollar, mother, but mister Jebb told
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  Speaker 1: me never mind. When mister Jebb said, I am satisfied
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  Speaker 1: he is capable of saying a good many things not
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  Speaker 1: to your advantage. I don't believe his advice to sell
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  Speaker 1: the argus. The squire roach was disinterested. It is reasonable
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  Speaker 1: to suppose that having squeezed us dry, as he thinks,
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  Speaker 1: he'll be able to get employment under the Squire, who
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  Speaker 1: is not himself a paper man and would have to
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  Speaker 1: employ a managing editor to run his paper. I guess
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  Speaker 1: mister Jebb knows what he's doing, and with the Squire
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  Speaker 1: at hand to watch him, his methods would probably be
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  Speaker 1: different to what they have been with us. Therefore, Mother,
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  Speaker 1: with your permission, I will let mister Jebb return to Chicago.
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  Speaker 1: Whence he came. But Frank, you will have mister Robinson,
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  Speaker 1: the reporter and sub editor to pay. Also mister Billings,
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  Speaker 1: the foreman, as well as young Miggles the girls, and
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  Speaker 1: Gibson the pressman. Mother, the working force of the argus
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  Speaker 1: will be reorganized if I take hold of the paper.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Robinson and mister Billings will have to go. When
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  Speaker 1: father was in harness, Dan Harwood filled the places of
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  Speaker 1: both those people and did the work much better. Though
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  Speaker 1: it is quite true Dan labored more hours, but he
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  Speaker 1: was faithful to my father, and his discharge was brought
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  Speaker 1: about simply to provide two friends of mister Jebb with jobs.
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  Speaker 1: I told you at the time that mister jeb wasn't
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  Speaker 1: doing the right thing by father, but you didn't seem
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  Speaker 1: to be able to get the fact through your head.
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  Speaker 1: I spoke to mister jeb about it, protested the little woman,
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  Speaker 1: and of course he told you that he knew his business. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: he did say something of that kind, and of course
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  Speaker 1: you permitted him to have his own way. What could
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  Speaker 1: I do? Your father was so sick that I did
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  Speaker 1: not dare speak to him on the subject. All right, Mother,
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  Speaker 1: you did the best you could. I'm going to see
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  Speaker 1: if I can do better, that's all. But young Harwood
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  Speaker 1: is employed on the Times, now, isn't he? Yes? But
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  Speaker 1: he will throw up and come to me the moment
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  Speaker 1: I ask him to do so. We've always been chums
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  Speaker 1: in a way, and he's promised to stand by me
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  Speaker 1: in the Argus if he breaks a leg in doing so.
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  Speaker 1: I don't need a better assistant. He can handle the
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  Speaker 1: locals better than any new man. Ever since he went
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  Speaker 1: over to the Times, that paper has been looking up,
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  Speaker 1: while the Argus, without his services, has been pointing the
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  Speaker 1: other way. Now, mother, am I to run the paper
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  Speaker 1: on trial for say three months? Yes, Frank, you may
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  Speaker 1: do so, and may God bless your efforts and make
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  Speaker 1: you successful. A mother's prayer to that effect will certainly
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  Speaker 1: be answered, said the boy, putting his arms around her
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  Speaker 1: neck and kissing her. If you only knew it, I
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  Speaker 1: believe you are giving me the chance of my life.
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  Speaker 1: I will now go to the office and have a
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  Speaker 1: heart to heart talk with mister Jeb end of chapter one,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter two of Winning His Way by a Self Made Man.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter two,
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  Speaker 1: in which Frank learns of the perfidy of mister Jeb
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  Speaker 1: Green River, the scene of this story was a wide
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  Speaker 1: awake town situated about fifty miles northwest of Chicago, on
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  Speaker 1: a ris river of the same name, and within five
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  Speaker 1: miles of the western shore of Lake Michigan. Twelve years
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  Speaker 1: before it had consisted of one factory and perhaps fifty houses.
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  Speaker 1: Now it was a great bustling town, with its banks,
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  Speaker 1: its hotels, its dozen churches, and its noisy streets. Probably
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  Speaker 1: in a year or two had become a city. Already
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  Speaker 1: there were many handsome residences along the upper river front
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  Speaker 1: of the residential section, the finest of which belonged the
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  Speaker 1: Squire Roach, president of the First National Bank and one
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  Speaker 1: of the trustees of the Park Avenue Methodist Church. His
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  Speaker 1: son Duncan, was, in his own opinion, the most aristocratic
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  Speaker 1: young man about town. At any rate, he wore more
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  Speaker 1: expensive clothes than any boy of his acquaintance, and he
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  Speaker 1: only associated in terms of equality with the young people
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  Speaker 1: whose parents were well to do. He had no use
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  Speaker 1: for boys who had to work for a living, and
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  Speaker 1: particularly he had no use for Frank Morris, who is
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  Speaker 1: his superior in every way, but from a social standpoint.
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  Speaker 1: He cordially disliked Frank and never failed to sneer at him,
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  Speaker 1: both in public and in private, latterly since the day
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  Speaker 1: Frank had given him the dressing down for insulting Elsie Gray.
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  Speaker 1: He actually hated the young fellow, and his constant desire
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  Speaker 1: was for an opportunity to get even with him. When
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  Speaker 1: Frank approached the office of the Argus on Main Street,
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  Speaker 1: he passed Duncan roach talking on a corner of the
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  Speaker 1: street with a crony. Duncan favored him with a malicious
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  Speaker 1: glance of ill disguised satisfaction and said something to his companion,
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  Speaker 1: who looked after Frank and laughed jeeringly. Frank saw the
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  Speaker 1: look and heard the sneering laugh, but of course paid
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  Speaker 1: no attention to either. He then reached the Argus office.
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  Speaker 1: The outer room, which answered for a business office and
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  Speaker 1: was provided with two desks and chairs cut off by
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  Speaker 1: a railing, was vacant. The door leading into the combined
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  Speaker 1: composing room and press room was open, and glancing in,
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  Speaker 1: Frank saw Billings, the foreman, standing negligently beside the quarter
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  Speaker 1: medium Gordon Jobber, smoking a fat cigar and talking to
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  Speaker 1: Gibson the pressman who was making a job ready on
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  Speaker 1: the machine. Billy Miggles was feeding the small gordon, while
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  Speaker 1: four bright looking girls were setting type at their respective frames.
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  Speaker 1: Nobody seemed to notice the appearance of Frank on the scene.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Billings seems to be taking things easy, muttered the boy. Well,
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  Speaker 1: this is payday. I guess I'll get along without him
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  Speaker 1: Hereafter he heard a collection of voices engaged in conversation
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  Speaker 1: in the inner room, his father's editorial sanctum. Now, of course,
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  Speaker 1: appropriated by mister Jebb. Seems you more talk than business
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  Speaker 1: going on in there, thought Frank. And this is our
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  Speaker 1: busy day too, No wonder the argus is on a
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  Speaker 1: toboggan when the heads of the departments are working on
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  Speaker 1: the go as you please, Principal. The door was slightly
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  Speaker 1: ajar and as the boys stood close to it considering
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  Speaker 1: how he would open his interview with the editor and
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  Speaker 1: manager of the paper, he plainly overheard the conversation going
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  Speaker 1: on within. He recognized the ponderous voice of Squire Roach,
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  Speaker 1: then the smooth, oily tones of mister jeb and at
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  Speaker 1: intervals the falsetto of Robinson, the new reporter you think
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  Speaker 1: there will be no difficulty then in my getting possession
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  Speaker 1: of the argus for the sum I offered, missus Morris,
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  Speaker 1: asked the squire. I think not, replied mister jeb I
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  Speaker 1: have strongly advised her to accept your offer, Billings, and
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  Speaker 1: I figured the price low on your interest. The big
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  Speaker 1: press alone is worth more than a thousand dollars. Gibson
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  Speaker 1: set a cost two thousand, five hundred second hand, then
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  Speaker 1: there are two Gordon jobbers, the paper cutter a good
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  Speaker 1: assortment of job letters, and the paper outfit a steam
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  Speaker 1: engine belongs to the owner of the building. I don't
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  Speaker 1: know anything about the value of the presses and printing material.
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  Speaker 1: I rely on your judgment, and then of form and billings.
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  Speaker 1: Who is a practical man for that, said Squire Roach. Course,
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  Speaker 1: I want to get it as cheap as possible. Certainly
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  Speaker 1: you do, squire, said mister Jabb, lighting a fresh cigar.
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  Speaker 1: And I have attended to that part of the matter
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  Speaker 1: for you. The argus establishment is easily worth three thousand
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  Speaker 1: dollars as it stands. Isn't that a fact? Robinson sirt,
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  Speaker 1: replied the dapper individual, nonchalantly puffing at a cigarette. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: the paper itself was a much more valuable asset when
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  Speaker 1: I took charge of it. But for our little arrangement,
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  Speaker 1: it would still be what it then was, the leading
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  Speaker 1: Republican newspaper of the county, well, admitted the Banker. You
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  Speaker 1: certainly have heard its reputation and commercial value to a
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  Speaker 1: considerable extent. That was what you expected of me, wasn't it. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: mister Morris and myself never were on the bust of terms.
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  Speaker 1: I believe I have already intimated to you that I
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  Speaker 1: have political ambitions. Mister jab nodded. I tried to get
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  Speaker 1: the nomination for the legislature last fall, but Morris killed
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  Speaker 1: my chances. He supported Farmer Gray, who by the way,
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  Speaker 1: was the only man elected on the Republican ticket from
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  Speaker 1: this county. But Morris took sick just before Christmas and
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  Speaker 1: employed you to take charge of the argus during his absence.
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  Speaker 1: I thought I saw a chance to get back at
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  Speaker 1: the man who had me turned down. I see, murmured
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  Speaker 1: mister jeb I made your acquaintance, and by degrees approached
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  Speaker 1: you with a proposition to work in my interest. My
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  Speaker 1: idea was a wreck the argus if possible. While Morris
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  Speaker 1: was out of the way and then start a new paper,
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: placing you at its head. Exactly, nodded mister jeb again,
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  Speaker 1: your offer was too good to be turned down. Since
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  Speaker 1: I figured that my position here was merely temporary, Morris
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  Speaker 1: was nothing to me, so we came to terms. I
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  Speaker 1: saw I could do very little as long as young
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  Speaker 1: Harwood was in the way. He was as staunch as
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  Speaker 1: steal to the Morris interests, so I got rid of him,
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: hired Billings and old Time comp to look after the
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  Speaker 1: mechanical end, and sent for my friend Robinson, who happened
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  Speaker 1: to be out of a job. I knew I could
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  Speaker 1: depend on Robinson. That's what chirped Robinson, lighting a fresh cigarette.
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  Speaker 1: Between us, we cooked up a plan to put the
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  Speaker 1: argus under an eclipse, didn't we, Robinson, We did that,
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  Speaker 1: responded the reporter with a grin. We mixed things up
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  Speaker 1: pretty well with the Republican Party, and as a consequence,
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  Speaker 1: our subscription list fell away and our advertising column suffered,
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  Speaker 1: and Robinson and Billings, between them, managed to put the
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  Speaker 1: job printing branch on the hog. At this point, seeing
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  Speaker 1: that Morris was slated for the graveyard and that it
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  Speaker 1: was only a question of a short time before he
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  Speaker 1: would die. I suggested that there would probably be an
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  Speaker 1: opportunity for you to buy the Argus out, which would
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  Speaker 1: be much more advisable than starting an entirely new paper.
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  Speaker 1: We calculated you would be able to secure it a
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  Speaker 1: bargain after Morris's death. Then Robinson and I will get
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  Speaker 1: a hustle on and would build it up for you again.
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  Speaker 1: I think the fruit of our endeavors is now sufficiently
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  Speaker 1: ripe to drop into your hands. You manage very well, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: mister Jubb, said the banker approvingly. And your reward will
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  Speaker 1: be the editorial and business control of the Argus as
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  Speaker 1: soon as it comes into my possession, and it shall
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  Speaker 1: be yours as long as you choose to retain it.
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: Provided and here the squire punctuated his remarks with the
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  Speaker 1: thump of his cane on the floor, that you undo
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  Speaker 1: the damage you have done at my direction and build
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  Speaker 1: the paper up again to its former position in Green River.
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  Speaker 1: Don't worry about that, squire, Roach. Robinson and I will
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  Speaker 1: attend to that, won't we, Ajax. That's why we will, amos.
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  Speaker 1: I've only to whistle and the advertisements will return. You
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  Speaker 1: hear Squire. The argus will regain its lost influence in
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  Speaker 1: time to support to you at the next election. That's
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  Speaker 1: what I want, said the great man in a tone
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: of satisfaction. What you want you shall have. Remember your
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: name at the head of the editorial page. Will add
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: immense prestige to the paper, Squire, said the astute mister Jebb,
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: playing upon the man's weak point, his vanity. You are
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: the most important as well as the most popular man
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: in town. Hm, murmured the Squire, who wasn't quite sure
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: of the latter point, although he had long since persuaded
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: himself of the truth of the farmer. It is perhaps
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: fortunate that I hold a mortgage on the Morris cottage
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: for a matter of eight hundred dollars. This fact is
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: bound to influence the widow in this transaction. On all,
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: I think I can afford to be a bit more
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: liberal and offer her one thousand dollars. I will give
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: her two hundred dollars over and above the mortgage. And
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: it is not to be sneered at by a woman
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: in her circumstances. Even at a thousand dollars, you'll be
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: getting this property dirt cheap, all I have been afraid of.
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: Is that her son, who was a pretty shrewd boy
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: I've discovered, might prevail on her not to sell the
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: paper at that figure. I am bound to say that
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: if she advertised it in the proper way, she could
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: get very much better offers than this one of yours.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: I think I'd better run over and see her and
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: try to bring the sale into a focus before she
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: gets any such idea into her head, said the Squire,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: with the same precipitation I think you had myself. Don't
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: let a bargain like this get away from you for
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: want of prompt attention. I advise you even to go
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: as high as one thousand, five hundred dollars sooner than
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: take any chances of losing it altogether, said mister Jeb,
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: who felt it was to his interest that the big
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: man should get hold of the paper as soon as possible.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: You've got the right man, You've got, mister Jeb, chirped
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: in Robinson, who felt that he couldn't do better than
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: support his friend at every emergency. Whereupon the two friends
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: looked across at one another and winked slyly. A little
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: bit of pantomime which quite escaped Squire Roach's observation. Yes,
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: I will call on missus Norris, at once, said the
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: Nabob of Green River, rising from his chair, a signal
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: that the interview was at an end. And when I
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: see you again, said mister jeb also rising from his
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: editorial chair, I hope the matter will have been finally
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: settled to our mutual advantage. I think you may rely
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: upon that, mister jeb replied the Squire condescendingly. Then Robinson
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: opened the door and the three walked out to find
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: much of their surprise, Frank Morris established at his ease
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: in a chair in the outer office. Mister Jebb wondered
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: with some uneasiness if the boy had overheard any of
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: their conversation end of chapter two, Chapter three of Winning
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: His Way by a Self Made Man. The LibriVox recording
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. Chapter three, in which Frank
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: assumes control of the Green River Argus. Squire Roach nodded
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: superciliously at Frank as he passed out of the office,
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: but the boy acknowledged it with his usual politeness. Why hello,
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: Master Morris, said mister Jebb, effusively, having kept you waiting,
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: have I no sir, answered Frank quietly. How long have
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: you been here? Continued the manager and editor a bit anxiously.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Not very long, replied the boy, looking mister Jebb in
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: the eye in a way which somewhat discomposed that shrewd individual.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: I'm glad to hear it, said mister Jebb, with a
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: feeling of relief, and he took the other chair, while
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: Robinson disappeared into the composing room, where he lighted another
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: cigarette and began the jolly the female compositors. His appearance
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: there didn't seem to worry Billings in the least, for
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: he continued his conversation with Gibson just the same, would
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: show that the foreman felt certain of his job under
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: mister jeb and his associate Robinson. Evidently it was high
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: time some change for the better should be made if
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: the plant was to be kept out of the sheriff's hands.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: Did your mother send you with a message to me,
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: continued mister Jebb, eyeing the boy keenly. Or perhaps you
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: have brought the money to pay off the force. Yes,
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: mister jeb I have brought the money to pay off
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: the employees of this paper. All right, said the manager briskly.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: I'll take it, and he stretched out his hands expectantly.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: As my mother has turned the management of the Argus
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: over to me, beginning with to day, I will pay
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: off myself turn the management over to you, gasped mister
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: jeb as if he couldn't believe the evidence of his
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: own ears. Yes, sir, said Frank, with the greatest composure.
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: Let me say it is quite time something was done
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: to save the Argus from going to smash, young man,
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: said mister Jebb, with an assumption of injured dignity. Are
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: you aware that your remarks might be construed by me
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: as an insult? I was hired by your father to
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: manage and edit this newspaper, and I flatter myself, from
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: a long career as a journalist, that I understand my business.
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: Will not question your ability, mister jeb said the boy calmly.
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: But I do question your loyalty to my dead father
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: and his family. What do you mean, asked mister Jebb,
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: clearly startled. I mean that you have not worked in
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: our interests, that you have betrayed the trust we reposed
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: in you. In other words, I accuse you of having
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: sold yourself to Squire Roach, and in order to accomplish
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: his plan of freezing my mother out of the argus,
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: you have desperately conspired to partially ruin the paper, and
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: you have practically succeeded. Young man, you are dreaming, sneered
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: mister jeb with a guilty flush on his face. Will
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: you explain why you discharge Dan Harwood, who satisfactorily filled
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: the duties of foreman and local reporter for my father,
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: asked Frank firmly. I don't see that you have a
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: right to question any of my official acts, replied mister
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Jebb aggressively. I have just told you that the argus
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: has passed into my control. Therefore I have a right
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: to inquire into any matter which does not strike me
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: as the right thing. I do not recognize your authority,
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: Frank Morris. If your mother will come here herself and
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: tell me that she has turned the paper over to you,
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: why here is a written order to that effect? Do
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: you question that? And the boy flashed his authority under
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: mister Jebb's eyes. Do I understand that your mother has
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: reconsidered her plan of selling this paper to Squire Roach,
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: who has made her an offer for it. The argus
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: is not for sale at present. As you seem to
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: have taken charge here, I presume you expect me to
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: run the paper for you. Is that the idea? No, sir,
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: I cannot afford to employ so expensive a man as yourself,
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: even if I was willing to continue you at the
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: head of affairs, which after the charges I have made
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: against you, would hardly strike you as probable. The Orgists
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: must either reduce its running expenses or go under. The
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: most sensible thing for your mother to do would be
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: to sell out, suggested mister Jebb. More than ever, anxious
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: that Squire wrote to get the paper for he began
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: to see the possibility that his plans might, after all,
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: go astray. That is where we differ, mister jeb I
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: might inquire, who is going to run this paper? I'm
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: going to try to you the boy, mister Jebb laughed sarcastically.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: Come now, you're joking, aren't you. No, sir, I am
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: not joking. If you really mean that, All I have
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: to say is this newspaper will be in the Sheriff's
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: hands in less than a month, and the Squire will
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: be able to bid it at a considerable saving over
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: his present offer. We will not argue the matter, mister Jubb,
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: as no good can come from prolonging this conversation. I
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: will settle with you for your services to date. Frank
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: Morris pulled a roll of money from his pocket, and,
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: peeling off sundry bills, pushed them toward mister Jubb, together
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: with a receipt, which he requested him to sign. All right,
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: said the manager with a sneer. I presume I am
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: to consider myself discharged. Is that it? You may consider
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: your connection with the Argus as severed, said the boy calmly. Oh,
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: I'll be back again in a week or so, remarked
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: mister Jubb carelessly, just as soon as Squire Roach gets control.
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't rely too much on that idea, said Frank grimly.
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: I know what I'm talking about, said mister Jubb, rising
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: to his feet and regarding the new manager of the
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: Argus with a sarcastic smile. Like all inexperienced boys, you
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: haven't expensive opinion of your own importance. You fancy it
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: is easy to run a newspaper. You will transfer a
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: few of your schoolboy compositions to be the columns of
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: the Argus and column editorials. You will expect subscribers and
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: advertisers to walk humbly into your office with the cash
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: to pay your expenses. Oh yes, I've met with a
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: few of your kind before college graduates all that who
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: thought they knew it all. Well, go on, young man,
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: nothing like a little experience and knock the nonsense out
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: of your shallow brains. I feel sorry for your mother,
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: that's all. She doesn't look for your sympathy, mister Jeb.
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: You've done your best to deprecate her property while she
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: was paying you for your best services. If you call
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: that a manly attitude toward an inexperienced woman who trusted you,
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: I feel sorry for your sense of justice and honor.
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: I'd hate to tell you what I think of you.
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: I leave that to your own conscience, if you possess one.
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: Jeb flushed to the roots of his hair. He could
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: not disguise the fact from himself that he had acted
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: a most contemptible part. But to be brought to task
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: for his conduct by a mere boy made him angry.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: Seems to be the way of the world that we
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: dislike those whom we have injured all right, young man,
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: he gritted between his teeth. He laughs best who laughs?
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: Last you twig my, meaning good afternoon, my little editor.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: I wish you all the luck you deserve, and he
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: strode toward the door after taking his hat from a
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: hook on the wall. Thank you, mister jeb said Frank, smilingly.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: At least you have made one sensible remark. All the
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: luck I expect is what I shall deserve. But mister
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: jeb with a sneering grunt, passed out into the main
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: street and started to take a car for Squire Roach's residence.
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: Frank then went to the door of the composing room
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: and called in, mister Robinson. There's your money. Mister Robinson,
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: please sign that receipt. Thank you. I'm sorry, but I
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: will have to dispense with your services after today, what
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: exclaimed mister Jebbs associate, I won't be able to use
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: you any longer, said Frank, looking squarely at him. Oh indeed,
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: replied Robinson sarcastically. I like that mister Jebb hired me,
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: and I stay here as long as mister Jebbs says so, understand,
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: And the reporter produced his cigarette box and took out
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: a fresh coffin. Now mister Jebb's connection with the Argus
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: has already ceased. Who says it has? Ejaculated Robinson flippantly.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: I say so, Oh you don't count, don't I answered
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: the boy cheerfully. Just glance over that, please, and Frank
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: handed him his mother's order, which established him and controlled
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: the argus commencing with that date. Mister Robinson was somewhat
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: taken aback. He certainly hadn't expected such a change in
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: the aspect of a What mister Jebb have to say
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: to that? He inquired uneasily. I will have to refer
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: you to mister Jebb for the answer. You're mighty smart,
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: aren't you, said Robinson with a sneer. I think that
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: is all, mister Robinson, said the boy smoothly. Oh you
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: do eh? I think you're a stuck up whipper snapper.
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: Do you know that? I'm going to see mister jeb
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: about it, said mister Robinson, rising, you're a liberty to
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: do so, replied the boy. The idea of a kid
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: like you trying to lord it over a gentleman like me, well,
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: you won't last long here. That's a comfort squire roach.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: We're only ugust before the month is out, and mister
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: Jebb and myself will be back in our old jobs.
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: Mister Robinson blew out a wreath of smoke as he
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: walked nonchalantly out of the business office of the Argus.
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: Billings was the next victim, and he took his discharge aggressively,
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: like printers often do when they see a good thing
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: slipping away from them. Mister Jubb brought me here from Chicago,
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: and he promised me a steady job. Well you gave
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: it to you as long ung as he could has
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: he left the office, asked Billings in surprise. He is
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: out of the Argus for good. He didn't tell me
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: anything about it, said Bellings in an injured tone. Who's
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: going to run a composing room and set the jobs
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: and advertisements? That needn't worry you? Mister Billings, say you
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: the boss of this thing? Now? I am in full charge.
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: What's the matter with keeping me? I've got to lay
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: of the office down. Fine I have If you'll keep
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: me on, I'll work for a couple dollars under the scale.
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: How's that, sorry, mister Billings. But this office, if it
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: is small is going to be run on union principles.
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: A few dollars one way or the other won't make
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: or break the argus, as there is no union in
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: this town. I shall recognize an international traveling card and
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: pay the scale when I wish to employ a printer.
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: By the way, mister Billings, you hold a card. I
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: did once, I got hard up and ran out, admitted
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: the man sheepishly. I thought so when you offered to
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: work for less the rate. Oh, a foreman doesn't have
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: to have a card, said Billings glibly. Excuse me, But
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: I think you'll find they do have to have one.
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: Well that's all, mister Billings. I ain't you gonna pay
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: my fare back to Chicago, No, sir. If mister Jebb
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: made any such arrangement with you, you'll have to see
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: him about it. Good day. Billings walked out, very much disgruntled.
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: Frank then paid off the rest of the hands and
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: sent Billy Miggles over to the Times office with a
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: note to Dan Harwood. End of chapter three, chapter four
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: of Winning His Way by a Self Made Man. This
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter four, in
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: which Frank Morris and Dan Harwood. Start the ball rolling well, then,
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: said Frank Morris to his friend Dan Harwood, when the
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: two boys met by appointment after for that evening at
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: the office of the Argus. Are you with me? Am?
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: I with you? Well, I'll say you can bank on
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: it as I am, said Dan, with his freckled countenance
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: expanding into one of his usual cheerful grins. Did you
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: resign from the Times. That's what I did, and you
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: can bet your suspenders. Old Bentley as mad as a
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: had her. He called me several things I wouldn't dare repeat.
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: You're not under any obligations to him, are you, asked
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: Frank anxiously, I should say not. I never could do
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: enough for him while in his employ I wasn't his foreman,
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: Thank goodness. Poor old Jinks has a hard time of it.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: I gave him a lift whenever I could, at the
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: stone and make up. You know, I'm pretty rapid at that,
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: I said. Half of the advertisements and most of the
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: job work. However, I didn't leave Bentley with a hole
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: at all. Or he hired your late form and Billings,
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: who dropped in looking for work after I resigned. I'm
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: glad to hear he's got a person in your place,
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: said Frank with an air of relief. I wouldn't like
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: him to feel that I had put him at a
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: disadvantage by taking you away. Don't worry about that. Billings
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: ought to be able to fill the bill and he
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: didn't do it here, but probably that's because mister Jubb
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: let him do as he pleased. Well, Dan, I'll expect
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: you to put your shoulder to the wheel. That's what
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: I'm here for. Frank. I guess you know whether or
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: not you can depend on me. I learned the business
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: under your father, and he, I think admitted that I
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: panned out all right. Yes, Dan, father always said you
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: were the smartest printer for your age he ever saw.
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: And my father was one of the best at the
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: business himself years ago before he went into the publishing line.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: And you certainly have a wonderful knack at making interesting
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: locals and spicy paragraphs. Kind of comes natural to me,
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: said Dan with another grin. Well, let's get down to business, Dan,
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry to say the argus is in a pretty
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: bad way. I would show no surprise at this information,
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: for Frank had consulted with him before on this subject.
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: When he talked with him about mister Jubb's methods and
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: the loss of prestige and income the paper was suffering
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: under that gentleman's peculiar management. Now Frank told him of
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: the conversation he had overheard that afternoon between mister Job
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: and Squire Roach, which only went to confirm the suspicions
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: the two boys had already formed in their own minds
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: days before. That Man Jeb is a rascal, said Dan vigorously,
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: and it would give me great pleasure to knock him
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: into the middle of the next week. When he discharged me.
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: I demanded his reason, but he refused to give me
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: any satisfaction. And I told you about it, and you
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: promised to have the matter investigated. But of course your
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: father's condition interfered with that. So when I saw a
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: chance to go to work in the Times, I accepted
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: it until things got straightened out. At the argus, it
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: remains for you and I Dan to straighten things out. Well,
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: we'll do it all right, so far as you are concerned.
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: It would be plain sailing with some extra hard work
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: at the start. But I'm up against a hard Dan.
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: I have no real editorial experience, though I'm fairly familiar
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: in a general way with the newspaper methods, owing to
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: the many opportunities I had to put in my spare
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: time under father's direction, both of the business desk and
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: in reporting such events as came within my scope. So
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: you see, I'm greatly handicapped. Oooh, you'll manage, all right.
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: You're a good writer. Many a story of yours. I've
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: set up myself, Frank, and I'm bound to say, you
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: handle the subjects all right. What I lack and experience,
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: I'm going to make up my hard work, and plenty
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: of it. The paper is going downhill. We've got to
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: put the brakes on, turn her around, and pull her
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: up again where she was before Father took sick. All right, Frank,
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: how does the argust stand for tomorrow? Well, there are
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: a lot of proofs here that haven't been read yet.
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: I guess most of the copy is in type. Whatever
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: we lack we'll have to make up with plate matter.
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: There seems to be several boxes of it on hand
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: that haven't been used. Our advertisements look kind of skimpy
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: this week. I'm sorry to say. That's where it hits
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: us on a tender spot. Newspaper can't be run on
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: wind hardly. The Times has got most of the business
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: you've lost. It's up to you now to get it
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: back again. Well, Dan, light up in a composing room
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: and take a look around and see what's to be done. Well,
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: I read some of these proofs for you to correct.
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: It looks as though we had a night's work before us.
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: Dan is directed while Frank pencil and hand tackled the
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: pile of proofs. Mister Robinson should have attended two hours before.
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: Green Rivers supported three newspapers, The Times, Democratic organ and
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: the Argus Republican ditto, both issued twice a week Wednesdays
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: and Saturdays. The Record was an independent weekly devoted largely
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: to farming interests, but was inferior in circulation and influence
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: to the other two. Politically, the town was pretty evenly divided,
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: though if anything, the Democrats had of late the better
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: of the situation. At any rate, this party had won
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: out the last local election and was in control of
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: the leading offices, and consequently the Times enjoyed a monopoly
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: of the public printing. Mister Morris had always vigorously supported
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: the Republican cause, and when that party was in power
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: had participated in the fruits of its success. When mister
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: Jebb took charge of the Argus about the first of
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: the year, it was expected he would carry out the
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: policy of the paper in the same strict lines. The
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: Republican managers, who had just lost the election, although Farmer Gray,
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: who through the influence of mister Morris, had obtained a
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: nomination to the state legislature over Squire Roach, had been
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: elected by a small plurality, were not at all pleased
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: to observe the lukewarm sentiments of the new editor. A
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: committee was appointed to call mister Morris at his home
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: and remonstrate. Mister Morris lost no time in calling mister jebdown,
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: and for a time the political tone of the Argus
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: was restored. But this improvement lasted only as long as
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: it seemed advisable to mister Jebb to continue it. A
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: second committee was unable to see mister Morris on account
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: of the state of his health, and the members transferred
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: their attention to mister Jebb personally, but met with such
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: little consideration that they retired and discussed. In consequence, many
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: of the Republicans withdrew their support from the Argus, several
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: of the biggest advertisers going so far as to take
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: their business announcements to the Times, while a few handed
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: them to the record. A great many subscriptions were temporarily
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: canceled for the purpose of bringing the editor of The
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: Argus to terms, but this produced no results, as mister
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: Jebb was acting under instructions from Squire Roach, who at
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: the same time was one of the most rabbid of
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: the Republican kickers, and was doing his best to lay
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: the whole blame for the back sliding of the Argus
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: to the sick proprietor, who was unaware of the tempest
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: that was brewing through the treachery of the man he
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: had hired to fill his place. Frank Morris had thought
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: proper to interview the chairman of the Republican Organization and
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: assure him of his father's loyalty to the party. In
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: his belief that mister Jebb was acting entirely on his
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: own responsibility, the boy said that as soon as his
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: father got better, the trouble would be corrected. But mister
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: Morris didn't get better. On the contrary, he got worse,
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: and finally died much the squire roaches satisfaction, who now
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: thought he saw his way clear to getting possession of
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: the Argus from the widow. Such was the condition of
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: things in respect to the Argus when Frank took charge,
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: and one of his first acts was to kill an
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: editorial of mister Jebbs on the Republican Outlook for nineteen
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: o five, and rewrited along the vigorous and outspoken lines
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: formally pursued by his father. There was nothing lukewarm about
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: the leader when he had finished it. It was sharp,
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: concise and to the point. I want you to put
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: this the type right away, Dan, he said, walking into
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: the composing room. Double let it and put it at
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: the head of the second column on the editorial page.
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: All right, said Dan, taking up a stick and going
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: to a frame holding a pair of ten point cases.
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: Previous to this, Dan had corrected a dozen proofs, made
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: up two pages of the paper, completed a third which
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: Billings had left unfinished, and had commenced to set up,
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: out of his head half a column of local paragraphs,
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: most of which he had collected from the Times. That day,
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: when Frank called him off to set up the editorial,
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: the young editor then prepared an article on which he
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: stated the policy of the paper would hereafter be aggressively republican,
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: as in the days when his father was at the Helm,
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: and he appealed directly to the voters of the party
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: to support his efforts in the way he hoped to
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: deserve of them. He carried the copy to Dan with
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: instructions that double lighted also and inserted directly under the
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: publication announcements in the first column of the editorial page.
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: The two boys finished their labor shortly after three on
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: Saturday morning, and when the pressman turned up at four
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: o'clock he found the pair of chases, each containing two
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: of the outside pages, the inside four having been worked
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: off Friday afternoon, ready to go to press. End of
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: chapter four Chapter five of Winning His Way by a
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: Self Made Man. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: Chapter five, in which duncan Roach visits the Argus office.
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: The first issue of the Green River Argus, under the
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: direction of Frank Morris, appeared on time, notwithstanding the condition
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: in which it had been left by mister Jabb and
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: his associates, and the boy's political leader backed up with
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: his heart to heart talk with his readers created a
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: favorable impression in town. Squire Roach had been much disappointed,
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: as well as disgusted by the refusal of Missus Morris
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: to accept even one thousand, five hundred dollars for the
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: paper when he approached her on the subject the preceding afternoon.
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: His feelings were certainly not improved when mister jab called
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: upon him later with the intelligence that he had been
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: summarily dismissed as editor and manager of The Argus. Later
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: on he learned that mister Robinson had also been discharged,
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: and that Foreman Billings had transferred his valuable services to
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: the Times. Under these circumstances, he was disagreeably surprised to
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: find his copy of The Argus lying beside his plate
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: as usual Saturday morning when he entered the breakfast room.
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: It had been his impression that the paper wouldn't be
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: out till late in the day, if it came out
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: at all, a fact that was pretty certain to raise
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: an indignant howl from its subscribers. But there it was,
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: just as if nothing had occurred to interfere with the
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: internal workings of the Argus establishment. Mister Jeb must have
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: left the paper all ready to be printed, was his
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: private comment as he unfolded the sheet and proceeded to
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: look up the editorial written by his ready tool online
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: suggested by himself, a proof of which he had already corrected.
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: But lo, the editorial was missing, while in its place
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: he found Frank's vigorous contribution. What in thunder? Who in thunder?
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: Wrote that he ejaculated in a tone of strong long disapproval?
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: And where is the editorial? I ordered? Put in? What
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: is the matter? Father? Asked Duncan, Surprised by his father's vehemence, matter,
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: exclaimed squire Roach, There is considerable the matter. Read that
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: editorial and let me know if you think that young
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: monkey Frank Norris could have written it. I don't believe
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: he has the ability. Frank Morris write that, said Duncan Roach.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: After he had finished reading the Leader. He did like fun.
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: What makes you think he did well? I don't know
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: who could have written it. Mister Jubb wouldn't have presumed
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: to do it, for it is against the policy I
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: mapped out for him to follow. What has Frank Morris
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: got to do with the argus anyway, asked Duncan, for
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: he had not heard of the change which had taken
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: place in its management. He seems to have a good
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: deal to do with it, grunted the Squire in a
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: vexed tone. His mother has not only refused to sell
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: me the paper, but has actually turned it over to
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: that young whipper snapper. Turn the argus over to Frank Morris,
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Duncan greatly surprised, Yes, and has begun to run
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: things with a high hand. The first thing he did
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: was to discharge mister Jeb, who's going to run the
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: paper for him? Then he expects to do it himself,
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: so he told mister Jeb, Oh, he run the argus.
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: Run it into the ground, maybe, said Duncan, wrote scornfully.
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: I've no doubt but he will do that. What can
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: he expect to do without experience? Well, all I've got
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: to say is he's got cast iron nerve, sneered Duncan.
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: He's certainly no lack of assurance, conceded the Squire. He'll
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: end in a bust up. That's some satisfaction. I don't
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: see how he will be able to avoid it, said
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: the Squire, recovering his good humor at this reflection. And
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: then you'll be able to buy the paper at the
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: sheriff's sale, grinned his son. I shall certainly try to
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: purchase it if it goes under the hammer. I'll be
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: on hand when the beggar is sold out and give
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: him the grand laugh, said Duncan maliciously. Duncan, you must
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: not express such uncharitable sentiments towards your neighbor, said the
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: elder roach reprovingly. Oh snorted Duncan, I hate the fellow.
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: Duncan you surprise me? How about that mortgage you hold
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: on the Morris cottage, asked the boy. What about it?
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: Maybe they won't be able to pay that when it
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: comes due. The argus ought to fetch enough to settle
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: that even at a force sale. Missus Morris was certainly
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: ill advised not to accept the one thousand, five hundred
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: dollars I offered her yesterday for the paper. As it stands,
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: I'm afraid she will have occasion to regret not having
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: done so. I dare say she would have closed with
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: me but for her son. If she allows that duffer
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: Frank to run her affairs, she can't blame you forbidding
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: in her property is cheap as possible. When it comes
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: to be sold out, certainly not, said Squire Roach complacently.
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: I've made her a very fair proposition, and by refusing
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: it she takes all the risk on her own shoulders.
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: Women are queer anyway, remarked Duncan jeeringly. This was more
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: than his mother, who had been a quiet listener to
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: the conversation, could stand. Duncan, are you aware what you're saying?
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: She said severely. Oh, you know what I mean, replied
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: the boy rather flippantly. I don't wish to hear such
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: a remark from you in the future. It is a
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: reflection on me as well as the person's you have
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: in your mind. Duncan thought it advisable to keep quiet
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: for a little while, and when he opened his mouth again,
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: the conversation had turned into another channel. I'm glad I
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: don't have to work for a living, he said to
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: himself complacently, when an hour later he peered in at
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: one of the street windows of the Argus composing room
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: and observed Dan Harwood's stick in hand hustling away for
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: dear life at a rush job that had just been
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: received by Frank. Then he concluded he would enter the
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: office and see how things were getting on without a
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: talented mister Jeb, notwithstanding the fact that he and Frank
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: were not on good terms. Oh, make the beggar do
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: a job for me, he said, thinking he saw a
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: way to annoy the young editor of the Argus, quite
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: overlooking the fact that he would really be doing the
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: establishment of small service. So in he walked with a
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: poor imitation of his father's ponderous strut and air of superiority. Frank,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: who was seated at the business desk making out his
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: advertising bills for that week, looked up and regarded his
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: presence with some surprise. Hello, Morris, said Duncan superciliously. I
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: hear you're the boss of this outfit. Now, as I
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: like to encourage beginners, I thought i'd drop in and
• 48:51
  Speaker 1: give you a job. I'm much obliged to you for
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: thinking of me, replied Frank with a queer little smile.
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: Small favors are thankfully received. What can I do for you?
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: I dare say you need all the work you can
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: get to keep the place out of the hands of
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: the sheriff, grinned the young roach maliciously. I don't think
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: the sheriff will bother me, answered the young editor quietly.
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: You don't expect to make the argus pay, do you,
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: asked Duncan in surprise. I see no reason why I shouldn't, oh,
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: snorted Duncan. My father says the paper was running at
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: a loss even under mister Jebb, who was a first
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: class newspaper man. You're only a boy with no experience.
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: How can you expect to do any better by attending
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: strictly to business and doing the best I can? Answered
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: Frank pleasantly. What kind of a job do you want done?
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: I want some visiting cards. I'd like to see some
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: of your samples. I couldn't use anything common, you know,
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: said young Roach loftily. Frank took town a pasteboard box
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: containing samples of card work executed at the office and
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: picked out several speci of the best. That's the best
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: wedding Bristol and will cost you fifty cents for fifty
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: or seventy five cents for a hundred. Haven't you got
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: anything better, inquired Duncan. The specimen you have in your
• 50:12
  Speaker 1: hand is the best stock in the market. You can
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: see that it was selected by Judge Smith. Do the
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: Smiths have their printing done here, asked the young aristocrat,
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: in a tone of surprise. For Missus Smith was the
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: acknowledged leader of Green River's most exclusive sect. Certainly, said
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: Frank with an amused smile. I always thought they had
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: their work done in Chicago, said Duncan. WE can do
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: job work as well as it is done in Chicago,
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: as far as our line type permits. Then how do
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: you account for the Times taking so much of your
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: printing away from you? Asked Duncan, feeling as if he
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: had scored a point. I am not prepared to discuss
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: that point, said Frank with dignity. I expect to recover
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: whatever trade we have lost of late. You think you will,
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: sneered Duncan. I guess the Times knows how to hold
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: on to its work, all right. I hear you've lost
• 51:05
  Speaker 1: your foreman. I can spare him. That's because you haven't
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: got enough to keep a good man. I've got a
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: perfectly competent printer. I suppose you mean Dan Harwood. I do.
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: He's only a boy. Billings calls him a two thirder.
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: He's got a lot to learn. Shall I print you
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: fifty of these cards? Asked Frank, not caring to, continued
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: the discussion. You may as well make it a hundred,
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: for I use a good many of them, said Duncan, pompously.
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: A person in my position naturally, does you know all right?
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: Said Frank? I suppose you want your address on them? Certainly?
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: When can I have them this afternoon? If you wish
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: very well, I will call for them. I suppose you'd
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: like me to pay in advance so you can buy
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: the cards, said Duncan, pulling out a roll of bills.
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: It is unnecessary, replied the young editor, ignoring the inference
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: his enemy, contended to convey, I keep an apple stock
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: on hand. Just then, a very pretty young girl walked
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: into the business office. Delighted to meet you, miss Gray,
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: said Duncan, raising his hat to the visitor with one
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: of his most fetching smiles. Shall I have the pleasure?
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: But Elsie Gray cut him short with a freezing look
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: and then turned away. She had not forgotten his conduct
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: on a previous occasion, when Frank Morris had found it
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: necessary to interfere between them on her behalf. Duncan, greatly embarrassed,
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: smothered an angry expression which rose to his lips, and
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: walked stiffly out of the office end of chapter five
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: chapter six of Winning His Way by a Self made Man.
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recurting is in the public domain. Chapter six,
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: in which Elsie Gray, mister Dappleton an advance age, and
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: Judge smith enlive in the Argus office. Frank Morris, I'm
• 53:05
  Speaker 1: ever so glad to see you, cried Elsie Gray, turning
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: toward the young editor with her daintily gloved hands extended.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: As soon as duncan roach had withdrawn, no more than
• 53:16
  Speaker 1: I to see you, miss, Elsie, said Frank, grasping both
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: her hands with an eager movement that brought a slight
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: flush to her charming face. Come inside the railing and
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: take a seat. Elsie Gray was undeniably a lovely girl,
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: sylph like in petite to form. She was gracefulness itself.
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: A wealth of shining brown hair escaped from a bewitching
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: sword of gipsy hat, which sat coquettishly upon her shapely
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: head and her smile. Frank Morris thought of something beyond
• 53:45
  Speaker 1: the power of pen to describe, and he was not
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: such a bad descriptive writer himself. I hope I'm not
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: disturbing you mister Morris, she said, with a roguish smile.
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: If I am, just give me a hint and I
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: will relieve you of my presence. If there is anything
• 54:01
  Speaker 1: that I detest myself, it is a bore, you know.
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: I assure you that you're not in commoding me in
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: the least while your presence in this office I might
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: compare to a ray of sunshine if I wish to
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: be poetical, he said gallantly. How nice of you to
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: say it, Sir, laughed Elsie. Really, I shall begin to
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: believe father was right when he said you were the
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: coming editor of Green River. Did your father really say that,
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: asked Frank, surprised, He said that this morning at the
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: breakfast table, when he opened his copy of The Argus
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: saw your name for the first time as editor in
• 54:37
  Speaker 1: place of Amos Jebb, and read what he called your
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: very able editorial on the Republican Prospects for nineteen o five.
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: I'm very much obliged to your father for the compliment,
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: but I fear he flutters me. He'll be time enough
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: for all that, you know, when I have demonstrated what
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: I really can do. Straws show the way the wind
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: blows I'm quoting my father, mind you, and your first
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: political article shows your most encouraging promise, not only as
• 55:04
  Speaker 1: regards yourself, but with reference to the Republican cause in
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: Green River, which my father, thanks to the able efforts
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: of the late mister Morris, represents in the state legislature.
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: You will make a bad campaign orator, Miss Elsie, smiled Frank.
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: And do you really think so? Surely you're teasing me.
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't be guilty of teasing you, miss Elsie, said Frank,
• 55:27
  Speaker 1: going on with his work in such a way as
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: to still hold her attention and entertain her. This isn't
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: where you do your writing, is it, she asked, looking
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: around the plainly furnished outer office. Oh no, not. As
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: a rule. Yonder is my sanctum, to which it will
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: give me great pleasure to introduce you as soon as
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: I shall have completed this little bit of routine work
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: dealing with the practical part of the establishment. I suppose,
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: now that you have taken charge of the argus, you
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: will be a very busy boy henceforth, and I must
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: not expect to see as much of you as usual.
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: I certainly expec to have but very little time on
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: my hands for a while to come at any rate.
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: But I hope you'll drop in here often and talk
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: to me, for I feel as if your presence will
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: be something of an inspiration toward better work. Really now,
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: I ought to feel flattered at that, and the little
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: miss rose and dropped the young editor a most charming
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: curtsey hardly head. She sat down again when the street
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: door was darkened by a dapper looking man dressed in
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: a loud vest, across which hung a very heavy gold chain.
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: I should like to see the editor of the Argus,
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: he said, in a businesslike tone. I'm the editor, said Frank,
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: rising from his chair and coming to the rail. The
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: visitor favored him with a comprehensive glance from head to foot,
• 56:43
  Speaker 1: and then handed him a card which read Dionysius Dabbleton,
• 56:47
  Speaker 1: advance Agent on the blink combination. Will you step into
• 56:51
  Speaker 1: the inner office, mister Dabbleton, said Frank, excuse me a
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: few minutes, Miss Elsie. The girl bowed, and the boy
• 56:58
  Speaker 1: editor piloted his visitor into his sanctum. Has the paper
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: changed hands? Or you are a relative of the party
• 57:04
  Speaker 1: who conducted the argus last fall? When I was in
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: town with the dancing worthy gigs, asked the theatrical agent
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: when he had taken his seat. I am mister Morris's son.
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: He is dead only a very short time, replied Frank.
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: Sorry to hear of your bereavement. Nice gentlemen, as I
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: remember him. And now I want this advertisement inserted in
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: your next paper, together with this quarter column reading notice.
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: I will give you an order on the treasurer of
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: the company for the bill, which you will present after
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: nine o'clock at the box office on the night of
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: the show that is next Thursday. Here are four tickets,
• 57:42
  Speaker 1: and remember we expect a first class notice. Send proofs
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: of the advertisement to me at the Neptune House before
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: two o'clock this afternoon, and two copies of your paper
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: under personal cover to Bridgeville. I will not use the
• 57:55
  Speaker 1: Times this trip, as that fellow Bentley did meet dirt
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: when I was ahead of the worldly gigs, and no
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: man rubs it into me twice if I know it.
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: I'm going over to the Record now, which comes out
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: on Thursday. I believe my paper will be out Monday.
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: We have a twelve sheet stand that's a honey cooler
• 58:13
  Speaker 1: and the lithos of on the blink are the finest going,
• 58:16
  Speaker 1: Miss Paddy Atherton, our star subbarette was lately robbed of
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: nine solitaire diamond rings presented by various friends since we
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: opened in Jayville this spring. Don't forget to spread yourself
• 58:28
  Speaker 1: on these little facts when you write your notice. I
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: won't overlook it when I'm around this fall again. Mister
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: Dappleton was clearly a man of action, for as soon
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: as he had finished his business with the argus, he
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: was on the move again. Don't smoke, eh, he said,
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: as Frank declined the cigar, Well, hand it to your
• 58:46
  Speaker 1: foreman or whoever smokes about your place. Gooday, and don't
• 58:50
  Speaker 1: forget those proofs by not later than too sharp. With
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: a quick nod, he passed rapidly out on the main street.
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: There was a theatrical advance agent, the man ahead of
• 58:59
  Speaker 1: the show, Oh, explained Frank to Miss Elsie. A company
• 59:03
  Speaker 1: will strike town sometime Thursday. The boy went into the
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: composing room and handed the theatrical advertisements to Dan Proof
• 59:10
  Speaker 1: wanted by two o'clock sharp, don't fail, send Billy with
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: him up to the Neptune house. Here's the man's card,
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: and by the way, run off a hundred of these
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: visiting cards some time this afternoon, and Frank handed Dan
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: the copy for Duncan Roach's little job. Perhaps Hardwood was
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: not surprised at the order. Elsie Gray spent a quarter
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: of an hour in Frank's private office and then left
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: to do some shopping, promising to drop in again at
• 59:35
  Speaker 1: an early day. She had not been gone over five
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: minutes when Judge Smith, chairman of the Republican County Committee,
• 59:42
  Speaker 1: came in and the young editor ushered his distinguished visitor
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: into his sanctum. Young man said Judge Smith in his
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: genial way, I see you have taken charge of the Argus. Yes, sir,
• 59:55
  Speaker 1: A radical change was necessary if we hoped to keep
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: the paper in the family. I have put my shoulder
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: to the wheel, and I mean to do my utmost
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: to bring the Argus up to its former standing in
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: Green River. Judging by your first leader, which I assume
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: is from your pen, Since nothing so vigorous and to
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: the point has appeared in the paper since your father
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: was forced to retire from its conduct, I may say
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: that you have once more brought the Argus in line
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 1: with the real sentiments of the Republican Party. This is
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: encouraging and will certainly redown to your advantage. The policy
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: persisted in by mister Jeb your father's editor was simply suicidal,
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 1: and I regret to say it was always my belief
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 1: that it was inspired by someone whose object was not
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: only to ruin the argus, but to seriously cripple the
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: prospects of the Republican Party in this town. The conversation
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 1: I had with you on a previous occasion leads me
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: to believe that we can rely on you as we
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: always could on your father, now as you are young
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: and inexperienced in politics. Though I am bound to say
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: your editorial shows great promise. It will give me pleasure
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: to act as your political adviser, particularly later on when
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: the real work of the campaign begins. I will be
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: glad to meet you, either at my home or in
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 1: my office at any time. Thank you, Judge Smith. I'll
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 1: be pleased to avail myself of your invitation. I understand
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: the responsibilities I have assumed, and it is my wish
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 1: to equit myself in such a way as will best
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: satisfy the wishes of the community, at least that part
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: of it, to whom the Argust must look for support.
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: I'm only a boy, it is true, but I mean
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: to do a man's part even before I attain my majority.
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: I'm glad to hear you talk this way, Frank Morris,
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: for it shows the stuff of which you are made.
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: You are very like your father, and had he lived,
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 1: I am satisfied he would have lifted the Argust to
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: a high pinnacle of prosperity. Though the Argust has undoubtedly
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: gone downhill during the last six months and has lost
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: the confidence of the Republican voters of Green River, still
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: that is no reason why you may not recover lost ground.
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 1: Your father's policy was the successful. Follow that and improve
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: upon it if you are able, and success is pretty
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: certain to come to you. Thank you, sir. While I
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 1: am in control of the argus, I mean it shall
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: never disgrace the name of Morris. Spoken like a man, Frank,
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: said the judge, rising and slapping the boy encouraging lee
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: on the back. I am satisfied that you will make
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: your mark in time. I can see that you have
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: your full share of the grit and perseverance which land
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: the American boy on the top of the heap. I
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: wish you every success in your efforts as a young
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: editor and newspaperman, and will watch your progress with satisfaction.
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: Good Bye, and Judge Smith shook hands with Frank and
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: passed out into the street at two o'clock. The proof
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: of the theatrical advertisement was passed upon by mister Dappleton,
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: and the type was locked in the form for printing.
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 1: When Frank presented his bill, it was promptly paid. End
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 1: of chapter six chapter seven of Winning His Way by
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: a Self Made Man. This LibriVox recording is in a
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: public domain chapter seven, in which Frank it's a large
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: contract for printing from a local manufactory. On the following morning,
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: Frank went to church with his mother, as was their custom,
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: and in the afternoon he attended Sunday school, for he
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: was a member of the Bible class. As a matter
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: of course, he met Elsie Gray and Duncan Roach. The
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: latter was both surprised and disgusted to hear that Frank
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 1: and his mother had actually been asked to dine that
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: afternoon with Judge Smith and his family. I don't see
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: what Judge Smith can be thinking about to ask such
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 1: common people to his house, said Duncan to one of
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: his cronies. When he went home, he hastened to carry
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: the news to his father. The judge must have an
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 1: ox to grind, said Squire Roach, not at all pleased
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: with the intelligence. What kind of acts, asked his son
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: with a show of interest, A political one, I presume,
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 1: replied his fire in a disgruntled tone. But the Squire
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 1: really feared was that Judge Smith might throw his influence
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: over to the Argus and thus help the interests of
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: the Morris family. So he determined to get busy at
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: once and try to offset any such move. Mister Jebb
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: and his associate Robinson were boarding at the Neptune House
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: at the Squire's expense for reasons that the rich man
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: would not have cared to have generally known, and he
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: concluded a call on the act editor of The Argus
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 1: that evening and go over the situation with him. On
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: Monday morning, Frank Morris made a tour of the large
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 1: business houses that had withdrawn their advertisements from his paper.
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 1: His bright and convincing manner attracted the attention of the
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 1: persons on whom he called, and he succeeded in recovering
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: several of the paper's former patrons, and from others received
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: promises of subsequent patronage. On the whole, he was satisfied
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: with his morning's work. That afternoon he called on the
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 1: manager of the Green River lock and bolt factory and
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: made a bid for their new catalog, which which had
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: to be delivered in time for the fall trade. Heretofore
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: this work had been turned out in Chicago. It was
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 1: a fair sized job, as catalogs go, in very fat
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: and printer's parlance, consisting largely of cuts flanked by short,
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: priceless on six point type, with no display matter other
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 1: than a heading on each page. Jud Smith told Frank
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: with the company paid for the previous year's edition, and
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: he and Dan figured that the Chicago printing house had
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 1: had a cinch, so Frank determined to put in an
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: estimate for it as slightly lower price. Have you ever
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: done any work like this before? Inquired the manager of
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: the bolt and nutworks, after Frank had introduced the object
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: of his visit. No, sir, replied the boy frankly, how
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: do you know then that you will be able to
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: handle the job and get it out on time? The
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: foreman of my composing room assures me that with the
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: necessary help, which we can easily bring from Chicago. We
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: can do the work. What kind of six point type
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: have you Ronaldson's face Matt's satisfactory? Is it in good condition,
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: brand new? Have you never used it on the paper? No, sir,
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: father got about five hundred pounds of a dirt cheap
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: at a sale in Chicago. He bought it with the
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: intention of bidding on the state report, but was taken
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: six soon after, and the type is still in the
• 1:06:18
  Speaker 1: original papers. What presses have you? I mean large ones
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 1: one two revolution hoe on which we print the argus,
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 1: And do you expect to run off this catalog on
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 1: it five thousand impressions to each sixteen page form and
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: print the paper too. I'll manage that, sir. If the
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: paper interferes at any time, I'll send it over to
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: the record press room. I shall require a contract on
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: which you must furnish a guarantee that you will send
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: me proofs of at least eight pages a day until
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: the composition is finished. I'll agree to that if you'll
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: promise to return proofs within twenty four hours after receipt
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: by you. That's satisfactory. Who do you offer as a
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: guaranteur that you will fill your part of the contract,
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: Judge Smith. If Judge Smith will guarantee his performance, I
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: will give you the work and all our printing for
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: that matter, which is considerable. For I am in favor
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: of helping home industries all things being even the Times
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 1: has been doing our small job work, but I have
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: no particular interest in sending it to Bentley. I prefer
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: to have one establishment to all our printing, if possible.
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 1: Frank picked up several news items on his way back
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: to the office, where he found one of his father's
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 1: old customers, one who had gone over to the Times
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 1: waiting to see him. We have come back to the
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 1: old ranch again, young man, said the visitor. Glad to
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 1: see you, mister Williams, and I hope we shall not
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: lose you again. The Argus establishment is now under new management,
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: and I guess I can give you satisfaction. Mister Williams
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 1: gave a small order for job printing and left. Say Frank,
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: what do you think, said Dan, coming in from the
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: composing room. For a moment, Bentley has fired Jinks from
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: the Times office. Now is that a fact? Why he's
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: been there for years? And now understood he was a
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: good printer. He's all right, seems your man Billings, who
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: went to work there Saturday, made an offer to Bentley
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: to take Jinks's place at two dollars a week less.
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 1: Jinks's union man, and of course don't work under the scale,
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: which was all Bentley gave him as foreman, so he
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 1: had to get out. It's a shame for Jinks has
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: a big family and is anchored and Green River. It's
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: a mean piece of business on Billing's part, but nothing
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: more than one might expect of him till Jinks he
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: can come to work here three days a week for
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: the present. That'll help you out, Anne and give you
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 1: a chance to attend to your outside work. I'll be
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 1: able to give Jinks a steady position soon as I'm
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 1: sure of getting that contract for the Bolt and Lock
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 1: Company's catalog. We'll want at least four first class all
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: round jobbers. Jings can go on the stone and a
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: regular feeder on the cylinder for Gibsonjee, Frank, I see
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: you're going to wake the office up in great shape.
• 1:08:56
  Speaker 1: Bentley will turn green with envy when he hears you've
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: got that job. He'd ben't wanting to do that catalog himself,
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: and you might have got it, only he was too
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 1: mean to buy the type. It's lucky my father bought
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 1: that six point Ronaldson. I couldn't afford to lay a
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: new type at this stage of the game, even to
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 1: catch that catalog. Did the manager make any objection to
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 1: the price we figured? On? Asked an No. He said
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 1: there'd be something like one hundred ninety two pages this time,
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: which at three dollars and fifty cents per page, that's
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: twenty five cents lower than the figures of the Chicago firm.
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 1: We'll foot up six hundred seventy two dollars for the composition.
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: The press work on twelve forms of sixteen pages, five
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: thousand impressions of fifty cents a token will amount to
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: one hundred twenty or more total seven hundred ninety two
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 1: for the job. The factory people will furnished the paper.
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: I have figured the entire expense of producing the work
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: to be less than four hundred dollars, so I should
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: make a fine profit. Jinks went to work the next morning.
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: It was a busy day at the Argus office for
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 1: the paper came out early on Wednesday morning. Frank read
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: all the proof, wrote a couple of the editorials in
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: about two columns of other matter. This latter included a
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 1: catchy announcement of the forthcoming show of the on the
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: Blink company built at the Opera House on Thursday evening.
• 1:10:14
  Speaker 1: His batch of exchanges furnished clippings for another two columns.
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 1: Then Dan Harwood furnished a column and a half of
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: his own spicy copy, which was one of the first
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: things that most of the Green River readers of Argus
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 1: had been accustomed to glance over when they opened the paper.
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: The absence of this matter after Dan had been discharged
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 1: by mister Jebb being one of the causes of the
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 1: decline of the circulation of the paper. Correspondence from the
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: adjacent villages and various other communications took up three more columns,
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: and the balance of the paper not occupied by advertisements
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 1: was filled up with plate matter furnished by the Chicago
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 1: Newspaper Union, the cost of which was largely taken out
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: an advertising space which the company filled the suit itself altogether.
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 1: Mister Jebb could not have improved on the Wednesday edition
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 1: of The Argus, and many of Frank Morris's friends congratulated
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: him upon the excellent start he had made. That afternoon,
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: he signed a contract with the Green River Bolt and
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: Lock Company for their catalog, and he sent to Chicago
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: for the sundry printing material he would require to aid
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: in getting it out. End of chapter seven, chapter eight
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 1: of Winning His Way by a Self Made Man. This
• 1:11:30
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain Chapter eight, in
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 1: which Frank proposes a new scheme to boom the Argus.
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: There were several things that made Andrew Bentley, proprietor of
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: The Times, mad before Saturday came around again. The first
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: was that the agent of the on the Blink Company
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 1: had ignored his paper as an advertising medium and had
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 1: patronized The Argus and the Record instead. The second was
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: that the Argus had recovered several of its old time advertisers,
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 1: which had withdrawn them patronage from that paper. The third
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: was the loss of Dan Harwood and his faciel pen,
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 1: not to speak of his adeptness as a compositor in
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 1: the printing office. And the worst of it all was
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: the fact that the Argus had captured the printing of
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: the annual catalog of the Green River, Bolt and Nut Company, Billings.
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: His new foreman, however, assured him that Frank Morris must
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 1: be crazy to bid for the work, and his facilities
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 1: were not equal to handling such a job. You'll find
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 1: out he's only got himself in a hole. I guess
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 1: I know what that office is capable of, said Billings,
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: wagging his head sagely. You ought to, seeing as you've
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 1: worked there several months. What does that kid know about
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: printing anyway, said the foreman with a sneer. Not much,
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: I guess, but he's got young Horwood at his back.
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 1: I didn't want to lose that fellow, grumbled the owner
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 1: of the Times. His local paragraphs were the best things
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: I've printed. People looked for him. Why I've got a
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 1: dozen letters from readers kicking because they are not in
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: the Times anymore. A circulation of my paper has been
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: looking up ever since I put him to work here,
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 1: and now he's gone back to the Argus again to
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: help that boy editor get his paper out. What's the
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 1: odds Ugust won't last long under that young monkey, and
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 1: then you'll be able to get your man back again,
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: said Billings encouragingly. I don't know, but you may be right,
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: said Bentley, feeling a trifle better at this view of
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: the situation. I don't see how a mere boy of
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: eighteen can publish a paper capable of holding its place
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: against the Times. I've been an editor for twenty years,
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: and what I don't know about running a paper isn't much.
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: That's right, not a Billings who proposed to work his
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: new job for all it was worth and thought he
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 1: understood the weak side of his boss. Mister Jubbs said
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: more than once in my hearing that the man who
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: managed the Times knew his business from a to z,
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: and mister jubb held the city desk on the Chicago
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 1: Record before he came here. But mister Jubbs says a
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: man's good, he is good. The satisfied smirk which came
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 1: over Bentley's face showed that he felt the implied flattery
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 1: of Billing's words. You offered the new foreman a cheap cigar,
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 1: one of the brand he smoked himself, which was an
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 1: unheard of piece of generosity on his part, for Nicholl
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 1: always looked as big as a cartwheel to him, notwithstanding
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: the fact that he had made very good income from
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: the Times. Well, this conversation was in progress. Frank Morris
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: and Dan Harwood were also holding a pow wow in
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 1: the editorial sanctum of the Argus. It doesn't seem to
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 1: be anything the matter with this issue of the paper,
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 1: the first one. I may say I've handled all by myself,
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: said Frank, with a feeling of pride. I should think not,
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 1: added Dan vigorously. I knew you're equal to the emergency,
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 1: old fellow. Don't forget that much of the credit belongs
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 1: to you. I don't believe I should have dared go
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 1: into the thing if I had not been sure of
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 1: your help. Oh I'm not so much. I can write
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 1: a little, I can hustle like fun. It's about all
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: I'm good for, grinned Harwood, You're all right, Dan. I
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 1: wouldn't ask for a better assistant Between us. I hope
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 1: to accomplish all I started out to do. We'll do it.
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 1: You bet your suspenders. I've got a few of our
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 1: advertisements back in today's issue. But to keep up the
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: good work, I've got to put some fresh blood into
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: our subscription list. Our circulation has dropped away nearly one
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: third since father had to give up the management. The
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 1: best advertisers seem to know this, and I can't deny
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: the truth. Even to win a man's custom. It's up
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: to me to get our old readers back and as
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 1: many new ones as I can. The question is what
• 1:15:35
  Speaker 1: is the quickest way to accomplish this. Mister Jebb's methods
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: permitted the Times to get the inside track of the argus.
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 1: I must get out of the rut in which he
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 1: pushed us. Now it struck me that as that serial
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: we've been using in plates finished with this issue, I
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: might write something in that line myself, a story for instance.
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 1: They would attract attention from the start and set readers
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 1: to guessing as to what would appear in our next
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: isn't such a bad idea grin Dan. You might open
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: it with a murder mystery and offer a prize to
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 1: the reader who could solve the problem before the last
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 1: chapter was printed. Or I might write a story without
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 1: a title and offer one hundred dollars for the best
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: one suggested by a bona fide subscriber to be printed
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: over the last installment, suggested Frank. That would start a
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 1: lot of people this way with their dollars on the
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: chance of capturing the one hundred sure thing grin, Dan,
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: you could announce the plan in Saturdays and several subsequent
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 1: issues of the paper. If I were you, I would
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 1: put a small advertisement in the Women's magazine and two
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: or three other papers of that class in order to
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: catch the attention of the general public. You'll find the
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: rates high, as these monthlies have an enormous circulation, but
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: the investment ought to be worth the money. A year's
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: subscription would be altogether too much to ask on your plan, Dan,
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 1: so I'll take a three month subscription at fifty cents,
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 1: eligible to win the prize. That's right. You have to
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 1: start the ball right away, send your advertisements out at once,
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 1: and begin the publication of the story as soon as
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: the results begin to materialize. You started too soon, you
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 1: won't be able to fill orders for the back numbers
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 1: the subscription we'll call for. In any case, you'll have
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: to provide supply of extra copies of the earlier issues.
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: This scheme is going to cost you some money at
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: the start, but I think it is worth the risk,
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: So do I said the young editor, who was growing
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 1: enthusiastic over the plan. Now I've got an idea for
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: Saturday's paper. Said Dan, chuckling. You know that old house
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: down the river that's reputed to be haunted. Yes, said Frank,
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: turning and expectant die on his assistant. Several people have
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 1: told me within the last few days that mysterious lights
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 1: and noises have been seen and heard thereof late farmer
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 1: Jones had quite an experience on the road in front
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 1: of it three nights ago, says his horse was frightened
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: and he himself nearly scared to death by a big
• 1:17:56
  Speaker 1: white ghost that came out of the building and waved
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: its bony arms at him. It's all bosh, you know,
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: But you want to get up a sensational story about
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 1: the place and bring in all the imaginative freaks you
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 1: can think of, making the Jones incident very prominent, Throw
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 1: in sundry mysterious hints, and say you think the case
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: worthy of investigation by the Green River Psychological Society. I'll
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 1: go down there tonight and see if I can pick
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: up a few points for you. It isn't a bad idea,
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: laughed Frank. They'll start people to talking, and it may
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 1: sell a few extra copies of the argus. We want
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: the people of this burg to understand that the paper
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: is alive and kicking, in spite of mister Jebb and
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: his friend Robinson, who certainly tried their best to put
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: it to sleep. I see those two gentlemen are still
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: hanging around the Neptune House an expectation. I suppose that
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: we will soon go out of business. Mister jeb had
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: the nerve to tell me that, in his opinion, I
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 1: won't last long. What else can he expect from him?
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: If they're looking to see the red flag hanging out
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 1: our window, they'll have a long wait on their hands.
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 1: You wouldn't think a man of squire roaches standing in
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 1: the community would be guilty of such a conspiracy. As
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 1: he tried to work on the argus. He's what you
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: call a good liar. He wouldn't forgive your father for
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 1: giving his support to Farmer Gray last fall. He wants
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 1: to be the whole thing in this town, but there
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 1: happen to be others who stand on their own rights.
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: If it was possible to bring the plot home to
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 1: him and show him up before the people as he deserves,
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 1: the exposure would be a salutary lesson for him. If
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 1: you could do that, he'd find it beneficial to move
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: to fresh pastors. I guess the town would be too
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: hot for him, even if he is a rich man
• 1:19:33
  Speaker 1: and the president of the first National Bank. It would
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: take Duncan down a pegar two. Also, he puts on
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: more airs than any boy in town. I was surprised
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 1: to see him give you that order for visiting cards
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: last Saturday, remarked Anne, who, of course did not dream
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: of Duncan's motive. He did it in a patronizing kind
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 1: of way to let me see how important he considered
• 1:19:55
  Speaker 1: himself and how much superior socially he is. To me,
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: Well that was it. Huh, Well, I must get a
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: move on or my joints will get rusty. Jinks is
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: panting out all right in the copying room and expresses
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 1: himself as being grateful to you for even three days
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 1: work a week. He's just a man to help me
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 1: handle the catalogs when we get started with it. He's
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 1: had considerable experience in that line and the best offices
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 1: in Chicago. I considered him a valuable man. I'm glad
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 1: we got him. Then. I'd give something to know how
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: Billings is getting on at the times. I never saw
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: a man who could nurse a job better than he.
• 1:20:32
  Speaker 1: I've no use for a printer of that stamp. Gibson
• 1:20:35
  Speaker 1: told me that he had a lot of trouble with
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: his forms. Type is continually pulling out and the led
• 1:20:40
  Speaker 1: showing up. You don't find anything like that after me,
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 1: said Dan earnestly, nor after Jinks either. It's just as
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: easy to do things right if you understand your business
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 1: as to do them wrong. Nobody but the blacksmith slights
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: his work. My sentiments exactly, Dan said Frank. I wish
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 1: you'd go up to Fox Love and Towel Crash and
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: see if they'll give you the copy for that half
• 1:21:03
  Speaker 1: column advertisement they promised me for Saturday's paper. All right,
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: said Harwood with alacrity, and he left the inner room
• 1:21:11
  Speaker 1: as though he had springs attached to his feet, while
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 1: Frank drew a pad of manilla paper toward him and
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: started to turn out a batch of copy for the girls.
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 1: End of chapter eight Chapter nine of Winning His Way
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 1: by a Self Made Man. This LibriVox recording is in
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: the public domain. Chapter nine, in which Frank receives a
• 1:21:38
  Speaker 1: note bearing the signature of a young lady in whom
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 1: he is greatly interested. The Mystery of the Benson House
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 1: was the heading of Frank Morris's story of the strange
• 1:21:49
  Speaker 1: developments in the history of the reputed haunted mansion, which
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 1: stood close to a bend in the Green River, three
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 1: miles above the outskirts of the town. The article attracted
• 1:21:59
  Speaker 1: a great deal of note, and as a consequence, there
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: was an unusual demand for Saturday's paper. Duncan Roach read
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: the story through with a sneer. I'll bet Dan Harwood
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: wrote that or put Frank Morris up to it. He muttered,
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: I wonder if he has any suspicions about Benson's I
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: think it's about time the ghosts gave one or both
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 1: of those fellows are roasting. It might take some of
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 1: the freshness out of them. And Duncan grinned in a
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: peculiar way, as if he knew more about the inside
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 1: workings of the Haunted House than appeared in the argus.
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: Duncan met several of his charms later on, and the
• 1:22:37
  Speaker 1: bunch went in the convulsions of mirth over the mystery
• 1:22:40
  Speaker 1: of the Benson House. The fellow who wrote that ought
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 1: to be initiated into the Society of the Ghosts don't
• 1:22:46
  Speaker 1: you think, suggested Duncan, meaningly, without actually becoming one. You mean,
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: don't you, said the nephew of the cashier of the
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: First National Bank, an undersized dudish boy named Peter Winch.
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 1: Of course, the membership list of the ancient Order of
• 1:23:03
  Speaker 1: Associated Ghosts is full, but the first degree might occasionally
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 1: be worked to advantage on the inquisitive outsiders. It would
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 1: make them smart at any rate, spoke up Luke Edwards
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: with a sneer, which sally caused a roar of mirth.
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 1: I move that Frank Morris, the boy editor of the Argus,
• 1:23:22
  Speaker 1: be invited to attend our next roasting bee, said Duncan,
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: with a grin second. The motion chuckled. WinCE. Those in
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: favor of inviting the learned editor to our coming soiree
• 1:23:34
  Speaker 1: will please signify it by saying I, said Edwards, a
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: self constituted chairman of the crowd. The motion is unanimous.
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: The Chief Executioner is instructed to see that a real
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 1: hot fire is provided for the occasion, in order that
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 1: our distinguished visitor might have no cause to complain of
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 1: a lack of warmth in his reception. This provoked another
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 1: outburst of laughter. As our expected guest is a member
• 1:24:01
  Speaker 1: of the unbridled press, it will be the duty of
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 1: a custodian of records to prepare a true and unvarnished
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 1: account of the proceedings of the evening, and furnish same
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 1: to the editor of the Green River Times for publication,
• 1:24:15
  Speaker 1: in order that the public may be further enlightened into
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 1: the mysteries of the Benson House, which the Argus has
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 1: seen fit to introduce to their attention this morning, said
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 1: Walter Edwards grand eloquently. Somebody will wish there was snow
• 1:24:29
  Speaker 1: on the ground before the initiation is concluded, said Duncan significantly,
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 1: Or that he could sit on a cake of ice
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: for the sake of variety, chimed in Eddie Hicks, or
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 1: take a swim in the river, suggested another youth of
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 1: high social standing. But I say, asked Peter Weinch, suppose
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 1: he won't come. Elsie Gray lives a mile further out
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: that road, said Duncan. A note of invitation from her
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: will fetch him every time. Are you going to work that,
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: DoD Elsie and you are on the outs? Pete's sister
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: could write it. She isn't too sweet on Elsie and
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 1: would just as soon sign her name to a note
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: as not. Morris won't know the difference. I'll bet will
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: watch for him down the road and run him into
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: Benson's in double quick time. When we get through with him,
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: he won't be in the humor to write any more
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 1: ghost stories. Peter Winch thought the idea a good one
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 1: and agreed to persuade his sister to help the good
• 1:25:27
  Speaker 1: work along. A Monday afternoon of the next week, several
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: letters were delivered by the postman at the Argus office.
• 1:25:35
  Speaker 1: Most of them contain local subscriptions to the paper, and
• 1:25:38
  Speaker 1: some of them requests for further information concerning the new
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: story without a title, which had been announced in the
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 1: Saturday issue as a forthcoming novelty. Judging from the first
• 1:25:48
  Speaker 1: day's results, Frank Morris was encouraged to believe that the
• 1:25:51
  Speaker 1: new idea would prove a success. The last letter he opened,
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 1: addressed in a neat girlish hand, read as follows, Green River,
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 1: July first, nineteen o five. Dear mister Morris, my father
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 1: having been called to Marshland to be gone overnight. Mother
• 1:26:09
  Speaker 1: and I would be happy to have you spend the
• 1:26:11
  Speaker 1: evening at the farm. I have special reasons for hoping
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 1: you will not disappoint us. Please do come yours sincerely,
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: Elsie Gray. Frank was not familiar with Elsie's handwriting, never
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: having received a note from her before, and therefore he
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 1: had no suspicions of the genuineness of that which he
• 1:26:30
  Speaker 1: now held in his hand. I was going to commence
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 1: my cereal to night, he said to himself. But I
• 1:26:36
  Speaker 1: guess it'll have to wait. I couldn't think of disappointing
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: Elsie for a great deal. Indeed, he was highly delighted
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 1: with the invitation, the more so as it was so unexpected.
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: He was, to tell the truth, very much interested in
• 1:26:49
  Speaker 1: Farmer Gray's only daughter, who by many people was called
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 1: the Bell of Green River. She was an uncommonly winsome
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 1: little creature, and her relations with Frank were of the
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 1: most cordial nature. He had been much flattered by her
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 1: call at the office a week before, and this fresh
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: evidence of her friendship quite tickled him. Yes, I'll go,
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: you bet your suspenders, as Dan would say, I wouldn't
• 1:27:13
  Speaker 1: miss it for a good deal. Frank was in high
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 1: spirits that afternoon, anyway, for he had succeeded in talking
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: a couple of good advertisers into returning to the fold.
• 1:27:23
  Speaker 1: Besides that, Dan Harwood had corralled three good vendu notices
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 1: on the way to the Times and piloted them to
• 1:27:29
  Speaker 1: the Argus, added to which the job department was looking
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: up in a way that put Dan and Jinks on
• 1:27:35
  Speaker 1: their metal to turn the stuff out in time. Altogether,
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: this week's editions and the other work promised a profit
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 1: instead of the usual loss of many weeks back, So
• 1:27:45
  Speaker 1: it was natural that the youngest editor in Green Rivers
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: should feel particularly jubilant over the outlook. I shall not
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 1: be back after supper to night, as I intended, said
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: Frank to Dan at closing up time, going out to
• 1:27:57
  Speaker 1: Farmer Gray's. I know there must be so attraction to
• 1:28:00
  Speaker 1: keep you away. Bet your suspenders, grinned Dan, eyeing his
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 1: friend quizzically. Frank blushed in spite of himself. If I
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: had as pretty a girl as Elsie Gray on the string,
• 1:28:11
  Speaker 1: I feel like shirking work myself for an hour or two,
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 1: considered Harwood. It happens to be a special invitation which
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 1: I can't very well turn down, explained Frank, Sure, chuckled Dan,
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: don't you believe me. Read that, and Frank handed him
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 1: the note. You're a solid man in that quarter. Bet
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 1: your suspenders, said Dan, returning the note, what nonsense, No
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: nonsense at all. Her father owes his distinguished position as
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 1: member from this county to the state legislature. To your
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 1: father's backing. She appreciates the facts. See you've got the
• 1:28:47
  Speaker 1: inside track there, hold on to it. Her father is rich.
• 1:28:52
  Speaker 1: Green River Farm is the finest in the county. Some day, perhaps,
• 1:28:57
  Speaker 1: Dan said Frank, with pretended severity. It's time you went home.
• 1:29:02
  Speaker 1: I'm going to supper. End of chapter nine, chapter ten
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 1: of Winning His Way by a Self Made Man. This
• 1:29:16
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter ten, in
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 1: which Frank Morris gets a roasting. The Ancient Order of
• 1:29:24
  Speaker 1: Associated Ghosts was a secret society lately instituted by Duncan
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 1: Roach and half a dozen of his friends, all sons
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: of well to do residents of Green River. They met
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 1: several times a week at the Benson House, the deserted
• 1:29:37
  Speaker 1: and dilapidated building which had long enjoyed the unsavory reputation
• 1:29:41
  Speaker 1: of being haunted, but which had no terrors for these
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 1: young aristocrats. The objects of the organization were several. One
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 1: was to pool their spare cash and play the Chicago
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: races through a certain well known tipster. Another was the
• 1:29:56
  Speaker 1: raised gain generally and throw the blame of their pranks
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: on the reputed ghosts of the Benson House. Thus the
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 1: lights and mysterious noises which had of late startled the
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 1: nerves of timid people in the neighborhood might be accounted for.
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: Farmer Jones's adventure had nearly ended in a serious mishap
• 1:30:13
  Speaker 1: to that individual, But that circumstance did not in the
• 1:30:16
  Speaker 1: least disturb the serenity nor interrupt the plans of the
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 1: ancient order of ghosts. Even had the farer been drowned
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: in the river, a fate he barely missed through the
• 1:30:26
  Speaker 1: practical joke they played upon him, we doubt if it
• 1:30:28
  Speaker 1: would have led these young thoroughbreds to see the error
• 1:30:31
  Speaker 1: of their ways. The initiation hinted at by Duncan Roach
• 1:30:35
  Speaker 1: had no existence in fact, but was the suggestion of
• 1:30:39
  Speaker 1: the moment. His idea was to kidnap or otherwise get
• 1:30:42
  Speaker 1: possession of Frank Morris, and worked some particularly painful and
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 1: humiliating trick upon him in revenge for the various grudges
• 1:30:50
  Speaker 1: he bore against the manly young fellow, particularly for the
• 1:30:53
  Speaker 1: dressing down Frank had administered to him for insulting Elsie Gray.
• 1:30:58
  Speaker 1: The scheme was practically unprema meditated up to the time
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 1: of the appearance of the Story of the Haunted House
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 1: in Saturday's Argus. The first degree or roasting ordeal, was
• 1:31:08
  Speaker 1: an invention of Duncan roaches, to be applied at some
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 1: future and indefinite occasion when an inquisitive visitor not too
• 1:31:15
  Speaker 1: large to be safely tackled by the ghosts, was caught
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 1: nosing about their private stamping grounds. To roast Frank Morris
• 1:31:23
  Speaker 1: Duncan felt would be the greatest satisfaction of his life.
• 1:31:27
  Speaker 1: The members of the Ancient Order of Associated Ghosts met
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: on Monday evening at seven o'clock at the residence of
• 1:31:33
  Speaker 1: Peter Wench and proceeded in a body to the Benson House.
• 1:31:37
  Speaker 1: They arrived there about a quarter of eight, and proceeded
• 1:31:40
  Speaker 1: at once to don the regalia of the order, a
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 1: long white gown, a stiff comical nightcap, and a ghastly
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 1: paper machet mask. There were seven of them altogether. Three
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: hid themselves near the house in the shadow of an
• 1:31:53
  Speaker 1: old walnut tree. Three posted themselves behind a fence in
• 1:31:57
  Speaker 1: the opposite side of the road, while Duncan roach himself
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 1: stretched a line breast high across the road. Then the
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 1: ghosts waited patiently for their victim to appear. In five minutes,
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 1: they heard the gallop of a horse along the roadway,
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 1: and presently a figure on horseback, which they could not
• 1:32:13
  Speaker 1: distinguish in the gloom, appeared around the curve. As he
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: approached at a rapid gallop. Duncan started in the middle
• 1:32:20
  Speaker 1: of the road and threw up his hands. This startled
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 1: the animal, who pulled up quickly and reared on its haunches.
• 1:32:27
  Speaker 1: Oh oh, beauty, exclaimed the voice of Frank Morris, who
• 1:32:31
  Speaker 1: was not himself particularly disturbed by the ghost, whom he
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 1: judged me some practical joker. Then the concealed ghosts rushed
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 1: out from either side of the road and seized both
• 1:32:41
  Speaker 1: horse and rider. This was no joke, and Frank put
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 1: up a lusty resistance, striking out with both of his fists.
• 1:32:47
  Speaker 1: One blow took edwards and the eye, and he went
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 1: down as if a horse had kicked him. Another landed
• 1:32:52
  Speaker 1: on Eddie Hicks's paper machet nose so hard as to
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 1: practically stun him, But the odds were too great for
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 1: Frank Morris to success cope against. He was dragged from
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 1: his stout pony's back. The animal was held by Duncan,
• 1:33:05
  Speaker 1: who led her away and tied her to a post
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: at the back of the house. When he had returned
• 1:33:10
  Speaker 1: to the scene, Frank was being bound hand and foot
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 1: by the crowd. What piece of nonsense is this, demanded
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: the young editor, indignantly. To his remark, no attention whatever
• 1:33:20
  Speaker 1: was paid. The prisoner, now quite helpless, was lifted up
• 1:33:24
  Speaker 1: and carried into a large back room in the building.
• 1:33:27
  Speaker 1: This room overlooked the river, and a fire which had
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 1: been kindled in the big open fireplace, was burning briskly.
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: The glare cast by the burning wood was the only illumination,
• 1:33:37
  Speaker 1: and therefore added to the grotesqueness of the fantastic figures,
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: who began a sort of wild Indian dance about their
• 1:33:44
  Speaker 1: victim as he lay upon the bare floor. You don't
• 1:33:47
  Speaker 1: imagine that you're going to frighten me with such tomfoolery
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 1: as this, do you? Demanded Frank, thoroughly disgusted with the proceedings.
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 1: The dance stopped, and all the ghosts except Duncan roach
• 1:33:58
  Speaker 1: drew back and ranged themselves and solemn silence against the wall.
• 1:34:03
  Speaker 1: Frank Morris said Duncan in an assumed voice. You are
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: about to be initiated as an honorable member of the
• 1:34:10
  Speaker 1: Ancient Order of Associated Ghosts. The honor has been tendered
• 1:34:15
  Speaker 1: to you in consideration of the remarkable and graphic story
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 1: you wrote for and published in the Argust Last Saturday
• 1:34:23
  Speaker 1: Associated Donkeys. You mean, I guess, replied Frank angrily, for
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 1: he did not relish his undignified position. I advise you
• 1:34:31
  Speaker 1: to go slow if you don't want to get into trouble.
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 1: A joke is a joke, and I can take one
• 1:34:35
  Speaker 1: as well as the next fellow. But I'm not feeling
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 1: in the humor for horseplay this evening. I've got an
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 1: engagement at this. The roar of laughter went up from
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 1: the assembled ghosts. Exactly, said Duncan in hoarse tones. You're
• 1:34:49
  Speaker 1: keeping it now? Are you gonna let me go? Demanded Frank. Sure,
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 1: after you've been initiated, answered Duncan, who forgot himself and
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 1: spoken his natural tones, which Frank immediately recognized. Oh, you're
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 1: Duncan roach, he said. The squire's son ented his lip
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 1: with chagrin, as he had not intended that Moore should
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 1: identify him. Never mind who I am, he said, surlily.
• 1:35:15
  Speaker 1: It won't do you any good to know, Associated ghosts,
• 1:35:20
  Speaker 1: addressing his companions, are we all ready to proceed with
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: the initiation of the distinguished editor of the Green River Argus?
• 1:35:28
  Speaker 1: We're shouted the six with one voice and hollow tones.
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: Is the fire hot? It is hot, solemnly replied the
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 1: ghost who was attending to it. Let the guests of
• 1:35:41
  Speaker 1: the evening be bound to the gridiron, commanded Duncan with
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: a wave of his right arm. A roughly made wooden
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 1: frame oblong in shape, to which was nailed a dozen
• 1:35:51
  Speaker 1: or more cross pieces, was brought forward. Frank was placed
• 1:35:55
  Speaker 1: face down on it and bound to the cross sections
• 1:35:59
  Speaker 1: that the grit iron replaced in position, ordered Duncan. The
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 1: six ghosts raised the framework to a vertical position and
• 1:36:07
  Speaker 1: then advanced close to the fireplace, where the full glow
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 1: of heat would strike on the victim's back. Then they
• 1:36:13
  Speaker 1: propped it up so that it would stand, and returned
• 1:36:16
  Speaker 1: to the wall as before. Associated Ghosts, your deal of
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 1: the roast has begun, we will sing a hymn of
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 1: praise while the cook stirs the fire. A most unearthly
• 1:36:27
  Speaker 1: chant was instantly begun, while all eyes were turned upon
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 1: the boy, who was now beginning to realize that his
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 1: situation was by no means a joke. So far at least,
• 1:36:37
  Speaker 1: he was concerned. Do you mean a torture me, Duncan, roach,
• 1:36:41
  Speaker 1: he demanded vehemently, as he felt the heat of the
• 1:36:44
  Speaker 1: fire penetrating his garments in a very unpleasant manner. The
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 1: chant continued, You boys can't be aware what you're doing,
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 1: said Frank, squirming uneasily as much as his bonds would permit.
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 1: Is he cooking, asked Duncan of Peter, When who was
• 1:37:00
  Speaker 1: attending to the fire doing beautifully? Was the reply? Does
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 1: he want basting? Yet? I think he does. Duncan grabbed
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: a flat piece of board, which he placed against Frank's
• 1:37:14
  Speaker 1: back and legs, moving it slowly up and down while
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 1: the malicious smile spread over the freckled face under the mask.
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: This caused a heated cloth oppressed closely on the flesh,
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 1: intensifying the pain the young editor was already beginning to
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 1: endure In spite of his best efforts, he could not
• 1:37:32
  Speaker 1: repress a groan of anguish. The guest of the evening
• 1:37:35
  Speaker 1: is acknowledging the warmth of his reception. Back Roach, Great
• 1:37:40
  Speaker 1: Scott Dunkin. Roach are burning me, exclaimed Frank, beade's of
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 1: perspiration standing out on his forehead. No, we are only
• 1:37:49
  Speaker 1: roasting you. You will soon be done to a turn.
• 1:37:54
  Speaker 1: Let me go, will you. This is pure torture, and
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 1: Frank struggled harder than ever, his frame shaking beneath his
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 1: desperate efforts to free himself. You are not browned yet.
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 1: You will need another basting. As Duncan applied the board again,
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 1: Frank uttered a thrilling cry, which startled the other ghosts,
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 1: but not Duncan, whose spite was urging him on. Let
• 1:38:17
  Speaker 1: him go, said Wald Edwards. A bit nervously. Mind your
• 1:38:21
  Speaker 1: own business, will you, said Duncan angrily. Yes, let up
• 1:38:25
  Speaker 1: on him. He's been roasted enough, put in Eddie Hicks,
• 1:38:29
  Speaker 1: who was of the opinion that matters had gone far enough.
• 1:38:32
  Speaker 1: Shut up, growled Duncan, pressing the board against Frank's legs.
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 1: Oh heavens, cried the boy in a spasm of agony.
• 1:38:41
  Speaker 1: I can't stand this. He threw all his strength into
• 1:38:44
  Speaker 1: a frantic effort to burst his bonds, but he was
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 1: too firmly lashed to the framework to be able to
• 1:38:49
  Speaker 1: help himself. The ghosts were beginning to grow nervous over
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 1: the situation, and two of them started forward to the
• 1:38:55
  Speaker 1: boy's aid, but Duncan pushed them back walt Edward's angry
• 1:38:59
  Speaker 1: at the shove, struck Duncan's square in the mask. He
• 1:39:03
  Speaker 1: staggered against the frame and Morris would have been precipitated
• 1:39:06
  Speaker 1: into the fire but for Edwards, who gave it a
• 1:39:08
  Speaker 1: quick push to one side. It tilted over the frank
• 1:39:12
  Speaker 1: and fell clear of the blaze, one end of it
• 1:39:14
  Speaker 1: sliding in front of Duncan's feet, who tripped over it.
• 1:39:17
  Speaker 1: Before a hand could be raised to save him, he
• 1:39:19
  Speaker 1: pitched headfirst into the fire, scattering the burning embers right
• 1:39:23
  Speaker 1: and left. Duncan gave a shriek of agony as his
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 1: two arms were thrust forward into the burning mass and
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 1: his mast's face struck the hot hearthstone. Winch, with great
• 1:39:33
  Speaker 1: presence of mind, seized and dragged him from his dangerous position,
• 1:39:37
  Speaker 1: but not before Duncan's white gown had caught fire in
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 1: several places. As it was, he was sadly burned about
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: the arms, and his face was painfully scorched. And meanwhile
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 1: two of the ghosts were cutting Frank loose. He writhed
• 1:39:49
  Speaker 1: about an intense pain as their hands touched his body,
• 1:39:53
  Speaker 1: for there was not an inch of his back or
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 1: legs that did not smart and sting him dreadfully. After
• 1:39:58
  Speaker 1: the ordeal he had undergo on, the rest of the
• 1:40:01
  Speaker 1: boys rushed to Duncan, who extinguished the fire which was
• 1:40:04
  Speaker 1: spreading over his white gown. But with a shriek of
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 1: pain and terror, he jumped to his feet, dashed open
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 1: the back door, and sprang down the bank toward the
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 1: water catch him. Shouted edwards, the fool be drowned, for
• 1:40:16
  Speaker 1: he can't swim. End of chapter ten, Chapter eleven of
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 1: Winning his Way by a Self Made Man. This LibriVox
• 1:40:31
  Speaker 1: recording is in a public domain chapter eleven, in which
• 1:40:35
  Speaker 1: Frank takes a manly revenge on Duncan roach. The whole
• 1:40:39
  Speaker 1: crowd rushed out of the building after the frenzied Duncan,
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 1: leaving Frank to his own devices. But that manly fellow
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 1: had caught sight of his blazing enemy as he fled
• 1:40:48
  Speaker 1: from the room, and realizing that Duncan's situation was a
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 1: critical one, he forgot all about his own pain and smarting,
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 1: and followed the rest with the idea of lending a
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: helping hand if necessary, to save the boy who had
• 1:41:00
  Speaker 1: tortured him so severely. Duncan had jumped into the river,
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 1: the rapid current of which was carrying him away from
• 1:41:07
  Speaker 1: the shore. His strangely attired companion shouted to him and
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 1: gesticulated frantically, but not even edwards, the coolest headed fellow
• 1:41:15
  Speaker 1: of the party made an effort to swim out to
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 1: his aid. Every one of them knew that the river
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 1: was dangerous at this point, and self preservation was the
• 1:41:23
  Speaker 1: first thought with each, not so Frank Morris. It was
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 1: the work of a moment to cast aside his jacket
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 1: and shoes and plunge into the stream. Taking note of
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 1: the position of Duncan, who appeared to be going under
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 1: for the second time, he swam sturdily forward, breasting the
• 1:41:38
  Speaker 1: water with sinews of steel. The other boys, many of
• 1:41:41
  Speaker 1: whom had by this time discarded their queer rig, encouraged
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: him with shouts of approbation. Hi Hi He's come up
• 1:41:49
  Speaker 1: a little bit further to the rye, Morris cried. Peter
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 1: Winch look out for that sunken rock out there. Morris
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 1: shouted another Warningly, you're a dandy old chap By George,
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Wald Edward's enthusiastically. Frank Morris is a fine fellow,
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 1: after all. I feel better than dirt to think we've
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 1: had a hen in his roasting. Same here, said Eddie Hicks.
• 1:42:13
  Speaker 1: Duncan had so much to say against him that I
• 1:42:16
  Speaker 1: thought he was a little prig. Now look at him
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 1: going out yonder in his condition to save roach from drowning.
• 1:42:22
  Speaker 1: That's right, chipped in Spencer Lickett. If a fellow had
• 1:42:26
  Speaker 1: served me as Duncan did, I'd think a long time
• 1:42:29
  Speaker 1: before I'd risked my skin to pull him out of
• 1:42:31
  Speaker 1: a hole. Duncan was going under for the fatal third
• 1:42:34
  Speaker 1: time when Frank grasped him by the collar of his coat,
• 1:42:37
  Speaker 1: where it showed through a hole in his robe, and
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 1: the half drowned boy tried to seize him in his
• 1:42:42
  Speaker 1: wild struggle for life. But Frank was pretty cool and
• 1:42:45
  Speaker 1: saw his danger in time to avoid it. He held
• 1:42:48
  Speaker 1: on to Duncan and began to push him shoreward, the
• 1:42:51
  Speaker 1: other boys continuing to follow him down the bank, keeping
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 1: pace with the current which bore them away. Presently, their
• 1:42:57
  Speaker 1: attention was attracted by a sudden glare jumping Jupiter, cried Wench,
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 1: the Benson house is on fire, and so it was.
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 1: The burning embers which had been scattered about the room
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 1: when Duncan made his involuntary dive into the fireplace, were
• 1:43:13
  Speaker 1: producing unexpected results. The haunted house was evidently doomed, say
• 1:43:19
  Speaker 1: said Edwards. Where did Duncan time Moors's horse? Give it up?
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 1: Answered Hicks, looking a bit startled. It won't do to
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 1: have the animal burned up after what Morse is doing
• 1:43:29
  Speaker 1: for Duncan. I'm going back, said Edwards, and Edwards started
• 1:43:34
  Speaker 1: for the blazing building. I'll go with you, volunteered Hicks.
• 1:43:38
  Speaker 1: They set off at a run, and presently arrived at
• 1:43:40
  Speaker 1: the scene of the conflagration. The pony was standing where
• 1:43:43
  Speaker 1: Duncan had secured her bridle to the post at the
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 1: corner of the house, what was becoming rustive, as if
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 1: aware of her peril. It did not take more than
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: the fraction of a minute for Edwards to unhitch and
• 1:43:54
  Speaker 1: lead the horse out of harm's way. That's the end
• 1:43:57
  Speaker 1: of the haunted house, remarked Hicks as they stood aloof
• 1:44:01
  Speaker 1: and watched the flames eating through the dry timber. And
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 1: the last of the ancient order of ghosts too, said Walt. Oh.
• 1:44:08
  Speaker 1: I don't know about that, objected X. But I won't
• 1:44:12
  Speaker 1: stand for any more roasting seances. I should say not.
• 1:44:16
  Speaker 1: Duncan carried things altogether too far to night. He had
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 1: a personal grudge against Morris and tried to get square
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 1: with him. It was all very funny at first, but
• 1:44:26
  Speaker 1: when I saw the fellow was actually suffering, I thought
• 1:44:28
  Speaker 1: it was time to make a kick. I suppose I'm
• 1:44:31
  Speaker 1: responsible for this fire as well as Roach's pickle. When
• 1:44:34
  Speaker 1: do you make that out, asked Eddie. If I hadn't
• 1:44:37
  Speaker 1: hit him that time, the trouble wouldn't have occurred. But
• 1:44:40
  Speaker 1: he made me mad by the manner he pushed me
• 1:44:42
  Speaker 1: out of the way when we stepped up to help Morris.
• 1:44:45
  Speaker 1: Just as if he was the whole thing and the
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 1: rest of us so much dirt, he isn't so much
• 1:44:50
  Speaker 1: by a jugful, And I guess the fellows will be
• 1:44:52
  Speaker 1: kind of shy of him after this. I shouldn't be surprised,
• 1:44:56
  Speaker 1: to tell you the honest truth, I'm sick o the
• 1:44:58
  Speaker 1: frills he puts on. Frank Morris may not be our
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 1: equal socially, but he's the kind of fellow i'd like
• 1:45:04
  Speaker 1: to cotton to. I've sided against him all along because
• 1:45:08
  Speaker 1: I believe those yarns of Duncan's. But it's my opinion
• 1:45:11
  Speaker 1: that he was lying right along. I dare say the
• 1:45:15
  Speaker 1: Roach can twist the truth to suit his purposes. Let's
• 1:45:18
  Speaker 1: lead the horse down. After the rest of the push,
• 1:45:21
  Speaker 1: Morris ought to have Duncan ashore. By this time, Frank
• 1:45:24
  Speaker 1: Morris brought the almost unconscious Duncan Roach to the river bank,
• 1:45:28
  Speaker 1: nearly half a mile below the Benson House, which was
• 1:45:31
  Speaker 1: now on fire from cellar to roof, furnishing a fine
• 1:45:34
  Speaker 1: bonfire which illuminated the countryside and attracted general attention in
• 1:45:38
  Speaker 1: the town. You don't hear, one of you, fellows, said
• 1:45:41
  Speaker 1: Frank energetically. After Duncan had been lifted out of the water,
• 1:45:45
  Speaker 1: and the rest you give him a roll, you may
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 1: have swallowed some of the river water. And the quicker
• 1:45:49
  Speaker 1: you get out of him, the better. This suggestion was
• 1:45:52
  Speaker 1: at once carried out, and the luckless air of the
• 1:45:54
  Speaker 1: roach Estates was treated to a rough and ready shaking up,
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 1: which brought him to his senses after a little while.
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: It was a warm night, and the Duncan did not
• 1:46:03
  Speaker 1: great the inconvenience Morris. He simply removed his garments and
• 1:46:07
  Speaker 1: with the assistance of one of the boys, wrung them
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 1: out as dry as possible and put them on again.
• 1:46:13
  Speaker 1: I'll have to let my engagement go tonight, said Frank.
• 1:46:16
  Speaker 1: I was going out to Farmer Grays, but you lads
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 1: have knocked that in the head for me. I am
• 1:46:21
  Speaker 1: sorry as it means that I'll have to disappoint a
• 1:46:24
  Speaker 1: young lady. Don't worry about that, said Peter Wench with
• 1:46:28
  Speaker 1: a grin. That engagement was a put up job on
• 1:46:31
  Speaker 1: our part to decoy you out here to night. I
• 1:46:34
  Speaker 1: ain't got my sister to write the note you received
• 1:46:37
  Speaker 1: with Elsie Gray's name tacked to it. She didn't know
• 1:46:40
  Speaker 1: what I intended doing with it, so you can't blame her.
• 1:46:43
  Speaker 1: Duncan suggested the plan and I put it in force.
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 1: Kind of a mean trick all around it. You've played
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: on me, don't you think, said Frank indignantly. My back
• 1:46:52
  Speaker 1: feels as raw and sore as though it were covered
• 1:46:54
  Speaker 1: with boils. I don't expect to get over your treatment
• 1:46:57
  Speaker 1: for a week. What's done can't be undone, replied Winch apologetically.
• 1:47:02
  Speaker 1: We didn't mean to carry matters so far. Duncan kind
• 1:47:06
  Speaker 1: of engineered the racket, for he's had it in for
• 1:47:08
  Speaker 1: you this long time. The rest of us, I guess,
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 1: are willing to make it up to you any way
• 1:47:13
  Speaker 1: you say, if you won't give the affair to the public,
• 1:47:16
  Speaker 1: it's easy enough for you, fellows to apologize now. You
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 1: haven't any idea of the torment I suffered during those
• 1:47:22
  Speaker 1: last minutes, especially when your leader pressed my clothes against
• 1:47:25
  Speaker 1: my skin and Frank shuddered at the bare recollection. It
• 1:47:29
  Speaker 1: was simply terrible. I shall have some idea after this
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 1: of the tortures of the Spanish Inquisition. Well, it's up
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 1: to you to say what you're going to do about it.
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: Put in Wald Edwards, who with Hicks had just led
• 1:47:41
  Speaker 1: up Frank's horse. We're in it up to our necks,
• 1:47:44
  Speaker 1: and you've recognized most of us by this time. If
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 1: you press the charge against us, we'll go to jail.
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 1: It will serve us right, of course, but it will
• 1:47:52
  Speaker 1: be rather hard on our folks, that's all. Most anybody
• 1:47:55
  Speaker 1: would make you sweat for the kind of treatment you've
• 1:47:57
  Speaker 1: handed out to me, said Frank. But I'm willing to
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 1: believe you, fellows, didn't intend to harm me, and that
• 1:48:04
  Speaker 1: most of what I suffered was due to Duncan Roach,
• 1:48:07
  Speaker 1: as he has suffered and will suffer more yet from
• 1:48:10
  Speaker 1: the looks of his arms. I may not let this
• 1:48:12
  Speaker 1: thing go any further, but you've got to promise me
• 1:48:15
  Speaker 1: that you will quit such kind of larks in the future.
• 1:48:17
  Speaker 1: If I hear of any more, I'll give you a
• 1:48:19
  Speaker 1: roast in the paper that you won't like, all right,
• 1:48:23
  Speaker 1: said Wald Edwards. Let it go at that. Furthermore, I
• 1:48:26
  Speaker 1: think it is only right that each of us agree
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 1: to get you five subscribers and one good advertisement for
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: the Argus in recognition of the square way you are
• 1:48:35
  Speaker 1: treating us. If Duncan doesn't do twice as much for
• 1:48:38
  Speaker 1: you after what you've done for him, we'll cut him
• 1:48:41
  Speaker 1: dead now, said Frank. I won't accept a favor from
• 1:48:45
  Speaker 1: Duncan Roach. He treated me like a savage tonight, and
• 1:48:48
  Speaker 1: I've got square by saving his life. If the rest
• 1:48:51
  Speaker 1: of you want to do is Walter Edwards's propose. I'll
• 1:48:53
  Speaker 1: accept it as an evidence of your good will. That's
• 1:48:56
  Speaker 1: all there is to it. Now I'm going home. I
• 1:48:59
  Speaker 1: thank you Edwards for bringing me my pony. I wouldn't
• 1:49:02
  Speaker 1: have her injured for a farm. I wish you all
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 1: good night. End of chapter eleven. Chapter twelve of Winning
• 1:49:16
  Speaker 1: His Way by a Self Made Man. This LibriVox recording
• 1:49:20
  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. Chapter twelve, in which Prosperity
• 1:49:24
  Speaker 1: begins to set towards a Green River argus. Frank Morris's
• 1:49:29
  Speaker 1: face wore a grim smile as he approached the blazing
• 1:49:32
  Speaker 1: ruins of the Benson House, which he had to pass
• 1:49:34
  Speaker 1: on his way back to Green River. Probably a dozen
• 1:49:38
  Speaker 1: curious people it assembled in bunches at a safe distance
• 1:49:41
  Speaker 1: to view the conflagration and speculate as to the cause
• 1:49:44
  Speaker 1: of it. This will make another good story for the argus,
• 1:49:47
  Speaker 1: said a man who recognized the young editor. Being on
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 1: the ground yourself, you'll have the bulge on the times.
• 1:49:53
  Speaker 1: Frank nodded pleasantly as he reined in his pony and
• 1:49:56
  Speaker 1: dismounted the ease. The intense smarting of his thighs, which
• 1:50:00
  Speaker 1: the motion of writing had increased to an almost unbearable degree.
• 1:50:04
  Speaker 1: Some tramp must have started the fire, unwittingly, remarked the man. No,
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 1: said another spectator, with a humorous twinkle in his eyes.
• 1:50:13
  Speaker 1: The ghosts did it because the Argus showed them up Saturday,
• 1:50:16
  Speaker 1: and they wouldn't stand for it. That's right, said Frank,
• 1:50:20
  Speaker 1: without a smile. The spooks who haunted Yonder House lately
• 1:50:23
  Speaker 1: were known as the Ancient Order of Associated Ghosts, And
• 1:50:27
  Speaker 1: while they were holding a kind of hijinks here tonight,
• 1:50:30
  Speaker 1: they set the place a fire by accident. Now they'll
• 1:50:34
  Speaker 1: have to look up another haunted house. Ha ha ha,
• 1:50:38
  Speaker 1: laughed both men. That's pretty good. You speak as if
• 1:50:41
  Speaker 1: you knew all about it, grinned the first man, who
• 1:50:44
  Speaker 1: had addressed Frank. I ought to seeing they invited me
• 1:50:48
  Speaker 1: out here to report the proceedings for my paper. That's
• 1:50:51
  Speaker 1: pretty good, too, snickered the other man. What's pretty good,
• 1:50:55
  Speaker 1: inquired a third spectator joining the little group. The other
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 1: repeated for banks remarks for his enlightenment, and a newcomer said,
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 1: the young editor certainly ought to report the item in
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 1: his best style. I mean to, replied Morris. Nothing of
• 1:51:10
  Speaker 1: importance gets by me, you young newspaper. Fellows have got
• 1:51:14
  Speaker 1: great imaginations, said the third man with a grin as
• 1:51:17
  Speaker 1: he slapped Frank on the back. Oats, shouted the boy,
• 1:51:21
  Speaker 1: hopping almost the foot and making half a dozen different
• 1:51:24
  Speaker 1: kinds of faces. What's the matter with you? Asked the
• 1:51:27
  Speaker 1: man who had caused the trouble, while the other two
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 1: looked at Frank with surprise. Don't do that again, please,
• 1:51:33
  Speaker 1: said the boy in unmistakably earnest tones. If you had
• 1:51:37
  Speaker 1: gone through the roasting I did tonight at the hands
• 1:51:39
  Speaker 1: of the associated ghosts, you'd kick yourself associated humbugs, retorted
• 1:51:44
  Speaker 1: the other contemptuously. You don't suppose you can cram any
• 1:51:47
  Speaker 1: such rot as that on our throats, do you? If
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 1: you had my back, you'd know whether it was rot
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: or not. What's the matter with your back? Asked the
• 1:51:56
  Speaker 1: man curiously. Go over to that fire and stand there
• 1:51:59
  Speaker 1: for ten minutestes and you'll know what's the matter with it.
• 1:52:02
  Speaker 1: I guess you're joking, young man. All right, have it
• 1:52:05
  Speaker 1: your own way, and the boy started to lead his
• 1:52:08
  Speaker 1: horse homeward. If you want to learn all about the fire,
• 1:52:11
  Speaker 1: don't miss Wednesday's argus. I certainly will look to see
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 1: something unusually funny on the subject, the man shouted after him.
• 1:52:19
  Speaker 1: Hardly had Morris disappeared in the turn around the road
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 1: when six boys came along, escorting a seventh who looked
• 1:52:25
  Speaker 1: as if he had been through a threshing machine. Hello,
• 1:52:29
  Speaker 1: said one of the three men. Here's another chapter. Looks
• 1:52:32
  Speaker 1: as if he'd been up against the associated ghosts, as
• 1:52:34
  Speaker 1: Morris calls him. The three spectators grinned broadly. Who are
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 1: you laughing at? Snarled Duncan, who noticed that the men
• 1:52:42
  Speaker 1: were grinning. We're laughing at you if you want to know,
• 1:52:46
  Speaker 1: said the third man, coolly. Well don't do it, snorted roach,
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 1: feeling mad all over? What do you take me for?
• 1:52:55
  Speaker 1: We take you for a pretty badly bungledow boy. What's
• 1:52:58
  Speaker 1: happen to your face and hands? And you look as
• 1:53:00
  Speaker 1: if you've been in water too. It's none of your
• 1:53:03
  Speaker 1: business what's happened to me, or whether I've been in
• 1:53:06
  Speaker 1: water or not, retorted Duncan in the same ugly tone.
• 1:53:10
  Speaker 1: It won't do you any good to get mad over it.
• 1:53:13
  Speaker 1: We didn't know, but the ghosts who set the Haunted
• 1:53:15
  Speaker 1: House a fire had roasted you too. The three men
• 1:53:18
  Speaker 1: laughed again. And the six boys looked at each other
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 1: in surprise. You go to grass, growled Duncan, starting off
• 1:53:25
  Speaker 1: down the road, his companions following. What the Dickens could
• 1:53:29
  Speaker 1: that fellow have meant? Asked Wald Edwards, looking at Eddie Hicks.
• 1:53:33
  Speaker 1: You got me, replied his friend. Who's a funny remark
• 1:53:36
  Speaker 1: to make all the same, said Edward, scratching his head.
• 1:53:40
  Speaker 1: One might almost imagine he knew something about what's been
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 1: going on at Penson's before the old thing took fire.
• 1:53:46
  Speaker 1: Not likely, said Eddie, merely a chance remark, Hey, Ryle Duncan,
• 1:53:51
  Speaker 1: all right, snickered Spencer Lickett. You don't blame him, do
• 1:53:55
  Speaker 1: you think O the way he feels, I wouldn't have
• 1:53:57
  Speaker 1: his doze for a farm. We'll have to steer him
• 1:54:00
  Speaker 1: into a drug store and have him fixed up before
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 1: we take him home, And they did as soon as
• 1:54:04
  Speaker 1: they got to town. Wednesdays, Argus had a column and
• 1:54:08
  Speaker 1: a half on the first page about the destruction of
• 1:54:11
  Speaker 1: the Haunted House on Monday night, and the Ancient Order
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: of Associated Ghosts received a humorous roasting, which, however, was
• 1:54:18
  Speaker 1: only intelligible to the young fellows who had participated in
• 1:54:21
  Speaker 1: the mad prank which led up to the fire. Frank
• 1:54:24
  Speaker 1: was careful to cast a mantle of fiction about his story,
• 1:54:28
  Speaker 1: so that not one not in the secret would suspect
• 1:54:30
  Speaker 1: the true facts. In the case, the young chaps themselves
• 1:54:34
  Speaker 1: had got a hustle on and had procured thirty new
• 1:54:37
  Speaker 1: subscribers and six five dollar advertisements for the Argus. This
• 1:54:41
  Speaker 1: was as Walt Edwards had promised, and Morris assured them
• 1:54:44
  Speaker 1: that he entertained no hard feelings over the affair, though
• 1:54:48
  Speaker 1: his poor backs still did give him a twinge. As
• 1:54:51
  Speaker 1: a reminder of the eventful occasion, Dan Harwood had set
• 1:54:55
  Speaker 1: up a large handbill and employed several small boys to
• 1:54:58
  Speaker 1: paste it on all the vacant walls and throughout the
• 1:55:00
  Speaker 1: immediate neighborhood of Green River. It read as follows, are
• 1:55:05
  Speaker 1: you looking for easy money? Buy the Argus and see
• 1:55:07
  Speaker 1: what a simple matter it is to make one hundred dollars.
• 1:55:11
  Speaker 1: Squire wrote saw it and sneered at it. So did
• 1:55:14
  Speaker 1: mister Jebb and his friend Robinson, who thought they knew
• 1:55:17
  Speaker 1: how to make one hundred dollars easier than that. So
• 1:55:20
  Speaker 1: did Bentley of the Times and his form and billings,
• 1:55:23
  Speaker 1: who saw nothing good in anything that issued from the
• 1:55:26
  Speaker 1: Argus office. But hundreds of the good people of Green
• 1:55:29
  Speaker 1: River read it, and many were impressed by it. Regular
• 1:55:32
  Speaker 1: readers of the Argust were already on the tiptoe of
• 1:55:35
  Speaker 1: expectation about the advertised story without a title, and probably
• 1:55:39
  Speaker 1: three quarters of them expected to make a try for
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 1: that one hundred dollars. A title is such a simple thing,
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: you know that anybody thinks he can make one to
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: fit any story, and so he can, after a fashion.
• 1:55:52
  Speaker 1: The problem is to make one which fits the subject
• 1:55:55
  Speaker 1: like a glove. And if it is a competition, like
• 1:55:58
  Speaker 1: the Argus scheme, to make a title that fits better
• 1:56:01
  Speaker 1: than anyone else's, then it is like picking up money.
• 1:56:05
  Speaker 1: Everybody interested in Green River figured it out that way,
• 1:56:08
  Speaker 1: and those who were not already subscribers hastened to send
• 1:56:11
  Speaker 1: their half dollars for a trial three month subscription in
• 1:56:14
  Speaker 1: order to get in line. That is why the cash
• 1:56:17
  Speaker 1: began to come Frank Morris's way during those early July days,
• 1:56:21
  Speaker 1: and by the time he had collected all that was
• 1:56:23
  Speaker 1: in sight in the county, the Women's magazine and other
• 1:56:27
  Speaker 1: monthlies in which he had advertised came out, and what
• 1:56:30
  Speaker 1: Frank called foreign subscriptions began to flow in the direction
• 1:56:34
  Speaker 1: of the Argus office. In the meantime, the job department
• 1:56:37
  Speaker 1: had also got busy on the Bolt and Lock catalog.
• 1:56:41
  Speaker 1: Eight first class jobbers had been secured and sent on
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 1: from Chicago Typographical Union Number sixteen, and things began to hum,
• 1:56:49
  Speaker 1: much to the disgust of the proprietor of the Times,
• 1:56:52
  Speaker 1: who saw his pre eminence as the first printer in
• 1:56:54
  Speaker 1: Green River slowly but surely slipping away from him. After
• 1:56:58
  Speaker 1: Frank had talked several of his best customers away, mister
• 1:57:01
  Speaker 1: Bentley began to cut prices. Frank Morris immediately appealed to
• 1:57:05
  Speaker 1: the people to support the fair and square principles of
• 1:57:08
  Speaker 1: organized labor. Every one of his jobs bore the union label,
• 1:57:12
  Speaker 1: and everyone was a sample of first class workmanship. The
• 1:57:16
  Speaker 1: Argus itself was much better printed than The Times ever
• 1:57:19
  Speaker 1: had been, and the public was of the opinion that
• 1:57:22
  Speaker 1: it was much the better edited of the two. And
• 1:57:24
  Speaker 1: the result of it all was that an intense and
• 1:57:27
  Speaker 1: bitter rivalry sprang up between the two papers. End of
• 1:57:31
  Speaker 1: chapter twelve Chapter thirteen of Winning His Way by a
• 1:57:41
  Speaker 1: Self Made Man. This LibriVox recurting is in the public Domain,
• 1:57:46
  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen, in which Squire Roach finds out that mister
• 1:57:49
  Speaker 1: Jeb is the boss of the situation. Two months had
• 1:57:54
  Speaker 1: elapsed since Frank Morris had taken charge of the Argus,
• 1:57:57
  Speaker 1: and the change for the better was so marked as
• 1:58:00
  Speaker 1: to have little doubt in the mind of Squire Roach
• 1:58:03
  Speaker 1: that his well planned scheme to get possession of the
• 1:58:05
  Speaker 1: paper was a dismal failure. Not only that, but he
• 1:58:09
  Speaker 1: recognized the fact that he had placed himself in an
• 1:58:12
  Speaker 1: unenviable position through his secret dealing with mister Jeb, who
• 1:58:16
  Speaker 1: thereby had acquired a hold upon him, which he had
• 1:58:19
  Speaker 1: made use of by demanding a weekly salary and expenses
• 1:58:23
  Speaker 1: both for himself and mister Robinson, pending a more definite settlement.
• 1:58:28
  Speaker 1: But as week after week slipped by, and the Argus
• 1:58:31
  Speaker 1: appeared to be slowly but surely recovering its lost ground,
• 1:58:34
  Speaker 1: and the chance of a sheriff's sale on the property
• 1:58:37
  Speaker 1: more and more remote, the Squire began to grow worried.
• 1:58:41
  Speaker 1: He had several interviews with mister Jeb, but they amounted
• 1:58:44
  Speaker 1: to nothing. That astute gentleman, having convinced himself that he held
• 1:58:49
  Speaker 1: Squire Roach's reputation in the palm of his hand was
• 1:58:52
  Speaker 1: satisfied to live on the fat of the land without
• 1:58:55
  Speaker 1: the necessity of hustling for a living, and his associate,
• 1:58:58
  Speaker 1: mister Robinson, was a the same mind. At last, Squire
• 1:59:02
  Speaker 1: Roach threw up his hands and advised his confederates to
• 1:59:05
  Speaker 1: leave for Chicago, as he did not see his way
• 1:59:08
  Speaker 1: clear any longer to employ them as he had contemplated.
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 1: Why not revert to your original idea of starting a
• 1:59:15
  Speaker 1: new paper, said mister Jabb, with the tranquility of a
• 1:59:19
  Speaker 1: man who knew he would not have to foot the bills.
• 1:59:22
  Speaker 1: The risk would be altogether too great with the argus
• 1:59:26
  Speaker 1: in the field, replied the Squire, shaking his head. But
• 1:59:29
  Speaker 1: you are in honor bound to provide for both myself
• 1:59:33
  Speaker 1: and mister Robinson, whom I induced to come here from
• 1:59:37
  Speaker 1: Chicago to further your interests. I think I have done
• 1:59:41
  Speaker 1: very handsomely by you both for the last two months.
• 1:59:45
  Speaker 1: You and mister Robinson have boarded at my expense at
• 1:59:48
  Speaker 1: Neptune House during that time, and in addition, I have
• 1:59:52
  Speaker 1: paid you a weekly stipend. And now that things have
• 1:59:55
  Speaker 1: failed to come your way, you propose to cut us off.
• 1:59:59
  Speaker 1: Without the proverb shilling is that it I expect to
• 2:00:03
  Speaker 1: pay your way to Chicago, as well as furnished transportation
• 2:00:06
  Speaker 1: for your friend. To this, I will add one hundred
• 2:00:09
  Speaker 1: dollars for yourself and fifty dollars for mister Robinson. You
• 2:00:14
  Speaker 1: don't take me for a fool, do you, squire, mister
• 2:00:18
  Speaker 1: Jebb said, as he lit a cigar and settled back
• 2:00:20
  Speaker 1: in his chair. What do you mean, mister jeb asked
• 2:00:23
  Speaker 1: Squire Roach haughtily. I mean this. You hired me to
• 2:00:28
  Speaker 1: do a job of dirty work, which I carried out
• 2:00:31
  Speaker 1: to the letter. My reward was to be a steady
• 2:00:35
  Speaker 1: and lucrative position. It is no fault of mine that
• 2:00:38
  Speaker 1: your plans have gone astray. Since it is out of
• 2:00:42
  Speaker 1: your power. You say now to furnish me with a position,
• 2:00:46
  Speaker 1: Why I think it is up to you to hand
• 2:00:48
  Speaker 1: me a reasonable equivalent in cash, Say five thousand dollars? What,
• 2:00:55
  Speaker 1: roared the banker, growing as red as a bead at
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 1: what he considered the insolence of the proposezo five thousand dollars,
• 2:01:03
  Speaker 1: I said, and fifteen hundred additional for mister Robinson. What
• 2:01:08
  Speaker 1: do you take me for, sir? Roared the squire hotly,
• 2:01:13
  Speaker 1: a sensible man, I hope, said mister Jeb coolly, if
• 2:01:17
  Speaker 1: mister Robinson and I were to sign an affidavit setting
• 2:01:21
  Speaker 1: forth the true facts of our business relations with you,
• 2:01:25
  Speaker 1: Squire Roach, and we were to transmit the same to
• 2:01:29
  Speaker 1: missus Morris, I think your usefulness as a member of
• 2:01:33
  Speaker 1: this community would suffer a serious eclipse. Do you mean
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 1: to tell me to my face that you would dare
• 2:01:40
  Speaker 1: to do such a thing, vociferated Squire Roach, with a
• 2:01:44
  Speaker 1: violent thump on the floor with his cane. Such a
• 2:01:47
  Speaker 1: contingency is not impossible in the event of your refusing
• 2:01:51
  Speaker 1: to hand over the two sums mentioned, replied mister Jeb, calmly,
• 2:01:56
  Speaker 1: blowing out a cloud of tobacco smoke. Do you intend
• 2:01:59
  Speaker 1: to blackmail me, you scoundrel, roared the rich man, Not
• 2:02:03
  Speaker 1: at all. I was merely suggesting the only way you
• 2:02:07
  Speaker 1: can make a settlement with us that will sidetrack unpleasant results.
• 2:02:13
  Speaker 1: You are a rascal, sir, owl the irate banker. It
• 2:02:18
  Speaker 1: is possible there are a pair of us. The scheme
• 2:02:21
  Speaker 1: was yours, not mine. The inducement was all on your side.
• 2:02:27
  Speaker 1: If I am a rascal, so are you? How dare
• 2:02:31
  Speaker 1: you talk to me in that strain, sputtered the Squire,
• 2:02:35
  Speaker 1: who saw that he could not palliate the part he
• 2:02:37
  Speaker 1: had taken in the conspiracy, because I don't recognize any
• 2:02:41
  Speaker 1: difference between us, so far as this affair is concerned.
• 2:02:46
  Speaker 1: I regret having had any business dealings with a man
• 2:02:49
  Speaker 1: of your stamp, said the big banker. I have no
• 2:02:53
  Speaker 1: doubt you do. But since you saw fit to in
• 2:02:56
  Speaker 1: vigle me, invigal you, sir precisely, since you have done so,
• 2:03:04
  Speaker 1: you will have to face the music. You will save
• 2:03:07
  Speaker 1: a lot of unnecessary bother by signing a check for
• 2:03:10
  Speaker 1: six thousand, five hundred dollars now and close up the transaction.
• 2:03:15
  Speaker 1: Squire Roach's replies, he jumped to his feet with scarcely
• 2:03:19
  Speaker 1: bare printing. He shook his fist in the face of
• 2:03:22
  Speaker 1: the imperturbable mister Jeb and flounced out of the hotel
• 2:03:25
  Speaker 1: room where the interview had taken place. Mister Jeb grinned placidly,
• 2:03:30
  Speaker 1: threw the butt of his cigar out of the window,
• 2:03:32
  Speaker 1: and went downstairs to find Robinson and engage in a
• 2:03:36
  Speaker 1: game of billiards. Squire Roach went home in no very
• 2:03:40
  Speaker 1: amiable mood. He let himself in with his private latch key,
• 2:03:43
  Speaker 1: and proceeded at once to his library. Infornal rascal, he muttered,
• 2:03:49
  Speaker 1: as he threw himself into an easy chair. He has
• 2:03:53
  Speaker 1: me on the hip. I must either accede to his
• 2:03:56
  Speaker 1: demand or face a public exposure. So in some way
• 2:04:00
  Speaker 1: I can circumvent that rascal. It was not a pleasant evening.
• 2:04:05
  Speaker 1: It was intensely dark and gusty. The gloomy sky threatened
• 2:04:10
  Speaker 1: the fall of rain at any moment. It was a
• 2:04:13
  Speaker 1: propitious night for dark enterprises, and perhaps it influenced the
• 2:04:18
  Speaker 1: squire's subsequent actions. One by one, the lights were extinguished
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 1: in the mansion as the inmates severally retired to sleep,
• 2:04:27
  Speaker 1: but still the dim glow of the brass lamp in
• 2:04:30
  Speaker 1: the banker's study burned on. He had not moved, apparently
• 2:04:34
  Speaker 1: for an hour. But now, when the handsome umulu clock
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 1: on the mantel struck midnight, he stirred and finally got up.
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: For another hour, he paced slowly and moodily up and
• 2:04:45
  Speaker 1: down the velvet carpet, pausing occasionally by the window to
• 2:04:49
  Speaker 1: look out into the dismal night. A few drops of
• 2:04:53
  Speaker 1: rain pattered at intervals on the window panes, and every
• 2:04:56
  Speaker 1: once in a while, the big lilac bush, which stood
• 2:04:59
  Speaker 1: near the co owner of the library, would flop against the glass,
• 2:05:03
  Speaker 1: and the sound would make the squire start nervously. One
• 2:05:07
  Speaker 1: o'clock chime from the clock. Squire roach, as if actuated
• 2:05:11
  Speaker 1: by a sudden resolve, walked over to a closet from
• 2:05:14
  Speaker 1: which he took an old coat and soft brown hat.
• 2:05:18
  Speaker 1: Donning these, he softly let himself out of the house
• 2:05:21
  Speaker 1: and took his way in the direction of the Neptune house.
• 2:05:24
  Speaker 1: He did not go along the regular thoroughfare, but by
• 2:05:28
  Speaker 1: byways and back streets, where he met nobody abroad at
• 2:05:32
  Speaker 1: that hour of the night. End of chapter thirteen, Chapter
• 2:05:42
  Speaker 1: fourteen of Winning His Way by a Self Made Man.
• 2:05:46
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in a public domain Chapter fourteen,
• 2:05:51
  Speaker 1: in which mister Jebb and his friend Robinson owe their
• 2:05:54
  Speaker 1: lives to Frank Morris. It was nearly two o'clock that
• 2:05:59
  Speaker 1: same night, and Dan Harwood finished making up, under Frank
• 2:06:02
  Speaker 1: Morris's directions, the last form of the argus, which had
• 2:06:06
  Speaker 1: to go to press at four. A couple of twists
• 2:06:09
  Speaker 1: with the key to the hemple coins, and the job
• 2:06:12
  Speaker 1: was done. We can go home now, Dan, and I'm
• 2:06:15
  Speaker 1: mighty glad of it, what with the paper, a fair
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 1: run of job work and that catalog. We're having a
• 2:06:20
  Speaker 1: lively time at it these days. That's what we are,
• 2:06:24
  Speaker 1: nodded Harwood as he walked over to the sink to
• 2:06:27
  Speaker 1: wash up. We have quite a lot of advertisements in
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 1: this issue, remarked Frank. Well, Edward's father is getting to
• 2:06:34
  Speaker 1: be a regular advertiser. That's another of Bentley's customers we got.
• 2:06:39
  Speaker 1: Spencer Lickett introduced me to his uncle this morning, Frank added,
• 2:06:43
  Speaker 1: as Dan's face emerged from the towel. He keeps a
• 2:06:47
  Speaker 1: big hardware store on nor Cross Street. I had quite
• 2:06:50
  Speaker 1: a talk with him and he promised me his printing.
• 2:06:54
  Speaker 1: Who's been doing it? Bentley? No, the record office. You
• 2:06:58
  Speaker 1: want to look over your foundry specimen book and pick
• 2:07:01
  Speaker 1: out a few new faces. Now that we're doing the work,
• 2:07:04
  Speaker 1: we want to keep right up with the Times. I
• 2:07:06
  Speaker 1: don't mean the Times paper with a grin. Bentley would
• 2:07:10
  Speaker 1: have a fit if Billings asked him to invest in
• 2:07:12
  Speaker 1: a new job series. You get a few up to
• 2:07:15
  Speaker 1: date job letters on top of what we've already got,
• 2:07:18
  Speaker 1: and we'll soon have Bentley beaten to a standstill. We've
• 2:07:21
  Speaker 1: got him on a run as it is. He's reduced
• 2:07:23
  Speaker 1: his prices on job work twenty five percent, said Frank,
• 2:07:27
  Speaker 1: as Dan locked the outside door after they had come
• 2:07:30
  Speaker 1: out on the cheerless street. So I heard Jinks say,
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 1: by the way, Bentley has been trying to get Jinks
• 2:07:36
  Speaker 1: to go back to him, as he replied the young
• 2:07:39
  Speaker 1: editor as they walked up the street, what does Jinks
• 2:07:42
  Speaker 1: think about it? He hasn't any use for Bentley after
• 2:07:45
  Speaker 1: the way he was turned down. It was a scurvy
• 2:07:48
  Speaker 1: trick of Bentley's an Jinks won't forget it in a hurry.
• 2:07:51
  Speaker 1: I shouldn't want to lose him, as he's a good
• 2:07:54
  Speaker 1: faithful worker, said Frank. No fear of you losin him.
• 2:07:58
  Speaker 1: You treated him white when Bentley threw him out on
• 2:08:00
  Speaker 1: his uppers, and Jinks appreciates that and will stick by
• 2:08:04
  Speaker 1: you as long as you are willing to employ him,
• 2:08:07
  Speaker 1: he told me, so you can tell him his job
• 2:08:10
  Speaker 1: is steady. The boys turned up Edgecombe Street, which led
• 2:08:14
  Speaker 1: past the rear of the Neptune House. This was a
• 2:08:17
  Speaker 1: small old fashioned hostelry built in Green River when it
• 2:08:20
  Speaker 1: was a mere village, and was a straggling two story structure,
• 2:08:25
  Speaker 1: various wings having been added as the patronage increased with
• 2:08:28
  Speaker 1: the growth of the town. Mister Jebb and his friend
• 2:08:31
  Speaker 1: occupied an isolated room at the extreme end of the
• 2:08:34
  Speaker 1: more ancient part. There were two windows in the room,
• 2:08:37
  Speaker 1: one of which, directly above a tall covered water butt,
• 2:08:40
  Speaker 1: was wide open in spite of the threatening weather. When
• 2:08:44
  Speaker 1: were the ladders doing up there on top of the
• 2:08:46
  Speaker 1: water butt? Anybody could get into the house through that
• 2:08:49
  Speaker 1: window with all the ease imaginable, said Frank, calling Dan's
• 2:08:52
  Speaker 1: attention to the circumstance. Sure they could, and anybody who
• 2:08:56
  Speaker 1: wanted to skip out without paying his bill could slip
• 2:08:58
  Speaker 1: down that way without the please bother, grinned Harwood. Just
• 2:09:02
  Speaker 1: at that moment, a ponderous form appeared backing out of
• 2:09:05
  Speaker 1: the window, which the person softly shut, and then descended
• 2:09:09
  Speaker 1: to the water butt. Removing the ladder, He let it
• 2:09:12
  Speaker 1: slip low to the ground, and thus completed the rest
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 1: of his journey with ease. Well, must my suspenders, exclaimed Dan,
• 2:09:21
  Speaker 1: as the two boys came to a halt alongside the
• 2:09:23
  Speaker 1: picket fence and watched the performance with not a little astonishment.
• 2:09:28
  Speaker 1: Talk of old Nick and you're almost sure to get
• 2:09:30
  Speaker 1: sight of his horns. The big man, who had emerged
• 2:09:33
  Speaker 1: from mister Jebb's room in such a clandestine manner at
• 2:09:36
  Speaker 1: that early hour in the morning, stood for a moment
• 2:09:38
  Speaker 1: while he shook his fist up at the window, and
• 2:09:41
  Speaker 1: then hastily walked toward the back gate, near which the
• 2:09:44
  Speaker 1: boys stood. As he pulled it open, Dan jumped forth
• 2:09:47
  Speaker 1: and seized him by the arm. Who are you doing,
• 2:09:50
  Speaker 1: began the young printer in a loud tone, But that
• 2:09:53
  Speaker 1: was as far as he got. The stout man gave
• 2:09:56
  Speaker 1: a violent start, turned full on Dan, and struck him
• 2:09:59
  Speaker 1: a heavy blow in the face, knocking the boy down.
• 2:10:02
  Speaker 1: Then he pushed the gate to with a bang and
• 2:10:04
  Speaker 1: hurried up the street as fast as he could go.
• 2:10:07
  Speaker 1: Are you hurt? Dan asked Frank, assisting his friend to rise.
• 2:10:11
  Speaker 1: Harwood seemed to be dazed, and he stood a moment
• 2:10:14
  Speaker 1: looking blankly at Frank. Who do you suppose that was?
• 2:10:17
  Speaker 1: He gasped out in a jerky kind of way. How
• 2:10:20
  Speaker 1: would I know, replied Morris. I didn't get a square
• 2:10:24
  Speaker 1: look at him. His hat was pulled down over his eyes,
• 2:10:26
  Speaker 1: and his coat was humped up about the ears. Well,
• 2:10:29
  Speaker 1: a squire roach hasn't got a double in this town.
• 2:10:32
  Speaker 1: That was he? All right, he's got away, whoever he is,
• 2:10:36
  Speaker 1: said Frank. Where did he go? He cut around the
• 2:10:39
  Speaker 1: corner as if he had wheels on his feet. I've
• 2:10:42
  Speaker 1: a great mind to chase that rascal, whoever he is,
• 2:10:45
  Speaker 1: said Dan doggedly. At that moment, Frank gave a gasp
• 2:10:49
  Speaker 1: and clutched Harwood by the shoulder. Look there, he exclaimed,
• 2:10:53
  Speaker 1: pointing to the closed window through which the man had
• 2:10:56
  Speaker 1: just made his exit. I do believe the room is
• 2:10:58
  Speaker 1: on fire. The bright, suspicious looking glare shone through the panes.
• 2:11:03
  Speaker 1: The place is on fire, Dan cried. Morris excitedly, cut
• 2:11:07
  Speaker 1: around the building and alarm the night clerk. I'll get
• 2:11:10
  Speaker 1: up there by means of that ladder and see if
• 2:11:12
  Speaker 1: I can put it out. Harwood obeyed Frank's order, while
• 2:11:15
  Speaker 1: Morris followed him inside the fence, got to the water butt, and,
• 2:11:19
  Speaker 1: pulling up the ladder, placed it under the window where
• 2:11:22
  Speaker 1: they had first seen it. As soon as his face
• 2:11:25
  Speaker 1: reached above the level of the sill, he saw the
• 2:11:27
  Speaker 1: flames creeping up the bedclothes of both of the beds,
• 2:11:30
  Speaker 1: each of which had an occupant, who lay as still
• 2:11:32
  Speaker 1: and unconscious of his danger as a log. Frank dashed
• 2:11:36
  Speaker 1: the window up and shouted loudly at the sleepers, But
• 2:11:39
  Speaker 1: not a move came from them, no more than if
• 2:11:42
  Speaker 1: they had been dead. The fire, fanned by the drought,
• 2:11:46
  Speaker 1: gained headway every instant, so Frank saw that you have
• 2:11:49
  Speaker 1: to take more energetic action. He crawled in at the
• 2:11:52
  Speaker 1: window and shook first one and then the other. Roughly
• 2:11:56
  Speaker 1: the clothes fell away from their faces. Good gracious, cried
• 2:12:00
  Speaker 1: the boy. Is mister Jeb and mister Robinson. He shook
• 2:12:03
  Speaker 1: them again. Wake up? The room and beds are on fire.
• 2:12:07
  Speaker 1: Still they lay like mere inanimate images. They can't be dead,
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 1: gasped the boy. No, they're breathing. I can't imagine what
• 2:12:15
  Speaker 1: ails them. Must get them out of this. Percy grabbed
• 2:12:19
  Speaker 1: Robinson and pulled him over to the window. Then, after
• 2:12:22
  Speaker 1: a deal of trouble, he got him down to the
• 2:12:24
  Speaker 1: top of the water butt. He rushed back from mister Jeb,
• 2:12:27
  Speaker 1: who lay almost in a bed of fire. By this time,
• 2:12:31
  Speaker 1: he got him out the same way. By this time
• 2:12:34
  Speaker 1: there were steps and voices in the passage outside the room.
• 2:12:37
  Speaker 1: The door was burst open and then the alarm was
• 2:12:40
  Speaker 1: given with a will. Guests began to turn out of
• 2:12:42
  Speaker 1: their beds, and servants and all kinds of undress hurried
• 2:12:45
  Speaker 1: out into the yard. Dan came out of a lower
• 2:12:48
  Speaker 1: door and helped Frank land Monsieurs jeb and Robinson on
• 2:12:52
  Speaker 1: the solid earth. They were just as unconscious as ever.
• 2:12:56
  Speaker 1: Can anyone guess what's the matter with these men, asked Frank,
• 2:12:59
  Speaker 1: as a crowd gathered about them. Nobody could, but the yardmen,
• 2:13:03
  Speaker 1: who managed to get into a pair of trousers before
• 2:13:06
  Speaker 1: he left his room, suggested sending for the doctor who
• 2:13:09
  Speaker 1: lived across the street. The physician was aroused and brought
• 2:13:13
  Speaker 1: to the scene just as one of the local fire
• 2:13:15
  Speaker 1: companies dashed up. The room, by this time was a
• 2:13:18
  Speaker 1: mass of flames, and the whole wing threatened with destruction.
• 2:13:22
  Speaker 1: The fireman got busy, assisted by some of the hotel help.
• 2:13:26
  Speaker 1: Mister Jebb and his friend Robinson, still unconscious, were carried
• 2:13:29
  Speaker 1: across the street by the fireman's orders, and there the
• 2:13:32
  Speaker 1: doctor examined them. There must be something the matter with them,
• 2:13:36
  Speaker 1: said Frank, for the hauling about I gave them would
• 2:13:39
  Speaker 1: have brought them to their senses long ago. There is
• 2:13:43
  Speaker 1: said the physician in a serious voice, these men have
• 2:13:47
  Speaker 1: been drugged end of chapter fourteen. Chapter fifteen of Winning
• 2:13:58
  Speaker 1: His Way by a self made Man. This LibriVox recording
• 2:14:02
  Speaker 1: is in the public domain. Chapter fifteen, in which Frank
• 2:14:06
  Speaker 1: scores a beat on the Times and has another visit
• 2:14:09
  Speaker 1: from Elsie Gray. From the fact that both mister jeb
• 2:14:14
  Speaker 1: and mister Robinson were undressed and Frank Morris had found
• 2:14:17
  Speaker 1: them in bed, it was evident that they had been
• 2:14:19
  Speaker 1: chloroformed in their sleep. As the bedclothes had been set
• 2:14:23
  Speaker 1: on fire, it seemed to be a clear case of
• 2:14:25
  Speaker 1: attempted murder. The unconscious newspapermen were taken into the physician's
• 2:14:29
  Speaker 1: office to be revived. By this time the fire department
• 2:14:33
  Speaker 1: had turned a couple of streams on the burning section
• 2:14:35
  Speaker 1: of the Neptune house, and before long the fire was
• 2:14:38
  Speaker 1: under control. Frank Morris's heroic action in rescuing the two
• 2:14:42
  Speaker 1: men from certain death was canvassed by a crowd of
• 2:14:45
  Speaker 1: spectators who had gradually gathered in the neighborhood and passed
• 2:14:48
  Speaker 1: from mouth to mouth by degrees. The knowledge of the
• 2:14:51
  Speaker 1: condition of the rescued men spread, and of course this
• 2:14:55
  Speaker 1: added an element of mystery to the affair. Neither Frank
• 2:14:58
  Speaker 1: nor Dan said a word about what the I had
• 2:15:00
  Speaker 1: seen previous to the discovery of the fire. That the
• 2:15:03
  Speaker 1: big man, whom Harwood maintained to be the counterpart of
• 2:15:06
  Speaker 1: Squire Roach, was at the bottom of the crime was
• 2:15:09
  Speaker 1: an opinion of both boys. We can't do any good here,
• 2:15:13
  Speaker 1: whispered Frank to his associate. Then, with the instinct of
• 2:15:16
  Speaker 1: a born newspaper man, he added, hurriedly, we must get
• 2:15:19
  Speaker 1: back to the office at once and get this story
• 2:15:21
  Speaker 1: into the paper. We have just time to do it.
• 2:15:24
  Speaker 1: The gas once more flared up, and the editor's sanctum
• 2:15:27
  Speaker 1: in the composing room of the argus. I'll leave you
• 2:15:30
  Speaker 1: to get up a scare head, said Frank, while I
• 2:15:32
  Speaker 1: get some copy under way. All right, said Dan. First
• 2:15:36
  Speaker 1: of all, give me a lift on the stone with
• 2:15:38
  Speaker 1: his form. The story will go on the first page,
• 2:15:41
  Speaker 1: of course, certainly, said Frank, as Dan pushed the big
• 2:15:44
  Speaker 1: chase toward him. The young editor gave his assistant the
• 2:15:47
  Speaker 1: needed lift and then hastened to get down to work,
• 2:15:51
  Speaker 1: while Harwood seized a double column stick and started to
• 2:15:54
  Speaker 1: set up the sensational head that had been determined Upon
• 2:15:57
  Speaker 1: having finished this part of the work, he went in
• 2:16:00
  Speaker 1: side and got the two pieces of copy already prepared
• 2:16:03
  Speaker 1: by Frank, and soon the type was dropping with a
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 1: click into his thirteen m stick. In half an hour,
• 2:16:09
  Speaker 1: Frank had finished the article and took up a stick,
• 2:16:11
  Speaker 1: for he was a passable compositor himself, to help Dan out.
• 2:16:15
  Speaker 1: The proof was pulled, read and corrected, and the next
• 2:16:19
  Speaker 1: thing was to get it into the form. While Harwood
• 2:16:22
  Speaker 1: was unlocking the first page, which was divided from the eighth,
• 2:16:25
  Speaker 1: which contained only advertisements and some plate matter by a crossbar, Gibson,
• 2:16:31
  Speaker 1: the pressman, came in. You people seemed to be behind
• 2:16:33
  Speaker 1: this mornin, he remarked, with a grin. Don't you believe it?
• 2:16:38
  Speaker 1: Replied Dan, We finished up two hours ago, but there
• 2:16:41
  Speaker 1: has been a fire to Neptune house. You'll find the
• 2:16:44
  Speaker 1: particulars in that proof. And having such a beat over
• 2:16:47
  Speaker 1: the times, of course, we came back to work it
• 2:16:49
  Speaker 1: into the paper, oh, answered Gibson, taking up the proofs
• 2:16:53
  Speaker 1: slip and reading it. The new matter was gaged and
• 2:16:56
  Speaker 1: Frank indicated what to hold over and what to kill
• 2:16:59
  Speaker 1: in order to make room for it. You had quite
• 2:17:01
  Speaker 1: an adventure didn't you, said Gibson, putting down the proof.
• 2:17:05
  Speaker 1: Seems to be a matter for the police. The big
• 2:17:07
  Speaker 1: stranger you mentioned appears to be the guilty party. It's
• 2:17:10
  Speaker 1: what he is, said Dan as he lifted a handful
• 2:17:13
  Speaker 1: of type into the form. There was a big run
• 2:17:16
  Speaker 1: on the Argus that morning, an expectation of which Frank
• 2:17:19
  Speaker 1: had ordered an extra large edition to be printed, all
• 2:17:22
  Speaker 1: of which was exhausted by noon. Everybody was talking about
• 2:17:26
  Speaker 1: the fire at the Neptune House and a murderous attempt
• 2:17:29
  Speaker 1: upon the lives of the two newspaper men who boarded there.
• 2:17:32
  Speaker 1: Mister Chubb and his friend Robinson had been brought out
• 2:17:35
  Speaker 1: of their stupor by the vigorous efforts of the physician,
• 2:17:38
  Speaker 1: and they were an astonished pair of individuals when they
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 1: came to realize the part they had played in the affair.
• 2:17:44
  Speaker 1: You both owe your lives to the pluck and cool
• 2:17:47
  Speaker 1: headedness of Frank Morris, the young editor of the Argus,
• 2:17:50
  Speaker 1: who happened to be passing at the time the fire
• 2:17:52
  Speaker 1: broke out. Since you seem to have no idea how
• 2:17:55
  Speaker 1: you came to be in the condition in which you
• 2:17:57
  Speaker 1: were found and rescued, it looks as if a great
• 2:18:00
  Speaker 1: crime had been contemplated. Have you any enemy in town?
• 2:18:04
  Speaker 1: They shook their heads in answer to the doctor's question.
• 2:18:07
  Speaker 1: Later on, when they read the Argus's account of the
• 2:18:10
  Speaker 1: fire and of the movements of the big mysterious strangers
• 2:18:13
  Speaker 1: seen by the boys descending from the window of their room,
• 2:18:17
  Speaker 1: a strong suspicion as to the identity of the person
• 2:18:19
  Speaker 1: occurred to each. By this time Frank had interviewed the
• 2:18:23
  Speaker 1: police department of Green River. The town constables were notified
• 2:18:27
  Speaker 1: to keep their eyes skin for a big man in
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 1: a shabby overcoat and soft felt hat. This was a
• 2:18:33
  Speaker 1: rather vague description of the suspect, but it was the
• 2:18:36
  Speaker 1: only clue they had to work on, for Morris did
• 2:18:38
  Speaker 1: not consider it advisable to say that the big man
• 2:18:41
  Speaker 1: resembled Squire Roach. Early that afternoon, mister Jebb and his
• 2:18:45
  Speaker 1: friend Robinson, attired and borrowed garments, called at the office
• 2:18:49
  Speaker 1: of the Argus and asked to see Frank Morris. He
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 1: hasn't put in an appearance yet, said Jinks, who was
• 2:18:55
  Speaker 1: in temporary charge of the establishment. He and a farman
• 2:18:59
  Speaker 1: were up all night. There was a big mail awaiting
• 2:19:01
  Speaker 1: the young editor of the Argus when he arrived at
• 2:19:04
  Speaker 1: the office at about four o'clock that afternoon. The number
• 2:19:07
  Speaker 1: of fifty cent contributions coming in from all parts of
• 2:19:10
  Speaker 1: the country from persons whose interests had been excited by
• 2:19:14
  Speaker 1: the one hundred dollar prize offered in connection with the
• 2:19:17
  Speaker 1: story without a Title, which had only been commenced the
• 2:19:20
  Speaker 1: week before, was very encouraging. Frank had employed a special
• 2:19:24
  Speaker 1: assistant to attend to his subscription department, as well as
• 2:19:28
  Speaker 1: to perform other such duties as the growing demands of
• 2:19:31
  Speaker 1: the paper required. The advertising columns of the Argus now
• 2:19:35
  Speaker 1: showed that the young newspaperman had hustled a good advantage
• 2:19:38
  Speaker 1: among the business firms of Green River. There was all
• 2:19:41
  Speaker 1: the difference in the world between the Argus of to
• 2:19:44
  Speaker 1: day and the Argus of three months ago when mister
• 2:19:46
  Speaker 1: Jeb was running things. While Frank was going through his mail,
• 2:19:50
  Speaker 1: a visitor was announced in the person of the dainty
• 2:19:53
  Speaker 1: Miss Elsie Gray, who looked, if anything, prettier than ever
• 2:19:57
  Speaker 1: in a new fall costume. Me. Frank Morris, You're up
• 2:20:01
  Speaker 1: to your eyes in business, aren't you, she said, taking
• 2:20:04
  Speaker 1: a seat by the side of the editorial desk. I
• 2:20:07
  Speaker 1: was up all night, and this is my first appearance
• 2:20:10
  Speaker 1: at the office to day. That's why all my work
• 2:20:12
  Speaker 1: is ahead of me. Then I'm afraid I have no
• 2:20:15
  Speaker 1: business here taking up your time, she said demurely. You
• 2:20:19
  Speaker 1: are not disturbing me in the least, Miss Elsie. I
• 2:20:22
  Speaker 1: possess a happy faculty of being able to work and
• 2:20:25
  Speaker 1: talk at the same time. Really, she replied, with a
• 2:20:28
  Speaker 1: bewitching smile, you are one of the most wonderful boys
• 2:20:32
  Speaker 1: I have ever met. It is quite an honor to
• 2:20:34
  Speaker 1: be acquainted with you. I hope you're not quizzing me now,
• 2:20:37
  Speaker 1: miss Elsie, he said, smiling back at her. Oh, dear, no,
• 2:20:42
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't think of such a thing. Papa was speaking
• 2:20:45
  Speaker 1: this morning of a remarkable improvement sende Argus. Since you
• 2:20:48
  Speaker 1: took hold of it, he says, it is altogether a
• 2:20:51
  Speaker 1: different paper, fully as good as when your father was
• 2:20:53
  Speaker 1: at his best, and indeed is a very great compliment,
• 2:20:57
  Speaker 1: said Frank, much gratified. Am I a ask your opinion,
• 2:21:00
  Speaker 1: Miss Elsie? Your father is perhaps prejudiced in my favor
• 2:21:04
  Speaker 1: on account of political benefits received from my father. Now
• 2:21:07
  Speaker 1: your judgment ought to be disinterested. I shouldn't like to
• 2:21:11
  Speaker 1: express my opinion, lest it make you conceited. Oh come now,
• 2:21:15
  Speaker 1: miss Elsie, expostulated Frank. That's right, she answered, flashing a
• 2:21:21
  Speaker 1: half mischievous, half defiant glance at him. Do you know
• 2:21:25
  Speaker 1: what brought me here to day? I didn't know, but
• 2:21:28
  Speaker 1: what you came to see me hazarded? Frank? Did you? Indeed?
• 2:21:32
  Speaker 1: She replied coquettishly, I came to enter my name on
• 2:21:36
  Speaker 1: your subscription list for a three months trial term. And
• 2:21:40
  Speaker 1: she extended a silver half dollar from her purse and
• 2:21:43
  Speaker 1: tendered it to him. I mean to try and win
• 2:21:46
  Speaker 1: that one hundred dollar prize, But miss Elsie, your father,
• 2:21:50
  Speaker 1: being a regular subscriber, entitles any member of his family
• 2:21:54
  Speaker 1: to compete in the contest. I think I should prefer
• 2:21:57
  Speaker 1: to have you accept my personal subscription, she said, in
• 2:22:01
  Speaker 1: a way which induced him to accept her money, and
• 2:22:03
  Speaker 1: he pushed a blank toward her for her signature. Are
• 2:22:06
  Speaker 1: those all new subscriptions, she asked, pointing to a pile
• 2:22:10
  Speaker 1: of letters, many of which she had seen him open
• 2:22:13
  Speaker 1: and take. There from stamps, a few coins, and some
• 2:22:16
  Speaker 1: money orders. Yes, where do they all come from? Surely
• 2:22:20
  Speaker 1: not from this neighborhood, From all over the United States,
• 2:22:24
  Speaker 1: Elsie expressed her astonishment, and Frank told her how he
• 2:22:27
  Speaker 1: had advertised his prize offer in several of the largest
• 2:22:31
  Speaker 1: circulated monthlies, and that these letters represented some of the results.
• 2:22:35
  Speaker 1: The girl was very much impressed by his business sagacity,
• 2:22:39
  Speaker 1: and as a matter of course, he rose several degrees
• 2:22:42
  Speaker 1: in her estimation. I shall be at home Sunday night,
• 2:22:46
  Speaker 1: she said, as she rose to go, and I shall
• 2:22:49
  Speaker 1: be pleased to have you call. It will give me
• 2:22:51
  Speaker 1: great pleasure to accept your invitation, he answered, with a
• 2:22:55
  Speaker 1: glow of pleasure. She held her daintily gloved hand out
• 2:22:58
  Speaker 1: to him as they parted at the door, and the
• 2:23:01
  Speaker 1: gentle pressure of her fingers thrilled him as it had
• 2:23:04
  Speaker 1: never done before. Certainly Frank Morris thought a great deal
• 2:23:08
  Speaker 1: of Elsie Gray. End of chapter fifteen, Chapter sixteen of
• 2:23:20
  Speaker 1: Winning his Way by a self made Man. This LibriVox
• 2:23:24
  Speaker 1: recording is in a public domain Chapter sixteen, in which
• 2:23:28
  Speaker 1: it is to be hoped everything is settled to the
• 2:23:30
  Speaker 1: reader's satisfaction. The day following the Neptune house fire, mister
• 2:23:36
  Speaker 1: jeb and his friend Robinson called again at the Argus office.
• 2:23:39
  Speaker 1: This time they found Frank in and they hastened to
• 2:23:42
  Speaker 1: express their gratitude for the service he had rendered them
• 2:23:45
  Speaker 1: on the previous morning. Don't mention it, replied the boy.
• 2:23:49
  Speaker 1: I didn't do any more for you than I should
• 2:23:51
  Speaker 1: have done for anyone placed in a similarly unfortunate position.
• 2:23:55
  Speaker 1: After this, I trust to me no hard feelings between
• 2:23:59
  Speaker 1: us on account of old scores, said mister Jeb rising Ago.
• 2:24:03
  Speaker 1: It is not my nature to hold a grudge against
• 2:24:06
  Speaker 1: any man, said Frank generously. But of course you can
• 2:24:09
  Speaker 1: hardly expect me to forget how you treated the confidence
• 2:24:13
  Speaker 1: both my father and my mother reposed in you when
• 2:24:16
  Speaker 1: you were entrusted with the control of the argus. I
• 2:24:19
  Speaker 1: admit the delinquency of my conduct and ask your forgiveness,
• 2:24:23
  Speaker 1: said the Chicago journalist. What I did I blush to
• 2:24:27
  Speaker 1: admit I did for money. I see the air of
• 2:24:31
  Speaker 1: my ways, which I believe has acted as a sort
• 2:24:34
  Speaker 1: of boomerang. I have strong suspicions at the party who
• 2:24:38
  Speaker 1: incited me to it is responsible for the Neptune house
• 2:24:41
  Speaker 1: fire and all connected therewith you can't mean, squire began. Frank,
• 2:24:46
  Speaker 1: horrified at the idea, which chimed in with Dan Harwood's belief,
• 2:24:50
  Speaker 1: privately expressed to him, no matter who I mean, said
• 2:24:54
  Speaker 1: mister jeb grimly. If I can bring the truth home
• 2:24:57
  Speaker 1: to him, a very respectable member of the the community
• 2:25:00
  Speaker 1: will do time at the public's expense. I believe we're
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 1: agreed on that, are we not, Robinson, Well, I should warble,
• 2:25:08
  Speaker 1: replied the irrepressible reporter. It is quite possible you may
• 2:25:13
  Speaker 1: see us again before we leave this burg for our
• 2:25:16
  Speaker 1: old stamping grounds, continued mister Jebb, in which event we
• 2:25:20
  Speaker 1: may furnish you with a story for your column which
• 2:25:23
  Speaker 1: will startle Green River. With these words, mister jeb and
• 2:25:27
  Speaker 1: his friend Robinson took their departure. It was about this
• 2:25:30
  Speaker 1: time that Duncan Roach left Green River to attend the
• 2:25:33
  Speaker 1: University of Michigan. We are sorry to have to say
• 2:25:37
  Speaker 1: that he went away without having thanked Frank Morris for
• 2:25:39
  Speaker 1: his noble action in saving his life the night the
• 2:25:42
  Speaker 1: Benson House was destroyed. Frank finished the Bolton Lock catalog
• 2:25:46
  Speaker 1: on time, and the job was pronounced by the manager
• 2:25:49
  Speaker 1: of the manufactory to be fully up to the Chicago standard.
• 2:25:53
  Speaker 1: He was a proud boy when he received the company's
• 2:25:56
  Speaker 1: check for the work and passed it over to his
• 2:25:58
  Speaker 1: mother for endorsement, so he deposited to her account on
• 2:26:01
  Speaker 1: the Green River Bank. He made a profit of four
• 2:26:04
  Speaker 1: hundred ten dollars on the job, and the business of
• 2:26:07
  Speaker 1: the job printing plant added to the Argus was increasing
• 2:26:10
  Speaker 1: steadily week by week, in spite of the lower competitive
• 2:26:14
  Speaker 1: prices advertised by Bentley of the Times. This was due
• 2:26:18
  Speaker 1: not only to the high class of work Frank turned out,
• 2:26:21
  Speaker 1: made possible by skilled workmen and by the introduction of
• 2:26:24
  Speaker 1: the most popular faces of job letter in the general
• 2:26:27
  Speaker 1: use in the West, but by his genial manners as
• 2:26:30
  Speaker 1: a canvasser for the trade of his townspeople, who one
• 2:26:33
  Speaker 1: and all admired the boy's grit and perseverance, and felt
• 2:26:36
  Speaker 1: disposed to encourage him. With her patronage at the Times
• 2:26:40
  Speaker 1: man used ordinary business judgment, he could have saved a
• 2:26:43
  Speaker 1: large part of the trade which drifted to the Argus office.
• 2:26:46
  Speaker 1: Most people don't care to change, all things being equal,
• 2:26:50
  Speaker 1: but Bentley's methods, never the best at any stage of
• 2:26:53
  Speaker 1: his career, grew steadily more slip shot under Billings, who
• 2:26:57
  Speaker 1: was an indifferent workman, and his lack of mechanical knowledge
• 2:27:01
  Speaker 1: was reflected in the work he turned out for his boss. Billings, however,
• 2:27:05
  Speaker 1: possessed a great gift of gab, and he made Bentley
• 2:27:08
  Speaker 1: believe he was the whole thing. Wild Edwards had become
• 2:27:11
  Speaker 1: a good friend of Frank Morris, and his example was
• 2:27:14
  Speaker 1: followed by Eddie Hicks, Peter Winch, Spencer Lickett, and others
• 2:27:18
  Speaker 1: of their set, so that the young editor was gradually
• 2:27:21
  Speaker 1: getting introduced into the best society of Green River. Judge
• 2:27:25
  Speaker 1: Smith had practically taken him up to use the expression,
• 2:27:28
  Speaker 1: and this added greatly to the young fellow's importance in
• 2:27:31
  Speaker 1: the community. Whatever influence the Argus had lost under mister Jebb,
• 2:27:36
  Speaker 1: it had fully recovered by Frank's clear and undevising course
• 2:27:39
  Speaker 1: of action from the day he first shaped its policy
• 2:27:42
  Speaker 1: in conformity with his father's views. The Argus now had
• 2:27:46
  Speaker 1: the entire confidence of the Republican County Committee, and Frank's
• 2:27:50
  Speaker 1: trench at Penn was expected to do much towards leading
• 2:27:53
  Speaker 1: the party to victory at the forthcoming local elections. In November.
• 2:27:57
  Speaker 1: Three quarters of the people of the community were now
• 2:28:00
  Speaker 1: taking the Argus, probably half of the number being directly
• 2:28:04
  Speaker 1: interested in the outcome of the Young Editor's serial story
• 2:28:07
  Speaker 1: without a title. The plot of which in the incidents
• 2:28:10
  Speaker 1: thereof he was handling with such skill as to attract
• 2:28:13
  Speaker 1: the notice of many out of town newspaper editors, thereby
• 2:28:16
  Speaker 1: bringing him favorable criticisms, which he printed in the Argus.
• 2:28:21
  Speaker 1: He had long since exhausted his supply of specimen copies,
• 2:28:25
  Speaker 1: and was compelled to reset the first chapters of a
• 2:28:27
  Speaker 1: story and print off several thousand copies of the same
• 2:28:30
  Speaker 1: to fill the demands made upon him by the later subscribers,
• 2:28:34
  Speaker 1: who continued to come in at the average of one
• 2:28:36
  Speaker 1: hundred a day. The success of the scheme was largely
• 2:28:40
  Speaker 1: beyond his most sanguine expectations, so much so, indeed, that
• 2:28:44
  Speaker 1: he was induced to make the announcement of two additional
• 2:28:47
  Speaker 1: prizes of fifty and twenty five dollars for the second
• 2:28:50
  Speaker 1: and third best titles, a booby prize of ten dollars
• 2:28:54
  Speaker 1: for the worst title, as well as ten consolation prizes
• 2:28:57
  Speaker 1: of five dollars each to be a ward or to
• 2:29:00
  Speaker 1: ten titles to be selected blindfolded from the entire bunch
• 2:29:03
  Speaker 1: of names sent in after the regular prize winners had
• 2:29:06
  Speaker 1: been selected. Harwood had improved upon his popular local paragraphs
• 2:29:11
  Speaker 1: by originating a half column of bright and witty creations
• 2:29:14
  Speaker 1: under the heading of Dan Harwood's own, which appeared regularly
• 2:29:19
  Speaker 1: and were copied by many of the big dailies throughout
• 2:29:22
  Speaker 1: the country. About three o'clock one afternoon, exactly a week
• 2:29:25
  Speaker 1: from the date of the Neptune house fire, while Frank
• 2:29:28
  Speaker 1: was writing an editorial for the ensuing day's paper, Dan Harwood,
• 2:29:33
  Speaker 1: who had been collecting local items to be written up
• 2:29:35
  Speaker 1: later in his own versatile style, rushed into the editorial
• 2:29:39
  Speaker 1: sanctum and blurted out, You'll never guess what news I brought.
• 2:29:43
  Speaker 1: What is it? Asked the young editor, sitting back in
• 2:29:46
  Speaker 1: his chair and regarding his assistant with much interest, for
• 2:29:49
  Speaker 1: he appeared to be greatly excited. Squire Roach is dead, no,
• 2:29:54
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Morris, swinging around and facing Dan for his news.
• 2:29:58
  Speaker 1: Was a startler dropped out an bank an hour ago
• 2:30:00
  Speaker 1: in the midst of an interview with mister Jebb and
• 2:30:03
  Speaker 1: his friend Robinson. Well, this is a sudden what's the cause? Apoplexy?
• 2:30:08
  Speaker 1: Heart failure? The physician called it induced by some intense
• 2:30:11
  Speaker 1: emotion or excitement. The cashier, mister Winch, said that the
• 2:30:15
  Speaker 1: interview between the Squire and his visitors was particularly Stormy.
• 2:30:20
  Speaker 1: I don't think it would be hard for you and
• 2:30:21
  Speaker 1: I to surmise what took place at that interview. Frank
• 2:30:25
  Speaker 1: always found it necessary to work late on the evening
• 2:30:27
  Speaker 1: before publication day. That night, when he returned to the
• 2:30:31
  Speaker 1: office after supper, he found a package on his desk
• 2:30:33
  Speaker 1: which Wiggles the Boy said had been left by a
• 2:30:36
  Speaker 1: messenger from the Neptune House. Frank opened the package and
• 2:30:40
  Speaker 1: found a bunch of copy in mister Jebb's handwriting. The
• 2:30:44
  Speaker 1: boy read it over carefully, down to the end of
• 2:30:46
  Speaker 1: the last page, to which was attached an affidavit signed
• 2:30:50
  Speaker 1: and sworn by Amos Jebb and Ajax Robinson, attesting to
• 2:30:55
  Speaker 1: the truth of the foregoing. A brief note accompanied the manuscript,
• 2:30:59
  Speaker 1: which read as follows, here's where you get back at
• 2:31:02
  Speaker 1: the man who hired me to do the argus. To day,
• 2:31:06
  Speaker 1: we accidentally found the enclosed Watts seal bearing the Squire's initials,
• 2:31:11
  Speaker 1: and which any acquaintance of that gentleman's will immediately recognize,
• 2:31:16
  Speaker 1: under the window of the burned room where the attempt
• 2:31:19
  Speaker 1: was made on my life in mister Robinson's. With this
• 2:31:22
  Speaker 1: in our possession, we interviewed squire roach with results not
• 2:31:26
  Speaker 1: according to our expectations. We brought the crime home to
• 2:31:30
  Speaker 1: him and he collapsed. You are authorized to make whatever
• 2:31:34
  Speaker 1: use of our sworn statement you see fit. You now
• 2:31:38
  Speaker 1: hold the dead man's reputation in your hands. Good Bye,
• 2:31:42
  Speaker 1: Frank Morris, Robinson and myself are off for Chicago, Amos
• 2:31:47
  Speaker 1: jeb Just then Dan came in and Frank handed him
• 2:31:51
  Speaker 1: mister Jebb's manuscript without a word. Harwood read it over
• 2:31:54
  Speaker 1: from beginning to end, also the letter. Well, he said,
• 2:31:59
  Speaker 1: what are you going to do with it? You won't
• 2:32:00
  Speaker 1: publish it? Surely publish that, said the boy, looking Dan's
• 2:32:05
  Speaker 1: squire in the eye. I'm not built that way. The
• 2:32:08
  Speaker 1: squire is dead. Let him rest in peace. No act
• 2:32:11
  Speaker 1: of mine shall bring disgrace to his memory, but the
• 2:32:14
  Speaker 1: whole thing. EFFI, David an All in the composing room stove.
• 2:32:18
  Speaker 1: Two months later, the final installment of Frank Morris's novelette
• 2:32:22
  Speaker 1: without a title appeared in the Argus with a successful
• 2:32:25
  Speaker 1: name attached. The first prize was won by a young
• 2:32:28
  Speaker 1: woman in Saint Louis, the second by another woman in Oakland, California,
• 2:32:33
  Speaker 1: and the third by a New Yorker. The Booby prize
• 2:32:36
  Speaker 1: was drawn by Peter Winch of Green River, to the
• 2:32:39
  Speaker 1: great amusement of that young gentleman's friends. Frank, in figuring
• 2:32:43
  Speaker 1: up the financial results, found that he received about five
• 2:32:47
  Speaker 1: thousand dollars in trial subscriptions, and as much more from
• 2:32:51
  Speaker 1: increased advertising patronage, directly and indirectly traceable to his inflated circulation.
• 2:32:56
  Speaker 1: The scheme also proved a permanent value to him, for
• 2:33:00
  Speaker 1: he was able to hold the several thousand Green River
• 2:33:02
  Speaker 1: subscribers after the story was finished, and most of them
• 2:33:05
  Speaker 1: thereafter renewed their patronage from year to year. The local elections,
• 2:33:10
  Speaker 1: which took place early in November, boosted the Republicans of
• 2:33:14
  Speaker 1: Green River into power again, and after the first of
• 2:33:17
  Speaker 1: the ensuing year, the young editor received his reward for
• 2:33:20
  Speaker 1: his unswerving support of the party, when Argus was made
• 2:33:24
  Speaker 1: the official organ of the county in place of The Times.
• 2:33:28
  Speaker 1: On Christmas morning, Frank was treated to a surprise. He
• 2:33:31
  Speaker 1: found a bill of sale the Argus Establishment, made out
• 2:33:34
  Speaker 1: to himself and signed by his mother in his stocking,
• 2:33:37
  Speaker 1: which she had persuaded him to hang to the mantle
• 2:33:40
  Speaker 1: as in days of old. He found something else too,
• 2:33:43
  Speaker 1: in its stocking, which almost pleased him as much. Whatever
• 2:33:47
  Speaker 1: it was, it bore the compliments of the season from
• 2:33:50
  Speaker 1: Elsie Gray. Frank figured up the profits of his job
• 2:33:53
  Speaker 1: printing branch on the first of the year and found
• 2:33:56
  Speaker 1: it and cleared a profit of about fifteen hundred dollars.
• 2:33:59
  Speaker 1: Since he took hold of it. With increased facilities, new
• 2:34:03
  Speaker 1: type and machinery, the boy was expected to clear five
• 2:34:06
  Speaker 1: thousand dollars during the coming year, without considering the profits
• 2:34:10
  Speaker 1: of the argus, which would undoubtedly be large, as he
• 2:34:13
  Speaker 1: had many other schemes to boom it to a higher plane.
• 2:34:17
  Speaker 1: Frank paid off the mortgage and the cottage when it
• 2:34:19
  Speaker 1: became due, so that now his mother owned it free
• 2:34:22
  Speaker 1: and clear. Duncan Roach came home from college to spend
• 2:34:26
  Speaker 1: the Christmas holidays, but his disposition was the same as ever,
• 2:34:30
  Speaker 1: and he found greatly to his disgust that Frank Morris
• 2:34:33
  Speaker 1: had supplanted him in the good graces of his own
• 2:34:35
  Speaker 1: particular set, of which Walt Edwards and Eddie Hicks were
• 2:34:39
  Speaker 1: the leaders. It is noticed that Frank finds occasion to
• 2:34:42
  Speaker 1: visit the Gray farm very often, from which fact the
• 2:34:45
  Speaker 1: wise ones argue that it won't be so very long
• 2:34:48
  Speaker 1: before Elsie Gray will take up her permanent abode at
• 2:34:51
  Speaker 1: the Morris Cottage as Frank's wife. The end end of
• 2:34:56
  Speaker 1: Chapter sixteen, end of Winning His Way by a Self
• 2:35:00
  Speaker 1: Made Man, recording by Keith Sallas