Web of Steel

By Cyras Townsend Brady

i itLK CTTY, M. X

b la thf expfrlftwr j *nd an unbounded respect for hta at- er man la right We know now, and have gireo op age | UInraenta. Go on." ! Bertram Meade. Sr., would admit It If and her father for rooth and her lorer. The next point la. Meade was In- he wore all re, that Setanidt-Chcmnltx Indeed *he wac too genulneljr derotetl ordluatelj' proud of hla famll; reputa- waa right, and we can make a good to her lather to do that except aa a tiou. especially In the engineering guess that -onng Meade did not let It last resort. field. Of the two of the line who were pasa without a protest-" She eheriibed th( hope first, that not . tigineera. one was a soldier and a “Mr. Rodney, It’s wonderful." Meade eonid re-eetaldlsh hlmaelf—she dlstingulabed one. bn: his career had "Well, that's not all. Tbeie waa not 11 , bad tc« sweeping a confidence In hla little Intereat for Mitule. I hare heard „ little hit of hesitation In Meade'a O’* character an* enact.. t« A-.M that— him Kny that there lind been a steady, aasnmptlon of -he blame not a person

npwnrd movement In his family, that who heard It doubted it. apparently ..i “"'i ** *“ Rut I waa the first man to see the older

Monde except his son and ShnrtllS.'

“Oh. ShurtllfT!"

“We'll come to him presently. H was obvious that the older Meade had been writing. I don't know whether the others noticed It. but It Is my buainr** to take In even Inconsiderable details. The pen was still between hla fingers. HI* hand was constricted and the j*en had not dropped out—In fact. I myself took ii out and laid It

the desk."

"His last conscious act was to write something, therefore?" “Tee; for confirmation I ascertained that there were ink-stalna on

gers."

“What did he write and to whom?" “I don't know. I can only i “What do yon guess?" “The assumption of entire blllty and the excnlpetlon of his son. probably to some paper." “From the same motives that prompted Bert?” “No, because It was true. But that Is only an assumption, although not altogether without further evidence.” “And what Is that?" asked the wo

on eagerly.

She hod sat down opposite Rodney at the table and was leaning toward him. Her color came and went, her breathing was rapid and strained under the wild beating of her heart. “The blotter on the desk. I examined It at my leisure. It had been used some time. I went over It with a magnifying glass. Meade, 8r.. had evidently written a letter. I found the words fanlt <s mine.' I have the blotter In 'my desk. The word 'fault' la barely decipherable, la* can be made out with difficulty, but *01106’ la Quite plain. I am familiar with the older Meade's handwriting, and though this Is weaker and feebler and more Irregular than was bis enstom—ordinarily he w-ote a hold, free hand—this la unmistakably hla. Of eourae no one can say that he wrote any letter. This Is piling assumption upon assumption, and. furthermore, there la no evidence of any signature having been written

beneath It." “Is that all?"

“There la one more bit of evidence. Tlie sheet of lwper on which the design computations for the compression

CHAPTER I—Bertram Ue.de Is ennsultlna engineer representing hta fullier, tbe great Meade, who Is the designer ef International bridge, the greets*! cantilever structure the world lias ever heard of. In the shadow of the uncompleted bridge young Ue.de receives Colonel 111-

■ ngworth, president of the Martlet Bridge hi- hair

company, the constructors, and the — el's daughter. Helen, whom he lore

CHAPTER n—At dinner, wuukriras of the compre.sio'n the bridge Is talked of and M< his fa Iberia calculations.

the possible

some way. And It save him y.i also. \ ^ ^

They would work despite any i . in.•ostrance from him. He thought of (hat protest to hla fathrr always with uneasiness. If he could only have found It and destroyd u himself he would have been happier. Could It be In ex1 Istenee somewhere? Would II turn up? Would they uDcnnh It? Well, be I.

a™- u. to,i,i. ,« h. Ioa a , „ a,,.

T VT tbat U tooM b. tonrt

n f " r 7 , . that he had not been responsible for had reached Its culmination In bit

to, too Uj Bo., ton a, to<to- si,- <.,»

Wlntto Ih- ton lodlletoit. 1 ; „„„ -orloto tot U> .. totonV-M-mliil.of -1 „„ pU „ t„d to« dk--'ft «-'''“-“tonn tol w-ll. HI. B ,„, br |h . ,ato< of toll..- .nd Sm ll»,ii ! t,i ... to forbid Hodn.y ... ^.,,.0 of ton, . o, .objto for cm do nnrtbln, fnnbrr. .Hbonrb l,„. to „„ „ d r^toto,,,,. u „m,lrd ,d

ould rrrprct bl. .W,.-. br , nd ,^,1.00 Kl, l.^rd will, — Anyw.y. br did d„i b „ wo^b'. M pm,, au rrmi .1 m.tirr b.m„«. b. ..mtf. In ndtr of brr lorn

and to this end she applied herself assiduously to solve the problem. To her. at her request, came Rodney. Now the reporters bad dealt very gently with Helen Illingworth. They had made no announcement of the engagement or of Its breaking st her father's earnest request. There waa uc necessity of bringing her Into the bridge story, although It would have added n dramatic touch to their narratives. Her Inclination had been to avow It. Bat upon reflection she saw It would have annoyed her father beyond expression, u would not have helped Meade any and It might ham per her In her work. She realised that she had Rodney to thank for this

his friend

coaid

have to decide that matter, because hi could not any a word to him. To have allowed Winters to write would have betrayed his whereabouts. He was living with Winters ander an assumed name of course. He had had

differently anu had grown

beard and mustache. He thought It

would have taken a keen eye Indeed

have recognlred him with these

Muds defends changes.

In the end he handed the letter back cra } ,0 Winter*, only charging him that If

upon the bridge In the moonlight end . . . „ . . “ . Helen narrowly escapes a fall to the river “C wrote to Rodney he must not betray “Eft U1U hta love and they go . ,he fact that M.-atie was with him. He to the colonel, who approves their mar- , . , , . , . . riage whan the bridge la finished. j bad plenty of liuic to think over the r-u. rer-n-r. .. i situation. He decided finally that so CHAPTER IV—Abbott the construction . . , . . . , ei glneer, tells Ueadc (here to a deflection ,on K u * be bad Is-en born an engineer jn member O-lft-R. bin makes light of It and trained and educated aa an en-i

wtam£*S?|£* tS? f01 ^” U ‘* tf hBve l , t0 ^ “ ntJ1 omission and after she'had time ._ telegram to New Tork. end of the chapter. He youid go ofit Kvt henM ., f Ibp „ kp<1 h|m to nlK(l CHAPTER V-At the great englneerie and «** ^ork. not such work as his her Hf . w|u , „ d to

J*«her and son try to prevent die- ability and experience, but under some ^

aster, but young Meade only reaches Cel- . * . ,, . ^ sent for you. Mr. Rodney, on acnnel Illinrworth as a message comes that assumed name he would begin at th« -onnt of Mr Kerf mm Meed* " ah* h*. tha brtd«. with uo me,™ to in the river, very beginning, at U.e foot of the lad- ‘Jrar ,h.nW„^ htm^i CHAPTER vi—Abbott goes on with the der as u rodman, If he could: and t„ WBr d h.-r ^ihe dar the old. • w ™totol* n ? r, '' r Mf P™, 1 ** 1 ; but while then he would work on quietly, faith- I. y ' ..°y , ^ un^Mly mep^mg C-ft-R the laclngs ,„ Ilr Meade died and thereafter. “I want

you to help me."

“I ahull be delighted to do SO for

snap under his eyej and be goes'lnto eter- fn'ly, obscurely, praying for his chance, nltj^wlih the other men on the foiling if R came he would strive to he equal

to the opportunity: If It did n

it least I

CHAPTER yil—Toong Meade has he would be engaged In honest work In pointed out to hta father the possible . . ..... weakceea. but hta objeettoas have been an honest way. f.tirto ~ Hta faihrr now prepares a It waa a very humble program, not .

,rz

-rtf tor. Soto ttilu* co.r ,c Mm I T T1 “ l . 1

lead from heart failure. He assumes en- who waits sometimes. That is more “* ,n r said Rodney gravely. Indeed iMf-sria^.iSrt'sssrf.fi i-hjwm.thim ■ onnealod the papers the dead man had of no better plan. So he b-de Win- * OD arv ■*' Bl ‘ke. said the wom- “ ten. good-by. swearing him again to Bn “ " wl « bm^iy. "Tour noil ..is are-

secrecy until he sltould lift the ben * u Pfeme^ Too may saerifles love and

village on tht uoUoU! ‘ ot b«nor Intact."

CHAPTER X-Out West, at a big irri- Picket Wire below the dam he “Aod lt we weren't hooorahl.?ni 0 llf d .*ovw < ^'in n « n) a rt ^dm«*un^ «opped a long time casing at the long )•>« wouldn't care for us at .11." in aaeumed name. bridge, or viaduct, of steel that was re- "Yes, I suppose that's It. Well. I do CHAPTER XI—Meade has gone to the Placing the old wooden trestle and “f* ver 7 much, a* you understand. I

* younger Meads

r-rr,Tei-iro ,V T_ . . _ necrec-y uuiii lie Minimi nil me Dan - .*1APTEK IX—in her fatheri* preseme . a ..., your best friend so lone a ind over her protest Meade breaks hta against speech, and rode away. When ,uur , ' ,n « • engagement with Helen. he got to th" little village on the • erro ,tu ** uotlua * ot tMaa

“The King Could Do No Wrong." thiT. He hoped to be a good, useful engineer, hut he never dreamed of going any higher or even approaching the altitude of the other man." •it was a sort of fetish with him thi n. wasn’t It?” asked the woman us Rodney stopped again. "You have hit It exactly. His love for the man, his admiration for tlie engineer, which sometimes blinded him. and his pride In hta father's career ns typifying his family, was un-

bounded."

“You have established a motive for any sacrifice; love, respect, pride!" “Th: i s the way It presents Itself to me. .Miss Illingworth. I know thorougMy the quixotic. Impulsive, seif-sm-ritlHng nature of the man. I know Unit In* would have done anything «n i-arth to save his father, even at the sneriflii of .ils own career, and since I Im i '* s-i-n you I can realise how powerful these motives must have been." Rodney said this quite simply, as If It were u matter of course, rather thi n a compliment, and hlnntly as he might

imae Anld It to a friend and comrade. . . _ .

,„ 1 Hr niWertob undrtoool art 'J"" 1 T 6 ?” W ” “< "l 1

111** fUtl** Vllnn* mr*A tnnnl™*™ r»# • l. A

uus grateful.

"it has been a grief to me that I welglu-d so little In comparison," site

said Simply.

•i -houldn't pnt It that way exact-

ly." oliserved Rodney carefully. “You : •M-c even If It could lie shown that It i

dd man's fault entirely the !

the other plans apd tracings of the

bridge."

“How do you know?”

•These plans were taken over by the Martlet company after Meade's death, and Mr. Cnrtlsc and I examined : them. We found that sheet missing." '•It's wonderful 1" cried the girl, hi

— woH be frank with you. My ibta mSdb@ty f h?tai r ^^‘"to to the eartward over ihe river. f»iber. of course, la bitterly amagomisve hla father's name from dishonor. Ho It was not such an undertaking Cl tic to Mr. Meade. He won't even Bl-

nakes th* new start as an unknown. Ihp , ottl iQt^rnmoiu^ gm) i t wag In- low his name to he mentioned."

"Meade fins disappeared alisolntely,” terestlng engineering construction. II “One can hardly blame him for that. aTote Rodney In closing. "Even Miss was work that would be Intensely eon- l'!«* Illingworth. The failure of the Illingworth, to whom be was reported genial, to which be was drawn almost bridge seriously embarrassed the Mart--ugaged mid upon whom I have called irresistibly, yet he managed to hold let Bridge company, uud It la a great •ccaslounlly. says she does not know himself aloof. The Martlet people were handicap for them to overcome In aeek-

ils whereabouts. Of course you saw building this steel bridge and they had tug any further cualrmcta."

n the papers his connection with tlia just finished the arch np under the “But I did not summon you here to ragedy mid failure of the Internntlon- mesa. A well-known coumructlon com- discuss the sffalra of the Martlet lit Although his frauk statement wns pnny was building the great earth dum Bridge company,“ said Helen, "Inter‘orroborated by that of the older across the Picket Wire In the valley. eating though they may be, but to see dende’s private secretary, I have never Meade's engineering life hud been If by working together there waa not iceu able to believe It, neither does spent mainly out of the United States, some way by which we could prove Hiss Illingworth. I know Pert, and so He had never been connected with the that Bertram Meade has ukaumed the loea abe. W» can't accept even his Martlet and Its employees untti he hud blame to save the honor and fame of

>wn testimony. We ha\ ' een work- lieen assoclateil with his father on the his father.”

■ig together to establish tne truth, but International. He could have gone “You believe tbat. Miss Illingworth?"

rith very faint prospects of success so among them with little danger of Im “I am sure of It."

or. There's some tremendous mystery mediate discovery, since most of th* “So am I." sold Rodney quickly. Urved ibont H. I have thought that maybe men he had know n hud gone down with Thank God.” cried the girt a little 1 dead* might have come to yon. If be the bridge, hut he decided not to dc hysterically, aurprised and almost 1 d"" - ' ims show him this letter and beg him so. The work on the dura would be swept off her feet by this prompt n,fc * ' o tell us the truth at any rate." "‘rapier and be would have h-sa oppor- avowal by one who, though young, waa d'"Vilntera passed the letter over to tunliy to betray himself and It woula already an authority in the literature ul, "“ 1 leade without cuuMnenl. The en give him more chance to work up In a of engineering. “Why do you saj that? Inear rend it with passionate eager- plausible and reasonable way. Besides, What evidence have you?" 1 affreii'

icsa. He was hungry for any news of If Colonel Illingworth come on to In “Unfortunately," answered Rodney, *‘ , “ l ,1 ““ ‘ ,l ' " ,u,u ~‘ ,r **uier. xms . . . .. ... u—»« lelen Illingworth. Rodney was call- | spect the bridge, ns he would probably T haven't any tangible evidence what- ““Y “ n ,M ' ,lie wildest sjieoulation, but; made hl|| prot<w . ln Per .

the way it presents Itself to) halis | ndorw?d | t UQ tb# missing

would still have to share k “j ^convinced be- / the Illume” for ‘‘- but - ,f 1 had not been, you would , ' ,, . , have persuaded me beyond a doubt” hr .tort tor. tortoto | ta „ .oo.

Rodney. “But there la not a single thing here that would justify any publicity even If we were prepared to go

.. . . . sgainst Meade's obrlons desire. Aa I rr l"to Me toetofl rtol h. to i, 1. Ml .uumrocm. Nr on.

to « *- ” prove It" ‘You are wrong," said the girt.

- ■ i —MAntotlfV*

shock wns so swift end sud is soon as he uld see the sltuiliseovered that yon were lost

it and jMituted It outr

T think he did, hut If he did foresee H uud lailnt It out he shoald not

have allowed the older

himself, personally, to Mr. Meade and so he became bis private secretary. By his own showing be bad bean with the dead mu on that aftemooo. Ha

structurally unsound,

now whether he reasoned It out

think he had time to argue the j ••shurtllffT'

“I wondered If that would occur to

you.

“Of course. Ton think that Meade,

hlch he could not accept, t he could save his fsther. This

' because It was his. I have no donbt

do, Meade would have to leave before ever hot I know Bert Meade as few his arrival. The dum would he safer, people know him. Miss Illingworth. I So oue would ever think of looking for perhaps not even you," he went on. In | him ihero. • d no one would e.er spite of her unspoken, but vigorous i rccognlik .- tne rough-bearded work protest at that last statejurut. as shn ‘ man the clear-cut. vinooth-faced young shook her head and smll.-d at him. engineer of other days. “And there are several little clrru"i- ! Thi dam was twenty miles up the stance# that make me feel that he valley. Yea. he would be less apt to be could not have been to blame. Have "Interred working there than on the Y ou •“f ground foi your conviction?” i bridge. Yet as he recalled that pri- “Probably even less than you have vote car and that It might come then-, I. too. know him." Helen 11t lie realised that abe might be on It. Ungworth looked Into the plain, homej His hear* leaped even as It hud leap.Ni but Strang, reliable fare, of the ! at the sight «if the viaduct then build- nu ‘ u * lld dUniU-rel nuy thought of re-

| lug. as It had quivered to the familiar *crve from her mind,

j rut-tal-tnt of the pneu 1c riveters u * Pl“ , 'e." she beguu, “the little I and the clung uud the riush of the circumstances epen which our lutulktructuml ktre-1. But what was the tlon “ **useil. If Intuitions are ever use? lie would not dare trust himself b “"cd ou anything tangible, together, to look at her even from a distance. Perhaps the sum of them may yield

No. It was the dam that beat suited his aomethlug "

*.• he turned away from the “The sugg.-stl.« ts adialrablo," ai

"Art to to," tod Heto. "b«t toot. | “• "'“W “*«« tt. t ,. furihiT, lot m, »j I H,oold ' J”" 1 ' m ' ™ “«o.

rotli-r t>.* bl. wlfo tLan oojoy any othitr '

, to the sheet that we lack, and Mr.

j Meade gut It out of the safe and wrote his letter and attached It with Bertram's protest to the missing draw-

That Is the kind of affection his

qunlltles merit and would evoke in

niiu.l of a discerning woman.'

Thank you. Will you go on. now?” I IZZ*£71° ra v -if remrae you know that whst we ^ ... i. .. -it -- kno, ' hhurtllff said that Meade de-

brldge and rode up thi- valley,

he was fortunatr In fall'ng Into a po-

sition. as hss l>eea Met forth.

CHAPTER XII.

Marshaling the Evldenc*.

I For nil her sweetness and Ugh | Helen UUugworth was dow.-r.tl

A sharp pa>« of Jeolousy I '“‘cuse energy and a powerful will 1 ‘ ^ What she begun she finished, uud Ob'

was Old deterred from brgltiulug tiling. I by fears of cutiM-quencvs. She was eon viuced that Meade had not told th. j father's office. Sin- respected him fol

i his d.-»lrr to shield h!> 1

l that, although be I

sertrel Rodney, "and us 1 knew hli first and longest 1 will begin. Perl.nps “ It would be well, too. to take notea so u that we may consider them at leisure, getting au eye view os well us nu cur ct view of them." u “Now. lu the fi-st place," he tiegan. « writing and sjieuklng at the same fine, v:

1th “Point ot'e Is Mesde's absolutely utt- ti rill bounded devotion to his father. The S'

always right. The It

boy i

I hell <

le rottid »cc bis grav- face, ovlug nmuuer. his air of uu■e had taken down Meade's i* office that tragic day. -. Helen Illingworth was not ! « he was. She in'ogled In »<• took up life with its de- ' » entered Into its oU-usurea d Its duties. He was Jea •none who might come In th her. but be knew the

tungwurth was su» »ould lUsln*, doubt the htaine? And

d main- 1

l th>- expense ,>f |

things, nut 1 recall that be wot tain hla father'-, proposltioi

dousljr, determinedly, long after everybody, perhe.i* even the old tnau blmself. had h«ua OOOVtaead Of their fallacy. Kugtlicoring is In Meade’s hlre.il He la tlie fifth of his family to gnolu ate at Ha.vard sad '.hree of his foruoted and his father world famous He

fairly id.

nve sold Is not evidence. It Is all asuuiptlon. perhaps iiresumptlon." “It's «s true as gospel.” said the girl

ara e»Uy.

To you and to me, yes. Well," he i.iillnued. T remember that Meade ml 1 were talking Just before he went ,i Burma three years ago about a new .H.k by h (lertuau mimed Schmldtlietiiulta. In which certain methods of iiU-ulutlons were prop.ised for the deIgu of btciugs. You know It was the icings of one of the compression iciubers id the cantilever that gave

ay ''

“Well Meade and I got Into a hot dls-us-slon over some of Schmid :-ChemIti's formulas. I maintained that they ere- wrong. He took the opposite lew. He waa right. He was so In?rei«t >1 In the matter that after we ■[.united he wrote me a letter about ..‘Miiiir acme new arguments to reafoi* e his contention. The other day le a careful search among my [Kill 1 “I by happy chance 1 found the 1 was half-convinced by bis nlng then, although the matter dropped. 1 am altogether coo■l now. His argument Is very then the

The woman rone to hsr fast ■> ah* spoke with fine conviction. "I believe yon are right," said Rodney. leaning back In his chair and staring at her through his glsaaes Tf we can only make him i where Is he?" “Working for my father.” “What do you mean?" T mean that I suspected 1 the first and as there was an c for a private confidential man, who n d»rstood engineering—a vacancy matin by the promotion of my father’a private secretary—I prevailed upon him to give the position to BhnrtUff. Father hates the name of Meade, hot he worships efficiency and he knows that Shnrtllff la the very Incarnation of tha particular kind of ability that ts dartres, so he Is with my father coostantly and I have him always under my eye. When we go away In the car, he goes along." "What are yon going to do?" “Win his confidence, his affection It I can, appeal to him, and—" “By Jove." said Rodney, "I believe yon can do It Yon cant drive that aid T know it," said the woman. Ton haven’t told him that you thought it waa hla fault?" “No." T couldn’t do anything with a man like Sbortllff. Yon can. Yon can win hla demotion, yon can let him aea how much the reinstatement of Bert Mead* in honor again means to yon. Yon can do It" "Meanwhile yon will help ms, wont yon?" “In any way. In every way. Do yoa know where bo has goner* “I haven't the slightest Idea. Ha might be In Africa, or Booth Am*rf*a, or out West or np North. Do yon aea those flowers T'—she pointed to a great bunch of American Beauty rosea, which had been forced for her apparently, and which she had received on, that very day—"Dards, you know, tha Madison avenue florist sends me a box of magnificent blossoms—rosea, vlo-' lets, orchids, always different—every week. They spesk to me of him." “Have you ever tried to trace themfl "No. I know wh< jee they coma and that la all. We will bear from hln^ some day. somewhere, somehow. Meanwhile we will work, work, work P "And yon will allow me to say before I go that since I have had this conversation with you I do not ae^ how even love for bis father or hla family name would have led Mead# to do It" "Don't aay anything against hla,^ ild Helen IlHngworth quickly. "Hg was mad with anxiety, shame, regret Whatever be did. I love him jaet the -»me." (To b« continued) Unable to gain admission to the cnie of his father-ln law. John Qio*iih st SO Westminster place, Lodi. Ft i'ik Hess procun-.! a ladder, looked lu the bedroom and fottnd his relative dead In tied. Heart failuro was the cause. 8<> acute has brevme th* need for P'ti'll nurses st the City hospital In Newark that the training school committee of the lawn! of health hss placed advert'seioeiits In the newspapers aeektni: young women for training at the institution.

rylug t

it a suggestion In his lunge. Uovenior Edge hss the state departlMnt of to cooperate with the luiingers of the various ions where ground la un-

Mark Twain once said, “When in doubt tell the truth.” That's a good bit of philosophy fot you to follow when you use our want ad. columns to sell or buy or trade or secure something. Don’t overstate J things. Don't exaggerate. Tell the truth simply It will bring results that will please

everybody.

Only truthful ad-

vertising pays.

nd sketc

• dell

Th.

that bridge,

agree with those dared 1.

HI* methods he told i

le could not have or he ki

1 am morally per." g protest to his “But

writing, then

The Woman Rosa to Her Feet.

would assume the blame and e report era so. ShurtUff has. ws who has, the missing pa-

i at tha tact that such to

"But what motive would the secrets rv hair for such concealmentP

d by his "He Idolised the older Meed*. Mr. natter of CuiUss told me about him A failure u Meade, hliu*elf when Le was a young m on steel Mr. Meada had faith In him and ottkhiuJdt. fared to promote his engineering -fhe aaralV- forts hut the train preferred to attach

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