for some unaccountable reason he had a contemptible enemy to deal
with, who would stoop to almost anything to carry out his evil designs,
whatever they might be.

CHAPTER XXII

IN THE PATH OF DESTRUCTION

It was only natural that the people of Creekdale should have been
greatly excited over the progress made at the falls. They watched
everything with the keenest interest which reached its highest point on
the night of David's arrival home. To see the road so brilliantly
illuminated was both wonderful and puzzling. They all knew that it was
done for "Crazy David's sake," and they could not understand why such a
fuss should be made over his return to the place.

"It beats me," Andy Forbes remarked to a number of men gathered before
the store. "I'm mighty glad to have the lights there for they make
things around here as bright as day. But why is it done? What has
Crazy David got to do with it? You would think he was a king coming
home instead of a half-cracked old man."

"But he supplied the plans, didn't he?" one of the men asked in reply.

"The plans be jiggered!" and Andy gave a contemptuous toss of his head.
"What value do you suppose were his plans? I don't believe the company
ever looked at them."

"There must be something, though," Ned Travis replied. "David's living
in luxury now, and if the plans were not back of it, I'd like to know
what is. It isn't natural for a big company with unlimited means to
throw away money on an old man like that just for charity."

"How's Jim Goban feeling these days?" Andy asked. "I haven't seen him
of late."

"He's a very sick man," Billy Goban answered, at which they all
laughed. "He curses himself every minute day and night for letting
Crazy David out of his clutches. He believes that if he had kept him
he would have come in for a big share of David's good luck."

"Serves him right," Andy mused as he gazed thoughtfully at the array of
lights before him. "He should be ashamed of himself, and so should we
for that matter for selling that old man to the lowest bidder. It'll
be the last time such a thing takes place in this parish if I can help
it, and I guess I can. It's most degrading, and should be stopped."

While the people of Creekdale were intensely aroused over the
marvellous progress of the Light and Power Company, the world beyond
was becoming much interested in what was taking place. The day after
David's arrival home the city papers devo