The evening world. Newspaper, December 13, 1915, Page 17

Seastenatiahamaemanneaniaeninee A Romance With a Strange Hero of the Battling Breed ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE PrITirivitiiiiicciiiiicaaactie ~~ cs (Onprright, 1900, by Albert Paymon Terhuna) CHAPTER I. Caleb Conover Wins. my HE red-haired man was fighting, . Ho had always been fighting. proclaimed him of the battling bree The equare jaw, the bull neck even before one had scope to note the alert, light eyes, the tight mouth, the short, broad hands with their stubby strength of finger. In prize ring, in mediaeval battle over would have slugged his way to supremacy, His was not only the force but also the readily—and by like methods. field, in longshore tavern, Caleb Con- In business he won as supreme craft of the fighter. Therefore he was president, instead of bouncer, in the offices of the C. G. & X. Ratiroad, It was not railroad business that engrossed Conover as he t at his @eak ono day In early spring, tearing oven a ceaseless series of telegrama, seribbling replies, ringing now and then for a messenger to whom he guve ® curt order, Telegrams and messages ceased, In the lull Conover fumped to bis feet and began to walk back and fy forth. His big hands were clenched, his head thrust forward, his whole muscle-bound body tense, Then began a violent ringing from the long-distance telephone tn the far corner of the room, Conover Picked up the receiver, grunted a question, then Istened, For nearly five minutes he stood thus, the re- ceiver at his ear, his broad, freckled face impassive save for a growing fire in the pale, alert eyes. A grunt of dismissal and the receiver waa hung on its hook. Conover crossed the room, threw himself into a big, creaking chair, cocked his feet on the window alll, drew out and lighted a fat cigar, The tenseness was gone. His whole heavy body was relaxed, He smoked me- chanically and let his gaze rove with dull inertness over the blank wail across the street, He was resting as hard as he had fought. A clerk timidly opened the door leading from the outer offices, “Mr, Caine, sir,” ventured the em- loyee, “He says he"—— ‘: “Bend him tn,” vouchsafed Conover, without turning his head. His eyos were atill fixed in unsce- ‘pg comfort on the wall when his guest entered. Nor did he shift his glance wWithost visible reluctance, The newcome: seemingly was used to his host's lack of cordialty, For, fa- voring Conover with a slight nod, he deposited his hat, gloves and stick on the fable aa lighted a cigarette be- fore alin, Conover veyed the well-groomed figure of his visitor with an alr of disparaging appraisal that reached fits climax as he noted the cigarette, “Here!™ he suggested. “Throw away that paper link between fire ‘and a fool, and smoke real tobacco. Try one of these cigars if you want to. They'll fit your mouth a lot bet~ ter, Why does a grown man emoke , steemeed S"Thia grown man,” replied Caine, wnruffied, “has a way of doing what he choos I came to see if you ‘Were read ‘0 go to your execution?” “Execution, eh?" grinned Conover. “Well, it's Just on the books that there may be a little executin’ done, up there. But I won't be the gent with ‘hig head on the block, Besides, you're an hour early.” “I know I am, It's an Ideal day for my work. So I haven't done any, left the office ahead of time and came to see if I could lure you into a walk before we go to the club, You don’t feem much worrled over the out- come." “Why should I be? I'll win, T al- win." ¥ ronover,” sald Caine, observing his friend with the condescendingly in- terested air of a visitor it the & 0, “it ad your sublime concelt I'd be Pres- Ndent or the United States or the richest man tn America, or somo other such odious personage whose shoes we all secretly fear we may some day fll.” . “President? Richest man?" re- peated Conover, mildly attracted by the dual Idea, “Give me time and Til likely be both, I've made a little t on the second already, to-day.’ yon another fight?" queried Caine, “Yes, a big one, The biggest yet, by far. “Nothing to do with Steelold, T sup- pose!” suggested the visitor, a note of real concern peers through his cus- tomary air of amused calm, “AM about Steclold,” returned Con- over, "The Independent Steelold Company is incorp'rated at last, alized at “The Independent! That means a slump in our U. 8, Steeloid! You cali that winning a fight? I thought"—— “You'd be better off, Caine, if you'd Jeave the thinkin’ part of these things to me, Thinkin’ is my game, _Not yours. You talk about ‘our’ U. 8. Htecloid. You seem to forget T swing seventy-two per cent, of the stock and you own just what I let you in mind all that," interposed ve Caine. “If the Independents are band- ed together they'll make things warm or us." a Jot enough to cause any hurry call. for electric fans, Tm chuckled Conover. “If you'll ‘thinkin’ a minute or two an’ Is to me, I'll try to explain, * maybe J can hammer into your hw of the million things you fbout finance, Here's the idea, I Huilt up the Steelold Trust, didn't 12 curda and # crowd who had ng a buch of measly third- eliod companies, set a meal because I could un eeso ons urged Caine, “I know ait that, You needn't take a running start with your lesson in high finance, We'l take it for granted that T read at least the newspaper I own, and that I know Blacarda has been trying to organize the independent come panies against you, What next?! Well, they're organized. Only Bi carda didn't do it, A high-souled philanthrople ver that worked through agents, Jumped in an’ com- bined all the Independent companies against ug an’ got ‘em to give him full voting power on all their stock, Put themselves into his hands en- tirely, you see, for the fight againat my id Trust. Then this noble hearted trust buster incorporated the Independents, The deal went through to-dsy, [ got final word on jt just now. The Independents are organ- jzed, The votes on every share of their stock is in the control of one “But he'll"—— “An' that ‘one ,"" resumed Fighter, “happens to be Caleb the dumbfounded lon’t understand.” protested Conover, gently, “if all the things you don't under- stand about finance was to be placed end to end—like they say in the Bun- | day ‘features’ of your paper—they'd | reach from here to Blacarda's chances of swingin’ the Independent Bteeloid, Company, An’ that’s a lon; farther than twice around What I'm gettin’ at ts thi to work on the quiet an’ formed that! Independent Combine. Then I gave it to myself as a present. It is now part of my U, 8, Steeloid Company, Or will be as soon as I can strangle the Legislature kick that Blacarda’ sure to put up.” “I sec now,” said Caine, slipping back into his armor of habitual caim, “and I take off my hat to cs Con- over, you missed your calling when you failed to go Into the safe-break- ing profession.” “There's more money in business,” replied Conover, simply. “But now maybe you won't fay awake nights, worryin' over your Steeloid stock. If it was worth 1702-5 this morning it'll | be quoted at 250 before the month is ou “I don’t wonder you aren't afraid of this afternoon's ordeal,” observed Caine, “but Blacarda is on the Board of Governors.” “So are you, for that matter,” sald Conover, “and I guess the vote of the| man who's made rich by Steeloid will pair off with the vote of the man who's broke by it.” “Are you ready?” asked Caine, rising. ‘o, I'm going to stop at Destree's for a few minutes, first. I want to tell her about my winning out aguinst the Blacarda crowd, She knows Bla- “Does she know finance?” “As well as she knows Blacarda, I guess, An’ neither of ‘em enough to be ‘specially int'rested. But she likes| to hear about things I've done. I'll just drop ‘round there on my way, Join you later at the club,” “rll walk as far as her door with you, if you like,” suggested Caine, gathering up his hat and stick. “Then Tl go on and see what I can do with the Governors before the meeting, But 1 don't look forward to coercing many of them into sanity, They bear a pitifully strong family reseinplance to the late lamented Bourbons, They ‘earn nothing, forget nothing’ and"— “And they go your Bourbon gang e better,” supplemented Conover, by never havin’ known anything to start with, Maybe I can give ‘em an idea or two, though, before we're done, I used to boss Dago section hands, you know.” You'll find this Job rather more dificult, I fancy. A garlick-haloed section hand is a lamb compared to some of our hard-shell club ve nors. Why do you want to stay in the club, anyhow? It seems to “In tho first place, because I won't quit. Prov'dence loves a bulldog, but Ho hates a quitter, In the second place I want to fee! I've as much right in that crowd as I have in Kerrigan's saloon, I've made my way, This Steeloid shuffle ought to put me some- where in the million class, An‘ there's more to come. Lots of it. I'm a railroad pres‘dent, too, The C. G, & X. is a punk little one-horse rail- road; but some day I'll make It cover this whole State, The road was on its lst legs when I got hold of it, and I'm making it what I choose to, Now, as © man with all that cash—and a raiiroad president, to boot—why ain't I entitled to line up with the other big bugs of Granite? Tell me that, hey don't want me, maybe? Well, I'll make ‘em want me before I'm done, Till then they'll take me whether they want me or not, Ain't that sound logic?” “As sound as a dynamite cartridge,” laughed Caine, “You're a paradox! No, ‘paradox’ isn't a fighting word, so don't scowl, You have the Midas- gift of making everything you touch turn to solld eash, and making two dollars grow where one mortgage blank formerly bloomed. You have the secret of power, Ard, with tt all, you stoop to erawl under the canvas in to the Social Circus, Feet of clay!” Caleb glanced furtively at his broad, shining boots, then, disdaining the ale lusion as past his discernment, an- swered! “It's my own game and T play tt as Iplan to, In one year from now you'll f askin’ me to the same houses en invited ever since you held down the job of ‘First Landowner’ here in the Rev- olution. See if I don't." “Did you ever chance to read Long: fellow’s poem about the rabbi—Ben Levi—who ‘took the Kingdom of Heaven by violence?" queried Caine, “I don't read rhymes, Life's too short, What happened to him? “He didn't have a particularly pleasant time of {t, as [ remember, In fact, I beliove the angels Joined in a symphonic elamor for his expulsion, Not unlike the very worthy governors of the Arareek Country Club." “Him!” gniffed Conover, in high cen- tempt, “$f the Rabbi person had took the trouble of postin’ himself on those angels’ paats he might a’ got a front-row seat in the choir instead of bein’ throwed out.” “So that's the Iine you're golng to take with the governors? I'm glad I decided to be there, It ought to prove amusing. But you don't seem to real- ize that even If you win, vou won't be exactly beloved by them in future?” “I'm pot expectin’ a loving cup with @ round-robin of their names on it Not just at first, anyhow. waste any Worry on me. Th only the first step, anyhow. fuln's Hable to come when I take an- other.” “Festina lente!" counselled Caine, “People have a way of forgetting a man is nouveau riche as long as he remembers it. But they rem ber it as soon as he forgets it. it dis- creet to ask what Miss Sheviin thinks of all this? Is she in sympathy with your social antica—I mean ‘ambi- tions? * “I don't know. I never asked her. 1 never thought to. But if I did, she'd stand for it, You see, not bein’ old and as wise as some of the Granito folks, she's fallen into the habit of thinkin’ I'm just about all right. It's kind of nice to have some one feel that way about yo! “You seem to return the compli- ment, I don’t blame you, It isn't every man who finds himself guardian to an exquisite bit of animated Sevres china, I'm lying back to watch for the time when some scared youth be to ask your leave to marry e1 “What's that?" snarled Conover, stopping and glowering up at the tall, clean-cut figure at his side, ‘Don't Ket excited,” laughed Caine, “You can't expect as lovely and lova- ble a girl as Desiree Shevlin to live and die an old maid, If you're so op- posed to thia imaginary suitor I've conjured up, why not marry her your- self?” “Marry? That kid? Me?" sput- tered Conover, “Why, I'm past thirty an'—an’ she ain't twenty yet, Be- sides, I'm a daddy to her, If I hear of you or any one else queerin’ that kid's baie for me by any such fool talk “Her father was wise in appointing you her guardian,” mocked Caine, “In the absence of man-eating blooc hounds or a regiment of o you're an ideal Dragon, I remember old Sheviin, A first rate contractor and ward politician; but the last sort of man to have such a daughter, As for Billy, now—he's the model of his father. A tougher little chap and a eater contrast to his aister could ardly be imagined,” “She takes after her mother," ex- plained Conover, puffing mightily at a recalcitrant cigar, "Mo! French, Came of good people Named her girl Desiree. name. Kind of pretty nam when Billy was born. I s'pose t why the boy was named for his 4, instead of being called Pe-air or Juseppy or some other furren trade- mark. That's why he's tough too. Desiree was brought up. Billy's bring- ing himself up. Same as I did, It's the best trainin’ a boy can have. So T let him go his own guit, an' I pay for the windows he smashes,’ “How did Old Man Shevlin happen to lesve you guardian of the two children? Hadn't he any relatives?” “None but the aunt the kids live with. I s'pose he liked me an’ thought I'd give the girl a fair show, An’ I r Died te t's have, Convent school, music an’ fur- | ren lingoes an’ all that rot, An’ she's worth ft. I'm payin’ the Hawarlens, too, on the sly, to get her into s’ciety; into houses where her folks couldn't 4 PH in, to save thelr souls, Keep that lark, son." “How about Billy?” “That's no concern of mine, He gets hia clothes an’ grub an’ goes to public school, It's all any boy's got @ right to ask.” “Then you're doing all this on the The Day of Rest money that Bheviin left?" “Sure! m: own cash on ‘em served Caine, admiring! kept on file in our office. I happened to going over one of the books the other day and I ran across a copy of old Sheviin's will. There was a 3,300, or, to be accurate, ell?" challenged Conover." "Weil," echoed Caine, “the rent of with her, None of those are on tl free list. You're an awfully wh chap, Conover, ¥: fifty points in my admiration when the cheerful idiot to point out to hi the resemblance betw: at the club in fifty minutes.” Cono pled a ord of goodby s they were traversing. Caine watched the Fighters bulky form vanish within the doorway, Then hoe lighted a fresh cigarette aud strolled on. “lL wondel his growing Mst of financial vietima Conover worships as {deally and rev- ttle flow r-faced ninetren-year- it as Conover himself!" CHAPTER Il. The Girl. ot ception room of Desiree Sheviin's house, halting now and then to glance with puzzled approval at some item of fur- nishings, The room—the whole house Ree, By Maurice Ketten My DADDY 1S SLEEPING. 1s Yours? i —waa to him a mystery. Contentedly You don’t s'pose I'd waste devoid of taste though he 01 man dimly realized the charm of the “What a clumsy liar you are!" ob- place and the dainty perfection of ita - ‘That Desiree had ac. “What are you drivin’ at?" de- complished this in no way astonished manded Conover, him, “Only this: ‘The wills and some ble of any minor miracle. other documents filed at the Hall of all he took a pride that had volced Records are copied by our men and ttself once in the comment: “I don't see how you could make @ room look so nice without a single Udy or even a bow fastened up any- But why did you met your mantel? wouldn't a’ kicked at payin’ for the best marble,” To-day Conover gave the house where Miss Shevlin lives, Usual homage to the apartment, her two servants and her food must Was fgor to tell its owner his won- come to several times that sum each ‘erful tidings, and he chafed at year, to say nothing of the expenses clay in appearing. At last she came and the support of the aunt, who lives —the one person on earth who could Conover waiting, without paying, by sharp reproof, for uu went up about the delay. “I'm sorry I was so long,” she began I read that will, Now don't look as as she brushed the curtains aside and if I'd caught you stealing sheep, It's hurried in, no affair of mine, And as she doesn't agree on the joys of tubbing. seem to know, I'm not going to be to hate anything as much as he hat r his bath, Now you've had some good scrumptious good 1 can tell by the way your appointment, For he believed her quite capa- ate of effects with it. He lett Where have kept “but Billy and I couldn't her father’s luck! $1,100 and the Widow's Cruse, It's luck! pleasure enough to me, as a student mustache ts ail chewed, of my fellow animais, to know that chew it when you're excited. And you a pirate like you can really onee in are only excited when something good your life give something for nothing, haa happened. There's the house, Don't forget you're to know that? ‘Facial . red, confused, angry,mum- How—oh, I didn't dranup the when steps of a pretty cottage that stood In Please be good and thing about Stoelold?” Isn't it clever of me T ought to write tt up: mean to be mily bursting with V I've Won out—I've inade iny Bhe caught both his hands tn hers ith @ gesture almost awkeurd he ruminated, “what tts happy impulsiveness, “Ob, I'm go wiad! So gladi” she would say if they knew that Brute cried, bluntly, eagerly, Conover ntly as a Galahad at the shmne of repeated hi His florid face was alight, jd girl?) But,” he added, in dismiss- slaam wellnigh choi ing the quaint theme, "noone of them heard him out all would be half so surprised to know almost as great as his own, : Anished she clapped her hands with Uttle laugh of utter delight. “Oh, splendid!" she exclaimed, would over have thought of pleasure an excitement one but y It’s"—-her flush momentarily to @ locit ONOVER lounged beam and vielaing 7 } forth tn the pretty little re- foment, of course? ame thing, | sur pore, she said, much relieved, “And you're rich?" And youL"—— ARE YOU ONE OF THE MANY THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THE EVENING WORLD'S Complete Novel Each Week? If not, you are rebbing yourself of the richest fiction treat ever offered to the :eaders of a newspaper. The Evening World, eve! author, These nove! And the tremendous success of the series is the foremost work uch “bi Chi equal celebrity. week, prints a novel by some famous re issued compiete in gix large daily instalments. Thy are selected with @ view to guiting tho tast an has long been demonstrated, In The Evening World's “COMPLETE NOVEL EACH WEEK” t-seller” authors as Robert W. bers, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Rupert Hughes, James Oliver Cur- Morgan Robertson, Margaret Widdemer, George Randolph Ches- Louls Joseph Vance, Edgar Rice Burroughs and many others of of all readers. Yes, MAMA SAID WE MUST LeT HIM SLEEP Both turned at the wonder-inspired, sulphurous monosyliable, Desire Jerked the curtain aside, revealing & ocky small boy, very red of face. He was clutching a blue bath robe about him and had no apparent aim in life save to escape from the aitua~ tion in which his involuntary explo- tive had betrayed him, “Now don't go callin’ me down, Dey,” he pleaded. “L just happened to be going past-—I was on the way to take my bath, all right—on the lev was—an' I heard Mr, Conover about havin’ a million, An'—an'—I spoke without thinkin’,” He had been edging toward the stair-foot he talked. ,Now, findin, the lower step behind ‘him, he fled upward on pattering, desperate feet. “Poor Billy!” laughed Desiree. “He's an awfully good little chap, But he will listen, I can’t break him of it.” “Maybe I could,” hazarded Conover, “You'd break hie neck and his heart at the same time, Leave him to me, Nothing but kindness does any good where ho ts concerned.” “Ever try a bale-atick? suggested she reproved, “Now, more about Steeloid, rda! It'e pretty bagor- ous for him, isn't it?” “If hagorous means h the neck, It is,” “*Hagorous, explained Desiree, loftily, “means anything horrid. I Know, because I made it up, It's such @ comfort to make up words, Be- cause then, you see, you can give them meanings you go alon, = It faves a lot of bother, Did you ever try it?" got it in uid Conover, apologetically, m afraid I never did. Maybe [ could, though, If It'd make a hit with you. But you were talkin’ about Blacarda, You ain't stin’ sym pathy on him, are yo “I'm sorry for any one that gets the worst of it. “But no sorrier for Blacarda than ou would be for anybody else?” of course, not. Why?" “He comes here a lot. Twloe I've met him here, Is he stuck on you? “T think he ts.” “| guess most people are,” sighed Caleb, “I don't blame him, so long as you don't care about him, You don't do you?” he finished, anxtously, “He's very handsome,” she observed, demurety. “In he?" “Well—pretty handsome.” “Is he —I've heard girls say ao.” “H'm! sy erimson lips, red cheeks, olly curled hair and eyes like iple of ginger snaps!" No,” corrected Desire “More ike chocolate ples, something very sweet and melting about them, And, ides, you mustn't run him down, He's very nico to me, Last night he asked tae to tarry him, What do you think of that? Honestly, he did." “The measly he-doll! I wish I'd broke him a year ago instead of wait- ing for the Steelotd scrap. What'd you say when he asked you?’ Your face mets such a curious shade of magenta angry, Caleb serving him critically, her head on one side, “Put it doesn't match your hair a little bit, There, T didn't mean to tease you, Yea, I did mean it, too, but I'm sorry, I told him I couldn't marry him, of course,” ood work!" approved “What'd he say then?” “Hohe! asked If I'd try to look But" —— Caleb, PrertiTeirry on him asa brother—'a dear brother, Jand"— Sho broke off with a reminiscent laugh, “Well, what did you say?” “Um afraid f was a little rude, But ft didn’t mean to be. I'd heard a smothered giggio from over in the cor- ner, So I told him if I'd really had any use for «a brother—a ‘dear brother’—1 could reach right behind the divan and get one, Hoe stalked over to the divan, And sure enough there, behind the cushions, was Biily, | wudged up in a@ little heap, He'— ‘All—what?" asked the perplexed Conover, pausing in the midst of a Homerto guffaw. ‘Wudged.’ All wudged up—tike this"—crumpling her ten fingers into &@ white, compact little bunch. “Mr, Blacarda was very angry. He went away.” She joined for an tnatant in Con- over’s laughter; then checked herself with @ stamp of her foot, “Stop!” she ordered. “I'm a little beast to behave so, Ho—cared for mo, He asked me to marry him. There ought to be something sacred in all that, And here I am making fun of him. Caleb, please say some- thing to make me more ashamed.” “You're all right, girl!" chuckled Caleb, in huge delight, “Poor pink- an'-white Blacarda! You we “L wasn't! [ought to be whipped for telling you, But—but, somehow, I seem to tell you everything. Hon- estly, L wouldn't tell any one else, Honestly! You know that, don't your" “1 know you're the whitest, bright: est, Jolliest kid that ever happened, returned Conover, “but you needn't bother about heipsergproh won’, tell. Now I've got to get ou “Aren't Fou going to take me for a walk or a drive or anytht i such a gorgeous day, and it’s Almost as early as it ever gets to “1 can’t, worse luck!” said he, fot a measly appointment at the Ara- reek, An’ besides—say, little girl, 1 don’t know about walking or driving with you any more. “Calebl’ “Listen, till I explain, Now that Mrs. Hawarden's took such a fancy to laces where I'd be chased out jwith'a Proom—an’ all that—well, you ‘get invited to big folks houses, Thats jhow you met Blacarda, wasn't it? Ho travels with the gold-shirt crowd. !Now, that crowd don't care about me, ‘They will, some day. But they don’t, yet. An’ if youre seen around with « [rank outsider lke me—it'li—tt may kind of make ‘em think you're the |saine sort 1am. An’ that'll be lable to queer you with ‘em, An'"-—— “Caleb Conover!" He stopped, thoroughly uncomforta~ bie, yet vaguely glad of having eased his mind of its worry for her pros- pects. She was frowning up at him ‘with all the menacing ferocity of an Angora kitten, “Caleb Conover!" she repeated, in ‘stern rebuke. “Aren't you ashamed? ‘Aren't you ashamed? Say you are! Now go and stand in the corner, If I ever hear you talk that way about yourself again—why, Caleb! We're chums, you and I. Don't you know that I'd rather have you than all those people put together? Now talk very fast about something else, or | won't get my temper back again, What's your appointment about?* “At the Arareok?” he asked, falling In, as ever, with her lightning change of mood, “Oh, nothing much. It's a meoting of the Board of Governors, ‘There's 2 man tn the club who got in by Influence before they reall; Just what sort of a punk feller was, An’ now they've called a meeting to wee about kickin’ him out. There's to be a vote on it. An’ he's to ap- pear before ‘em to-day to defend him- self, Not quite reg'lar tn club by- laws, Caine tells me, Rut that’ what's to be done. They say: ‘hia business methods bring disrepoote on the club! That's the sp’ciflc charge, I believe.” “But what have you got to do with all that?” “Nothin’—except I'm the ehrinkin’ “You! Is {ta joke?” “Not on me, I'll fix it all right, Don't you worry now, I wouldn't a’ told you about it if I hadn't known I'd win out," “You're sure? “Ot eourse Lam, What chanoe has that bunch of mutton-heads against any one with man's size brains in his skull? Sure, [ll win. Now, don’t look Uke that, Dey, It breaks me all up to ha ‘ou blue, I tell you {tll be all right “Who are the Governors?" “Your friend Blacurda is one.” “Oh! That's bad.” “Only counts one vote. And Caine’ another. He's on my side. He more pull with those people than Blaocarda,” “I wonder why you and Mr, Caine are such friends, There never were two other men as different.” “He owns the biewest noospaper in Granite, an’ he belongs to one of the top-notch families, So he's a power in his own way, for all ho's such an odd fish, ‘Eccentric’ they call It, don't they? Why do we travel! to- gether? That lazy, don’t-care way of his and his trick of twistin’ sentences upside-down an’ then callin’ ‘em ‘ept- grams’ ts kind of amoosin’. Besides, he's of to me, That explains my side of it, I'm of use to him. That explains his, He'll more’n offset Bla- capda."* “Who are the rest?" “Hawarden's one. Husband of your chap-rone friend.” “Oh, | wish I'd known! I'd have asked her to” - “I don't think It's nec'ssary," evaded b, “He'll be all right T guess,” didn't know you knew him,” more I do But I've an Idea vote for me.” “Just the same I wish Ud asked Mra, Hawarden to make hirn do it She's been so nice to me I'm sure she'd have done me one more fa “Nice to you, ls she? Reelly nice? e's a dear, Just think of a woman in her position huming me out and making friends with me and asking me all the time to her house and Introducing me to people who wouldn't otherwise have even poked me with a silver-handled umbrella! N I should think she was "Ye uese she must be, Old Rouben Standish is one of the Governors, too, Know him? President of the Aaron Burr Bank, Big soclety bug, tradin’ on fam'ly that’s dead an’ fortune that's dribbled through ble fingers, * drawled Conover, solemnly, By CHARLES DICKENS o Caine, Are you an’ took you up an’ chap-roned * Sort of man that's so atiff he never unbends tilt broke.” “I think ['ve met him,” reflected Desiree, “Doesn't he look just a little like a rail? Gray and long and mossy —with a sort of home-made face’ And one eye that toes in just 4 little “That's the rifan.” grinned Caleb, tn high approval, “There's two kinds financiers: the thick-necked. faced slipped down, and the cold gray kind. Gray hair, gray eyes, gray skin, iy clothes an’ gray mustache, souls, t That sort never take on welght, An’ there’s Just enough hu- manness in their faces to put you in mind of the North Pole. ank the Lord, I'm one of the thick, red breed,” i Just your 17" queried Desires, innocently, as My hi oarroty a It's awfully nice of you to tau at my poor little jokes, [ wont what you'd do if you ever met a really clever woman?” “T spose ['d berin figurin’ out how stupid she'd frame up ide of you,” he answered, simply. ou see, " You wore tallting about Mr. Ley a last ish. In he going to vote for ‘As 1 loaned bis bank $96, year when {t was shaky from a run, I muese he is Not that he's over- grateful. But his bank’s In a bad way again and he's li'ble to need me.” “So you are going to discount bis future gratitude?” “Just so. He needs me An\—T need him, Not only for to-day, but for a plan I've been thinkin’ over.” "I wish I could help ri with Bim. I've met his daughter, Letty, once or twice, They say shi Mr. Caine, Mrs, Hawarden tells me they've been in love with each other ever since she stopped playing with dolls. T should have hated to op dolls just in exchange for Mr. there any more gov- ernora?” "A few, None that you know, I must be off, Now, remember, you aren't to worry. It's all right. [ wouldn't bother to a 3 in the club if it was Itke most 7 of that aw But it "te Ararcek’s Days an’ times like that the Big people always show up. [t's » good thing to belong. Besides, a fe! ler gets lots of new experience by Joinin’ a country club, For instance: T never knew what ree! lonesome- ness was till | went to a tew of their Ladies’ Days an Field Days, I migh a8 well a’ been on a desert island.” “You poor boy! A's a burnin, shame! Why do you"—— “Oh, it ain't al tha whip The gtag eng 2 song of a canary broke in on his bons! Beginning with a faint, barely ile trill, ic rose in @ glorious, plercing crescendo of melody, hung vibrated, sealed « whole octave, then ceased as abruptly ag it had begun, Caleb turned toward the window between whose curtains swung « cage. The occupant, a ball of golden fluff, barred with gray-green, hopped nelf-importantly from perch to perc!) nervously delighted with the man’ scrutiny, “Hello!” said Conover, “When'’ GI wet that? I never saw him be- oll me yesterday,” explained De- . “Isn't he a little daring? Jacl Hawarden t_him to me, “That kid? You don't mean to say he's stuck on you, too? Why, he's harely twenty-one an’ he can’t earn his own livin’. ae G real piensure, Cale ” hear your fulsome praise o men a pen to know, First ‘Slacards. and now"-—— “That's what's called ‘sarcasm,’ ain't it?” asked Conover, “TI didn’t mean to rile you. I guces Hawarden's all right—as far's let him learn to be, What's the ‘s hame? Or don't birds have names? “Why? Had you thought of one for Nim? How would ‘Steelold’ do? Caleb's grin of genuine delight at the suggestion made her add quickly, with more tact than truth: “T wish I'd thought of that before, How silly of me not to! For, you nee, he'e al iy named now,” h, he is, hey? sald the discom- fitted Conover, “Who named him? Mawarden?” “No, Billyandt. His name's Steg- tried Mickey.” “What @ crazy name for a"—— “You, isn't it? That's why T Ike ft an. ily wanted to call him Kk after the bulldog he used te have, And I wanted to call him Steg. fried. So we com fried Mickey, He’ his name already, Don't you, Sleg- fried Mickey? The bird, thus adjured, maintatned erely non-committal dumbness. “See!” triumphed Desires. “Silence es assent, He's a heavenly little singer, Why, only this morning he nung nearly all the first bar of ‘Tho Death of Ase.’ The which © Death of Ase’ In the Peer Gynt suite, you know, “Oh, yes! Of course. Sui Mea Caleb, hastily. mum was thinkin’ ‘Wasn't he, thouch? And be'd onl heard me play tt once.” “Pretty hard thing to sing, too!” “Caleb Conover,” she rebuked, ty cold admonition, “Look at me! Ne in the eyes! There! Now, how often have I told you not to make believe? You treat me just as if I was a child Why do you pretend to know about “The Death of Ase,’ you dear oid sim ple humbug? Don't you know I al ways find you out when you?'—— “I didn’t want you to think I wasn’ up on the things that tnt'rest you irl.” he pleaded, “Tt’s rotten to feal you've got to talk down to me every time you speak about music or iitter- choor or those things, An’—! but I do hate to let on when I don't derstand things.” “You understand more of Ng A | things—the things that are wale tee | 5, other alive,” she protest ow aay sroaty and run on, or you'll be late, nt to stop on the back and let me know whether the Lona eat Daniel or {f Dantel"—— Sats the Mone? [ don't know Eo but this ain't goin’ to be kind of a show, It'll just be a + 4 killin’ contest, An’ I never to play the alloortn’ role of Ho you can figger out who'll be an’ who'll ret the job of killes.” (To!,Be Continued.)