Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-01-17

despite its girIishness. was admitted n
the small office where Hammond was
eagerly scanning soine papers.
The iady's face was yelled. When
she asked IL she might see him aIon.
on important business, Hammond. with
a family puzzled brow, led the wav
to a smaller inner room.
Then she removed her veil
Miss Eastiakei''
"Yes; you are surprised, OF course.
Yet q man such rs / take You to ba
should be surprised at nothing. As n
preamble to what / came here to saw.
however. i am going to tell you that.
IL you do not know me, / know you,
far better than you think possible,
Don't misunderstood me-"
The girl had seated herself. She
spoke In a quiet, collected, level voice:
II am not In love with you. But
from the things Oscar Searle hrs let
drop inadvertently about you from
time TO time, j have formed "A certain
' idea of your personality. And that per-
sonality interested me because 1t coin
cided with my own, with my own TEN.
per, with my mode Of thought. AS soon
as / heard you speak last night had
seer you before and studied your race,
for Mr.. Searle pointed you out 20 me
on more than one OCCASION SAW that
/ had not been mistaken in this view
/ had conceived Of the manner Of man
you were. Well, this being so, i have
come to make a bargain. l think 1t
quite to your advantage. / shall state
1t as briefly as possible. Few words
are needed"
She paused, and her magnificent eyes
were fixed upon him with a piercing
keenness in place Of their customary
nonchalence. Hammond had listened
with growing attentiveness What sort
Of a woman was this? In appearance,
a lovely girl, whom he had regarded as
such the night before, and in no other
way. In speech and manner, at this
moment, definite, %trenchant, seeming
TO command an inviolable situation by
right of some enormous, inherent, un-
suspected force of character. .
Go on" he said.
She continued to look at him steadily.
with a glance that neve wavered or
fiCkered or sank. Then she spoke:
Il can give you information-inside
Notwithstanding the shares In
a large bank. which, if you have the
daring financial spirit / take you to
have, will make your fortune or launch
you on the way TO permanent and coios-
sal success" j.
Hammond raised his eyebrows. q
"~Ah!-Searle?"
Exactly, Searfe. He told me-being
infatuated with me, and thinking -
woman could make use OF 10 such dis
closures. He ought not to have trusted
to that, Of course. But Mr.. Searie Is
a fool. You thought I loved him. She
shrugged her shoulders. Il consented
to marry him because his position was,
at least, not pG-erty-genteci poverty
the worst Of all. But l want TO be rich,
| want to be powerful. l want TO see
the wGrld at my feet.
Possibly, l think, probably, You are
man who could do these things.
,erefore, my bargain. l communicate
! Mr.. Searle's informatiOn-which he was
n fool to give-on consideration that
you marry me-"
The two faced each other a moment
Hammond's brain was working with
lightning rapidity.
"Of course, Searle may be suspected.
He will lose his position. This win
brand him-ruin his chances forever"
Again Adrienne Eastlake shrugged
her shoulders.
II am sorTy-I would not willingly
harm him. But in the struggle for life
the weak 60 to the wall. IT Is tho
Jaw"
Half an hour longer this man and
this woman were closeted. When Ham,
mOnd walked with his visitor TO the
| door. the information had been given
the bargain struck.
Before him, Hammou1's insatiate In
ner eye saw stretching the feverish
| vision Of success, no longer afar OF
and dimly uncertain, but Icar, close,
| within the grasp Of his hand.
Yet, I all the eXultation Of that mo-
ment, q thought, bringing with 1t q
smile of confirmed cyuicism, shot
through his mind. Who was il had
said that a woman, )nce given over to
the luxury of this world, could be
more INSCRIPTIONS than any mani
Searle today Is a poor man. For ten
years past he has been an unsuccessful
one. That tide in the affairs of men
which, taken at the food, led Ham,
| mond and his beautiful wife on to
| fortune, has left him stranded. He
lost his position in bad odor. The
same unwelcOme repute has hung
| about his name ever since. But Han
mond bulls and bears the market. And
adriCnne has attained her ends; enjoys
| the fullest fruition Of her ambition.
To the general world she represents
| triumph incarnate, secure. The few
| who know see her drive by, rs l do,
with wonder and a question as 10 the
possible final end Of an earthly tn
umph.
!