The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-03-17


at dinner.
He heard Esther talking. and smiled
when she smiled, but paid little further
attention. She was recounting meet
ing OF her reform club, that day, at
which she had been elected chairman
of the executive committee.
Braddon nodded approyingly.
"For shame. papal" Esther ex-
claimed. "Iiow young and untitled /
am for such a positionl IL can do the
everyday work OF the committee shall
be glad. At least I'm determined to try
and do my share. There's one thing in
which think / can accomplish some
thing. They brought up the subject of
| horrible system of matrimonial adj
vertisements in the daily papers. Id
no idea that there was such thing at
all; but you don't know, papa, how hor-
rible it is. A member read some adyer-
tisements she had cut out this very
morning, and il seems there are the
same Lind in almost every day. She
told OF some that she had investigated
in the past, and of criminal as well ms
moral wrong connected with them. ]
am 10 look up such cases as can, and to
engage lawyer, at the clubs expense,
TO punish crime where find it. When
I'm well posted I'm going TO see the
editors of the newspapers about it,
too"
by this time Braddon was paying the
utmost possible attention.
r.. 49,. tel
advertisements than he did for John
Olmstead's millions. Ii was John Ohm
stead's nephew he was thinking of. The
moment there was pause he said:
"See here, Esther; the idea is all
right, but II is risky business for the
shrewdest man TO try and handle Grim
inals. You want the best lawyer you
can secure, and you want him at the
start. Otherwise you'll drag your club
into no end of trouble; for even Grim
inals have certain rights, which they
understand better than you, and which
IL is dangerous TO NEEDLE with or ig-
more. Now, the first thing you do, you
60 to John Olmstead's nephew. l be-
lieve he's the best lawyer of his age in
the state. He'll tell you he's too busy
to give the matter attention, but don't
let him slip. Ten minutes of his brain
work is better than an hour from most.
Take him on philanthropy. / under
stand it's something of hobby with
him. Don't you offer 10 pay him, or he
won't look at you. He can earn ten
times all that your club will pay with
half the work you viii require, but he's
forever throwing away good business
TO give his time in charity. Call il
charity. See? And il that don't work,
try moral reform. He's head and front
in dozen moral reforms. And once
you've secured him you're all right"
Following this advice, Esther cut
from the next mornings papers all
the obnoxious advertisements she
could find. She read them over with a
shudder of horror that men and women
could be so base and depraved. One
in particular, signed Malcolm" fas-
tened itself upon her mind. Thus
armed, she started, early, TO consult
that prodigy of genius and brilliant
leader in philanthropy, charity and
morality, John 0lmstead's nephew.
She knew him well enough by sight,
and doubtless Stanton had frequently
heard her name and even seen her dur
ing the brief period when he was most
in society. He might almost have seen
her yesterday, and forgotten. There
was strong similarity among women
as he saw them. He never tried TO re-
member unless they were in the wit
ness-stand.
AS Miss Braddon stepped into the cle-
vator the operator was showing another
boy an item in the Morning Herald
which intensely amused them both.
Always interested in what interested
the young, she glanced over their shout
ders, to find them absorbed in the adj
vertisement signed Malcolm" She re-
membercd it well, and new horror
chilled her TO find that even boys found
entertainment in the pernicious matter
and from il formed their notions of
what real life would he for them too,
when they were old enough to enter in.
AS she crossed the hall TO Stanton's
door, she whispered, Indignantly:
Malcolm. Herald. Uptown
She paused timidly upon the thresh-
old, fully aware OF the importance of
the man she was about TO approach,
when the Office boy came forward, re-
marking:
"Good mornin', um. Yer lookin' fur
de Mr.. Malcolm as addctised in de
Mornin' Herald, UNI? He's right In
here, um."
Before she could collect her thoughts,
the door OF the private Office had been
opened, she had entered, and IL had
closed again behind her. IL was all In
an instant, and Esther Thorndike Brad
don was face TO face with John Olm-
stead's immaculate nephew-otherwise
Malcolm.
Her first thought was to get herself
instantly away. The next suggested
that she be very sure, first, that she
was right, then fly TO her father with
news OF the clay feet of his idol. Then
n vein OF amusement crept into the