Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-05-06

HERR STEINHARDTS NEMESIS
Observation-Disclosures Observation-Disclosures
BY J. MACLAREN COBBAN.

night, and L had therefore many well
come chances of being in Miss La
croix's company. / was asked several
times to dinner, and was encouraged to
find other and sundry occasions for
calling.
I On one of these occasions found
Miss Lacroix alone. After some casual
remarks I began to work toward my
purpose by alluding to Steinhardt's s
business in London.
"It will be serious thing for him."
said I-"wont tiff he should be so
unsuccessful in his defence as your
father was?"
He will not be unsuccessful as poor
father was,' answered she, with sad
shake of her beautiful head; "Mr.
Steinhardt is not scrupulous as father
was; he tells falsehoods with rude sim
plicity, like his great chancellor, and
so people think him to be all honest
truth. He will succeed in his case, I
think-I have heard him talk it to
Frank-and he will come back more
aespot than ever. Poor father!" She
leaned back, and looked sadly out over
the valley, from which rose the smoke
and sound of it's daily toll, fatigued
and forced, thought, ON that warm
summer afternoon.
81 have thought geat DEAL" said
I, seizing the opportunity her exclama-
tion afforded, "of that strange dream
you told me Of"
eyes," said she, turning with sud-
den interest.
''Do you still dream it?" I asked.
"Yes, L do; but not often now."
''It is very strange thing. Does
the dream come at any particular hour
of the night?"
"It does,' said she; "and that,
daresay, makes me think more of it.
1t always comes two or three hours
after have gone to bed. I dream it,
and then become wide awake; and after
have lain awake little always hear
the hall clock strike two-my room is
over the hall"
"And the first night you had the
dream-do you think it came then
about, the same hour?''
eyes," said she, 81 think so. But"
and she leaned forward. eager and pale,
"why do you ask me these questions?
Have you found out something from
your friends in London, perhaps? You
had heard nothing when last I asked
you, L know. Tell me--have you heard
something now?"
"No, l am sorry to say, I have not.
Still 1 do not despair, have hope 1
may learn something soon.'
ooh, what?" she eagerly demanded.
"I think" said I, "you had better
not ask me; it may only end in disap
pointment, and this matter already
preys upon you too much"
"You are very kind to me" +" said she.
My pulse beat tumultuously, and I
was on the point of saying something
rash concerning my devo~ Ion, when she
was thinking of, "But can think OF
nothing else much-I can be interested
in nothing else. 1t is very foolish of
me. but cannot help it. Mr.. Stein
hardt sometimes is rather rude to me
about it; he wants me to marry
Frank" said she, simply; "but I do
not wish to marry Frank, and Frank
does not wish to marry me. I do not
wish to think of marrying at all just
yet.
~ suppose" said I, piqued, and jeal-
Gus, too, I dare say, "Mr. Steinhardt
wants you to marry his son that he
may keep your fathers money, which
you will inherit. in his business
81 do not think " said she with a
smile, "that there is much now of poor
fathers money; Mr.. Steinhardt reckons
off it that 10000 pounds which, he
says, father lost without any cause"
''But does Mr.. Birley, your other
guardian, agree to that fraud?-for
fraud it isl ''*-"
81 do not know" said she listlessly.
"But think dear Mr.. Birley is some
how in Mr.. steinhardt's power; I think
he fears to say much"
Mr.. Steinhardt returned from London
resplendent with success and self salts
faction. He had won his case. He
had been able to lead the court to be-
lieve that he had found out for himself
the chemical process for which the
plaintiffs had taken out patent, with
this difference, that he had employed
wet method, whereas they used dry
or vice versa; do not remember which
it was. The plaintiffs were going to
carry their case to a higher court, but
he did not care for that. He called
together his friends and his neighbors
to rejoice with him, of whom I was
one; for since he got the better of me
over the lecture affair he had been as
amicably disposed as before. The din
ner was very sumptuous affair, and
Mr. Steinhardt thought himself so much
master of the situation that, 1 think,
he indulged rather mere freely in wine
than was his habit. In the drawing
room after dinner his eye was the
brightest and his talk the loudest and
most voluble. He watched his son
paying gallant little attentions to
strange young lady, while Miss Laeroix
was surrounded by the beaus of the
and he called him, in
audible asides, "Fool!" -"Idiotr
"Blockhead" At length he became
so impatient that, shouting Crank, l |
want you." he strobe out of the room. |
Frank at once arose and followed him
in evident alarm.
After some time he returned, looking |
pale and agitated. He came up to me
(I sat talking with Mr.. Birley), and to |
my great surprise said:
"Mr. Unwin, the governor wants to
speak to you in the dining room" II
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