Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-04-08

for the first time. He rose and angriiy
rang the bell. Presently we went in to
dinner. /, of course, sat next to him
on his right, and noticed with some Gu
riosity, as he carved, that his hands
seemed encased in very fine lemon
colored gloves: a second look assured
me that they were merely stained.
His sons hands were similar, but of
deeper hue. For the first time it oe-
CURED to me that my host was the lord
of the Chemical Dye Works.
'They were your works, suppose,
M. Steinhardt," said, tthat I passed
after entering the villagef''
I was alone on my side of the table,
and had to speak to him, or be silent.
eyes," said he, rather abruptly.
Then after pause, "You came by that
road then.?"
So related how 1 had lost my way,
and how had been struck Il did not
say, "disagreeably'') with the impress
sion of ferocious energy my first view
of the valley gave me.
'Ferocious energy" he repeated,
with smile, looking at me as if he
liked the phrase, and thought the bet
ter of me for having uttered it. 'sIt Is
a great place for industry, and it will
be greater yet"
asked him how it happened that a
large mill was unused and falling in
ruins.
"That is mine," he answered. est
is unlucky. It was spinning mill; +;
once one of the floors fell through, kill
ing many people, and twice it was
burned, all in 10 years-yes, all in 10
years"
"And today it seems to have added
to its work of killing" He looked at
me. "You have not heard, perhaps"
/ said
"What?''
related what had seen and heard.
''Have you heard of this?" he asked,
glancing from one to another.
No; None of them had heard.
ST must see to it," he said, and
stirred as if he would set out at once
but he added, latter dinner"
And after dinner he set out; and I
thought better of him than I had at
first been disposed to do because of his
kindly feeling, though it were only for
pigs.
In the drawing room, however, I was
struck with the altered manners of the
family in the temporary absence of it's
head. Mrs. Steinhardt was gossipy
and kind-even motherly; Frank threw
off his awkwardness and shyness, and
delighted me with his skill on the
piano; while Mademoiselle Lacroix was
very bright and winsome. Yet, now
conversing with her and now observing
her (when, for instance, she sat near
Frank at the piano), 1 could not but
remark that look of sadness over
spread her sweet face-of sadness, and
as Of anA Aiousiy waiting for something
or some one-whenever she was left to
her own thought. This expression I
was able to account for satisfactorily
very soon.
We had been some time in the draw
| ing room when the door bell sounded a
loud peal, and at once I saw that sub
dued expression of patient waiting on
Miss Lacroix's face fash up into one of
eager expectancy. For a moment she
looked at the door with her pale face
gone paler. and listened with quick ear,
till she heard the voice of the visitor,
when her eager hope collapsed and sank
into deeper sadness than before. 1t
was rich, CHEEKY voice I heard come
from the hall.
SIS tn new parson Gomez" it asked
of some one.
"That's Jim," said Mrs. Steinhardt
with laugh-''my brother"
This, then, was the gentleman who
had come to smoke pipe. He en-
tered-a tall, stout, ruddy Englishman,
gone somewhat grey. He at once took
possession of the room and of the per.
sons in it.. His bright and ample pres
ence extinguished the gaudy, gorgeous
furniture, and his voice, instinct with
humor and un-seff-cors eiousness, filled
the void which usually reigned in that
| room.