Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-11-12
A WOMAN AT THE
 BOTTOM
By PERCY CHAMBERLAIN
Copyright. lpos. by naily Story Pub. oo.>

M EVER were the spacious parlors of
 IN the Vanderhoffs more brilliant, nor
 never had they held gayer throng. To look upon the gorgeous assemblage no
 one outside the charmed circle of the
 Four Hundred would suspect that it had been Black Friday" on Wall street.
 It was useless to designate which partic-
 ular Black Friday" there have been so
 many of them and all so much alike that it really makes no difference which
 particular year it was.
 It Is a fact, however, that beneath the l immaculate shirt bosoms of the male sec ton of the guests there were many leaden
 hearts and many more sick with ap
 prehension and mad with the necessity of acting & part in the passing show when wild to be spending the golden moments alone with figures and plans for the feared tomorrow. But 1t was necessary above all things to appear calm and unperturbed and so the even ing was rather gayer than usual because forced gayety is always more emphatic and aggressive than the real sort.
 l In the conservatory apart from the feverish life of the parlors, two young 1 people were engaged in earnest | conversation. One was a beautiful girl with reddish, auburn hair. features like a Greek goddess and a figure to rave l over. The other was & manly young fellow in his early twenties, we'll set up, fine looking and with that perfect carriage which betokens the gentleman born. Hs
 Edith" the young man was saying, 'T have been very foolish. Tn the hope of making fortune sufficient to war rant our marriage have lost every dol- lar of my patrimony I am practically penniless. The Wall street fever was too much for me. did not intend to-but' have succumbed. I have no right to hold you to your promise longer. re- lease you-God knows what it costs me to say 1t, but release you" !.
 The clear laugh of the girl interrupt ed him. Don't be melodramatic, Gerald, please" she said, "I don't know any thing about your horrid business, and never knew anybody in our set to starve. told you that loved you, and while don't anticipate taking in washing or anything of that sort, think we can get along without all the luxuries we have been accustomed to-"
 He led her back to the ball room ra- diant and fortified against the struggle he knew was coming. During the even- ing he looked up his friend Vernon Nor dyke of the same set and driven from the same necessity that faced him-the necessity of one born to the Four Hun dred, but left with small patrimony-to face the world, to go out and labor in the world of commercialism, his friend and companion since boyhood and now his colleague in the great brokerage office of Durand, Durand & Durand. ~
 "Vern," he said, q want to tell you something, so there will be no chance for a mistake. have been fool and got caught in the slump. This afternoon found I had to cover quick to try to save myself. I couldn't get to my safety deposit box and convert my securities quick enough, so did most indiscreet thing. took $15, ,000 In A. T. & S. bonds from the box and used them to cover with. That Is the same thing have my money invested In. I did not go beyond the limit and I will get my bonds in the vault the first thing in the morning. I only speak of 1t to you, old man, so if anything should happen for 8 minute in the morning you will understand"
 If Gerald Fuller could have seen the look of malevolent hatred and triumph which passed upon the face of his friend he would not have slept so we'll that night. He knew, to be sure, that Mor- dyke had been lover of his f1ancee, but 1t had been years,ago and it was all set- tied now. It had been fair fight and Gerald in his simple gentleman's soul saw no reason why there should be a grudge. But there was, as he was to find on the morrow.
 The next morning things were so busy at Durand, Durand & Durand's s that Full le1 had no opportunity to slip out to get his securities from the safety deposit box before noon. Long before that, how 1 ever his friend" Mordyke had time to get in his perfect work and there was a quiet examination of the vaults by one of the Durands, with the result that the absence of the securities was noted, and just as Fuller was stepping out for lunch, he was tapped on the shoulder by an officer and placed under arrest. He saw at once the terrible position he was placed in and the futility of ex- plantations. A weaker man would have gone to pieces, but Gerald Fuller came of the Fullers, whose line extended back as far as there was any local history. | The blue blood which flowed in his veins had the real quality With full ap- preciation of all the horror the crisis 1neant-to him. to his honored mama, and most of all, to Edith-he never wa veRed, nor begged. His motives had | been absolutely honest: no such possi- bility had even suggested itself to him 1 but he saw at once the hopelessness of trying to explain. He sent for the old 1 family lawyer and explained it to him. It was a time, however, of embezzle- l ments and breaches of trusts and em- ployers were inclined to be merciless in making examples