Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-06

eyes rested on a wicker table where there
We're books and a little sewing basket,
which 1T wrung his heart to see.
Folks are all off somewhere. The Whip
pies are in town. Grants gone sailing and
Evelyns out visiting attending push
of some kind up the shore; but I guess 1
know when I've got a good thing You
don't catch me gadding into town when
I've got a cool place to sit" He stretched
his short legs comfortably. II hope you'll
smoke cigar If you've got one. They've
cut mine off, and Evelyn won't let me keep
any around; thinks they'd be too much of a
temptation"
IT'S just as well to keep away from
temptation said John, not thinking of
cigars. The s ght of Porter and the men
ton of Clarkson brought his inconsistencies
to an acute stage.
Il suppose our old friend Margraves en-
joying himself running the Traction Com
pany by this time continued Porter
well. sir; I guess he can have it.
thought for a while that 1 wanted 1t my
SELF but Fenton talked me out of 1t. It will
pay. If they run 1t right; yes, sir; it's a
good thing. But the trouble with Mar
grave is that he won't play square. It
amt in him. He's so crooked that they'll
stock; I guess it'll tax the manufacturer to
his full capacity to fit Tim. But he seems
| to have those Transcontinental people on
the string, and they're smart fellows. too
reckon Margrave's handy man for them
They used to say l was crooked'-hs
twirled his straw hat. and changed the
position Of his legs; but guess that for
pure sinuosity I was never in Tim Mar
graves class. Well. Tins a good enough
| fellow when alps said and donev'
'"They say Of him that he always stands
by his friends said John. "And that's
| a good deal"
''That's right. It's whole lot" Porter
assented.
There were some details connected with
| the final transfer Of the Traction Company
! to Margrave's syndicate which Porter had
| not fully understood, or which Fenton had
purposely kept from him; and he pressed
John for new light on these matters John
! answered or parted as he thought wiscst.
| He was surprised to find how completely
| Porter had freed himself from busiress:
the sometime banker talked of Clarkson at
I fairs with an accentuation Of the past
tense, as II to wave them all away as far
as possible. Events in themselves did not
interest him particularly but he took a
mildly patronizing tone in philosophizing
about them. He drew from John the fact
that most Of the property of the Neponset
Trust Company In the Trans-Missouri re-
gion had been sold.
That's good. I guess you've done pretty
well for them, Saxton. But hope we
shant lose you from Clarkson. We need
young men out there; and I guess we've
got as good town as there is anywhere
I'm sure of that" said John: and he
rose to go.
I'm sorry the rest of them are not
here said Porter Evelyn ought to have
| been home before this. But you must come
again. Come out and try the golf course
and have dinner with us any time. I'm
playing q little myself this summer. Eve
lyn and Grant can outdrive me all right,
but they're not in 1t with me on putting.
I'm one Of the warmest putters en- the
Inks You can find the shore path this
way" He led John to an exit at the rear
Of the house. where there was an old apple
orchard AFTER you pass the lighthouse
you come to a road that leads right into
the village"
John left his greetings for the rest Of
the household and turned away. It had
all happened much more easily than he had
expected. He had burned all his bridges
behind him now; he would mail his letter
In the village; not that 1t would be deliv-
cred any sooner, but because 1t fell In with
his spirit of renunciation that 1t should go
hence with the Orchard Lane postmark.
He took 1t from his pocket and carried 1t
In his hand. He found the walk very pleas
ant, with the rough shore of the bay on one
hand and pretty villas on the other. Or
chard Lane was not wholly q fiction of
nomenclature. There were veritable lanes
that survived the coming Of fashion and
wealth. and spoke OF simpler times on these
gether straight but described a tortuous
line past the lighthouse which crouched on
point Of the bay. There was train at
o'clock: It was now 8, and he loitered along.
stopping often to look out upon the sea. A
group OF people was gathered about a tea
table on the eloping lawn In front of one Of
the houses. The colors OF the Women's
dresses were bright against the dark green.
It was gay company; their laughter