The San Francisco call., 1904-10-09

quire time, at least. And time, with d
Bucks majority tinkering with corpor
ate rights in the Assembly, might we'll
be precious.
Forgive me if l tell Ormsby first"
he pleaded. ''Afterward, if you care to
know, you shall"
Miss Van Brock let him go at that.
but now the way TO the smoking den
en- the floor above was hedged up. He
did battle with the polite requirements.
as a man must; shaking hands or eX-
changing a word with one and another
of the INSTRUCTORS only as he had TO.
None the less, when he had finally
wrought his way to the sInoking-roon
Ormsby had eluded him again.
He went back to the parlors wonder
ing how he had missed the clubman.
In the middle room of the suite be
found Portia chatting with Marston,
the Lieutenant Governor; and young
woman in the smartest of reception
gowns had succeeded TO ElinoT's place
at the piano.
You found him?" queried the hos
tess, excusing herself to the tall,
saturnine man who had shared the
honors at the head of the Peoples
party ticket with Jasper c. Bucks,
No" said Kent. Have you seen
him?"
why, yes; they all came to take
leave just a few moments after you
left me. thought of telling Mr.. Orms-
by you were looking for him, but you
shut me off so simplify"
Miss Van Brock What have you
done? | must go at once
Really? l am complimented But
if you must, you must, l suppose. /
had something to tell you-something
Of Importance; but / can't remember
what it was now. / never can remem-
Der things in the hurry of leave-tak-
ings"
As we have intimated, Kent had
hitherto found Miss Portals con-
fidences exceedingly helpful in a bust
ness way, and he hesitated. Tell me,
he begged
mo. 1 can't remember it: I doubt
if / shall ever remember it unless you
can remind me by telling me why you
are so desperately anxious to find Mr..
Ormsby.''
4 wonder if you hold everybody up
like this he laughed. But 1 don't
mind telling you. Western Pacific pre-
ferred has gone to fifty-eight and a
half
And Mr.. Ormsby has some to sell?
/ wish I had. Do you know what I'd
do?" She drew closer and laid hand
on his arm. I'D sell-by wire-to-
night; at least, I'd make sure that my
l6lCS1 all NOulQ De the III st lHlIS lily
broker would lay his hands on in the
morning
"On general principles, suppose,
so should l. and for the same reason.
But have 1 succeeded in reminding
you of that thing you were going to
tell me?"
Not wholly; only partly. You said
this matter of Mr.. Ormsby's concerned
Miss Brentwood-in a way-didn't
you?'
You will have your pound of flesh
entire, won't you? The stock is hers,
and her mothers and sisters. l want
Ormsby to persuade them to sell.
They'll listen to him. That is all; all
the ALL
"Of course" she said. airily. How
simple of me not to have been able
to add it up without your help. 1
saw the quotation in the evening pa
per; and l know, perhaps, better
than you do. the need for haste. Must
you go now?" She had taken his
arm and was edging him through the
press in the Darlors toward the en-
trance hall.
You haven't paid me yet" he OBJ
jected.
No; I'm trying to remember oh.
yes I have it now. Wasn't some
one telling me that you were interest
ed in House bill 29?'
They had reached the dimly lighted
front vestibule. and her hand was still
on his arm.
Il was interested in it," he ad-
mitted, correcting the present to the
past tense.
But after it went to the House
Committee on Judiciary you left it to
more sl1illful or perhaps we'd better
say to less scruDulouS hands" ?"
Il believe you are a witch. Is there
anything you don't know?"
Plenty of things. For example, l
don't exactly know how much it cost
our good friends of the vested inter-
committee-room. But l do know
they made IL very foolish bargain"
Beyond all doubt most demoral-
iZing bargain, which, to say the best
of it. was only choice between two
evils. But why foolish -
"Because-well, because mislaid
things have d way of turning UP un-
expectedly you know, and"
He stopped her in a sudden gust of
feverish excitement
Tell me what you mean in one
word. Miss Van Brock. Don't those
fellows intend to stay bought?'
She smiled pityingiy.
You are very young. Mr.. David
or very honest. Supposing those fell
bers ot the Committee on Judiciary,
had Il little plan of their own; plan
suggested by the readiness of certain
of their opponents to rush into print
with statements which might derange
things?"
Il am supposing it with all my
might
'1That is right; we are only sup
posing, you must remember. We
may suppose their idea was to let
the excitement about the amend
ed bill die down; 10 let people
generally, and one fercely honest
young corporation attorney in particu-
lar, have time TO forget that there was
such a thing as House bill 29.
And in such a suppostional case,
how much would they be surprised and
how they would laugh in their sleeves
if some ore came along and paid them
handsomely for doing precisely what
they meant to do"
David Kent's smile was almost fero-
cious.
MY argument is as good now as it
was in the beginning: they have yet
to reckon with the man who Will dare
to, expose them.''
She turned from him and spoke to