The San Francisco call., 1904-10-09
CHAPTER V.
Journeys End

II had been a day of upsettings for
David Kent, beginning with the late
breakfast at which Neltje, the night
watchman at the railway station, had
brought him Penelope's telegram.
At 10 he had a case in court: Shot
we'll VS.. Western Pacific Company,
damages for stock killing; for the
plaintiff for the defendant
Kent With the thought that he was
presently going to see ElinOr again,
Kent went gayly to the battle legal,
meaning to wiring victory out of a
jury drawn for the most part from
the plaintiffs stock raising neighbOrs.
By dint of great perseverance he man
aged to prolong the fight until the
as usual, and so far lost his temper as
to get himself called down by the
Judge, MacFarlane.
Whereupon he went back to
the Farquhar building and to
his Office and sat down at the
typewriter to pound out let
ter to the general counsel. resisning
his sinscure. The Shotwell case was
the third he had lost for the COM
pany in a single court term. Justice
for the railroad company, under pres
ent agrarian conditions, was not TO be
had in the lower courts, and he was
weary of fighting the losing battle.
In the midst of the operating the
boy that served the few occupied Of
fees in the Farquhar building had
brought the afternoon mail. 1t In
cluded letter from Loring, and there
was another reversive upheaval for
the exile Lorings business at the
capital was no longer a secret He
had been rendered the resident man
agement of the Western Pacific, with
hoad0narforc on fho Ground and had
accepted. His letter was brief note.
asking Kent to report at once for legal
duty in the larger field.
1T am not fairly in the saddle yet,
and shall not be for a week or so,'
wrote the newly appointed manager.
''But I find 1 am going to need level
headed lawyer at my elbow from the
tump-one who knows the State po-
litical ropes and isn't afraid of a
scrap. Come in on No. Three to-day,
If you can; if not, send wire and say
when I may look for you. Or, bet
ter still, wire anyway"
David Kent struggled with his emo
tions until he had got his feet down to
the solid earth again. Then he tore
up the half written resignation and be-
gan to smite things in order for the
flight. Could he make No. Three :?
Since that was the train named in
Penelope'S message, nothing short OF a
catastrophe should prevent his max
ing it.
He did make it, with an hour to
spare; an hour which he proceeded to
turn into a time of sharp trial for the
patient telegraph operator at the sta
ton, with his badgerings OF the man
for news of Number Three. The train
reported-he took it as a special
miracle wrought in his behalf that the
Flyer was for this once abreast of her
schedule-he fell to tramping up and
down the long platform, deep in an
ticipative prefigurings. The mills Of
the years grind many grists besides
the trickling stream Of the hours
would he find Miss Brentwood as he
had left her? Could he be sure Of
meeting her on the frank, friendly
footing of the Croydon summer? He
feared not; feared all things-lover-
like.
He hoped there would be no alb
sence-reared barrier to be painfully
leveled- A man among men, a leader
i'll some sort, and in battle a soldier
who could hew his way painstakingly,
IL not dramatically, to his end, David
Kent was ID. carpet knight, and he
knew his Lack. Would Elinor make
things easy for him, as she used to
daily in the somewhat difficult social
atmosphere of the exclusive summer
hotel?
Measuring it out in all its despairing
length and breadth after the fact. he
was deeply grateful to Penelope Miss
ing her ready help at the moment OF
cataclysms when he entered the sleep
ing-car, he might have betrayed him.
self. His first glance lighted on Elinor
and Ormsby. and he needed no gloss
on the love-text. He had delayed too
long; had asked too much of the fates,
and AtroDos, the scissors bearing sis
ter. had shipped his thread of hope.
1t is one of the consequences Of civili-
zation that we are denied the privilege
of unmasking at the behest of the ele-
mental emOtions-that we are con-
strained to bleed decorously. Making
shift to lean heavily on Penelope Kent
came through without doing or saying
anything unseemly. Mrs. Brentwood,
who had been sleeping with one eye
open, and that eye upon Elinor and
Ormsby, made sure that she had now
no special reason to be ungracious to
David Kent. For the others. Ormsby
was good-naturedly suave, Elinor was
by turns unwontedly kind and curious
ly silent and Penelope-but, as we say.
it was to Penelope that Kent owed
most.
So it came about that the outcome of
the cataclySm was a thing which hap
pens often enough in a conventional
l1Su WOIlu. OdNlu heIt, WIFI MS LrdS-
edy fresh upon him. dropped informally
into place as one Of the party of five;
and of all the others Penelope alone
suspected how hard he was hit And
when all was said, when the new
modus vivendi had been fairly estab-
lished and the hour grew late, Kent
went voluntarily. with Ormsby to the
smoking compartment. ito play the
string out decently," as he afterward
confessed to Loring.
Il see you know how to get the most
comfort out Of your tobacco said the
clubman when they were companion