The San Francisco call., 1904-10-23
CHAPTER XXI.
A Woman Intervenes.

Brentwood apartment house. Mother
and daughters were all on the porch,
but 1t was Mrs. Brentwood who well
coined him.
I'VE were just wondering II you
would imagine the message which Eli
nor was going to send, and didn't, and
come out to see what was wanted,
she said. II am in need of a little
legal advice Will you give me a few
minutes in the library?"
Kent went with her obediently, but
not without wondering why she had
sent for him, of all the retainable law
yers in the capital And the wonder
became amazement when she opened
her confidence. She had received two
letters from q new YORK broker who
offered to buy her railroad stock at a
little more than the market price. To
the second letter she had replied, ask
ing price ten points higher than the
market. At this the broker had ap-
parently dropped the attempted nego-
tiation, since there had been no more
letters What would Mr.. Kent advise
her to do-write again?
Kent smiled inwardly at the good
lady's definition Of legal advice" but
he rose promptly to the occasion If
he were in Mrs. Brentwood's place he
would not write again: nor would he
pay any attention whatever to any
similar proposals from any source. Had
there been any others?
Mrs. Brentwood confessed that there
had been; that firm of Boston brOk-
ers had also written her. Did Mr.. Kent
know the meaning of all this anxiety
to buy in Western Pacific when the
stock was going down day by day?
Kent took time for reflection before
he answered. 1t was exceedingly diff
ficult to eliminate the personal factor
in the equation. II all went we'll, If by
due process Of law the Transwestern
should be rescued out UI the hands Of
the wreckers. the property would be a
long time recovering from the
wounds inflicted by the cut rates and
the Guilford bad management. In con-
sequence, any advance in the market
value of the stock must be slow and
uncertain under the skillfullest hand
ling. But, while it might be advisable
for Mrs. Brentwood to take what she
could get, the transfer of the three
thousand shares at the critical mo-
ment might be the death blow to all
his hopes in the fight for retrieval.
Happily, he hit upon the expedient
of shifting the responsibility for the
decision to other shoulders.
Il scarcely feel competent to ad-
wise you in matter which Is personal
rather than legal" he said at length.
Have you talked it over with Mr..
Ormsby?"
Mrs. Brentwood's reply was openly
ccntemptuous.
.'Brookes Ormsby doesn't know any
thing about dollars. You have to ex-
press it in millions before he can grasp
1t. He says for me not TO sell at any
price"
Kent shook his head.
81 shouldn't put it quite so strongly.
At the same time, 1 am not the person
TO advise UOI1S
The shrewd eyes looked up at him
quickly.
Would you mind telling me why.
Mr. Kent? ?"
Not in the least. am an inter
ested party. For weeks Mr.. Loring
and have been striving by all means
to prevent transfers of the stock from
the hands of the original holders.
don't want to advise you to your hurt;
but to tell you to sell might be to undo
all that has been done"
Then you are still hoping to get the
railroad out of Major Guilford's
hands? ?"
Yes"
"And in that case the price OF the
stock will go up again."
THAT Is just the difficulty. 1t may
be- a long time recovering"
'Do(you think the sale of my three
thousand shares would make any diff
16rence!' she asked.
There is reason to fear that 1t
would make all the difference"
She was silent for time, and when
she spoke again Kent realized that he
was coming to know an entirely un-
suspected side of Elinor's mother.
"It makes 1t pretty hard for me-"
she said slowly. This little drib OF
railroad stock is all that my girls have
left out of what their father willed
80 do IT, said David Kent, frankly;
"and for the same reason.
Mrs. Brentwood confined herself to
a dry "Why?"
Because 1 have loved your elder
daughter we'll and truly ever since that
summer at the foot Of Old Croydon,
Mrs. Brentwood, and her happiness
nearly"
You are pretty plain-spoken. Mr..
Kent. 1 suppose you know Elinor Is
to be married to Brookes Orrnsby?"
Mrs. Brentwood was quite herself
again.
Kent dexterously equivocated.
Il know they have been engaged
for some time" he said; but the small
quibble availed him nothing.
which one Of them was 1t told you
It was broken of 2" she inquired.
He smiled in spite of the increasing
gravity of the situation.
You may be sure 1t was not Miss
Elinor."
"Humph" said Mrs. Brentwood.
"She didn't tell me, either. Twas
Brookes Ormsby, and he said he want
ed to begin all over again, or some
thing OF that sort. He is nothing but
foolish boy, for all his hair is getting
thin
He is very honorable man." said
Kent.
Because he is giving you another
chance? I don't mind telling you plain
ly that 1t won't do any good. Mr..
Kent
Why?" he asked in his turn.
For several reasons-One Is that Eli
nor will never marry without my con-
sent; another is that she can't AFFORD
to marry poor man."
Kent rose.
Il am glad to know how you feel
about 1t. Mrs. Brentwood; nevertheless.
l shall ask you to give your consent
some day, God willing"
He expected an outburst Of some sort