Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28
CHAPTER II.
A Furry in Hearts.


and heNsmile that lights on the frst-born
babe. Miss Rossiter's smile might or might
not belong to the former category, but
whether. in any event. the heavenly host
beheld 1t with jaundiced eye remains
hypothetical proposition. Mr.. Richard
Strong being of the earth. saw in it some
thing supernal without pausing to analyze
whether it conveyed a promise or covert
encouragement. He had dealt In some VAL
| liable commodities. but womans smile
her smflei-was unknown quantity and
he knew not by what standard to gauge
It.
AS he turned from the house. continuing
ms walk, his thoughts Travelled RETROSPECT
tlveiy, accommodating. classifying after his
wont, all the scanty data of their brief ac-
quaintance. A ow-do-you-do2 at Mrs
Trainings; clear, musical voice rising
ABOVE the bibble-babble brown eyes that
looked at him as he liked to look at people
straight. deep: the impression of an erect
PROUD inquire, though light and Youthful
Who are the Rossiters?" he had said to
| turned t'"o
| -. The Rossiters?' that lady had replied.
have a list of ancestors as far back a q
| the Dutch pirates who scuttled the Snan-
| lsh treasure ships"
At Miss Van Dolsen's there had been a
| rev more words. conventional, yet well re-
membered
Il believe l met you once before Mr.
| Strong-at Mrs. Fannng's l think"
SITTER - -'-''' i'o'
How delightful-to be always positive,
lou nave the reputation of being a posi-
| tive man. Perhaps you are one of those
! VINO believe men are always sure while
women only think or guess"
| Perhaps our first meeting impressed me
more than it did you
Perhaps '--indifferently
| 1hat mad been about all: little more
| put nothing of moment. Slender data for
| Mr.. Richard Strong to ponder over. he
| who was Unsuitable for details, Later Mr.
Rossiter had said: 1T is my daughters az
| fair; not mine
MIR. Strong knew how to deal with men.
but not with women For the first time in
many years he had been at loss what to
| do. He might compel the market; he might
compel competition to step aside; he might
| compel trunk lines to sell out, but he could
not compel woman's inclination. 1t was
TOO intangible, subtle and delicate a COM
modify for his strong grasp: he might reach
| for 1t forever yet never touch it; his hand
would close on air. This had been the bur
den OF his thoughts as he walked by her
house once day.
But suddenly new factor had altered
| the tenor of the situation. The PROPOSE
ton that had Of late seemed dubious-so
dubious he had almost abandoned all hope
| of Alnaschar. From Miss Rossiter at Mrs
Tanning s-cold, proud.-to Miss Rossiter in
the window, became space abruptly span
ned by a rainbow
He came to himself with start, finding
that he stood at the head Of the street: the
Lombard street of the rocky isle that bears
on its crest the aff1uent city. Clang, clang
| tolled the bells of Trinity. For the mo-
ment, the first time almost in his career,
his office was distasteful to him, and he
who always turned to the left into the
thoroughfare that is the golden artery of
the heart of the western world, now wheel
ed to the right. where beneath the shadow
of the spire slept those who cared not for
the heavy or the light purse, or the loaves
and the fishes.
Here, in Gods acre. the bobolink and the
robin were singing merrily. Bird songs and
the fragrance of fiowers-what had they for
Richard Strong? Now, If 1t had been the
gentle Haileck: he who mixed stocks with
poetry, and poetry with stocks! But Rich
ard Strong! Yet he sat there; aye sat and
listened! And dreamed, perhaps dreamed
of kfnsmen and kinswomen gone; of life
and death; the battle of the strong; the
light of love. sun shining on the field of
strife. One hour he remained in the church.
yard; no more. no less. for he arose when
from the "undaunted steeple" came the
tolling anew.
Clang! clang! Work! work." said the
brazen bells.
Counting the dead men, Richard7" said
a voice at his elbow as he was leaving the
burial ground.
For an instant he felt Disconnected; guilt
liy culpable There is no need of looking
for them here in the cemetery. commo-
dore." he replied confronting his oues.
TONER Since you twisted the tall of fine
Legislature. they're all in Albany"
AT TINS reference to the famous Harlem
corner the others eyes sparkled: the ends
more aggressively beyond the aepressiye
whiskers that adorned the sides of hi. o.
gressive, round bluff face.
we did disturb them leetle, Richard"
word and needed a leetle dressing down"
But later Mr. Vanderbilt said to his old
friend. John Tobin, the one-time gate
keeper at Staten Island: John. 1 saw
you suppose he was there thinking about r
Dunno" answered Tobin Got a right
to be there, guess"
He didn't look. john as If he was trying
upi' ~ "a ''''''S''"es' something
Then we're likely to hear of It," an
swered Tobin. philosophicaly.
Along the street where Captain Kidd and
Benedict Arnold once had lived where
George Washington had taken the oath of
office and the stamp act Congress had as
sembled, Richard Strong walked with quick
firm step, threading procession of peo-
pie which at this hour thronged the side
walk. Clerks. alert. and clerks, heavy
eyed-from the concert saloons the night
before-mingled with the broker brisk as
bee, and the old Spectator, hobbIing on
his cane. The professional distributors OF
tips" the waits and estrays from the
bubblfng pot of finance. rubbed elbows with
Plutus and Midas; wealth walked before
or behind, poverty; and see, amid ALL strobe
wisdom and Learning, the benign, the COM
PLEASANT Greeley. Scamps and runagates;
saints and sinners; good men and bad men
all merging in a common channel, like
shoal OF minnows scurrylng toward a feed
ing ground!
But short distance and Richard Strong
reached an unpretentious building, his place
OF business. Here modest offices. nearly
opposite the treasurys marble 'front.' looked
down on the busiest spot Of all that busy
neighborhood where Jews and Gentiles
most were wont to throng for trade and
latest speculation" Entering his own pri-
vate ONCE. Richard Strong plunged at once
into his work. Upon a table mass of
documents and maps were arranged with
some semblance of order, and over these
he bent. glancing rapidly through the for
mer and keenly at the latter. finally lean
ing back with decision in his chair and
touching bell.
A tall thin man. with a hooked nose
Roman but not Hebraic struggling white
hair and the unruffied smile of child. re-
dnd ofo lat <rIx