Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1906-11-10

! nau SHOWN MIN tnaJ the wall street
game is played always with marked
cards, and that the only hope OF Win
ming Is TO get the confidence of the
card-markers, unless you are big
enough to become card-marler your
self.
AS soon as he got the money from
my teller that day, he was rushing
away. l followed him to the door
that part of my suite opened out on
the sidewalk, for The convenience of
my crowds of customers. I'm Just
going to lunch" said l. Come with
me-"
He looked uneasily toward a smart
little one-horse brougham at the curb.
"Sorry-but l can't" said he. I've
my sister with me. She brought me
down in her trap"
That's all right said /; bring
her along. Well go to the Savarin."
And / locked his arm in mine and
started toward the brougham.
He was turning all kinds of colors,
and was acting in way that puzzled
me-then. Despite all my years in
New York l was ignorant of the elab-
crate social distinctions that had
grown up in its Fifth avenue quarter.
| knew, of course, that there was a
fashionable society and that some of
the most conspicuous of those in it
seemed unable to get used to the idea
of being rich and were in state of
great agitation over their own inn
portance. Important they might be,
but not to me. | knew nothing of
their careful gradations of snobbism
the people to know socially, the
people to know in a business way, the
people to know in ways religious and
philanthropic, the people to know for
the fun to be got out of them, the
people to pride oneself on not know
ing at all; the nervousness, the hys-
terra about preserving these disgust
ing gradations. All this, l say, was
an undreamed-of mystery to me, who
gave and took liking in the sensible,
self-respecting American fashion. So
| didn't understand why Sam, as /
almost dragged him along, was STAN
mering: THANK you-but-I-she-
the fact is, We really must get up
town"
BY this time l was where / could
look into the brougham. A glance
l can see much at glance, as can
any man who spends every day Of
every year in an all-day fight for his
purse and his life, with the blows COM
ing from all sides. l can see much
at a glance; / often have seen much;
l never saw more than just then. In
stantly, made up my mind that the
Ellerslys would lunch with me.
You've got to eat somewhere" said
l, in a tone that put an end to his at
tempts to manufacture excuses. 'Tn
be delighted to have you. Don't make
up any more yarns"
He slowly opened the door, Anita"
said he, "Mr. Blackjack. He's invited
us to lunch"
1 lifted my hat, and bowed. l kept
my eyes straight upon hers. And it
gave me more pleasure to look into
them than l had ever before got out
of looking into anybody's. | am pas
sionately fond of flowers, and of chill
|
both. Or. rather, it seemed to me that
what l had seen, with delight and
longing, incomplete In their freshness
and beauty and charm, was now be-
fore me in the fullness. I felt like
saying to her: Il have heard of you
often. The children and the flowers
have told me you were coming" Per-
haps my eyes did say 1t. At any rate,
she looked as straight at me as l at
her, and l noticed that she paled .
little and shrank-yet continued to
look, as II were compelling her. But
her voice, beautifully clear, and lin
gering in the ears like the resonance
OF the violin after the bow has swept
it's strings and lifted, was perfectly
selfpossessed, as she said to her
brother: THAT will be delightfully."-
you think we have time"
saw that she, uncertain whether
he wished to accept, was giving him
chance to take either course. He
has time-nothing but time," said l.
His engagements are always with
people who want to get something out
of him. And they can wait" / pre-.
tended to think he was expecting mo
to enter the trap; got in, seated my
self beside hex, said to Sam: 'Ive
saved the little seat for you. Tell
your man to take us to the Equitable
building-Nassau street entrance"
/ talked a good deal during the firsc
half of the nearly two hours We were
together-partly because both Sam
and his sister seemed under some sort
of strain, chiefly because l was deter
mined to make a good impression. /
told her about myself, my horses, my
house in the country, my yacht.
! tried to show her | wasn't an ignor-
anus as TO books and art, even if
hadn't been to college. She listened,
while Sam sat embarrassed. You
must bring your sister down to visit
me-" / said, finally. I'll see that you
! both have the time of your lives.