The Washington herald., 1907-10-16
"Uhr Datnty LaAu Gury .
Ey1a19S 80 ~ -
NAgAS5 SY
Copyright, 1907. by The Washington Herald Company

the carriage for a moment to speak TO
their children. two fine boys"
1 saw them, too" said Mrs. March,
they looked quite adorable. Did Sir
Percy ask for me or send me any mes
sage2"
Senator March tried to recall.
really can't remember anything spe-
ciaI Both OF them we're most cordial,
ana Lady CarlyOn particularly said she
hoped 10 see US very soon"
Mrs. March smiled.
Sir Percy has forgotten. perhaps" she
said softly after moment, ''his first
six months in India"
On. 1 think not! He told me during
our first acquaintance all about that and
the enormous obligations he was under
TO your father. We must call and see the
Cariyons very soon, and have them here
20 dinner
Then Alicia suddenly changed the sub
lect, and began 20 ask him about his
days work
Ihere is tremendous amount of
work on hand for the committee. as there
Is great mass of information to be
mastered before one can treat intelligent
~ TINS whole railway subject, for in
stance"
Then Senator March went on to de-
scribe the pitfalls and obstacles in the
way OF certain intended legislation. con-
corning railways. Mrs. March listened
with the deepest attention, occasionally
putting in an intelligent question. Pres
entity Senator March said:
i believe you know as much about the
matter as ] do. You should be an in
terstate commerce commissioner
Alicia smiled; she rarely laughed.
mat Is the way with Englishwomen:
we accommodate ourselves 10 our bus-
bands, instead OF requiring them to mold
themselves 10 US"
1t is very pleasant way" renlied
Senator March gallantly. and then being
full Of his subject he went on talking
about It until, suddenly recalling himself
he said: You have not been for vour
drive and it is already growing dark. I
can't so with you to-day. / have a lot
more Of this business on hand in nv
study"
i don't think shall drive this after
noon, replied Mrs. March, 81 think I
shall walk for half-an-hour You wish to
De uhoisturbed until dinner?"
1es,' said Senator March going into
his own quarters.
80 minutes IdteI MIS-. March, in a
plain walking dress, with Thin bIacl,
veil over her face. went ont Of her - 90
door and when she was well around tbe
corner called a cab and gave the s5dress
OF a plain hotel in the lower part of tte
city AS she leaned back In the ram
shackie cab she drew her veil still moro
closely over her face and tried 70 collect
her thoughts for the interview which she
sought but her mind wandered To all
manner or subjects. How strange II was
that Sne, the wife of one OF the richest
men IN the Senate. with an allowance
Whlcn was fortune I'm itself, should he
al that moment harassed for money! She
never remembered the time In her life
Ih2' such had nos been the case. When
she married Senator March II was Win
the expectation that never again as Iong
as she lived would she ever want for
money, but within the year the old empti-
ness OF purse returned. Money slipped
i through her fingers she knew not how
she loved pearls and diamonds and beau
'iIui Things with an Unsuitable love. Sen
ator March had loaded her with Jewels
put she wanted more. II seemed 10 her
that wealth was not wealth If one had to
consider how it was spent. That DrIncirIa
had caused her TO spend not only a spien
did income, but had piled up debts to
which her old burdens were a mere moth.
ing The same principle of shame and
even fear that she had felt toward her
father prevented her from opening her
heart 10 her husband. the soul OF in
uulSence. There was a kind of rigid
morality about Roger March, and the
Idea that she had made debts which she
concealed from him she knew would an
pear as a crime IN her eyes. He would
OF course, pay them-Of that she fell
quite certain-but in spite of her bus-
bands love and gentleness. he had ALWAYS
inspired her with certain fear, lust rs
her father did, and Gen. Talbot wouId
know the whole story which she 50
shrank from telling. She found a curious
lack Of power in herself to stop sperd
ing money. Then came Nicholas Cole
groves opportunity.
He had seen Alicia March several times
during the first winter of her marriage
When she Immediately became one of tho
great hcstesses of Washington. Colegrove
was, by nature. social and liked as well
as any one, good dinner, a good glass
OF wine, and pretty woman on each side
or him. His position as the moving spirit
OF an association of great railways. which
some people called a conspiracy. placed
him somewhat at a disadvantage with
public men in Washington. Senator
March, however, liked COlegrove well
enough, and was by no means afraid az
him, and If Alicia March wanted to have
him at her brilliant dinners her husband
made no objection. Senator March was
chairman of the committee which u,as
dealing with COlegrove and hts associates
but so far nothing had been discovered
OF nature damaging to Colegrove or his
friends. As he good-humoredly told Sen
atOr March, the railways asked only to
be let alone; and Senator March. with
equal good humor, replied that was the
very thing that the committee did not
mean to do.
As the committee would not agree 10
let Colegrove alone, but persisted in ask
ing pTying questions, the next best thing
for him was TO find out exactly what the
committee knew, and how II proposed 10
act Alicia March was the Instrument
ready to his hand. Colegrove. who had
a vast quantity OF that seni-diyine qift
known as common-sense, was under no
illusion respecting Alicia March's in
fiuence over her husband. Senator March
was deeply devoted to his wife. but
neither she nor any other human being
who ever lived could swerve Roger March
from his duty, or cause him to betray the
smallest trust. He was not. however. on
guard against his wife, and Colegrove
knew it. When he passed the March
house late at night and saw the lights
burning in Senator March's study. and
knew that he Gas at work there with
his clerk and a stenographer, Colegrove
longed to know what they were writing.
How easy il would be for MRS. March
to make a few copies OF the letters and
memoranda, which would be immensely
useful TO the A. F. & O.! Rejecting on
this, Colegrove cultivated Mrs. March's
society. Being a. man Of acute observa-
tion. he found out some things about
Alicia March which not even her hus-
hand Lrnau He diccn,,arna H. - Ia