The Washington herald., 1907-10-16

IN ms own udliF. ne Hitit tiit Couuitiois
however, that she should not mention
it to her husband, and to this Alicia
March agreed readily enough, knowing
the transaction could not take place un-
less 1t were kept a secret from Senator
March Then money flowed into her
hands, not enough to make her inde-
pendent of CoIegrove. but enough to ease
the perpetual strain At this point Cole
grove had asked her 10 get copies Of GER
tain letters which he knew were in Sen
ator March's desk in his study At this
Alicia recoied and then refused, but
when payment was demanded for a cou-
pie Of black pearls which she had bought,
/ and her dividends from her stocks were
not forthcoming Colegrove told her plain
/ ly that he must have copies Of those
/ letters before any more money was paid.
Alicia had realized some time before
that she was playing a dangerous game.
but who fears the danger of q game as
/ long as one Is winning? 1t was ridicu-
lousy easy 10 get what Coiegrove want
ed and love for the black pearls was
| stronger in Alicia March than honor or
/ fear. Colegrove got his copies and ALI
cias stock suddenly, according TO Cole
/ grove, declared a tremendous dividend.
! ColegrOyo congratulated himself on
what he had accomplished with Mrs
/ March and incidentally was scorched.
| All men are dreameTs Of dreams, and at
/ last the dream took shape with ColegTove
/ that he should force a wedge between
/ Roger March and hts wife As for Cole
groves own wife, the fretful lady In a
/ far-aWay Western city, that was easily
/ manageable could drive her into a di-
vorce any day he liked. He was the
i last man on earth who would betray him
self. and what seemed an unguarded out
/ break Of passion for Alicia March was
! really "a carefully calculated procedure
Alicia received IL with a calmness and
| capacity TO deal with the situation which
showed him that she was no apprentice
/ In such matters She held him of, but
she did not break with him. Each was
| too useful 10 the other 10 come TO an
| open rupture and so matters had gone
on for more than three years.
/ In that time no human being. not even
! Roger March, suspected that Alicia
March and Colegrove ever met except
IN the presence Of others, and generally
/ at dinners. Nevertheless they had brief
! interviews, chiefly relating TO bills and
/ their payment. and papers were handed
!
| for considerable amounts were received
/ by Alicia These meetings generally took
place in unfrequented streets and parks
at twilight. and might easily be explain
| ed as accidental Those were not occa-
/ siOns OF sentiment, but when Alicia and
/ COlegrove met in drawing rooms, Cole
grove then said things which conveyed
/ 20 Alicia that her husband was puri-
I tanical in his ideas. which Colegrove was
| not, ana vixen she should find Poger
1 March intOlerable there was a refuge
waiting her. II seemed quite natural to
/ Alicia March 70 hear these yelled declara-
/ tions from Colegrove. She admired the
ingenuity with which he made them and
/ listened to them with a smiling c0mpOs-
/ ure, the meaning Of which not all Cole
/ groves aCuteness could discover. Alicia
! herself did not know her own feeling to-
/ ward her husband, nor had the brilliant
| life upon which she had entered acquired
/ any true sense OF reality and proportion.
/ She felt as II she were living in dream.
/ silent. changeful, exciting, but stu a
/ dream.
As the cab logged along over the streets
/ Alicia turned all these things over in her
mind. It was the first time she had
/ ever had a meeting with Colegrove which
was open TO the slightest suspicion. but
/ Colegrove had written to her that he did
/ not desire IL 10 be known that he was in
| Washington while ,he great railroad
/ legislation was pending. until he was
| called as a witness. and for that reason
he would come 10 Washington for a few
hours, stopping at a plain hotel where
/ he was not known, when he was sup
/ posed 10 be on a hunting trip In PennsyI-
vauia.
II was almost dark when she stepped
/ ont OF the cab in front Of the hotel
/ where Colegr0ve was staying. He was
/ watching for her and came down the
/ steps TO meet her. Time had dealt light
| ly with him. and he was the same strong.
/ supple, keen-eyed man Of four years be-
/ fore, with the same captivating frankness
/ OF manner, which did not reveal himself,
/ but revealed others 10 him.
| Now. he said, when Alicia and he
were in the lobby Of the little hotel, you
won't mind coming 10 my sitting room,
where we can talk privately?"
I mind very much" replied Alicia
! coolly. There must be public drawing
room somewhere about, and we can talk
! there"
Here it is" replied Colegrove, opening
| a door near by and entering a large.
showily furnished room. glarlng with gas.
But this is a very public drawing-room. 9"
said Colegrova, smiling. 'and II Is not
| 20 be supposed that Mrs March is not
known by sight 20 a great many people
! who are not on her visiting list You
| had better come 70 my sitting-room."
Without a word Alicia followed him 10
the lift and they ascended one flight.
| ColegrOve's sitting-room was a small re-
| plica of the drawing-room below.
eft Is a good Tnauv vparc sfpca 7 -
tertained lady in place like this,
but l hope you viii excuse il. don't
want your husbands committee to know
| that / am within hundred miles Of this
town. Before we begin talking business.
tell me how you have been. You are
| looking blooming. as well as I can see
under that veil"
L remembered that you told me-" was
| Alicias reply. that you must have copies
OF the correspondence. I never have any
trouble in getting, copies, but it always
makes me ashamed"
COlegrove paid no attention to the lat
! ter sentence, but stored up the first. and
thought it a lucky admission on Alicia's
part She opened the costly little bag
! which she carried in her hand, and took
out half Il dozen letters, which Colegrove
read rapidly, and with an air of satisfac-
ton. Then putting them in his breast
pocket, he said pleasantly:
BY the way, that A. F. & o. stock has
| gone sky-high, and will soon go down in
a hole in the ground. I sold a thousand
| shares of that investment of yours which
stands in my name, and here Is the money
for it. You understand why l am Obliged
TO give it to you in money instead of a
checkg'
He handed out roll Of bills, naming a
| considerable sum, and Alicia, without
counting It, put it into her bag. Cole
grove, having transacted the business
part of the interview, would have liked
| 10 have had half an hours cnn1-nrsnttnr,