Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-02
CHAPTER I.
Caleb Conover Receives.

into the SHOW place of Pompton avenue.
Athwart the arch's pallid face, In raised
letters a full foot in length were the words:
CALEB CNOVER. r. r.. 1893.
In the CHASTITY, garish illumination, above
the slow-moving procession of somber We
hicles. the arch and It's inscription gave
gruesome excuse for Mrs. Greer's comment.
She herself thought the phrase rather apt,
and stored 1t away for repetition.
Her husband, downy little man. curled
up miserlbly in the other corner of the
brougham, read her thought, from long ex-
perience, and twisted forward into what
he liked to think was commanding atti
tude.
Look here," he protested. You've got
to stop that. It's bad enough to have to
come here at all, without your spelling
everything with one of those Bernard Shaw
isms of yours. Why, if it ever got back
to Conovers ears"
He'd withdraw his support? And then
good-by to Congress for the unfortunate
Talbot Firth Greer?"
Just that. He'll stand all sorts of criti-
cism about his start in life. In fact, he
revels in talking of his rise to any one
who'll listen. But when it comes to guying
anything in his present exalted
What does the r. r. at the end of his
name over the gate stand for? I've seen
the inscription often enough. but
" RairOader.' He uses it sort of
title. Life for him is one long railroad,
and"
"And now we're to do him honor at the
terminus"
"If you like to put it that way. Perhaps
junction would hit it closer. 1t was awful
ly good of you. Grace, to come. /
"Of course 1t was. If l didn't want a
try at Washington I'd never have dared 1t.
1t will be in all the papers tomorrow. He'll
see to that. And then-I hate to think what
every one will say. l suppose we're the first
civilized people who ever passed under that
atrocious hanging mortuary chapel, aren't
WEI"
Hardly as bad as that. If it's any COM
fort to you, there are plenty more in the
same box as ourselves tonight
But surely everybody in Granite can't
want to run for Congress?'
mo. But enough people have axes OF
their own to grind to make 1t worth their
while to visit the Conover milestone. When
man who can float companies at word,
boom or smash a dozen different stocks,
swing the Legislature, make himself heard
from here to Washington. and carries prac-
ticaly every newspaper in the mountain
state in his vest pocket; when"
when such man whistles, there are
some people who find 1t wise not to be deaf
But what on earth does he want US for?"
THE world-old ambition that had its rise
when Cain and Abel began moving in sepa-
rate sets. The longing to butt in,' as Caleb
himself would probably call 1t. He has
everything money and political power can
give. And now he wants the only thing
And we are to help
mo. We're to let him think we help.
All the kings horses and all the kings men,
assisted by a score of Conover's own freight
derricks couldn't hoist that cad into de-
cent crowd. He's been at 1t ever since he
got his first million and married poor little
Lefty Standish. She was the fool of her
family. and a broken family at that But
still it was family. Yet 1t didn't land
Caleb anywhere. Then, when that unlocked
cub of son of his grew up, he made
another try. But you know how that turned
out. Now that his daughters captured
more or less authentic prince, suppose he
thinks the time has come Hence to-
nights"
what blow to his hopes it must have
been to have the girl marry in Paris instead
Of here at Granite, But suppose the honey
moon in America and this evenings recep-
ton are the next best thing. Are we never
to get there?'
soon enough, I'm afraid. Conover boasts
that he's laid out his grounds so that the
driveway Is measured half mile. Wen
be there in another minute or So.
Mrs. Greer laughed little nervously.
It'll be something to remember anyway,
said she Il suppose all sorts of horrible
people will be there. l read half page ac-
count of It this morning in the Star, and it
said that while the proudest families of
Granite would delight to do Mr. Conover
honor, the humber associates of political
and business life would also be present
Did you ever hear anything more delicious?
And in the Star. too
His own paper Why not? I suppose
we're the 'proudest families, and the hum
bier associates are some of the choice ret-
nue. of heelers who do his dirty work.
Lord, what a notice of it there'n be in to-
morrow's papers Washington will have
to be very much worth while to make up
for this II only l.
Hush warned Mrs. Greer. as the car
riage lurched to halt, in the pack before
great porte-cochere. We're actually here
at last See, There goes Give Standish
II ..,;rl LA
Mr. Polssen. There are few real human
beings here after all. Why do you sup
pose?
HIM commented Greer, "Polissen's
long on Interstate Canal. the route Con-
overs G.. G. & X road is threatening to
put out of business. But why young Stan
dish"
why not? Lefty Conover's own nephew.
Though | did hear he and the Conovers
were scarcely on speaking terms. He
Il fancy that's because Standish's May
flower back is too stiff to bend at the crack
OF Calebs whip. He could have made
mighty good thing of his law business If
Conover had backed him. But I under
stand he refuses to ally himself with his
great relative-in-law, and prefers good
social position and a small law practice
Rather than go to Congress-? finished
his wife with such sweet innocence that
Greer could only glare at her with haoby
helplessness. Before he could think OF an
apt retort. the brougham was at the foot
OF the endless marble steps, and Its late
occupants were passing up a wide strip OF
velvet between rows of vividly liveried foot
men.
Caleb Conover railroader, was standing
lust within the wide doorway of drawing
room that seemed to stretch away into In
hnity Behind rose an equally infinite vista
of heads and shoulders But the loudly
blended murmur of many voices that Is the
first thing to strike the ear OF arriving
tests at such functions was consplcuously
absent. The scarce-broken hush that
spread through the chain of rooms seemed
to bear out still further Mrs. Greer's NOR
tuary smile.
But the constraint in way extended to
the host himself. The strong, alert face.
with its shrewd light eyes and humorous
mouth was wreathed in welcoming smiles
that seemed to ripple in series OF waves
from the close-cut reddish hair TO the pom
derous iron jaw. The thickset form of
the railroader massive of shoulder and
sturdily full of limb was ever plunging
forward to grip some favored newcomer by
the hand. or darling to one side or the
other as he whispered instructions to serv-
ant or relative.
II congratulate you on your friends re-
pose OF manner!" whispered Mrs. Greer. as
she and her husband awaited their turn
He has all the calm self-assurance of a
jumping jack"
But there are springs of chilled steel In
- IIafa