The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1907-08-21

pequa. The financier eyed her for a
moment In silence as If trying to
gauge the strength of the personality
Of this audacious young woman, who
had dared to criticise his business
methods in public print then. waving
her to a seat near his desk, he said:
Wont you sit DOWN."
THANK you," murmured Shirley. She
sat down, and he took his seat at the
other side of the desk, which brought
them face to face. Again inspecting
the girl with a close scrutiny that made
her cheeks burn, Ryder said:
'T rather expected BE stopped for
a moment as II uncertain what to say;
then he added, You're younger than 1
thought you were, Miss Green; much
younger"
"Time will remedy that" smiled Shir-
ley. Then, mischievously, she added:
II rather expected to see Mrs. Ryder"
There was the faintest suspicion Of a
smile playing around the corners Of
the piutocrat's mouth as he picked up a
book lying on his desk and replied:
Eyes. she wrote you, but WANTED
10 see you about this"
Shlrley's pulse throbbed faster, but
she tried hard to appear unconcerned
as she answered:
"Oh, my booki Have you read itf'
81 have" replied Ryder slowly, and,
fixing her with stare that was begin
ming to make her uncomfortable, he
went on: mo doubt your time is val
liable, so I'll come right to the point.
1 want to ask you, Miss Green, where
you got the character of your central
fgure-the Octopus, as you call him
John BroderlckT
From Imagination, of course" an
swered Shirley.
Ryder opened the book, and Shirley
noticed that there were several pas
sages marked. He turned the leaves
over in silence for a minute or two,
and then he said:
you've sketched a pretty big man
here"
eyes," assented Shirley; che has big
possibilities, but 1 think he makes very
small use of them"
Ryder appeared not to notice her
commentary, and, still reading the
book, he continued:
ION page % you call him the worlds
greatest indlvidualized potentlality, a
giant combination of materlallty, men
tality and money-the greatest exem-
plar Of individual human will in ex-
istence today And you make indom-
table will and energy the keystone Of
his marvellous success. Am 1 right"
He looked at her questioningly.
"Qulte right" answered Shirley.
Ryder proceeded:
"On page &c you say the machinery
Of his money making mind typifes the
laws Of perpetual unrest. 1t must go
on relentlessly, resistlessly, ruthlessly
making money, making money, and
continuing to make money. 1t cannot
stop until the machinery crumbles.'
Laying the book down and turning
sharply on Shirley, he asked her blunt
ly:
"Do you mean to say that / couldn't
stop tomorrow if 1 wanted to-"
She affected to not understand him.
"You?" she inquired in a tone of sur
prise.
"Wen, it's a natural question" STAN
mered Ryder, with a nervous little
laugh. Every man sees himself in
the hero of a novel just as every wO-
man sees herself in the heroine. We
are all heroes and heroines in our own
eyes. But tell me what's your private
opinion of this man. You drew the
character. What do you think Of him
as a type-how would you classify
him?"
"As the greatest criminal the world
has yet produced,"' replied Shirley
without a moments hesitation.
The financier looked at the girl in
unfeigned astonishment.
"CriminalY' he echoed.
Eyes, criminal" repeated Shirley de-
cisively HE is avarlce, egotism and
ambition incarnate. He loves money
because he loves power, and he loves
power more than his fellow man."
Ryder laughed uneasily. Decidedly
this girl had opinions of her own which
she was not backward to express.
isn't that rather strongT" he asked.
II don't think So" replied Shirley.
Then quickly she asked: But what
does 1t matter? No such man exists"
mo, Of course not" said Ryder, and
he relapsed into silence.
Yet while he said nothing the pluto
crat was watching his visitor closely
from under his thick eyebrows. She
seemed supremely unconscious Of his
scrutiny. her aristocratic, thoughtful
face gave no sign that any Interior mo-
tive had actuated her evidently very
hostile attitude against him. That he
was in her mind when she drew the
character of John Broderick there was
no doubt possible. No matter how she
might evade the Identification, he was
convinced he was the hero of her book.
Why had she attacked him so bitterly7
At first 1t occurred to him that black
mail might be her object. She might