Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-11-12

Bansemer, irritated on perceiving that
the other was engaged In his exasper-
ating habit Of rubbing his hands to-
gether, did no. answer, but merely
Numbered out. Twill you stop. thatT
There was a faint suggestion Of the
possibility Of transition of the hands
to claws as broom abruptly desisted,
but smilingiy vent on:
"Some day the other shark will get
the better of you, and you'll have moth
ing to fall back on. You've been build
ing on mighty slim foundations. There
isn't sign of support If the worst
comes to the worst" he chuckled.
'Tt's large world, Droom," said his
employer easily.
"And small also, according to another
saying" supplemented broom. when
mans down. everybody kicks him.
I'm afraid you could not survive the
kicking"
broom grinned so diabolically as
again he resumed the rubbing Of his
hands that the other turned away, with
an OATH and closed the door to the in
side Office. Bansemer was alone and
where Droom's eyes could not see him,
but something told him that the grin
hung outside the door for many min
utes, as If waiting for chance to pop
in and tantalize him.
Bansemer was good looking man of
the coarser mold-the kind of man that
merits a second look In passing, and
the second look is not always in his
favor. He was thirty-ive years of age,
but looked older. His face was hard
and deeply marked with the lines of in
tensity. The black eyes were fascinat-
ing In their brilliancy, but there was
cruel, savage light In their depths. The
nose and mouth were clean cut and
pitiless in their very symmetry. Short
ly after leaving college to hang out his
single he had married the daughter
of minister For two years her sweet
influence kept his efforts along the
righteous path, but he writhed beneath
the yoke of poverty. His pride suffered
because he was unable to provide her
with more of the luxuries Of life. In
his selfish way he loved her. Failure
to advance made him surly and Ill tenn
pered, despite her amiable efforts to
tighten the shadows around their little
home. When the baby boy was born
to them and she suffered more and
more from the unkindness of privation
James Bansemer, by nature an agrees
sor, threw off restraint and plunged
into the traffic that soon made him in
famously successful She died, how
ever, before the faint of his duplicity
touched her, and he, even in his grief,
felt thankful that she never was to
know the truth.
At this time Bansemer lived in COM
fort at one of the middle class board
ing houses uptown, and the boy was
Just leaving the kindergarten for a
private school. Bansemer's calloused
heart had one tender chamber, and In
It dwelt the little lad with the fair
hair and gray eyes Of the woman who
had died.
Late one November afternoon just
before Bansemer put on his light top
coat to leave the Office for the day
broom tapped on the glass panel Of
the door to his private Office. Usually
the clerk communicated with him by
signal. floor button by which he
could acquaint his master with much
that he ought to know, and the visitor
in the outer Office would be none the
wiser. The occasions were rare when
he went so far as to tap on the door
Bansemer was puzzled and stealthily
listened for sounds from the other
side. Suddenly there came to his ears
the voices Of women, mingled with
Droom's suppressed but always rau-
cous tones.
Bansemer opened the door. Looking
into the outer Office, he saw broom
swaying before two women, rubbing
his hands and smiling One Of the
women carried a small babe In her
arms Neither she nor her companion
seemed quite at ease I'm the presence
of the lank guardian Of the outer Office