Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-11-20

.tlf. zee ...- '.'.I sal" cApUsn. re
I....l :-',.t \ I..A lhr Ryder Keeps
every ,,t4p f paper. with tie idea
than Il u"! prove useful some day.
IT, letters are lr.n-; H.rHhcrr in his
disk Besides after IT, lransc"nti-
mental decision Ae Was heard II say
that he'd have Judge Eo>Smore OH the
bcrch !nSi!" ~ Il year-"
Aud / wa. I, vain boast he's
doao 'r.' mater, ,..e judge
Shirley rel"i~cd ..to >.!vnce. He.
brain was IN vI.Il. Ii WAS true.
then. This ;ncrr..e,, man Of money.
this ogre Of mono. Jlist.c corporations.
TIL; human juGGrri.aut has. crushed her
father merely because by his honesty
he ,utcrlcrcd with his shady business
deals. All. why lad she spared him
IN her book: She felt LOW that she
had been too lcnient. not bitter enough,
not sufficiently pitiless. Such man
was cntited To no mercy.
Long after the judge and Stott had
left for the city Shirley sat alone on
the porch engrossed In thought, taxing
her brain to find some way out of the
darkness. and when presently her
mother and aunt returned they found
her still sitting there. silent and prcoc
cup.eI. If they only had those two
letters. she thought They alone might
save her father. but how could they be
got at? Mr. Eyder had put them SAT-.
ly away, no doubt He would not give
them up She wondered how 1t would
! be to go boldly 10 him and appeal to
whatever sense OF honor and fairness
| that might DC lying latent within hiEy.
No, such man would not know what
the terms honor" fairness" meant.
She ponlered upon it all day, aud at
night when she went tired 10 bed II
was her last thought as she dropped off
to sleep
The following morning Shirley went
out for walk. She preferred to so
alone SO she would not have to talk
Hers was one OF those lonely, intro
spective natures that res Eat the intru-
sion of ainleSs chatter when preoccu-
pied with serious thoughts.
| Every ROW and then Shirley Cspied
which she thought she recognized as
that of jefferson. lad he come. after
all: The blood went courSin" tumultu-
! OuSly through her veins only Il moment
| later to leave her face shade paler as
the man came nearer. and she saw he
was n stranger
AS she ncarcd the cottage on her re-
turn home, she caught sight of the let
ter carrier approaching the gate. In
stantly she thought Of jefferson, and
she hurried To intercept the man. Per-
hapS he had written instead of coming.
Miss Shirley EosSmore:" said the
man eying her intcrr"Gatively.
That's l." said Shirley
The postman handed her Il letter and
passed on. Shirley glanced quickly at
the superScription. No. it was not from
jefferson; she knew his handwriting
too well. The envelope. moreover, bore
the firm name of her publishers. She
tore 1t open and found that it merely
contained another letter which the
publishers had forwarded This was
addressed to Miss Shirley Green and
| TUI Us IolIoWS.
Dear Madam-If convenient 1 should
like To see you at my Office. 81 Broadway.
| In relation to your book. THE American
Octopus" Kindly inform me to the
day and hour at which may expect you.
Yours truly.
JOHN BURKETT RYDER.
Per b.
Shirley almost shouted from sheer
excitement. At first she was alarmed
the name John Burkett Ryder was
such DOGGY to frighten bad children
with. she thought he might want to
punish her for writing about him as
she had. She hurried to the porch and
sat there reading the letter over and
over, and her brain began to evolve
ideas. She had been wondering how
she could get at Mr.. Ryder, and here
he was actually asking her to call on
him. Evidently he had not the slight
est idea Of her identity, for he had
been able to reach her only through
her publishers, and no doubt he had
exhausted every other means OF dis
covering her address. The more she
pondered over 1t the more she began
to see In this invitation way Of help
ing her father. Yes, she would 20 and
beard the lion in his den, but she
would not go to his office. She would
accept the invitation only on condition
that the interview took place in the
Ryder mansion, where undoubtedly the
letters would be found She decided to
act Immediately. No time was to be
lost, so she procured sheet Of paper
and an envelope and wrote as follOwsl
Mr.. John Burkctt Ryder:
Dear Sir do not call upon gentlemep
at their business Office. Yours. etc
SHIRLEY GREEN.
Her letter was abrupt and at first
glance seemed hardly calculated to
bring about what she wanted-an invi
tation to call at the Ryder home, but
she was shrewd enough to see that il
Ryder wrote to her at all 1t was be-
cause he was most anxious to see her
and her abruptness would not deter
him from trying again. On the contra
~, the very unusualness Of any one
thus debating to him would make him
more than ever DESTROYS Of making her
acquaintance. SO Shirley mailed the
letter and awaited with confidence for
Kyder's reply. So certain was she that
one would come that she at once be-
gan to form her plan Of action. She
would leave Massapequa at once, and
her whereabouts must remain a secret
even from her own family. AS she In
tended to 60 to the Ryder house in the
assumed character Of Shirley Green, it
would never do to run the risk Of be-
ing followed home by Ryder detec-
tive to the Rossmore cottage. She
would confide in one person only
Judge Stott. He would know where
she was and would be In constant com
munication with her. But, otherwise,
she must be alone to conduct the cam
paign as she judged fit. She would 80
at once to New York and take rooms in
boarding house where she would be
known as Shirley Green. AS for funds
TO meet her expenses, she had her dia-
mOndS, and would they not he filling n