The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-04-24
The Fighting
Chance. sos ,isE:5 v.
Copyright 1905 by the Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright 1905 by Robert ". Chambers

wasted with Plank, he crawIed into a
hanson and babe the driver take him
to a number he gave, designating one
of the new limestone basement houses
on the upper West Side.
All the way uptown as. he jolted
about in his seat he angrily regretted
the meeting with Plank even in spite
of the check. What demon had pos
sessed him to boast-to display his
hand when there had been no neces-
sity? Plank was still ready to give
him aid at a crisis, had always been
ready. Time enough when Plank turned
stingy to use persuasion.
lie lay back, rolling about in the
iouncing cab, scowling at space.
"Tll shake down Quarter" he said
to himself. "Ill make him pay for his
treachery-scaring me out of Amalga-
mated! That will be restitution, not
eXtortion."
He was angry because he had been
for days screwing up his courage to
the point of seeking Quarter face to
face. He had not wished to do it. The
scene and his own attitude in it could
only be r%epugnant to him, although he
continually explained to himself that
~ 49, III O2hOA tiCiis
"Oh," he ~groaned, what an ass [
ami" And he got out of his cab in
front of a very new limestone basement
house with red geraniums blooming On
the window stills and let himself in with
q latchkey.
The interior of the house was attrac-
tive in a rather bright, new, clean FASH
ion. The maid, too, who appeared at
the sound of the closing door n took
his hat n gloves, was as newly
groomed as the 1oors and woodwork
and so noiseless as to be conspicuous
in her swift, silent movements.
Anybody here?' he growled, leer-
ing into the drawing-room att a tiny
grand piano cased in unvarnished Cir
cassian walnut.
No One at +-Ome.
"There is nobody at home, sir" said
the maid.
He began to ascend the stairway,
breathing heavily, thud, thud over the
deep velve strip, his fat hand grasping
the banister rail.
Somewhere on the second floor a
small dog barked, and Mortimer trav-
ersed the hall IN opened the door
into a room hung with gold Spanish
itdtieE uIlu pdlc green CuTldlllS.
"Hello, Tintoi" he said. affably, as 8
tiny Japanese spaniel hurled itself at
him, barking furiously, then began
writing and weaving herself about
him, gurgllng recognition and welcome.
Presently another maid entered, with
an apple cut into thin waters and a de-
canter of port, and Mortimer lay back
in his chair, sopping his apple in the
| fhialy nrit,,Gn,, xntnA aud FnNlt.&o x1,A,
sells of the combination to himself and
to Tinto at intervals until the apple
was all gone and the decanter three
fourths empty.
1t was very still in the still
that Mortimer, opening his eyes at
longer and longer intervals to peer al
the door, finally opened them no more.
Il
1t was still daylight when Mortimer
awoke, conscious of people about him.
AS he opened his eyes a man laughed.
Seve' u people seated by the windows
Joined in. He yawned, laughed, turn
ing his heavy eyes from one to an
other, recognizing a couple of young
girls at the window. He didn't want
to get UP, but there is in the society he
now adorned a stringency of etiquette
known as Refinement and which to
Ignore is to become unpopular.
So he got on to his massive legs and
went over to shake hands with a grav-
ity becoming the ceremony.
row dye do, Miss Hutchinson?
Thought you were at Asbury Park.
Hod de do. Miss Del Garcia? Have
you been out in Millbank's motor YETI"
I'VE broke down at McGowan's
pass" said -4i5s Del Garcia, laughing
the laugh that had made her so at
tractive In "a Word to the Wise"
Muddy gasoline" nodded Millbank
tersely, an iron-jawed, overgroomed
man Of 40 with a florid face shaved
blue.
eve passed Mr.. Plank's big touring
car" observed Lydia Vyse, shifting
Tinto to the couch and brushing the
black and white hairs from her auto
mobile coat. "How much does a car
like that cost, Leroy?"
An Expensive Car.
"About twenty-five thousand" he
said, gloomily. Then, looking up: "Hold
on, Millbank. Don't be going. Why
can't you all dine with us? Never mind
your car. Ours is all right, and we'll
run out into the country for dinner.
How o 1t, Miss Del Garcia?"
But both Miss Del Garcia and Miss
Hutchinson had accepted another In
vitatlon, in which Millbank was also
included.
They stood about, wells floating, leath-
er decorated coats thrown back, linger-
ing for awhile to ak the garage talk
which f%ascinates people of their type.
Then Millbank looked at the clock,
made his adieu to Lydia, nodded sig
n~ificantly to Mortimer and followed the
others downstairs.
There was something amiss with his
motor, for it made a startling racket in
the street, finally %plunging forward
with a kick,
Lydia laughed as the two young girls
in the tonneau turned to nod to her in
mock despair. Then she came running
back upstairs, holding her skirt free
from her hurrying little feet.
"Well?' she inquired, as Mortimer
turned back from the window to o
front her.
81 missed him. said Mortimer.
She flung the coat over a chair. stood
a moment, her fingers busy with her
hair pegs, then sat down on the couch,
taking Tinto into her lap. She was