Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-06-19
Fleetwood laughed and glanced

Drumceit, Stephen Siward's famous
horse" He interrupted himself to ex-
change greetings with several men who
came into the room rather nOislly,
their spurs resounding across the oak
en- floor. One of them, Tom O'Hara,
Joined them, slamming his crop on the
desk beside Plank and spreading HIM
self over Oh armchair. from the seat
of which he forcibly removed Morti-
mer's feet without excuse.
"Drink? OF course want drink"
he replied irritably to Flcetw0od--"on
three, ten, several. Billy, whose weasel
bellied pinto was that you were kick
Ing your heels into in the park? Some
of the squadron men asked me-the
major. Oh, beg pardon! Didn't know
you were trying to stick Mortimer with
him. He might do for the troop am
characteristics What? Oh, yes; met
Mr.. Blank-I mean Mr.. Plank-at
Shotover, think. How dye do? Had
the pleasure of potting your tame
pheasants. Rotten sport, you know.
What do you do 1t for, Mr.. BlankY :.
what did you come for If it's rot
ten sportY asked Plank so simply that
It took O'Hara q moment to realize he
had been snubbed.
81 didn't mean to be offensive" no
drawled.
81 suppose you can't help It," said
Plank very gently. "Some people can't,
you know" And there was another ST.
lence, broken by Mortimer. whose en-
tire bulk was tlngling with a mixture
Of surprise and amusement over his
protege's developing ability to take
care of himself. did you say that
Stephen Siward Is in Westbury. Billy|
"No; he's in town." replied Fleet
wood. 81 took his horses up to hunt
with. He isn't hunting, you know"
81 didn't know. Nobody ever sees
him anywhere" said Mortimer. IL
guess his mothers death cut him up
Fleetwood lifted his empty glass and
gently shook the ice in it. "rhat, and
the other business-is enough to cut
any man up, isn't it?"
"You mean the action Of the Lenox
club? asked Plank seriously.
eyes. He's resigned from this club.
too. I hear. Somebody told me that he
has made clean sweep OF all bis
clubs. That's foolish. A man may be
an ass to join too many clubs. but he's
always q fool to resign from any OF
'em. You ask the weatherwise what
resigning from a club forecasts. It's
the first ominous sign In young mans
career"
Under cover of a rapid fire exchange
of pleasantries between Fleetwood and
O'Hara, Plank turned to Mortimer.
hesitating:
81 rather liked Siward when met
him at Shotover," he ventured. I'm
very sorry he's down and out"
"He drinks" shrugged Mortimer, di-
luting his mineral water with Irish
whisky. "He can't let 1t alone. Hes
like all the Siwards."
Mortimer doesn't care for Siward,
but he's an awfully good fellow, oil the
same" said Fleetwood, turning to
Plank. Hes been an ass. but who
hasn't? like him tremendously, and
feel very bad over the mess he made
of 1t after that crazy dinner ! gave In
my rooms. What? You hadn't heard
of 1t? Why, man, it's the talk OF the
clubs"
II suppose that is why haven't
heard" said Plank simply. My club
life is still in the future"
ooh" said Fleetwood. with an invol-
untary stare. surprised. trife uncom-
Portable. yet somehow liking Plank.
and not understanding why.
Mortimer continued desutory dis
cussion with O'Hara concerning a very
private dinner which somebody told
somebody that somebody had given to
Quarter and the Intercounty Electric
people. which, If true. plainly indicat-
ed who was financing the lntercounty
scheme and why Amalgamated stock
had tumbled again yesterday and what
might be looked for from the Algon-
quin Trust company's president.
"Amalgamated Electric doesn't seem
to like it little bit" said O'Hara.
"FerralI. Belwether and Siward are In
II up to their necks, andif Quarter Is
really the god in the machine and IL
he really Is doing stunts with Amalga-
mated Electric and is also mixing feet
with the Inuercounty crowd, why, he
Is virtually paralleling his own road,
and why, In the name of common
sense, is he doing that? He'll kill 1t.
that's what he'll do"
"He can afford to kill It," observed
Mortimer, punching the electric but
ton and making a significant gesture
toward his empty glass as the servant
entered. "a man like Quarter can af-
ford to kill anything"
Eyes. but why kill Amalgamated
Electric? Why not merge? Why, it's
crazy thing to do; it's devil of j thing
to do, to parallel your own liner in
sisted OHara. THAT Is dirty work.
People don't do such things these days.
Nobody tears up dollar bills for the
pleasure of tearing"
Nobody knows what Quarter VIII
do" muttered Mortimer, who had tried
hard enough to find out when the first
ominous rumors arose concerning
Amalgamated, and the first fractional
declines left the street speechlcss and
stupefied.
O'Hara sat frownlng and lingering
his glass. "As a matter of fact" lie
said. "a little cold logic shows us that
Quarter isn't in 1t at all. No sane man