New-York tribune., 1908-10-11
CHAPTER N.

Can't YOU TAX. u- with You &, morrow
CHAPTER N.
MOT single member oi smiths staff at
~ Horse Island wt- married Tins Wa
iu- o. something more than chance The con-
iItl'us were too primitive. the work too Atri'
the percentage ut emergency calls IN rNrIt
mans work wa too Large. during the carly
--r-- desirable IirUtcu4ut-- So when they wrTr
-- town the staff messed together and HErt IN
O. Gttlr -pw rt portable galvanized 'r'n .'t-
,.fp-. halfway up the h.,l Il happened almost
never g., tl that the nine men hat an 1pp'r-
taostr @, sit down o. q meal together during
those. carly i4v-. ThlaE- We're NOT settled I'D
.nlt placid routine where they could ur Ill
T.-.tri from t comfortable 'tilyc- / hr stan h-d
T. remain ON the firing line Just like everybody
But bv the time young Rogers came down
o. take charge OF the Transportation depart
meut. things Were altered very much for the
better though the ia way 't life had persisted
And when he. at the end o' his thIrt month ON
tn. island. had asked permission t. bring his
sister down for a visit. Smith had seen no reason
o. object t. the plan. aui the other men oi
the staff had greeted 1t with tumultu'uH aP-
prpvtl
older than her brlthcr.-a good looking, ath-
Irtic efficient sort ot girl, with, a. the stair
agreed enc nonsense about her
1t Wa, current gossip IN Georgetown that she
ilIl ffNflsf'a seven III '7iAN "a A'''
during tine first SIX weeks of her visit at the
island il was impossible To- verify tins myth.
AS the only person IN possession ~ complete
data refused o. open her Ip~ 'n the subject
There were nine men uu the staff, inSlui'ng
Smith and her brother. Nu the number Wa
rather naturally arrived .t smith himself
had Away appeared o. hr entirely immune
from feminine charms ot every sort Little
Beatrice thIttpu. the Governors fifteen wear
old daughter, VA, the only person Of the oP-
o., v-r1 N.- n
truttpu that could br called marked
II Florence Rogers had received seven prop's-
ais of marriage, she had certainly framed an
equal number of kind. >i,trrlv rctu,al7- In a
general way She had prppouudcd the theory
that t. accept a proposal of marriage from a
man ON dcscr. island, ass NJ were, would hc T.
take an altogether uuscrupulpus advantage 't
q temporary, accidental alteration IN per
-prctivc.
But her visit, which had originally been
planned for six weeks. had stretched itself 'ut
indefinitely. Ii might hc uu-crupulnu~ to
marry anyone of those nine torl'rn men. but
II would bc absolutely iuhuWau t. ~ away ami
leave them 80 she had stayed ou I1t '''. tud
Horse Island was much more cheerful place
for being able t. count her among IT'S per
manrut inhabitants.
SIIE and her brother lived IN the largest cot
tAgc IN the r1w. the only one built To- te-
cpumpltte two persons. and u WIs here that
O'Brlcu found them together at breakfast the
morning following Smith dinner with the
| Bcaumnnts IT Georgetown
They greeted him ghcrrfully and asked Tor
the news AS Florence poured him "a cup Of tea
Il can see something exciting in your eve.
she said; so YOU may well out with 1t at
once"
IL suppose You have heard" said O'Bricu,
pccring INTO his tcaCup. "ot the possibility that
we are t. bc houorcd 10y q visit from that Ma
pnleon Of American finance, Christopher Beau
mont"
Its rather appalling isn't it," said the
girl. " We are wondering whether we ought
not to begin practising dropping curtsics and
getting out of rooms backward
Its more appalling than You think he
told her. Beaumont has his daughter with
him. and shes coming too, also her maid and
his secretary"
Both mi, auditors stared at that. wide eyed.
Since that last cabinet meeting two days be-
fore the staff had talked of little else than the
approaching visit and the wild surmise that
smith significant words about the date of the
stockholders meeting had suggested
Informally Florence counted as one of the
staff, and it was across her tea table that
guc,5es. prophecies and cNpcdents for de
pnviug the big millionaire of his liberty flew
th,ckcst, but no thought of daughter. let
alone a maid and a secretary, had ever entered