Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-14

he could still wedge himself into a saddle-ha6 now made it a regular
 practice to affect the jocular early
 bird squire and drag Plank out of bed.
 Plank's acquaintance among people who knew Mortimer being limited, he had no means of determining the lat ter's social value except through hear say and toadying newspaper or two. Therefore he was not yet aware of Mortimer's perennial need of money, and when Mortimer laughingly allud- ed to his poverty Plank accepted the proposition in a purely comparativc sense and laughed, too, his thrifty Dutch soul untroubled by misgivings.
 Meanwhile Mortimer had come among other things, on information; how much, and precisely of what na- ture, he was almost too much ashamed to admit definitely, even to himself.
 There was much about Plank that was unaffected, genuine, even simple, in one sense. He cared for people for their own sakes, and only stubborn ad- herence to dogged ambition had en- abled him to dispense with the society of many people he might easily have cultivated and liked-people nearer his own sort. and that. perhaps, was the reason he so readily liked Mortimer, whose coarse fiber soon wore through the polish when rubbed against by a closer, finer fiber. And Plank liked him aside from gratitude, and they got on famously on the basis of such mu- tual recognition. Then, one day, very suddenly, Mortimer stumbled on some thing valuable-a thread, a mere clew, so astonishing that for an instant it ab. solutely upset all his unadmitted the. ories and calculations.
 It was nothing-a vague word or two "a forced laugh-and the scared si lence of this man Plank, who had blun- dered on the verge of confidence to a man he liked.
 A moment of amazement, or half in. credulous suspicion. of certainty, and Mortimer bounced playfully upon him like tger-a big, fat. friendly, jocOse tiger:
 "Plank, is that what you're up to?'
 Up to! Why, never thought of such a''-
 Flaw, hnw!" roared Mortimer. "If you could only see your face"'
 And Beverly Plank. red as a beet, comfortably sufused with reinsurance under the reaction from his scare, at tempted to retute the others conclu- sions: "It doesn't mean anything. Nor timer She's just the handsomest girl ever saw. know she's engaged. enly admired her a lot"
 You're not the only man." said Mor- timer blandly, still striving to recon cile his preconceived theories with the awkward half confession of this great. red listed, hulking hOrseman riding at hls stirrup.
 q wouldn't have her dream" stan- mered Plank, that I had ever thought of such af-
 "why not7 It would only hatter her"
 Platter q woman who is engaged to marry another man. gasped Plank.
 Certainly Do you think any wOm- an ever had enough admiration in this wOrldy' asked Mortimer cOOlly. And as for Sylvia Landls. she'd te tickIed 10 death if anybody hinted that you had ever admired har~
 Good Lord-' exclaimed Plank. alarmed 'You wouldn't make a joke of 1t. You wouldn't be careless about such a thing. And there's Quarrier! I'm not on joking terms with him I'm on most formal terms
 ~QBzTrier-' sneered the other. fick- ing at hls stirrup with his crop. Hes oa formal terms with everybody. in- eiuding himself He never laughed On purpose in his life. once a month only. to keep his u0uth in: that's his limit To y0a suPpose any woman would stand for hin f better man looked sideways st bery- And reversing his riding Crup. he deliberately pOked Mir i. Plank ia the ribs-
 ~A-a better msnT muttered Plank. | scarce creIitfzg his ears.
 'CerrafniE- i man who can make . zasi Is Eosi- bat a man who can . make better Es 1t with the sad5es-God l b1-ss 's3- be sd5ed. displzying a hssvT set q tseshL
 Beverly Plank knew perfectly vel tAt n tze cslgzrisS7 s0 dsLLcztsly |