The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-09-23


} don is a fine boy"
'He is to marry David Cables daugh
ter"
Indeed l did not know that David
Gable had a daughter"
"You know whom l mean-Jane Ca
BILE" He turned rather restlessly, con.
} scious that Droom's eyes were follow
ing him to the window. He glanced
again at Mrs. Cables note and waited.
II suppose you are pleased" said
broom after long pause.
Certainly! Jane is n splendid girl.
She's beautiful, accomplished and
well, she's thoroughbred" said Ban
semer steadily, turning to face the old
man.
1T is not necessary to remind you
that her parents are unknown" said
broom.
"Stll," said Bansemer, and he sat
: down and leaned forward eagerly, "she
has good blood from both sides"
"Yes-the so called best"
"You speak as if you know the
truth
81 think-yes, I'm sure l know. l
have known for twenty years, Mr.
/ Bansemer. l had the same means as
you of finding out whose child she
was"
That's more than Mrs. Gable knows"
"She did not take the trouble to in
/ vestigate. It's too late now"
Il don't believe you really know the
names of her father and mother" said
| Bansemer shrewdly. "You are trying
to trick me into telling you what l do
/ know"
"There are portraits of her ancestors
hanging in Fifth avenue" said broom
promptly. Here" and he picked up a
pencil, "Tll write the initials of her
parents. You do the same, and Wen
see that they tally" He quickly
scratched four letters on a pad of pa
per Bansemer hesitated and then
slowly wrote the initials on the back
Of an envelope Without a word they
exchanged the papers. After a moment
they both smiled in relief Neither had
been tricked. The initials were identi-
cal
II imagine the ancestors hanging in
Fifth avenue would be amazed if they
knew the story of Jane" said broom.
with a chuckle
Il doubt it, broom. Ancestors have
stories too, and they hide them"
"By the way, now that your son is to
marry her, I'd like to know just what
your game is"
Bansemer turned on him like a tiger,
his steely eyes blazing
Game? There is no game. Listen to
me- broom Wen settle this now. I'm
n bad man, but I've tried to be good
father People have called me heart
less. SO be it. But l love that boy Of
mine. What little heart l have be-
longs to him. There can be no game
where he is concerned. Some day per-
haps he'll find out the kind of man
I've been to others, but can always re-
member that l was fair and honest
with him. He'll despise my methods,
and he'll spurn my money, but he'll
have to love me. Jane Gable is not the
girl / would have chosen for him, but
she is good and true, and he loves
her"
For the first time in his life Elias
broom shrank beneath the eyes of his
master. He hated James Bansemer
from the bottom Of his wretched soul,
but he could not but feel at this mo-
ment a touch Of admiration.
Through all the years Of their asso-
citation Elias broom had hated Ban
semer because he was qualified to be
the master, because he was successful
and forceful, because he had loved and
been loved, because they had been class
mates, but not equals. In the bitter
ness of his heart he had lain awake on
countless nights praying-but not to
his God-that the time would come
when he could stand ascendant over
this steely master. Only his unswerv-
ing loyalty to a duty once assumed
kept him from crushing Bansemer with
exposure years before. But broom
was not a traitor. He remained stand
ing, lifting his eyes after a brief, shift
ing study of his bOny hands
"You have nothing to fear from me-"
he said. "Your boy is the only being
in the world that I care for. He hates
me. Everybody hates me. But it
doesn't matter l asked what your
game was because we know James
father and mother. That's all. Mrs.
David Gable, presume, can be preyed
upon with safety"
"Mrs. Gable has much to lose" sig
nificantly.
"And how much to pay?" with a
meaning look.
"That is her affair, broom"
Il wouldn't press her too hard" eau
toned broom. "She's a woman"
"Never fear. I'm going there for
dinner tonight. It's a family affair.
BY the way, here's letter from dis
tinguished political leader He sug
gests that act on the city central COM
mittee for the coming year"
They heard some one at the outer
door at that moment, and Droom Gid
ed forth from the inner room to greet
10 n