Evening star., 1909-06-08
By ALBERT PAYSON TER
Copyright, 1909. by Albert Payson Terhune.

a job before you talk bout marryin'. But
it's her affair. Not mine. II she wants
you she can have you. Put 1t up to her.
It's past me. An now trot along. You've
taken more of my time than you could
pay for In a dozen thirteen-page stories.
Don't stop to thank me. Chase"
But do thank you thousand timesv'
exclaimed Hawarden, shaking hands with
obliged to you When l came 1 was
afraid I'd meet some such fate as poor
Mr.. BIacarda.'
What's that?" snapped Caleb, all ge-
niality wiped from his voice.
About Mr.. Blacarda?" asked the boy
in perfect innocence. Haven't you
| heard? 1t was in the morning papers
1t seems he was jumping on a moving
street car up at the capitol yesterday
afternoon. when his foot slipped on the
steps and he was dragged along. face
downward for nearly half block. Two
of his ribs were broken and his body
is covered with bruises. The papers say
his face is battered almost beyond rec
! ognition."
| "Too badr' remarked Conover dryly
| Folks ought to be careful how they try
to jump onto heavy movin' things Some
times there's apt to be surprise for
the jumper. Now clear out. You can
run an tell Dey what said II you want
to. No. don't go thankin' me again It's
up to her, 1 told you. Most likely,
long.'
Waving out the bewildered, delighted
youth. Caleb threw himself back in his
leather chair and f1shed from a case the
ever-present cigar. A towering pile of
work lay untouched on his desk. But he
gave 1t no heed With a queer. wholly
inexplicable contraction at the heart he
| lay there thinking. At first he tried to
| laugh at the memory of the boys loftily
worded pretensions. But somehow he
| could not. He recalled what Cane had
| said about Desiree marrying 1.-The right
man." Hawarden came of good family
His parents were among the best people
| in Granite. AS his wife. Desiree could
| probably take and hold any social posi-
| ton she chose. He was a nice boy. too.
And some day he would grow up. There
was much to be said for the match, pre-
posterous as 1t had at first seemed
| After all. why not?
| clerk entered with card. Conover's
mouth set in grim smile as he glanced
at 1t.
Send him in" he said. moving across
| to his desk chair II seem to be holdin'
leSee of the ar'stocracy this mornin'"
| Reuben Standish. gaunt gray and stiff
as ever. was ushered into the private Of
fee. The old mans face was a mono
tone of drab save for ruddy patch
on either cheek bone where consumption
Haunted a no-surrender flag. Caleb
| greeted him with nod and motioned
him to a seat
| II hope have not broken in upon very
important work. began Standish. glanc-
ing at the mountain of letters and papers
on the desk.
| IAN my works important" answered
Caleb. IF it wasn't I'd have an Office
| boy do II while 1 loafed. Want anything
| especial?"
First Of ALL" evaded Standish in the
| courtly. old-World manner that Caleb al
ways found SO jarring. permit me to con-
| graduate you on your great victory at the
| capitol Yesterday. l read this morning
that the Starke bill was defeated entirely
| through your own personal endeavors.
| II must be great thing to WELD so pow
| erful an influence over ones fellowmen
1 l.
Say" interposed Caleb. quit standin'
on the distant hilltop maxim peace signs.
| Como on down an tell me what you want
Make ii as short as you can"
| 1t appeared that Mr.. Standish wanted
much, though he did not seem to be able
TO condense his wishes to the degree Ca
leb suggested. This, however. was of
| little account, since the fighter already
| foreknew the others mission. He lis
| tened with only perfunctory attention to
a recital OF the Aaron Burr Banks needs.
| of the stringency of deposits and the
| the tale Of an unwonted depression in
certain stocks wherein Mr. Standishs in
terest was purely marginal AS the story
/ ended Conover said, curtly:
lO'To sum II up. you're broke. You want
me to make deposits today In your bank
an you want a pers'nal loan besides
Standish started to speak. Caleb mo-
| toned back the words.
| How much?' he asked. How much
J in all Don't hem an haw. man. You've
| got the amount fixed In your mind down
1 To the last cent. You know how much
| you'll ask for. how much I'm li'ble to
| give an how much you really need. Start
| off with the biggest sum first. How
/ much?"
Standish tremulously blurted out his
/ statement. When one is dealing with a
| boor like this Conover there was surely no
need for finesse. The fellow was as blind
| to the finer shades of business dealings
| as to the usages OF gentle life. Therefore.
| why hesitate or leave him to guess the
| amount from adding up a series of deli
| cate hints. a low-browed boor, though a
| decidedly convenient one to cultiyate-at
times. The present being most emphati-
cally one of these times. Standish. with
rufied dignity, laid bare his financial
| soul.
And the big. red haired man lolled back
| in the opposite chair watching his stately
| visitor from between alert half-shut
eyes. The Fighter had waited. worked.
| planned for months. for this very inter-
view Had Standish been better versed
in sign-reading. he might have seen
| marks of Conover's passage all along the
! tortuous finance trail that had at last
led 10 this private Office and still more
| private confession
| But Standish had fallen not only into
the trap. but into the fatal mistake that
| had, century earlier, in France caused
the severance of a goodly number of
| noble heads-the error OF Understanding
| a proletariat opponent. And now. un-
| Willingly. he was about to pay the price
| Well" observed Caleb. when the facts
ray. How does all this int'rest me?'
II beg your pardon?" halted Standish