The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-10-28
All Rights Reserved.

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plans and aspirations for the good Of
her fathers business. The eagerness
and enthusiasm Of the young man
quite won the heart of the steel mag
nate.
Edward Is wonder" he was &C.
customed to say Never saw such
hard worker. thought | was a hus.
tier. but that boy will sooner or later
be showing me tricks"
How little the millionaire realized
the truth of what he was saying so
proudly! Such energy and enthusiasm
as Pinckney displayed must have
brought his advancement in any busi-
ness. and when his benefactor was
also his chief and he lived in the house
success was necessarily rapid. In
three years he had worked up from
place In the draughting room to the
post Of manager In each new position
he made good. and Durant more than
ever congra ,ulated himself on his fore.
sight IN taking up the orphan son of
his friend
But rinckney's love affair had not
progressed SO rapidly. Frances was
glad of his success. but somehow she
had ceased To he so interested IN
the man as she had been when a girl
BY the time she was seventeen all the
glamour had worn off Instead Of TAX
ing him in sentimental way she had
begun in her own mind to look on him
as a sort of big brother Pinckney did
not know this. He felt that he was
not coming ahead as fast as he had
hoped. but he felt that there was time,
especially as his hold on the rest OF
the family increased daily.
Durant himself now looked forward
to the time when his daughter and the
protege whom he had come TO regard
as a son should decide to marry. He
trusted Pinckney more than ever, and
he rubbed his hands with satisfaction
at the thought that some day both
Frances and the Durant works would
be well taken care of after he was
gone.
Frances realized this and by the
time she was nineteen had begun in
vague sort Of way to accept the stu
alton. Her friends teased her and
then took the attachment for granted
She knew that she did not love Ed
ward, but she did trust him, and she
had met no one whom she could care
for.
Edward had spoken to her mother
and father and both had agreed that
had their permission.
Then during the summer Of Fran.
ces' nineteenth year her father went
abroad, leaving the entire manage.
ment of the big plant on Pinckney's
hands. This had brought the man
and the girl closer than ever together
and Pinckney was just debating how
soon he should make his attempt when
he received notice from the govern.
ment that the Durant Steel works
would have the task Of casting a new
cannon which a Lieutenant Sommers
OF the navy had invented and that
Lieutenant Sommers had been detailed
TO stay at the steel plant until the
work had been done. There was an,
other gun. the "Rhinestrom gun" In
which Pinckney had more than cas-.
that the government work be accept.
ed promptly.
One week after the notice from
| Washington Lieutenant Sommers APP
Ieared. and then Pinckney's troubles
really began.
From the moment Of their first meet
ing Frances Durant and Lieutenant
SOmmers had seemed mutually drawn
TO each other. To each the other was
an entirely new type. Frances had
never met a man just like the young
naval lieutenant. Up to that time her
experience had been with men like
Pinckney, who thought apparently only
Of business and getting ahead, or with
young men Of the opposite extreme,
who went in entirely for society and
dissipation Of all kinds.
! Sommers accordingly came as a new
and very refreshing experience. He
apparently had all the best qualities
Of the two kinds Of men she had
known before. He was young, good
looking, brave, and that he had brains
was proved by his invention OF the
SOmmers gun, which the government
had accepted Professionally and which
was to be cast in the Durant steel
works. Then, also, to the glamour of
his uniform and his reputation the
] young naval officer brought the charm
of a cultured man Of the world. He
had been everywhere and seen prac-
tically all there was for a man to see,
and, unlike many men Of his profes-
sion, he could talk about it. and talk
well. So 1t was no wonder that the
girl almost Immediately felt herself
drawn to him. They had so many in
terests in common. She knew ma
chinery and knew all about the works,
and he was up in that too. Then he
drove, walked, played tennis. danced
and golfed better than any one she
knew in Pittsburg, So 1t was no won
der that from the time OF Sommers'
arrival Pinckney found himself put
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