The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-29
CHAPTER I.

("1HE Cannon Ball, as 1t was II called, picked up its principal 6NzSN passengers at Southampton - every Monday morning in time to get them into New York for their more or less important business, and 1t was because of the character of its freight that somebody once said that it was the most representative train in America.
 It was a sunburned, vigorous, ath- letic looking aggregation of humanity that filled this train-tall, vigorous women who looked as if they never doubted, perfectly sure of themselves and their possessions, from a dog and an automobile or two to lover or per haps a. husband; women who knew and yet were perfectly calm in all their knowledge; women who lived much in the open air, a rapidly in creasihg habit that might argue that we are at the atavistic stage when we are seturning to the joyous liferand courage of our paleolithic ancestors, who lived as they breathed, with wild, rampant unresraint-peace be to Friedrich Nietzsche!
 The train pulled out of Southamp- ton at 7:1O, and among it's precious freight, even at this early hour, all eager eyed, all clear eyed and ready for the days fight, were young man and woman who found their seats with little difficulty and immediately started an earnest conversation.
 'I tell you, Dora, you are wrong,'' said the young man. He was hardly over thirty and a trif1e too stout for his age. Every lineament in his face showed his sincerity and displayed his good breeding, and it was clearly evil dent that he was endeavoring to con- ceal s0mething-his love.
 "Graham"-the girl spoke in a lower voice than her companion, her knowl- edge of effect being greater-"Graham, it is quite possible that you are speak ing the truth, but there are things I cannot tell" She hesitated. "I am going to do this thing that you dislike to do it no matter what the outcome is."
 The young man sat back in his seat. His face reddened. You are going to do 1t no matter what the outcome is?'' His masculine sense led him to lay the unnecessary emphasis on the last phrase.
 'sYes," the girl said slowly.
 1t was blow to the young man. His fastidious though not ostentatious dress, the care with which he gesticu- lated, his deferential attitude toward this representative of the sex, helped to show why such final statement from a woman was a shock.
 He looked into the face of the girl as she sat beside him and was frankly amazed. She was thin, slight crea. ture. splendid representative of a most intelligent refinement, a woman of superior education and environment the daughter of Professor Fullerton o1 the greatest university in America his own-a woman whose beauty could only be appreciated by those who knew how much culture and intellect make for beauty And yet she sat beside him so calmly, saying that she would go through what to his mind was 8 degrading experiment no matter what the outcome might be.
 And that outcome?
 He had led a fairly decent life. Ii had had it's valleys, its dales, but. had never str1ck the lowest depths, though he knew something of the underworld as every young man of his position il New York city did. He even knew one or two chorus girls, and this ex perience had led him to have no re spect for theatricals. And now here was the woman whom he loved, the woman to w!;om he was engaged, the woman of his own class, as he con sidered it, who said frankly that she would win success no matter what the outcome might be. Even his limited world knowledge told him that the last place to seek success with such un- bridled spirit was the theater.
 But, Dora,'' when the young man had finally recovered himself, If you were going with a big company or un- der big management I could under stand it. You are the daughter of Pro- lessor Fullerton of Harvard, you are l woman of education and refinement, and here you are going out with''-he kesitated-"a fly by night proposition