Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-08-26

~ AAAc1AJ. LSl OH was HOT
convinced.
"Of course, I came to ask for the
loan, and not specially to Justify it." he
said, in mild irony which was quite
lost ON the philosopher in the presi-
dents chair. II wasn't sure Just how
you would regard it if you should know
the object for which we are borrowing.
and this high sense of personal honor
you speak of impel1ed me to be alto
| gether frank with YOU"
Quite right: you were quite right,
Mr.. Gordon" id the banker, urbanely.
You are young in business, but you
nave learned the first lesson In the
book of successful be perfectly open
ana outspoken with your banker. AS
have said, the venality of these men
with whom you are dealing is most de-
plorable, but ."
There was some further glozing cver
OF the putrtd fact good bit of 1t, and
rom sat back in his chair and listened
outwardly respectful. inwardly hot
hearted and contemptuous. Was this
Hsmooth-spoken, oracular prince Of the
market place a predetermined hypo-
critic, shaping his words to fit the mon
ey-gather1ng end without regard to
their demoralfzing effect? Or was he
only a subconscious Pharisee, self de
ce1Ved and complacent? Toms thought
ran 1ghtntng-l like over the long list of
the Vancourt Hennikers: men of the
business world successful to the Croe-
sus mark, large and liberal benefactors
founders of colleges libraries and hos
pitfalls, gift g1vers to their fellow men,
frreproachable in private life, and vet
apparently stone blind on the side of
the larger equities. Could it be posi-
BILE that such men deliberately admit
ted and accepted the Doubt standard
IN morals? 1t seems fairly incredible
and yet their lives appeared to pro-
claim it
Having obtained the sinews of war
Tom kept the appointment with Nor
man, and their Joint discussion Of the
| business situation made him too late
for the early dinner at Woodlawn To
complete the delay, the evening train
lost half an hour with a hot box at
point mile short of Gordonia Two
things came Of these combined time
killings: a man in a slouched hat and
the brown jeans of the mountaineers,
who had been watching the Woodlawn
gates since dusk from his hiding place
behind the field wall across the pike.
got up stif1y and went away; and Tom
reached home just in time to intercept
Ardea on the steps Of the picturesque
veranda.
Been visiting the little mother?" he
asked, when she paused on the step
above him.
"Yes-no; I ran over to tell you the
we moved Nancy to-day"
,, "Oh! Well, that's comfortable. She
was willing?"
Yes: almost, at first; and altogeth-
er willing when I told her that THAT
She" There was an embarrassed mo-
ment and then the truth came out
perhaps I should have asked you first:
but she was quite satisfied when told
her that she owed her changed condi-
ton to the person whose duty it was TO
provide for her You don't mind, do
you?"
mo, I don't mind" he said, absently,
and the under-thought dealt savagely
with Nan-with a woman who, for the
sake of the loaves and the fishes. and
the shielding Of the real offender, would
suffer an innocent man 10 go to the So
cial gallows for lack of the word which
would have cleared him. He laughed
rather bitterly and added. out of the
L
I'm not naturally inclined to be pes
simistic."
What makes you say that?"
Because, after hearing"-he changed
his mind suddenly, and transferred the
hard word from Nan to Mr.. Vancourt
Henniker-"after what I've been hear
ing this afternoon 1 find myself more
in the notion of weeping with the an
gels than of laughing with the devils"
What has happened?" she asked.
sympathetically alive to his need N
one breath, and keenly apprehensive
for her own peace of mind in the next.
IAN exceedingly small thing, as the
worlds measurements go. I was in
town. and made business call on Mr..
Henniker. He's a member of your
church, isn't he? needed some money
TO bride a lot of political grafters in Il
PENNSYLVANIA city where I'm trying to
sell a bill of water-pipe. I went to Mr..
Henniker to borrow II"
And, of course, he wouldn't let you
have 1t for any such wretched pur-
pose." she famed out.
mo. YOU are mistaken; it's just the
other way around. I told him what 1t
was for, hoping rather vaguely, think,
that he'd sit on me and make the crime
impossible. But he didn't. He took
the trouble to try to explain away my
scruples; made 1t seem quite virtu-
Gus thing before he got through. You
wouldn't believe 1t now, would you?
But, Tom! you didn't take the mon
ey?"
How could refuse so good man?
Norman is on his way to Pennsylvania
at this present moment with a letter OF
credit in his pocket big enough to make
the mouth of even professional graft
or water. At least, I hope it is big
enough"
She was hurt, shocked, Mortified, and
he knew 1t and found pleasure of GER
tain sort in the knowledge. When
man has done violence to his own best
IMPULSES the thing that somes nearest
to the holy JOY of penitence is the un-
holy Joy of making somebody else sor-
rv for him. There were unmistakable
tears in her voice when she said:
TON. why have you told me this
this unspeakable thing?
~,,oSS was because /