The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-06-21

consciousness that she had caused the
change. She was giving him nObler
thoughts of life; she was making him
realize the great powers which had
been lying dormant 1t was something
to be proud OF. To be the means of
making a possible great man to real
ize his greatness. and of bringing
into life latent powers of which even
he had not been conscious.
Visions rose before her mind cf
what he would be She had read the
history of the career of men like the
younger Pitt, of John Bright, of Dis
raeli, of Gladstone, and she believed
that Leicester was equal to the best
of them She asw him the leader OF
people. voicing their wants, and in
terpreting their language; she saw
him a prophet, revealing to the world
the deeper meanings of a nations life.
And she was the instrument chosen
for his salvation. He had learned to
| love her, he had declared that if he
was to be anything but cynic and
scoffer it must be through her.
/ She was his inspiration. his lode-star.
1 She was his hope. For her, and with
| her by his side, he could DO anything.
She believed it now. In her excite
ment she compared his speech with
the brilliant orations of the great
/ leaders. She was sure that Leicester's S
| powers We're of the same order as the
| powers of Macauly and Burke. And
| she-she was the instrument used by
! God to make everything possible.
As she walked back to Taviton
Grange, her hand resting on his arm,
she seemed to be treading on air
Her life seemed enlarged, her purpose
in living seemed greater She was
willing to forget herself, to sink her
own personality, SO that the man
she had accepted as her husband
might be the man God intended him
to be.
John Castlemaine had been at the
meeting also, and while not he
lever in all his political doctrines,
was also carried away by the bril-
lance of Leicesters speech. He felt
proud of his future son-inlaw
and he was sure that Olive had
done wisely in accepting him as
her husband.
SO far Leicester had been true TO
his promise to Olive. He had never
touched alcohol since the day he had
asked her to be his wife. Sometimes
the craving had been terrible, but
| he had resisted. He had even borne
the covert sneers of his acquaint-
ances without retort. What had begun
in a grim and unworthy joke had be
come to him the great motive power
of his life.
Indeed, but for one thing, Leicester
was supremely happy. He could new
er think of the compact which led
! 10 his introduction 20 her without
shame, and he had a great dread lest
in some way il should come to her
ears. More than once, after his en-
gagement had become known, he had
sought to obtain an interview with
Purvis and Sprague and Winfield;
but for long time the opportunity
which he had sought did not come,
and he was too proud to seek them
for the ostensible purpose Of speak
ing to them about il.
One day In February, however,
he saw them together. He had come
to his club late one night, and
found them alone in the smoking
room. He had spent the evening with
Olive and had come back by the last
train. As may be imagined, neither
Sprague nor Purvis felt very kindly
towards him. No man looks kindly
on a successful rival 1t angered
them also when they remembered
that it was through their instrument
ality that the engagement had come
to pass.
They had been talking of Leices-
ter before he came in. Like many 9th
ers, they did not believe IN his sin
cerity How could Leicester. the Gym
ic the scoffer at women, the man
who when under the influence of
whiskey had made wager that he
could win a woman, love the woman
he had won? Was it not simply to
win the wager that he was playing
this part?