The San Francisco call., 1910-02-20

of the brstling gaeon that is society. But he had
gone far only to find unsuspected and hidden bar
rers that must still be passed ,before he could win
aloft
Mrs. Pulsain, mighty ally in his campaigns could
aid him with the Stanhopes. They not OF her
group, which rather of the financial and in
dustral fortunes While she herself sufficiently
we'll placed to have been of the she had become
the leader of set apart from theirs where ancient
lineage and landed accorded more weight
Calvin Stanhope was pleasant spoken we'll man
nered man, of the,youthfuly bald type, with en-
gaging smile and mobile mouth. Carter had met
him at the New York yacht club, whittier he some
times went with Percival Champney With what tact
and shrewdness he might he had tried to cultivate
Stanhope, but with small success. Whether it was
that the man conscious of the Virginian's arti
fetal claim to distinction whether it merely
the calm indifference to further acquaintance of
whose present resources in all things sufficient
Carter could tell His shafts, ceverly directed to
excite interest in himself, ratified idly against the
yachtsman's polished armor. Yet with all his. re-
serve Stanhope remained likable and most courteous
He was quite lacking in nsolence the air OF being
his guard.
At later meeting with Stanhope in the club Car
ter tried again In the interval he had studied yacht
ing and things thereto appertaining with his won
derfu facility for grasping and assimilatng series
of facts. AS result he met with slightly more en-
couragement He attacked Stanhope through his
foible. 1t hard to know where the yachtsrnan
ceased to be merely habtually decent and began
really to notice-so hard in fact that was almost
a matter of instinct STILL as they sat chatting
ualy with Champney and others in the balustraded
niche at the top OF the wide marble staircase, Car
ter began to feel that he had least identified him
self in Stanhopes mind, attaching his face, name
and some impression that he was not wholly impos-
cib1e to the others consciousness This was some
thing, if he could find way to improve it.
LAYING THE PIPES"
And then it was in the course of the talk, that
he learned of Stanhope's coming cruise in his new
yacht the Water Kelpie. Having learned from Bid
we'll who were to form the company he examined
the possibilities. Shortly aterward he formed the
audacous resolve which took Bidwell by surprise.
On the morning after the conversation with Bid
well Carter presented himself at the office of Gatz-
Brown in Wall street, where of late he had been
something of stranger The hnancer hailed him
warmly
There you are, Carter, my boy. Hold on. Car
teret is the proper word now, eh? Coming UP fast,
aren't you? Glad to you. Sit down.
Thanks, Mr. Gatz-Brown. How the trotters?'
"Pacers, my boy, PAGERS. l haven't driven trot-
fer in three months PAGERS for every time I've
got the best stable Long Island, if you won't
come to see it But what can | do for your"
'Ive come to ask favor, Mr. Gatz- Brown
Favor, eh?" returned the other, cyeing him keenly
but chuckling all over his rotund little body. Come
now, Carteret you played it pretty low the old
man last time you haunted your pennon these parts
Turned the double cross on him, by George Seems
to me you've got we'll developed to come
around talking favers"
Il don't expect to get any, said the Virginian bold
ly, with his open smile but that doesn't keep me
from asking. And what you've just said is my best
reason for asking. You'd rather help when you
know what he's done than when you've got him
checked up question mark However, this isn't ar
affair by which propose to profit directly.
"Philanthropic, eh?"
Not exactly Is Bertrand Bascom still nursing
Hicksvile and Great Eastern?"
Nursing it? That's good That's Bascoms way
all right he's the fussy nursemaid for you when he
got anything on. Yes he added with sudden eau