The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-18
CHAPTER XXIII.

- HE time passed, and Daylight played on at
the game. But the game had entered upon
phase. The lust for power In the
gambling and winning was metamOr-
plosing into the lust for power in order to
revenge There were many men in San Francisco
against whom he had registered black marks, and
now and again. with one of his lightning strokes he
erased such mark He asked no quarter; he gave
no quarter. Men feared and hated him, aud no one
loved him, except Larry Hogan. his lawyer who
would have laid down his life for him. But he
the only man with whom Daylight was really init
mate though he was on terms Of frendest camerad-
erie with the rough and unprineipled following of
the bosses who ruled the Riverside Club.
On the other hand, San Francseo's attitude toward
Daylight had undergone a change. While he with
his sashing buccaneer methods was a distinct men
ace TO the more orthodox financial gamblers he was
nevertheless grave menace that they were glad
enough TO leave him alone He had already taught
them the excellence of letting a sleeping dog lie
Many Of the men who knew that they were in danger
Of his big bear paw when it reached out for the
honey watts made efforts to placate him. to get
the friendly side of him. The Alta-Pacifc approached
him confdentiauy with an offer Of reinstatement
which he promptly declined. He after number
Of men in that club and whenever opportunity
oueIeu he TedCueu out TOT lueLl ana uaDSIeQ lneH
Even the newspapers with one or two Matchmaking
exceptions ceased abusing him and became respectful
In short he was looked upon as a bald faced grizzly
from the Arctic wilds to whom it was considered
pedent to give the trail At the time he raided the
steamship companies they yapped at him and worried
him. the whole pack of them only to have him whirl
around and whip them in the fercest pitched battle
San Francisco had ever known. Not easily forgotten
the Pacific slope seamens strike and the giving
of the municipal government to tie labor bosses
and grafters. The destruction of Charles Klinkner
ana the California and AltamOnt Trust Company had
been warning But it isolated case; they
had been confident in strength in numbers until he
taught them better.
Daylight still engaged in daring speculatons, as,
for instance, at the impending outbreak of the
Japanese-Russian War. when. III he face of the
perienee and power Of the shipping gamblers, he
reached out and elutehed practically monopoly
of available steamer charters. There was scarcely
a battered tramp on the Seven Seas that was not
his time charter. AS usual his position was,
You've got to come and see me-" which they did.
and. to use another Of his phrases. they paid
through the nose" for the privilege And all his
yenturing and fighting had now but one motive
Some day. he eonhded Hogan when he'd made
a sufficient stake, he was going back to New York
and knock the spots out of Messrs DOwsett LettOn
and Hammersmith. He'd show them what an all
around general buzz he and what mistake
they'd made to monkey with him. But he never
lost his head and he knew that he not yet strong
enough TO go into death grappes with those three
early enemies. In the meantime the black marks
against them remained for a future erasement day.
Dede Mason was still in the office, He had made
no more oVertures discussed no more books aud no
more grammar He had active interest in her,
and she was TO him pleasant memory of what had
never happened, joy which, by his essential ma
ture he was barred from ever knowing. Yet, while
his interest had gone to sleep and his energy was
consumed in the endless battles he waged, he knew
every trick OF the light her hair, every quick
definite mannerism of movement every line of her
figure as expounded by her tailor made gowns Sew
eral times, six months apart he had increased
her salary. until now she receiving ninety dollars
a month. Beyond this he dared not 60 though he
had got around 1t by making the work easier This
ton by retaining her substitute as an assistant
Also. he had changed his Office SUITE so that now the
two girls had room by themselves.
His eye had become quite critical wherever Dede
Mason was concerned. He had long since noted her
pride Of carriage. 1t was unobtrusive vet il was
there He decided from the way she carried it that
she deemed her body thing to be proud Of to be cared
Tor as beautiful and valued possession In this and
in the way she carried her Clothes he compared her
with her assistant with the stenOgraphers he encoun