The Washington herald., 1911-12-31

meath the apartment houses on the West
Side and the gray outriders were creep
| ing in among the trees from the east.
| The walks were thronged with men
| and women, boys and girls, hurrying
home sfrom the days work with lunch
boxes and parcels. They glanced at
him curiously as they passed. He was of
| the class whom they were used to seeing
riding in autos and carriages or walking
with beautiful ladies.
| There, at that time of the day, and in
| salk hat he was as much out of place
as Galahad in a jockey cap in the back
/ room of a saloon.
He scarcely saw them. He might
| have gazed at them as the young Ma
poleon gazed on the soldiers of France
\ under the walls of Toulon. He was of
| them for the time, but not one of them.
He was one of those who were born
| to lead and control them and fatten
on their blood and toll.
But he was not thinking OF that
now. He was thinking that about that
time Darwin would lean over to her
on the sleeper and say:
We'll, dear, shall we go out and see
what they have in the diner?
What a meal that would be, he
thought, If he were only there in OAR
wins place! He would ask her to or
der 1t as he always did and tease her
out of all her selections, as usual.
Then she would pretend to be angry
and tell him to order II himself and
he would say:
We'll. Kate, when in doubt always
get T-bone steak with potatoes au
gratin and French peas" And then
they would look into each others eyes
and laugh-as they always did when
he said that.
He rose with a sharp intake of
breath and began his tramp again, this
time toward the Eighty first street en-
trance. And why. why, his heart
walled, why wasn't it true?
Why had he left his constant plan
ming and figuring and reorganizing
make him neglect her entirely?
How could he have been so besotted
as TO think that the fulfilled dream of
wealth and power were all that was
needed the danger signal that night
at dinner when Bella announced Cath
crimes engagement to Darwin and he
had felt his heart dot-and- carry -one?
That was months ago. There might
have been time even then. But, no! The
chain of banks. The chain of banks!
He could think of nothing else.
Yes; his rise had been wonderful and
would be even more wonderful. Even
told of a new and powerful personality in
the street" AS manager of his father S
bank, he had just reOrganized its splen-
did resources until he had terrific finan-
cial weapon in his hands. And now, at
the threshold of his career, he realized
that he wanted a woman more than all
of it!
He sank upon bench few steps from
the gate. 1t was nearly dark now and
the auto lamps winked at him as they
flashed by on the street outside. The
homeward- bound throng in the park had
dwindled to almost nothing.
He gaZed fiXedly out beyond the 'L,"
where the last patch OF red showed above
the cliffs on the far side of the Hudson,
and something fluttered down across his
vision and settled gently on his arm.
1t was a delicate. heart-shaped leaf OF
some tree that he did not recognize. He
gazed at it curiously a moment and
thought wHlimsically of its shape and his
own thoughts.
belated newsboy saw, and. with the
quickness of the street, gave his true po-
sition.
wall Street edition." he piped shrilly.
A wandering puff of air lifted the leaf off
his arm and bore 1t into the gloom of the
park. He rose with a bitter laugh.
It's an omen," he said. grimly. Here,
boy, give me paper!'