The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-07-15

= ! !; !: !
@ARsN fee machine by his wife's
n yssssyH elbow.
M N&SI h Browning slightly in her
H EMSH n preoccupation, the woman
VI @szsA, a remarked the silence, and
saasasse passed 1t over; 1t was
Vasszszzzzazzsa1 part Of her daily life-had
been a part of 1t ever since, ten years
before. the curtain had fallen upon
their honeymoon.
She was accustomed to say that for
ten hours of the day, from eight in
the nls rning to six in the evening,
Tom West was mere money-maKlng
machine, with no end In life save the.
manipulation of the market, no con-
ception OF anything In the world save
bank and railway statements, divi-
dends. tickers and the ebb and flow
Of prices. Afterwards, from p. m.
to s a. M, he was normal human be-
ing with almost human interests, In
Guiding wife.
Therein she did West justice, and
some injustice In point Of fact, the
man adored his wife after business
hours. But 1t was most true that he
forgot her completely throughout the
Wall street working day. And to that,
perhaps, may be attributed his remark
able successful the absolute concen-
tration OF all his faculties upon the
matter In hand; which generally con-
sisted In the bearing" Of some secur-
ity which other men admired, but
which West looked upon with the jaun-
diced eye Of the skeptic confirmed In
his pessimism so far as stock values
were concerned.
AS for his wife, for the time being
her thoughts as well as her slim white
fingers were busted about the tall cop
per pot in which the coffee brewed.,
Now, with little nod of satisfaction.
she placed the extinguisher over the
fame of the alcohol lamp, and glanced
tentatively toward her husband, as
though fearful Of disturbing him.
OF West, only his fingers were vfsi-
BILE: rough-hewn, blunt, heavy fingers
that conveyed distinct impression OF
the mans character, as the world saw
It, They gripped almost fierce1y the
edges Of the morning paper, which ne
held outspread SO as thoroughly to
curtain himself from his wife's gaze.
Behind it he maintained an unbroken
silence; his big, broad brow thrust
forward aggressively, his lips set and
tense, his gray eyes fairly dancing up
and down the serried columns of fig
ures, as he-to use his own phrase
TORE the heart out of the market re-
bort.
The woman gazed upon the fingers
with tenderness glowing deep in her
eyes; somehow they suggested to her
very clearly the man she knew SO well
that man whom the street reckoned
ruthless, but whom she loved with all
her being. and who loved her in return
with q devotion almost womanish-
after business hours again.
In time West lowered the paper un-
I'll its upper edge was level with the
bridge OF his nose. He stared at her
absent-mindedly; the creature man
was asserting it's desire for refresh
ment, though the business man was
lost In bordering OF men and meas
ures. Coffee ready?" he demanded,
and promptly returned his gaze to the
list of the previous days transactions.
Ready" she replied, quickly and
clearly, land waiting, Tom" She
dropped the Indispensable two Jumps
Of sugar into Vests cup, added the
cream, then brimmed 1t with the
steaming black liquor.
AS she had multiplication she
studied the man closely-the sound OF
her voice and the stir of the table,
ware distracted the current Of his
thoughts. Reluctantly he folded the
news sheet. and laid 1t at the side OF
his plate, accepted the cup, and began
to stir the coffee with his spoon, mo-
notonously, as though he feared Il
might lose virtue through inaction
meanwhile glazing at his plate.
She forebore to question him; she
knew that before long he would begin
60 talk. Always, ever since she could
remember, he had interlarded his
breakfast with one-sided discussion
q. running comment on the ways Of the
street, and on the part he happened tt
be playing therein at the particular
time.
And so, inevitably, it came to pass
Presently he dropped the spoon ans
began to use his fork; and, "Funn,
thing about Be1den," he observed, talk
ing more at, than to, her
s?"-with the rising infection.
Eyes. Funny thing about Belde1
andsmyseR. We've been fighting tootl
and nail for the last five years or SO
and now 1t. just happens that we're
both hard up at the same time. Go
Incidence
sHow do you know he is hard up?'
Don't know it." He was looking
at her now, and interestedly, but sht
saw that. he had forgotten her. TIT
enthusiasm Of logical deduction pos
sessed him thoroughly: his imaglna
ton was wrapped with the JOY OF pene
trating a rival operators secret. III
was happily formulating into phrases
I the tale that yesterdays ticker tapt