Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-01
CHAPTER XIV.
Stopped on a Country Road.


next day, and after studying it for an
hour, Dick decided that the only thing IL
| lacked was signatures, and had Emil
make two copies of it on his own s'a-
tioEery Promptly at 400 he took them
| around to Mr. Burton and that gentle
man read it car efully, touched his bell 10
have it sent to the legal department.
looked into Dicks smiling face. and IN
| stead of having it reported. he signed
| and sealed il with the corporation stamp
| of the National steel mills
You will start your plant full force at
once. will YOU? he asked.
| Tomorrow" replied Dick, promptly.
"All my men have had experience, and
as the contract says, | shall run DAY
and night shift
| "All right" said Mr.. Burton. And now
to encourage you, I'll tell you that TINS
| is a hurry-up job on tie Panama canal.
| 1t has to be delivered by October 10,
| and if you will continue to supply these
| nut locks at the present price TO ourselves.
and four times this price to all others
think I can guarantee to take your entire
output
That is mighty kind of YOU. said
Dick. heartily. and now I'll not bother
| you any longer.
After Dick left Mr.. Burton reread the
contract. "A queer article he Thought
/
he goes to the wall think I'll offer him
an opening myself. He has the right
stuff. but lacks training. l wonder what
turned him against his uncle? | guess
the old man froze him out all right.
| Dicks face was rather grim after leaN-
ing Burton's Office and his fists were
tightly clinched. This is no longer
joke" he was thinking. Unless I'm
| fool | have this situation on its own goal
| line-and it's my ball. Burton is in snail
| lou, rra for himself or he would not be so
/ anxious about so small contract, hg-
ured down to the roots. too. Now, mere 5
a man with national reputation Tor as
| tutenesS and yet he hasn't good common
| sense His own office boy ought to see
| that there is mighty little profit in max
| ing nut locks at the price l named him
an article which is sure to be in universal
demand-and yet he meekly offers to take
nv entire output at the same figure Well.
| who's neXt?
| Dick was in thoughtful mood, which
| continued after reaching his office, where
Ivan was beginning his preparations for
! supper He put the contract into his pri-
| vate safe. along with a jumbled assert
ment of clothing, and sat studying the
situation until Ivan called him TO supper.
During the meal Dick was silent. Now
| that he had accomplished the first step
in his plan, the immensely OF his task
| took on a more distinct outline, and ne
doubted his ability to carry IL through.
| But from thinking of the father. he very
4
hastily finishing his meal. he crossed the
town and took a ferry on his way to
| Minister
| He would have liked to have talk
with his uncle and took turn about the
boat but without meeting any one ne
knew All the way to Minister his face
| was grave, but when he started up the
| back road business was thrown aslde ana
| the rosy flag of romance was run up.
| He found the note in the OAK tree ana
| walked on to his accustomed ciump or
| bushes before reading it. BY young
moon he was able to see that still another
| line had been added, and turned on ms
| flash eagerly.
The line was: Il always did despise
| YOUR Judgment on dogs. you know.
| Dick turned off the current and pom
| dered This had gone far enough. and ne
| refused to continue firing off blank cpl
| grams: but. after giving free rein to his
| outra ged pride he was forced to admit
! that he was extremely anxious to know
| the exact state of Hates mind 1t was
| ages since he had seen her, and dark
! ages. at that.
| He could hardly bring himself to ask
| for a cessation Of hostilities. for the very
good reason that it was himself who mad
commenced them With sign denotins
| undeserved ill-treatment. Dick rose in
| time to draw a low, sharp bark from the
| opposite side of the road
! The next moment voice said: Hush,
| Bayard.'' and the next found DICK cross
How you frighterSa me- she said
Il am truly sorry, said Dick. little
stifly.
What were you DOING she asked,
| .studying some new bit of stupid inn
| pertinence?
/ Dick wished that she was again in need
| of a knightly rescuer. She always seemed
| at such an advantage in the piping times
of peace: while he fattered himself that
| she had rather relied on him on that one
night of action.
/ No" he answered, portentously. Il
had just decided that ] would no longer
| engage in such nonsense.
/ "-uuoth the very old philosopher to the
| giddy young thing" added the girl, mock
i !ngly Il don't think that living IN New
York has improved you. When you were
a foolish boy l found you rather anus
ing, but now that premature old age has
set her seal
Il want to have a serious talk with
you interrupted Dick. apparently de-
termined to put himself in the worst light
possible.
IF we all had the same wants it would
result in depressing stagnation." chant
ed the girl. do you suppose that l came
out in this glorious moonlight to be
bored?''
They had reached an open space and
the girl turned so that the setting cres-
cent shone on her face. Dick looked at
the face and there were certain faint
lines which did not correspond to the
you have missed me!' he cried. in
frank surprise.
Rather often, 1 should judge, from the
notes." replied the girl. trying to turn it
off.
But why did you write such a mean
note after such bully one?" asked the
persistent Richard.
| No comment was made. but strangely
enough in the excitement of their uneN-
pected meeting, they had turned about
and were walking away from the Burton
gateway.
For PHYS sake don't catechise!' ex-
claimed Kate. why do men Insist on
asking the most impossible questions,
when modicum of analysis would give
the correct answer?
Not this time protested Dick. If l
were to analyze my head into a shredded
biscuit it would not explain the incon-
sistency between the two notes.
"Oh. can't you see how 1t was?'
Perfectly unreasonable any way You
look at it.. insisted Dick. "One note.
either one. might have been sincere. Both
could not be. and I had done nothing in
the meantime to cause any change in
your feelings
n Yes. you had-you had read the first
note
nut it where you knew / should get it,
mo. / feared-that is, | was sure that
you would not look there any more You
t I hardly know why / did write 1t: l en-
joyed our boy and girl make-believe, end
|, when you went away / missed it: and,
Nnk4 RNps IL tn