Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-07-22
ever, he hcld TIE hghfns uitfmaTum n

At the dinner table the professor
held forth dictatorially upon matters
pertaining solely to the pliocene age
aud never once suffered the table con-
vsrsation to come within several mil
lions Of years OF the twentieth cen
fury. and at the dispersal there
was no dispersai-it was his father
who led the way to the drawing room
and persuaded Patricia to go to the
plano.
The young man with the lighting
determination in the back part Of his
brain was willing enough to listen to
Grieg and Brahms as interpreted by
Patricia. but the greater matter was
still outweighing tho lesser. Later.
when Miss Anners had played herself
out. the Talk went back to the dino
saurs and the pterodactyls, and when
Evan Blount finally went away to
smoke he did It nione. '''
The Wartrace den was an annex to
the dining room, md through the
looped back portieres he could hear
the animated hum Of the prehistoric
conversation. in which Patricia had
now Joined, as loyal daughter should.
Hoping against hope that the pro-
fcssor would some time 60 to bed and
that his father would come to the den
for his bedtime <hifY at the long
stemmed pipe. Blount smoked and
waited. When his patience was finally
rewarded 1t was not tho honorable
senator who drew the portieres aside
and entered the cozy smoking room.
II was Patricia. and she was alone.
II thought perhaps should find you
here" she said calmly. taking the easy
chair at the opposite corner Of the
hearth. Did we bore you to extlnc-
tion?'
mot quite" he laughed. But since
I hadn't got myself born 100000
years ago cant somehow seem to
gaNanise a vers active interest in the
dead and buried periods .deng
Nor l." she confessed frankly.
though for papa's sake l do try to-
But for us who IRE living today there
are so many problems OF really vitnj
Importance, problems that the ptero
dactyls never knew anything about"
81 know" said the young man. half
absentiy. II am up against one Of
them right now. and I don't know how
to meet It."
"Will It bear tellinc?" she asked
And he hoped that the sympathy In
her tone was personal rather than
conventional.
ut viii not only bear telling; It do
mands to be told to some one whose
sense OF right and wrong has not been
drawn and quartercd and hayed alive
until 1t has no longer life or breath
left with which to protest"
Thereupon he told her all that had
happened to him since the evening he
had left the sleeping car at Aretas.
concluding almost shamefacedly with
the story Of the lumber magnate's at.
tempt at corruption, of which he sup
pressed nothing but the fact that the
professors name appeared In Mr..
Hathaway's list Of shareholder.
when he made an end her eyes were
shining. either with quickened sympa-
thy or indignation-he could not de-
terminc which.
"What did you doT' she asked. re-
ferring to the incident Of the after
noon.
81 didn't do half enough" he fumed.
81 am afraid ] let Hathaway get n way
without my telling him plainly enough
what hopelcssly irreclaimable scoun-
drel he is. made mistake In not
throwing him out bodily"
"You made your greatest mistake In
the very beginning. Evan" she said
declsivcly. you should have mnde a
confidant Of your father"
IL did try to at first" he protested.
But the game is everything, and
everybody plays Tiny father. his
wife. the railroad officials and the pol
iticians. Surely you wouldn't saythat
l should have let my father put me on
the state ticket as a candidatef"
Certainly not" was the quick reply,
mot unless you were convinced Of the
purity Of his motive. But II you have
been telling me the truth and all the
truth It would seem that you didn't
stop to inquire what that motive might
be- ...
what was the use Of inquiring2
He Is the boss Of the machine. He
would have used the machine to put
me into Office as attorney general. In
other words, should have owed my
election not to the will of the people,
but the will of one man, and that
man my nearest kinsman. Under such
circumstances would II have been pos.
sible for me to administer the office
without fenr or favorY'
II don't know why not" she return.
ed. "Your nearest kinsman,' as you
call him. would have been the last
man to interfere. Wasn't that the
very reason he gave FOR wanting to
put you on the ticket"
81 know" said Blount. whose mind
was beginning TO cloud again. but
there are 30 many other mysteries. !
am not sure at this blessed moment
that my father hasn't conspired with
Mr.. McVickar to put me just where l
am"