Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-11-06
Copyright. 1911. by Thomas Dixon
CHAPTER VII.
An Old Perfume.


CHAPTER vi.
An Old Perfume.
THOR nine years Stuart had re-
II fused to see or speak to Nan:
He met Bivens as matter of
course. but always downtown
during business hours or at one of his
clubs. For the first year Nan had re-
scented his attitude in angry pride and
remained silent. And then she began
to do curious thing which had grown
to be a part of his Utmost life. For
the past eight years she had written a
brief daily diary recording her doings
thoughts and memories which she mail
ed to him every Sunday night. She
asked no reply and be gave none. No
names appeared in its story and no
name was signed to the dainty sheets
OF paper which always bore the per-
fume of wild stra wberries. But the
man who read them In silence knew
and understood.
The letter from her he held today
was not an unsigned sheet Of her diary.
~ was q uHcSl. pei oOiAdI dPpeNA. ISuoS'
and beautiful in its sincerity. She beg
ged him to forget the past because she
needed his friendship and advice, and
asked that he come to see her at once.
This letter was his first temptation
to break the resolution by which he
had lived for years.
He rose and paced the room with
fury as he began to realize how des.
perate was his desire to go.
"Have | fought all these years for
nothingY' he cried.
The thing that drew him With all
but resistless power was the deeper
meaning between the lines He knew
that each day the incompleteness Of
her life had been borne in upon her
with crushing force. And yet he felt.
by an instinct deeper than reason. that
the day he returned from his exile and
touched her hand would mark the be-
ginning of tragedy for both.
In the past nine years he had thrown
his life away only to find it in greater
power. The first year which he had
given of unselfish devotion to the serv-
Ice Of the people had been a failure.
but at the end of four years he was
nominated for district attorney and
was swept into office by a large ma
jority. The enforcement Of Justice
ceased to be Joke and became a liv-
ing faith.
His work had stirred the state to a
nobler and cleaner civic life During
the past year he had become one Of
the foremost figures in American De-
mocracy-the best loved and the most
hated and feared man in public life in
New York. He asked no favors: he
sought no preferment
The work on which he had just en-
tered was an investigation before an
unusually intelligent grand jury of the
criminal acts Of group Of the most
daring and powerful 6nanciers Of the
world When he realized the magni-
tude of the task he had undertaken
he at once put his house In order for
the supreme effort 1t was necessary
that he give up every outside interest
that might distract his attention from
the greater task
The one matter Of grave Importance
to which he was giving his time out
side his Office was his position as adj
vfsory counsel to DR.. Woodman in his
suit for damages against the chemical
trust. which had been dragging it's
course through the courts for years
To his amazement be had lust re-
eeived an offer from Bivens attorney
to compromise this suit for 100000
He would of course advise the doctor
to accept it Immediately. He hat
never believed be could win a penny
What could be Biyens' motive il
making such an offer? 1t was impos
sible that the shrewd little presiden
of the American Chemical compan,
: had anything to fear personally from
this attack. His fortune now coul'
not be less than $4O.OOO,00O, and tn
issue of such a suit as the one Wood
man had brought and on which b
had spent so much of his time an
money was to Bivens a mere bagatelle
1t might be Nan-it must be! He
letter surely made the explanation res
soma BILE. She knew this suit was a
obstacle in the way of their meeting.
During the past winter she had b<
come the sensation Of the metropolis
Her wealth. her beauty. her palace
and her entertainments had made be
the subject Of endless comment. Sh
had set pace for extravaganza whic
made the old leaders stand aghas
Her worldly wise mother had been dea
for the past five years.
He was waiting the arrival of Woo
man for conference over Bivens' Of
fer of compromise. aud he dreaded tn
ordeal.
So the little weasel has offered t
compromise my suit for half the SUI
we named. eh?" the doctor asked |
triumph.
Il assure you that II the case come
to its final test you are certain to lose
$50 you have said again and agai1
my boy" was the good natured repl
''but his sudden terror and this off
show that we have won already, an
he knows it. Bivens has seen tt
handwriting on the wall. When tt
American people are once arouse
their wrath will sweep the trusts I'M
the bottomless pit"
"Bivens isn't worrying about the pc
pie or their wrath"
~ - Z -