The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-21
CHAPTER III.
Mir. sivens Calls.

l~TUART walked next .horning > with a sense of hopeless de
 pression. What strange mad
 ness had come over the woman he loved? They had never discussed money before Bivens was the only explanation-
 A letter was on the hall rack which had been sent by a messenger. He broke the seal with nervous haste It was from Bivens asking him to call his office telephone at II o'clock.
 He tore the note into tiny pieces, stepped into the parlor and threw them into the grate. Some one was play Ing an old fashioned southern melody. snd the renderest voice accompanied the piano. He walked to the door of the music room.
 It was Harriet Woodinan-Y She look ed up with a start q
 .Oh. Jim, I didn't know you were thereT' es ,4
 Tt was beautiful, little pal.''
 'Yes. knew you'd like that piece heard you humHsing it ene4azf That's why I got itT
 what a sweet voice you have. child, so clear, so deep and rich and full of feeling didn't know you could sing"
 "I didn't either until tried."-s
 -'You must study music" he said. with enthusiasm.
 The girl clapped- her hands and leap ed to her feet, exclaiming:
 ''wiII you be proud of me. Jim, if can singr'
 Indeed wilI,'' was the earnest an ewer-
 The laughing eyes grew serious as she slowly said:
 dO hoc Pm off Goodby."
 On reaching his office on lower Broad way Stuart rang Bivens' telephone. and the president of the American Chemi cal company made an engagement to call at once.
 Stuart was grateful for the timely call of a client who kept him in con- sultation for fifteen minutes while Biv- ems patiently waited his turn in the re- ception room.
 The first view of Bivens was always unimpressive. He was short, thin and looked; almost frail at first glance. A second look gave the impression of wiry reserve force in his. compact drame- His hair was jet black and Ehinning slightly on top, which gave him the appearance of much greater age than he. could really claim His
 
 face was covered with a thick black beard which he kept trimmed to keen point on the chin. His most strfk- Ing features Wereea high massive fore head abnormally long for the size of his body, and pair of piercing, bead like black eyes.
 He rarely spoke except to a purpose, and his manners were quiet, almost furtive. He had thus early in his career gained a nickname that was pe- culiarIy significant in Wall street. He was known as the Weasel.
 His whole makeup. physical and men tai, was curiously complex, a mixture of sobriety and greed, piety and cruel fy, tenderness and indomitable will. simplicity of tastes with boundless ambition.
 His friendship for Stuart and his def erence to him personally and socially dated from their boyhood in North Car .ohna. and particularly from an incl dent which occurred in their college days. BiTehs father had been a no forious coward in the Confederate army and had at last deserted the service. On Bivens' arrival at college, partic- ular1y green freshman, Stuart had dis covered group of his classmates haz- ing him. They had forced the COW ards son to mount a box and repeat to khe crowd the funny stories about the ~'valor" of his father. The boy, scared half out of his wits. stood =stammer dng and persplring= and choking with shame as he tried to obey his tormen tors
 Stuart protested vigorously, and light ensued in which he was com peIled to thrash the rfngleader and res cue the victim by force of arms From That day Stuart was BfvensA~ beau bdaal of gentleman. He had tolerat-