Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-12-11

terror and set her heart to beating
high with sudden fear. But not this.
o God! Not this"
She repeated the pathetic words of
Little Ella
There's enough OF US drops IN Bel
mont to fill a pretty big buckeU'-oh,
it cant be my father! It cant be my
father! He has a daughter-Its all
d horrid mistake There must be an
other David Kerr. I'm sure"
Gloria sprang from her chair and
seized the sleeping woman roughly By
he arm.
Listen to me. Tell ne something
more Of David Kerr"
She shook Little Ella into a con
sctous state and repeated the question
Which David Kerr IS it,"
There's only one I know Of an
swered Ella. Hes got real estate
Office on Fifth street"
What"
The net Of circumstances was be
ing drawn tighter and tighter about
one man, and that man her father
Are you sure he's the man, girl?"
Gloria asked the question in as sub
dued a manner as possible. Suddenly
she had become afraid. She did not
wish 10 arouse suspicion.
Sure, he's the man" 1t tried ones
patience to be reused from sleep, and
then TO meet with contradiction was
enough TO make one petulant. To set
tie the question so that she could go
back TO sleep. little Ella added:
Look on my bureau and you'll see
a program of the Dave Kerr DENNY
cratic club ball"
Gloria walked over to the bureau
with its tumble of odds and ends. and
began to turn over the things ne
chemically.
NO. not that Look behind that
ph0tygraft. That's it. That's his pic
ture on the front"
Gloria gave one look The picture
was that OF her father.
For a time Little Ella chartered
drowsily, but Gloria did not hear. She
was Frustrated by a grief that nEmbed
her every faculty. The foundation of
her faith had been swept away.
What she beheId seemed to burn it
self into her brain. On the cover of
the program were the words: Annual
Ball. David Kerr Democratic Club"
and the picture OF her father. It was
the truth; her father was the boss Of
Belmont So different was her posi-
ton from that pinnacle on which she
had thought herself to be that the
whole world would have to go through
revolutionary Orientation. There was
nothing in her life which would not
have to be adjusted anew because Of
this revelation
AS she turned the pages of the pro
gram, pages filled with liquor ana sa-
/ loon advertisements, her thoughts
we're all of herself. Resentment and
anger there were, directed toward her
father, but now in the first moments
when she saw herself as Belmont saw
/ her humiliation conquered all ether
/ emotions Her first thought Of Joe
/ Wright was that he had kept the truth
/ from her. She could not grow more
/ sick at heart, comparatively feeling
was out of the question because she
I was completely crushed but she saw
! as in a book that had been written and
! laid away as finished, the sacrifice
/ he had made for her. the supreme re-
/ nunciation he had made because he
would not denounce her father before
/ her.
The thought of how different her
1 homecoming had been from what she
/ had planned made her laugh hysteric-
ally. Then when she recalled the few
staunch friends she had made she
/ clutched wildly at the hope that after
all it was untrue.
It's lie, every word OF it. lie his
enemies invent. What big man but
has about him envious wasps that
prick and sting? Judge Gilbert, Mr..
Kendall, Doctor Hayes, they'll ull say
that he-Joe Wright! What of him?
+ What will he say?"
She put this man that had loved her
in one balance and the other men III
the other He outweighed them all
and the momentaTy hope was gone
She could see it all now. AS the BAT.
fling attitude of Belmont revealed it
self to her bit by bit she buried heI
face in her arms and sobbed.
And l was so proud, oh. SO proudu
moaned the daughter of David Kerr
| Joe! Joe! You did love mel sent
him away, and I never understood
Now I can see it all The social Sights
the cold disdain I could n5t under
stand the whispers that died away
/ before they reached my ears-au, all
all because I was David Kerr's daugh
ter. David Kerr, the boss of Belmont %
Her fathers uame exercised fascf
nation over her Again and again she
repeated it, Der lips curling with
scorn.
David Kerr. the boss of Belmont
she cried With q contempt that wrung
her heart. David Kerr. the king OF
underhans. manipuIators! David Kerr
the man these wretched women IooB
to for pr3tcctiOn-and pay him for it,
This new thought was a poisoned
arrow chat sank into her heart. As
she dvelt upon it her eyes fell upon
her handsome tailored coat and he1
beautiful hat she had laid aside.
And with the money these unhappy
I creatures pay, he-he-God in Heaven
/ Where did the money come from fol
/ these clothes I wear? What shall
do? All these years, and I uevel
knew"
/ Where the money came from to pa!
Tor her handsome clothes wracked hel
as poignantly as would a great phys
zeal pain, Her thoughts were incoher
ent. skipping from one horrid phase
of the situation to another. Though
they were disconnected. they were no