River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-16

| mat she was ABOUT 70 make great
effort to secure recognition. Belmont
was not in a receptive mood. It's first
/ thought was that she was the child OF
shrewd political trickster who had
| fattened at the expense of the town.
The offspring of the leopard should
not hope to be without spots.
| Mrs. Gilbert was clever enough to
have girls to luncheon whom she
| thought might become interested in
/ Gloria. They came, and in the major
| ity of cases surprised Gloria by their
charming manners and their beautiful
| clothes. Her court was to be even
more brilliant than she had dreamed.
| The girls were invited one at time,
to give both Gloria and the visitor
the opportunity of becoming well &C
quainted
The luncheon guests came to call
afterward, but by a strange nischance
| it was always when Gloria was not at
home She would go to the architects
office with Mrs Gilbert, and would
! find on her return that several cards
| had been left for her The ball was so
near that she made no attempt to pay
any calls herself. She was too busy.
Although railing at the fate which
| took him away most of the time. the
| first three weeks after Glorias re-
moval TO town were spent by Judge
| Gilbert in Chicago. Occasionally he
ran over for a day, but even then his
wife and their guest saw little OF him.
This would have made their evenings
| hang heavy on their hands had II not
been for Joe Wright He got into the
habit of dropping in after dinner every
| evening and several times week Mrs.
Gilbert had him to dine with them.
Late in the afternoons he and Gloria
often drove together, the season of
the year keeping them most Of the
time on the city streets. Once he
drove with her to Locust Lawn, but
as it was late when they reached there
lie did not get out, sitting in the run
about while Gloria ran into me house
for few minutes.
Neither Wright nor Gloria ever made
an effort to direct the conversation
into the intimate channel it had taken
the night they first had met in Bel
mont. One might almost have thought
they had agreed to consider them
selves merely good friends, SO impCr-
sonal were they in what hey said
For this there was q reason; rather,
there were two reasons, his and hers.
Wright was keeping firm grip on
himself because he knew the truth and
was afraid. Gloria was self-possessed
and would not have permitted HIM to
pass the border of friendship had he
dared, because she wished to know
Belmont we'll Even hint of an en-
tangllng alliance would prove him
drancs.- Thus 1t was that each was
happy in the others company. And if
perchance they looked the sentiment
that each had inwardly resolved not to
breathe, they were happier still III the
thought that some day their dreams
would come true.
The paper was occasioning Wright
no great anxiety. Somewhat to his
surprise the advertising revenue was
showing most gratifying gains caused
by the increase of local business. The
Banner had more advertising, but the
new owner OF the afternoon paper had
no cause to complain. Even his adver-
1 Using manager could not explain it..
Main street merchants who had been
out of the paper for years began to
| send in copy without solicitation.
| This made the head of the advertising
department think that the millennium
was about due. The real reason, un-
known to every one except the mer-
chants receiving the message, was that
Dave Kerr had sent out the tip for
them to throw some of their patronage
to the News.
This was shrewd move on the part
of Kerr. He wanted Wright to have
such a volume of bu2iness that if he
should order all the advertising he
| could influence cut off, the paper would
| be instantly crippled. If the News
had not much business then anything
Kerr might cause to be dropped out
would only show that his power was
slight. If he had to strike a blow he
wanted it to be with a sledge hammer.
Another important consideration
which led him to take this step was
that the merchants might believe, and
he tipped it off in a manner which
would be most apt to make them jump
to that conclusion, that he was himself
! interested in the News. This would
| tend to minimize Wright's influence If
he should attempt a crusade, since the
public would wink and say: IT'S all a
| bluff, old man Kerr himself is inter
ested in the paper" The boss even
calculated that this would be strength
| ened BY the frequency with which
| Wright was seen in his daughters
company He was not looking for
trouble. he never welcomed it, but he
sought always to be prepared when it
| caTle.
During her first weeks at Mrs. Gil
bert's Gloria saw little of her father.
She had at first frequently dropped in
at his office, but he had intimated that
it was no place for her. Sometimes she
would be at Locust Lawn when Tom
brought him home in the afternoon
/ When Judge Gilbert was home from
/ Chicago once he dined with them.
Every day, however, she talked to him
for some time over the telephone He
! always seemed interested, apologized
/ for not seeing her more, and let her
rattle on until she had quite exhausted
the news of the day. Occasionally he
| c0mDIaiOad m hpr Of his rbpumarSSp,