Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1913-11-06

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 volume of business that If he
should order all the advertising he
could influence cut of. 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 1t to be with sledge hammer.
| Another important consideration
which led him to take this step was
that the merchants might believe. and
he tipped it off In 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 crusade, since the
public would wink and say: Its 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
came.
During her first weeks at Mrs. Gil
berts 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
complained to her of his rheumatism
no one had ever heard him speak of
1t beforehand she would beg him to
take good care of himself, since it was
with him that she wished to dance
first at her ball.
There was one girl whom Mrs. Gil
bert sought as friend for Gloria. She
mentioned it to her husband the first
day their guest arrived, and he sug-
gested that she be invited to lunch the
next day. Accordingly Mrs. Gilbert
telephoned Miss Laura Piper and
asked her. For the following day.
however, Miss Piper had an engage
ment. When several other days were
mentioned she had engagements for
those also. Could she have been made
to accept Gloria, the task of conquer
ing Belmont would instantly become
the great Piper Mining company, and
her family was looked upon as one of
the most exclusive in the whole state.
If Laura Piper would, she could make
it extremely pleasant for Gloria. But
Laura Piper had her own way and her
family's ideas about the Kerr breed,
and no matter how nice Gloria might
be, she was still her fathers daugh-
ter.
Mrs. Gilbert reported her lack of
success to her husband on his return
from his first trip to Chicago, and he
mentioned it, almost casually, to Da-
vid Kerr when they met the next day.
The boss inquired the particulars, but
made no comment. That he was not
unmindful of the episode developed
two days later when the Piper Coal
company received a complaint from
the secretary of the school board that
there was an undue quantity of slate
in the last coal furnished the public
schools. While worrying with this, the
company's legal department sent word
to the president that the city solicitor
had Just notified the company that one
of the important spurs into an uptown
coal yard crossed street without au-
thority of law.
Old man Piper swore by all the gods
in mythology that it was the worst
outrage ever perpetrated upon him in
all his business life. He had but day
or two to catch his breath before Mrs.
Gilbert telephoned at the dinner hour
asking Laura to luncheon the next day
The whole thing dawned on him when
Laura flounced back from the tele-
phone and announced petulantly that
she would not meet that odious Gloria
Kerr. He said nothing until after din
ner, then calling Laura aside he or
dered her to telephone Mrs. Gilbert
and withdraw her refusal. His pocket
book having been hit, Piper was will
ing to make some sacrifice to deter
mine the reason and what he was to
expect in the way of further attack.
He kept his mouth closed, and waited.
Laura returned from the luncheon
with favorable opinion of Gloria, but
she could not forget her parentage.
Upon being questioned she told her ia
ther she did not care to put Gloria on
her visiting list.
Suppose l have some one to visit
me who asks Who is that girl you
introduced me tor complained Laura.
And I'll have to say: That's Gloria
Kerr, the boss daughter Then what
will the visiting girl think of Belmont
society, and what will she think of