The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-02-21
CHAPTER VII.
A Princely Generosity.

Mr. Rawn went on with the pack.
He was in and out Of the market. His
money grew His ambition also grew,
He felt coming now upon him another
change. He said to himself that he
was now about to- pass up, into yet an
other era of his development.
One day, after his usual days rout-
inc, he closed his Office door, took
his car at the curb. dropped in at his
club, imbibed the two cocktails which
were now his evening wont, and again
emerging, nodded to his chauffeur in
the fashion which meant "Home!"
They passed on out again through the
floating crowd Of various and often
vulgar vehicles, north h-bound-shriek-
ing aloud in a vast united chorus, de-
manding speed, speed, and yet more
speed-along the throbbing arteries of
the city's population. At last he
stopped once more at the front OF
Graystono hall ''Forty-fye minutes,
Dennis, said he to his driver. snap
ping his watch. "Twenty-one miles;
you'll learn it after a while
Mr. Rawn was in exceptional good
hurnor He was at peace with the
world and with his conscience He
looked about him now calmly, with
appreciation in his gaze. His garden
ers had done wonders. The walks
were solid and we'll kept, the green
sward sound and fouTishing. These
late stubbed and desolate trees were
now wide, green and branching The
crocus borders were unbroken, the
formal monochrome beds, here and
there upon the lawn, showed clean-cut
and distinct. The tall pillars of his
motley house even had a green veil
ing of ivy, swiftly grown by art, and
not by time. On terrace a bed of
foliage plant, thirty feet long, grew
in the shape Of word-a magic word
-"Rawn." If any passer-by wished
knowledge as to the creator of all
this, he might read as he ran
'tRawn."
Rawn passed up the steps and
looked out through the long hallway
from the rear of the house, or rather
its real front, which lay upon the lake
shore. Beyond, he could see the faint
curl Of the distant steamers smoke
against the horizon. He stopped for
moment, drinking in the scene, Of
which he never tired There were
birds twittering softly in the trees
about him. He caught the breath Of
flowers, coming to him from the halls
within. Yes, it was an abode suited
for prominent citizen.
There came to meet him now the
quiet football which he had come to
expect, not always patiently or with
pleasure, as the natural end of his
days labors; his wife, Laura, had
never forgotten this daily greeting Of
the old-fashioned wife to her husband,
as the latter returned at the close of
his days labor
He stopped as he heard her slow
tread upon the stair She was COM
ing to meet him. She always did. He,
John Rawn, controller Of men, man
born to succeed and going yet higher,
had only, after all, an old-fashioned
wife!
1t was an emergency this evening.
He was accustomed to meet emergen-
cies. He had come tonight prepared
TO meet this one.
Laura" said he, after the servants
had drawn the curtains and left them
alone in the central room, whittier
they had repaired after dinner; sit
down here, want to talk to you a
while"
Eyes, John," said she quietly. But
she looked at him startled Her face
grew suddenly grave. Be sure the
brute advancing to the poll-ax knows
Its fate. That was the look In Laura
Rawn's face now. eyes, John," she
said, knowing what blow was to be
hers.
He motioned her to a seat beyond
the little table and seated himself op-
posite. Reaching into bulging pock-
ct, he brought out thick bundle o.
folded papers; long, narrow papers