The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-27


 the other-ReYnolds was sitting in an adjacent box with a party of railroad of1cials-Blount was conscious of a convictions had made him a partisan of the weaker man.
 Throughout the play and the inter- missions the Weatherfords - mother and daughter-kept him from exchang- ing so much as a word with Miss An ners, whom Gantry was shamelessIy monopolfz1ng. But on the short re- turn walk to the hotel after the play Blount resolutely pushed his friend aside and gave Patricia his arm.
 ''I think you owe me a very abject apology" was the way she began on him when they had such privacy as the crowded sidewalks conferred.
 Consider them made and then tell me what for," he countered
 Consider a moment You come to me with a really narrowing story of your new experiences, and just as I am beginning to get interested there is an Interruption, and in the morning, at some perfectly impossible hour, off you go, and we hear no more of you for weeks and weeks What have you been doingT"
 'T have been doing precisely what you told me to do-preaching the gos- pei of honesty and fair dealing and trying my level best to make other people practice it''
 "You have been successful7'' she asked quickly.
 Reasonably so in the preaching, since that depended solely upon me As to the other, don't know. Sometimes l think the housecleaners are honestly at work, and at other times am afraid they are putting up a front only to deceive me. Some time perhaps may tell you how far have had to go into the practical politics. arnory to get my weapons
 coming to understand him any bet ter?"
 He shook his head despondently. 'sNo, or, rather, yes. I am afraid I am coming to understand him or his methods only too well. The only way we can keep from quarreIng now is to banish politics when we are to- gether.'s
 T am sorry" she said, and the sor- row was emphatic in her tone. "As have said before, you don't understand him. You are judging him by stand ards which, however just and true they may be, are peculiarly your own stand ards. I know you can be broad for others when you try. Can't you be broad for him?"
 It was good to hear her defend his father. It was what he would have wished his wife to do. Suddenly there arose within him a huge reluctance to lessen or to weaken in any way her trust in David Blount
 "Let us say that the fault is nfne,'' he said hastily. God forbid that I should be the means of making you think less of him in any respect!''
 He is simply a grand old man-the first I have ever known for whom the hackneyed phrase seemed to have been made" she asserted warmly. eff he has faults I am sure they are nothing more than gigantic virtues, the faults of man who is too strong to be little in any way"
 With Patricia in town, the s'silver tongued speHbinder of Quaretaro Mesa as the Daily Capital called the new division counsel, would have been glad to evade some of the speaking ap- pointments, but as. his engagements
 
 vance he was obliged to go.
 On his return to the capital he was delighted to find the party of three stiII occupying the private dining room suit in the Inter-Mountain Arriving on the morning train, he was permitted to make the party of three party of four at the breakfast table.
 Later, however, when he went to his rnf7 5Tn rlr the strenuosit1es asserted themselves again with somewhat startling empha- sis. Though he found his desk closed and was reasonably sure that. he had in his own possession the only key that would unlock 1t, he found his pa pers scattered in confusion under the which had come during his absence opened. A touch of the electric button brought the stenographer from the Gnteroom.
 'eWho's been in my desk, Collins ?'' he demanded, pointing to the confusion and scrut1niz1ng the face of the young man for signs of guilt.
 Goodness graciousi I don't know,'' was the instant reply, and Blount con c1uded that the secretary was either 1n- AOSCAS OH dA SOO0 dCCOA 'I have been putting the mail and tele- grams through the letter slit, as you directed. and I've kept the private of fee Iock0d."
 Nevertheless" said B1ount, eft is very evident that somebody has been here" Then he had a sudden shock. "What did you do with that packet of papers I gave you last Monday and told you to put in the safer
 'tI did Just what you told me -to-put it in the cash box and put the-key of the cash box on your desk. Didn't you get itT'
 Blount felt in his pockets and found the key.
 "Get the packet and bring it to me,'' he directed, giving the stenographer