The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-18
CHAPTER VI.

=
"a in the mammoth New Years
edition of the Plainsman as
''the newest, the finest and the
most luxurious hosiery west of the
Missouri the Inter-Mountain hotel in
! the Sagebrush capital had been the
gathering place of the political clans.
After the solid costliness of War
trace Hail and the thirty mile spin In a
high powered roadster, which was only
one Of the three high priced motor
carriages in the Wartrace garage, Evan
Blount was not surprised to find his
father registered in permanence for
one of the private dining room suits
at the Inter-Mounta1n.
It was very evident that the simple
life which had been the rule of the
Circle Bar ranch household had be-
come thing of the past, and, though
he charged the new and extraVagant
order of things to the ambition of his
| fathers wife, he could not cavn at it,
since he was himself a sharer in its
! comforts and luxuries.
For the first few days he was left
almost wholly to his own devices. Be
yond giving him a good many intro
auctions as the opportunities for them
came in the semipub1fc life of the no
tel his father made few demands upon
him, and they met only at luncheon
and dinner the first of which was
usually served in their suit, while for
| the latter they went to the cafe. But
! Gantry was. back, and he was always
! available.
| Almost before he realized It Blount
had been put in touch with the busy,
breezy life of the city and was ex-
changing mods or handshakings with
more people than he had ever known
in Cambridge or Boston.
ssPretty good little old town, isn't
itF'. laughed Gantry one day when he
| had toHed Blount away from the In
! ter-Mountain luncheon to share table
| with him in the Railway club. Get
| ting so you feel a little more at home
with us2''
eff I'm not it isn't your fault, Dick.
or the fault of your friends. Naturally
i I expected some sort of welcome as
I David Blount's son. but that doesn't
seem to cut any figure at all"
| Gantry's smile was inscrutable.
.sThe people with whom it cuts the
largest figure will never let you know
| anything about it. Just the same, it's
I cutting a good bit of ice. have met
a dozen men, more or less, within the
past day or SO who have discovered
| that you are the brafniest thing that
ever escaped from the law school"
''Tommyrot!'' derided Blount-
! cts a fact. And they are prophesy-
ing all sorts of future for you" And
again Gantry's smile was broadly sly.
Like what?' scoffed the listener.
eWelI, for one thing. they are say
ing that you are pretty sure to run for
] attorney general this fall. It's all
! Bver town. Everybody's talking about
talking a lot and guessing a good
deal more
B1ount was balancing a spoon on the
edge of his cIaret glass, and frownins
abstra ctedIy. It was the first little
diseoFd in the filial harmony-almost
a breach of confidence. Without con
suIting his wishes, without waiting fol
his decision, his father had commit
ted him-'taken snap Judgment upon
him. was the way he phrased it.
''Dick, will you believe me if I say
that I haven't authorized any such talk
as this you've been hearing?" he
asked.
This time Gantry's smile was a grin.
''The honorable senator took it out
of your hands, did he? You'll under
L
when I say it's just like him. If he
has slated you, you are booked to run,
and if he runs you you'n be elected
Those are two Of the things that say
themselves in the Sagebrush State.'
j Blount was indignant-'justly indig-
nant,'' he called it.
IF that is the case, Dick, it is high
time that some one should break the
charm. haven't said that would
| accept the nomination, and am not
at all sure that shall say so. And il
don't say SO that settles it,
Gantry was plainly shocked. 'FYou
don't mean to say that you've got
nerve enough to buck the old m-you1
father, I mean! Why, great cats
Evan, you don't know what thai
stands for In the greasewood hiIlsY'
'+And I don't care, Dick. Up to this
| present moment am free mora
! agent 1 haven't surrendered any right