Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-10-09

{
a 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 tc
have girls to luncheon whom she
thought Nigh become interested in
Gloria. They tame, 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 a time
to give both Gloria and the visitor
the opportunity of becoming we'll &C
quainted
The luncheon guests came to call
afterward, but by strange mischance
it was always when Gloria was not at
home. She would go to the architect's
office with Mrs Gilbert, and would
! find on her return that several cards
had been left for her. The bail 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 Gloria's re
mOval to town were spent by Judge
Gilbert in Chicago Occasionally he
ran over for 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 il not
been for Joe Wright. He got into the
habit OF dropping III 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
he did not get out, sitting in the run
about while Gloria ran into the house
for a 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 upper
sOnaI were they in what they said.
For this there was a reason; rather,
there were two IeasOns, his and hers.
Wright was keeping a firm grip on
himself because he knew the truth and
was afraid. Gloria was possessed
and would not have permitted HIM to
pass the border of friendship, had he
dared, because she wished tc know
Belmont we'll Even a hint of an en-
tangling alliance would prove a him
drance. Thus it 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-
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. I'M
known to every one except the mer-
chants receiving the message, was that
Dave Kerr had sent out the tip yor
them to throw some Of their patronage
TO the News.
This was a shrewd move on the part
Of Kerr. He wanted Wright to have
such d volume of business 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 shcw 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 al 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
beTt'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
complained to her of his rheumatism
no enc had ever heard him speak Of
it 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 a 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.
7~~-~oo~-o-~-~~~~-o-~~ o~~-~-o~~oo-~~~~O~
! at night in the bushes, where a dam
had been constructed. He watched
the suckers as they came up the
Srrpa m and o+tpmDfpd 70 hmm over