The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-21
The Eoe,,i1,e Story

I
most emphaticalIy.
said.
The young man, standing with her
N the vestibule. shifted his position.
getting his broad back against the In
ner door. thereby frustrating Molly's
plan to open 1t with her lAtchkey.
- 0uite impossible IL NO real rea-
s, I'm going in now" said Molly with
Not until you have given me q bet
ter reason for turning me down.
She faced him.
Well. If you want all the horrible
oetaais. don't care enough about
you" said she.
Robert BraineFd seemed not per-
turbed at this. Indeed. he smiled.
That's not the real reason" said
He looked at her searchingly. The
girl tried to return that fixed gaze, but
her eyes suddenly faltered.
The real reason" she said, and
conviction to him. aHns sSs1 that I WON'T
marry any man unless I'm the most
important thing In his life. I'm not
tn. most important thing in yours. by
any means"
why. Molly. Of. course. you are"
said he.
mo. I'm not" she said. why. you
can't even bother. to keep your en-
gagements with me. Day before yes
tcrGay you were two hours late in
getting here: yesterday you didn't
come at all, although you said you'd
see me at half-past four. Today, after
waiting some three hours for you and
growing tired, run out for a breath
OF air and happen to meet you COM
ing up the street. I'm very, very inn
pCrtant, it would seem from all that"
my dear, I've tried to explain 1 m
very busy man these days. I've
Al~y
She made a wry little face. "Busi-
ress, business. always business" said
she II see 1t comes before me, and
that has made me decide as 1 have.
Now. please. let me go into the
But Brainerd made no move to take
his back away from the door.
You're not fair" said he.
She whirled on him wrathfully.
ut isn't as II you had to do it." said
she. You're not pressed for ready
money and you never will be. It
would seem that a little of this highly
important business might be dropped
once in a while SO that you could keep
one appointment with me. AS it is -"
Now see here" said he. AMI his
tone was that OF a man who checked
his impotence with an effort. "you
have always said before that mere
excuse for a mans not working AID
giving the very best he has in him in
his work Well. that's what I'm do
ing. OF trying to do-work not for the
something. If I'm going to build up
q legal practice Of my own I've got to
hustle early and late. And when do
I'm handed this little welt from you"
i The girl said nothing, but the set
of her lips told him his words had
been wasted SO far as she was con-
cerned, at least.
Here I am Just getting a chance to
have the legal work of the Intercity
company, shaving my head OF to get
it to please yogs ,a fa you accuse w, me
i've been chasing Stone and Holden
for q month now, and the deals COM
ing to a head. That's why I'm SO
seemingly neglected.. Don't think
for a minute that all the business in
the world comes ahead of you"
i Her lips relaxed; a little in their
tenseness at that.
"Prove it," she said shortly.
II WILL" he declared. How shall
do it2"
This is Friday. isn't it," she said.
We'll, I'll give you until Tuesday to
think over whether or not 1t is worth
while keeping your appointments
with me. Come to me Tuesday even |
ing at 8. We will be out at the Lake. |
Vile house then"
II WILL" said he.
IF business doesn't interfere" she |
Knocked.
1T won't" said he, grimly.
He stepped away from the door. |
She opened it and slipped inside. |
But before she had closed it entirely
she said softly: Maybe, If you're |
on time-it isn't much to ask you to
be on time just once. is it'll have !
q different answer for you"
Watch mel" he cried jubilantly as
the door closed.
- %S~@k
noon Brainerd's- stenographer called
him to the phone. 1t Holden. of
the Intercity company. on the wire.
He and Stone, he said, would like to
see Mr.. Brainerd.
Brainerd went. out with his head in
the clouds. He was sure now that
the thing he was working for had
gone through: that he was to have at
last the legal work of the Intercity
company. The fact that Holden and |
Stone wanted to see him at once ar
gued that. He lost no time in getting
to Stones ONCE.
Nor was he wrong in his surmise.
The legal work was to be his here
after. That was made plain to him
with no waste Of words. Then at
to go over with them certain out
standing contracts Of subsidiary con-
Germs and pass upon them as to their
validity.
|. The three locked themselves in
Holden's private Office, and, with the
contracts piled on his desk. they fell
to work.
Brainerd's first thought outside the
mooted contracts was that he was
hungry. How long he had been
working he could not have told. He
glanced at his watch. He was horri-
fed to find it was 1870.
The sudden thought of his appoint
ment with Molly at Lakewood
brought q colu Precipitation to his
forehead.
rs your car down at the door ?" he
asked crisply.
Mine isl said Stone. Why"
|. I'm going to use it, said Brain