The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-03-12

ace
Inspector MCGEE, in his dinner coat
and his diamonds, sat in the preferred
corner farthest from the music. Rosa
| lie, reigning opposite in two thousand
dollars worth of diamonds, eight hun
dred dollars worth of clothes, three
hundred dollars worth of massage
and a hundred dollars worth of hair
| dressing and hat, followed with smiling
| eyes a wave of agitation which ran
| from waiter to waiter until it broke at
: the door, in a spray of Italian-SWlss-
| French gestures, against the head walt
er and majordomo. The lady with In
spector MCGEE, the lady whom ne
brought regularly-so an excited wait
er-captain explained to his chief-had
complained Of tainted clam. 1t was
| frightful, terrific, the head waiter re-
piled. Some one must suffer Inspec-
tor Niece might never come again.
| Some morning after hours the bar
would be raided. Mache! Academic!
When MCGEE had condescended to
accept apologies, he resumed to Rosa
| lie
81 don't even have to pay for my
New Years eve table reservations.
| That's what it iS-being cop"
Rosalie dropped her pink right hand
on her pinker left one, and fell to
playing with a new diamond solitaire
that dimmed for size and luster all her
other jewels. Her dimples threw back
an answering flash.
"Erjoy it while you can, Marty"
she said. 1T won't be long"
Even yet, Inspector McGee reflected.
Rosalie LIE Grange had surprises for
him. He did not realize, for he was no
seer of the future, that she would be
giving him just such surprises all his
life long.
whats new with you this time?"
he inquired smiling indulgently.
"Sothin' with me-" renlied Rosalie,
only I'm brealSin' the news to you.
Inspector is as high up as a policeman
can get. Your days on the force are
numbered, Martin Niece. An |
haven't made up my mind yet" she
added, dimpling now not on the dia-
monds, but on him, whether to make
you Democratic boss of the state SEN
ate, or just leader of Tammany hall!"
That day was raw November, with
wet sticky suggestion of rain in tie
air. From the colonial piazza where
Constance stood, waiting, the grounds
rolled away cold and naked to the
great double gate. A cluster of bare
elms hid the farther reaches of the
walk from her view. He who was com
ing would approach unobserved until
he was almost upon her. In the whirl
and perturbation of her spirit, she
found herself thankful for that What
ever happened, It would come sudden
! ly.
Resale lie Grange and every one
else most vitality concerned in the
Wade HSnska case had considered it
! best that she, the too-romantic heroine
of these events, should be in hiding
when Lawrence Wade came out of the
| Tombs, free man. One must con-
slider the newspapers-always the
newspapers, with their photographers,
! their special writer's, their insistence
on the human interest features of
the celebrated case. So even before
Captain McGee flashed to the head
quarters reporters that Margarita Pc
req. detained in the criminal ward at
Bellevue hospital, was the solvent of
the Hanska case, Rosalie removed her
secretly to this friendly country place
near Arden. Days followed in which
the reporters tracked Lawrence Wade
at all hours in order to discover him in
the act of meeting Constance. In that
period, he scarcely dared write, lest
the address on an envelope might be-
tray her whereabouts. Now, in the
general march of events, the interest
/ in the HanSka case had become dull.
| And today, in this very hour, he was
coming-wfth what message on his
! lips?
! In the distances sounded the whistle
of a locomotive: column of white
smoke rose above the bare trees. She
glanced at the watch on her wrist
This was his tram. IN five minutes he
would emerge 80 view from behind
| that clump of trees. In five minutes,
she would know.
Was it honor with him--or was it
something else? How far he would go
for honor's sake, she knew best of ALL
It was like him to refuse the consCla-
ton of her love at a time when ten
der from him might mean only shame
for her But did he love her still? Sup
pose that she had become to him only
the incarnate symbol of his trouble?
Suppose that the thought of her, now,
only renewed those meditations on
shameful death which must have
haunted his nights in prison? Such