Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-09-30
CHAPTER II-contlnued.

Rather Idly, now, he drew a pad to-
ward him and, taking up a pencil,
made the figures seventeen and TWEEN
ty-seven. Then he made the figures
thirty-two and forty-two. He black
ened them with repeated tracings as
he unused. This done, he put seven
teen under twenty-seven and thirty
two under fc1ty-two. He made the
subtraction and studied the two tens.
A swing door opened softly and his
executive clerk reappeared with soft
tread
Some papers for your signature,
sir" he said as he slipped them On the
bIotter in front OF Westerling And
the 132d--no order about that. sir?"
he asked.
None. 1t remainsl" westerlIng re-
piled.
The clerk went out impressed. His
chief taking to sums OF subtraction
and totally preoccupledl The 1920 to
remain! He. too. had a question-mark
in his secret mind.
Westerling proceeded with his math-
ematics. Having heavily shaded the
tens. he essayed sum In division. He
found that ten went into seventy just
seven times.
"one-seventh the allotted span Of
llfe!" he unused take off fifteen
years for youth and fifteen after fifty.
five nobody counts after that. though
] mean to--and yS' have ten into
forty. whict :. oue-fourth. That is a
good deal. But it's more to a woman
than to a man-yes, a lot more to a
woman than 20 a mani"
The clerk was right in thinking
Westerling preoccupied; but II was
not with the international crisis. over
his coffee the name OF Miss Marta Cal
land. in the list Of arrivals at hotel.
had caught his eye In the morning pa
per. A note 10 her had brought an
answer, saying that her time was linn
Tied, but she would be glad to have
him call at five that afternoon.
Westerlfng realized that the ques-
ton OF marriage as social require.
ment might arise when he should be-
come officially chief OF staff with the
retirement OF Ills Excellency the field.
marshal For the present he enjoyed
his position as a bachelor who was
the most favored man in the army too
much to think of marriage.
1t was a little surprising that the
bell that the girl OF seventeen had
rung In his secret mind when he was
on one of the first rounds OF the lad
der, now lost in the mists Of a lower
stratum OF existence, should ever
tinkle again Yet he had heard It's
note In the tone OF her prophecy with
each step in his promotion: and while
the other people whom he had known
at La Tir we're the yaguest shadows OF
personalities. her picture was as def
mite In detail as when she said: You
nave the wilt You have the ambi-
aion!" She had recognized in him the
power that he felt: foreseen his ascent
to the very apex OF the pyramid. She
was still unmarried. which was
strange: for she had not been bad
docking and she was Of fine old fam.
lily. What was she like now? Com
monplace and provincial. most likely.
Many OF the people no had known in
his early days appeared so when he
met them again But, at the worst, he
looked for an interesting half.hour.
The throbbing activity of the streets
of the capital. as his car proceeded on
the way TO her hotel, for led an enere
getic accompaniment to ais gratifying
backward survey OF how all his plans
had worked out from the very day OF
the prophecy Had he heard the re-
mark OF great manufacturer to the
banker at his side In passing limous-
Inc. There goes the greatest captain
of industry OF us ALL" westerling
would only have thought: Certainly
] am chief Of staff. am at the head
OF all your workmen at one time OF
another" Had he heard the bankers
answer, But pretty poor pay. pretty
small dividendRi" he would have
thought. splendid dividends divi
'dends of power."
He had a caste contempt for the mer
of commerce. With their mercenary
talk about credit And market prices
and also for the scientists. doctors, en-
gineers. and men OF other professions
who spoke OF things in books which
he did not understand. Reading book,
was one of the faults OF Turcas. his as
sistant. No bcokish soldier, he knew
had ever been great general He re
scented the growing power OF thes,
leaders OF the civil world. taking dis
unction away from the military. ever
when, as a man OF parts, he had I,
court their influence. His was IN,
profession that was and ever shoul,
be the elect. A penniless subalterl
was a gentleman. while he could neve
think OF a man In business as one.
All the faces In the street belonge,
10 strange. busy world outside his In
1erest and thoughts They fotme,
what was known as the public. oftei
making a clatter about things whicl
they did not understand. whea the.
should obey the orders OF ii cir su
periorS. OF late, their chatter had beel
about the extra taxes for the recent in
crease of the standir 8 forces ~ an
other corps. The public was 'ovin
with q parrots head. Yet 1t did no
admire the toiling OK. but the eagl
and the lion
AS his car came to the park his eye
lighted at sight OF one OF the dividend
one feature Of urban life that eve