The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-04

| FERROUS Unknown who shoveled mil.
lions SO carelessly into the smashed
ship company. With the last glim
| mering of hope he had written the
wealthy heiress. Miss Selma Ashton
that her millions had been a part OF
those swept away. But why Selma
Ashton unless she had made a recent
demand for money that FASTENED the
, climax? The blotter. turned upside
down against the mirror. had spelled
out the substance of the brokers' last
note. He consulted again the mem
orandum slip. Undoubtedly. he had il
| correctly.
Iced was he mysterious hacker OF
the Titan Company. The Titan Com
pany smashed. Selma Ashton incon.
veniently required money. Iced tack
| led the banks and trust companies
mentioned on the slip for aid. bu'
without success. Then--a subject fol-
! the coroner.
Mrs Pressley's lips compressed as
he read David Dwights note. The
thought of his marriage to the beau
tiful creature just across the tea
things was repugnant to her.
; Selma Ashton checked the laugh
upon her lips. a roguish CLEAN light
ing her eyes. Under lowered lashes
she unused aloud.
Hes dear. old man" she muir
INJURED as though to herself. studying
the shades of disgust upon Mrs
Pressley's countenanCe with infinite
relish. He's got simply millions and
| his wife would get il all. and they
say private physician devotes all
his time to keeping him alive from
hour to hour"
Mrs. Pressley's nose upturned.
Hes so sweet and kindly" Selma
sighed. And even though he is old
and feeble you can see for yourself
the flame of love burns strong in his
heart. Right on the heels of his note
he announces he will come to put his
important question. perfect Loeb
invar. my dear.
She threw back her head, bursting
into peal after peal of ringing laugh
ter. Mrs PRESLEY drew herself erect.
uncertain. whether to assume an air
of injured dignity or to join in the
mirth.
You dear old thing" Selma gasped
"Of course. | haven't any IL "A of marry
ing him. In the first place he's old
in the second place he's not the man l
want. and in the third place he isn't the
man want 10 marry and never could
be. But you were go funny when YOU
thought me in earnest. Just for that I'll
forgive your scoldinG about my asking
MIR. Iced to send me 10000 Now. we
must be ready 10 receive the eager
wooer."
Her companion ordered the butler to
clear the tea table, then slowly followed
the beautiful girl up stairs. She never
quite knew how to take the heiresS. how
to fathom her moods. her fadS. and
fanCies. Still il was good to know that
her riches. her wild extravagances. her
luxurious self-indulSence had not warped
her soul when it came to the big things.
the things that went toward making
eternal happiness or misery for herself.
She could hear Selma dismissing her
maid and moved into the hall, accom-
panying her to the drawng-room. She
hurriedly started to withdraw at a fut-
ter of the door bell. but halted inquiring-
ly as the butler entered with a note
for his mistress.
The companion sazed with increasing
wonderment al the young heiress. A few
moments before she had walked down
the stairs with the radiant creature. a
happy. care-free girl And now. in the
space of time it took for her eyes to
travel across the lines of briefly
scrawled note. all the sirlishness had
faded away leaving the hard speculative
expression there Of cold. calculating,
sCheminG woman.
Mrs. Presley took the note from
the outstretched hand. 1t was brief.
cruelty brief and arrogant. the note
of the suicide broker who seemed to
think his atonement made by the
mere snuffing out of his own existence
Everything the girl possessed wiped out
by the smash of the Titan Ship Com
pany,
The door bell pealed and she started