The Clio messenger., 1915-10-01
yhole face lighted with pleasure.


curved away from his pink scalp In
thick waves. A man to love. yes! but
a man to protect, too, for his childish
simplicity and his frank innocence
would make him easy prey for the
vultures-vultuIe such as ].
ITO meet you is a pleasure, SIR" he
said in a voice that was soft and low.
There was just a tinge OF the south
ern drawl In it, but the words were
not mispronounced like those OF the
southern gentlemen I've seen on the
stage or read of in popular fiction.
That was all he said to me just then.
for he turned to his daughter. "Did
you enjoy the ride. Alice?" he asked.
his face lighting up just as hers had
done when she spoke Of him.
wonderfully, daddy!" she cried.
"You should try it, and have Mr.. Havi-
land tell you the names Of all the
beautiful buildings. They mean some
| thing more than a mass of stone and I
steel then.
"You seem to be looking through
| the walls and see the men and women
| you've read about while you are hun
dreds OF miles away, sitting In the
| chairs in their rooms"
"And up in the tall ofice-buildings
| you imagine you see the men who are
directing thousands OF laborers miles
and miles away. Mr.. Haviland makes
them human; you can see the flesh
| and blood people who have made
| them and use them.
The red went to my ears. Was that
what I'd been talking about?
The father turned to me again. 4
reckon I'd be kind of an old imposi-
/ tion," he said with pretended sadness.
"Old people like me are tiresome. I
guess, in this great, big CITY,"
Alice patted his hand and looked up
at him roguisbly. "Now, daddy" shs
chided laughingly. You're fishing
for compliment. Mr.. Haviland will
tell you that you're not old at all, and
I'm sure he'll say that you couldn't be
tiresome if you lived to be as old as
Methuselah!"
"And a whole lot more II II
wouldn't presume on acquaintance" I
assured them both.
"There!" she rewarded me with
one of her flashing smiles. Doesn't 4
that satisfy my good old compliment
fishing daddy?"
"When you talk to your father like
that | know you're hungry" he said.
"You aren't respectful when you're
hungry. Won't you have lunch with
us, Mr.. Haviland?"
Would I? Why, my voice fairly
trembled with eagerness as l accept
ed the invitation.
In the corner of the big dining
room We ate, talking commonplaces
over the oysters and soup, feasting
my eyes on the happy, laughing girl
opposite me, and watching the faith
er's attentions almost jealously.
It was with the roast came the ques-
tion from the father that was like q
dash of cold water to me.
"Are you in business here in New
York;" he asked
That was the thing had tried to
avoid-to thrust back in my mind and
forget. But l suppose it had to come,
and when it did my years of training
at my game of lying didn't desert me.
though didn't meet the girls eyes.
Partly" I answered. Though it
takes me all over the country. I'm =
business promoter"
saw his eyes widen with interest.
'T wish I could have met you six
months ago." he said, and there was
almost wistful note in his voice.
"Why?" I managed to gasp. He
wished he had met me.
80 that I might have carried out
the ambition of my life," he said slow
ly; "to have built the power-plant on
the Little Hazel river"
Daddy is going to ride his hobby,
now, Mr.. Haviland," laughingly
warned Alice.
1--WE tried to get capital" he went
on, paying no attention to the girl.
"But we found it impossible. MY
neighbors down on the Little Hazel
haven't enough to build the kind Of
power-plant we need, and year after
year we've seen the power flow use
lessly between the banks while our
Industries were at the mercy Of tho
coal combine. When we saw that
there was no hope OF a cooperative
company we sold. My neighbors sent
me up here to sign the final papers
and get the money"
"Did your" l asked, and there was 7
note Of fear in my voice. Had the
vultures already swooped down on
this innocent old man and the neigh
bors who were probably just as unso-
phisticated as he?
"Yes," he answered, but there was
no happiness in his voice; II got q
check for two hundred and fifty thou
sand yesterday.
"From whom?"
"The J. p. Swelton Company"
/ breathed sigh Of relief. That