Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1916-07-14

their prey at midnight"
Most Of them would prefer bread
and milk; anyhow, l would. But Pm
not hungry, so let's ride-we can talk
better, and you're not the sort Of man
to be seen in public with one of Berg
mans show girls
The banker acquiesced with alacrity.
To his driver he said, Take the Long
Island road"
The machine glided into noiseless
motion.
"Why do you choose the Long Island
road" asked Lorelei.
ITS pleasant" responded Merkle.
II ride nearly every night, and l like
the country. You see, can't sleep
unless I'm In motion. get most of
my rest In car; there's something
about the movement that soothes me-"
How funny
peculiar, parhaps, but scarcely hu-
morous. I'd be dead or insane with
out an automobile. keep four
Franch cars In my garage, all specially
built as to spring suspension and up
holstery, and l spend nearly every
night in one or the other of them. So
long as I'm moving fast l manage to
snatch miserable sort Of repose, but
the instant We 60 slow / wake up.
used to sleep at twenty miles an hour;
now can't relax under thirty.
Forty is fine-sixty means dreamless
peace"
1T does, indeed, II one happens to
have blowout" laughed the girl.
The car was now darting through
unfrequented side streets, where the
asphalt lay in the shadows like dark
pools. Up the approach to the Queens
borough bridge 1t swept. and took the
long incline like a soaring bird. Black
wells island slipped under them, an
inky, bottOmless pit Of despair. The
breath Of the oyerheated city changed
as by magic, and the thinfaced suf-
ferer at Lorelei's side drank it In ca
gerly. Even in the dim flash Of the
passing Examinations she noted how
tired and worn he was, and sudden
pity smote her
won't you pretend I'm not here,
and drive just as you always do? l
won't mind" she said.
"My dear, it's late You'll need to
go home"
"No, no."
Really" His eagerness was genu.
inc. Won't your people worry?'
Her answer was short, mirthless
laugh that made him glance at her GU
rlously "They know I'm perfectly
safe. It's the other way round: a man
of your standing takes chances by be-
ing alone with a woman of-mine."
(Which reminds me Of Miss Lynn
and Mr.. Harmon. You've decided to
accept my offer?"
NO. | can't be hired spy"
you said over the phone that you
had learned something"
81 have. believe there is an effort
on foot to get some Of Mr. Hammon's
money dishonesty. | have a reason
for wishing to prevent It,
81 knew wasn't mistaken In you,"
smiled Merkle
"Oh. don't attribute my actions to
any high moral motives! I'm getting
q little rusty on right and wrong. Per.
sonally. have no sympathy with Mr..
unmmon, and don't imagine he nc
quircd all Of his tremendous fortune
In perfectly honorable way. Besides,
he's a married man"
ut isn't alone Jarvis or his family
or their money that Is concerned"
Merkle said, gravely. Great financial
institutions sometimes rest on founda'
tons as slight as one mans person
alty-one mans reputation for moral
integrity. A breath Of suspicion Of
any sort at the wrong time may bring
on crash involving innocent people.
"Hammon at this moment carries a
tremendous top-heavy burden Of re-
sponsibilitles; his death would be no
more disastrous than a scandal that
would tend to destroy public conf
dence in him as a man."
doesn't he know that himself?"
perhaps. But his infatuation over
took him at an age when a man Is a
fool. Young men are always objects
of suspicion In the financial world for
their emotions are unruly; but when
old men fall In love they are superbly
needless of the consequences, l prom
Used to tell you something about Jar.
Wis, and l will. since you spoke of his
married life. From the time he could
walk he never knew anything, never
heard anything except steel. He be-
came a rolling mill superintendent al.
most before he was of age. They say
he never did less than two mems work,
and often more; but he could make
others work, too, and there lay the Sc
cret of his success. His mill held the
tonnage record for years.
when the corporation was formed
he played big part in the deal and
got big slice OF the profits. He
went into other things than steel, and
he prospered. He never failed at any.
thing. Jarvis had no vices and but
one hobby-at least his vices were neu.
t:al, for he had never taken time to
acquire the positive kind. His hobby
was Napoleon Bonaparte. He read ey-
erything there was to read about Ma
poleon; he studied his life and pat
termed his own on similar lines. Do
bore you, Miss Knight?"
mo; go on. I'm tremendously in
terested."
We'll, naturally, Harmon began to
consider himself another Napoleon
and his accomplishment were in a
way quite as wonderful. He even con.
Cnnt;nnad Newt Weak