Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-02-01

| he sat beside her on the settee.
| They say he is not only the boss of
the city. bat Of the state" replied Mol.
| ". very much Interested. You knew
! that. didn't you"
| .Of course he acknowledged, ''but
scarcely think that would influence
my Judgment. ! have studied great
many men Of more power and influence
| than be has at present, but none OF
| them. so far as can recollect. seemed
to have his elemental force. Wherever
| he was born. he would have been u
leader. He is wonderful man. Throw
him in savage countrySand he would
be king
A huge figure approached them.
Hello, Watt" runbled the deep
voice of Sledge. 'My dance. Molly"
swell, you having al good timer
asked Sledge, sitting comfortably in
the seat MI. Watt had just VACATED.
THE time OF my life" she assured
him. with happy animation.
That's the word" he heartily ap-
proved. IF there's anybody here you
want just tell Cameron. If he don't
trot 'em right over tell me"
.The mayor has been very kind" ac-
knowledged Molly, beginning to Won
der.
Hes got his orders returned
Sledge complacently. .5rLet me see
your dance program and he took it
from her lap. IT thought So" he com
| mented. There's a,dark horse turned
up. and you didn't get him."
"A dark horse?' she faltered.
"a ringer he explained. lord
Bunnchase. Andrew Lepton. the big
coffee monopolist. sneaked him in here
under an alias. and nobody's on" He
| puzzled over the card a moment. Eek
cuse me till fix it, and he stalked
away.
Molly sat silently, allowing cold
wave of humiliation slowly to chill her
soul. Why, Sledge had carefully pre-
arranged her triumph Of the evening.
He had assumed control, of her dance
card and Of her succession of delight
! full tete-a-tetes. He had driven the
star performers into her.net as IL they
had been droves of sheep. True. men
had sought her a second time OF their
own accord because of that charm
which She knew she possessed-a
vaguely understood attractiveness.
which was more than beauty. more
than cleverness, more than mere sex
receptiveness. She had won By her
| own power. but Sledge had given her
the glorious opportunities. His oninip-
otence began to annoy her and MS
ruthlessness to intlame her already in
famed resentment.
| She knew precisely what was hap
pening at this moment. He was Great
| ing havoc in not less than half dozen
dance cards. with no conjunction
about having disconnected or dis
tressed any one. Then there was Bert
downtown battling with a disaster
which had thrown him completely
from his feet. Poor Bert! She had by
| no means forgotten him. even amid
the height Of her excitement. She
| should have been there to comfort him.
| and yet-well- he had not seen ut to
come to her for comfort Men We're
queer creatures. A woman when dis
aster overlook her did not need to
| deaden her intelligence. She needed 1t
then more than ever.
After all. though. Bert was man.
and that was the way of men. and
| there was no use to dream OF overturn-
ing the entire accepted order OF crea-
| ton. She was certain. however. that
she could be Of more help to Bert aft
err they were married. He was weak
er than she had thought.
Very well; Sledge had thrown down
the gage Of battle He had laughed
when he was threatened and had ruin
cd Bert in challenging defiance. Let
him now take the consequences. II he
went to the penitentiary, well and
good. He had probably sent other peo-
pie there. With no more qualms Of
mercy than she would now show to
him. She could be as ruthless as he.
| What was it Professor Watt had call
ed the quality? Elemental force-that
was it. Well. she possessed it too.
She felt 1t within her. stirring with
the same physical nascency as the Vi
rility Of parenthood. to which it was
so closely allied s5
Just off the governors stuffed eath-
| er library was u small room. with Il
hard desk and six hard chairs. and Il
hard looking letter file. and hard, fire
proof safe let into the wall. and here.
while Lord Bunnchase led Molly Mar
ley through the PAGES of hard two
step. Governor Waiver and Senator Al
lerton and Sledge and Frank Marley
gathered for few moments of com.
| Portable chat such as elderly gentle
men love to indulge in while frivo-
lous younger people dance the flying
hours away. All four being gentle
ment who. by the consent of the pub
lie. bore the grave responsibility Of
the public welfare on their shoulders,
1t was not strange that their chat
+, should turn to public affairs
II am glad to be identified with the
enterprise arowed State Senator al
lerton. who was q suave. clean faced
gentleman. with a good forehead and
| a quite negotiable tongue. AT the
same time, as FAR as l am privately
| concornei1. I can only regard il as 3