The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-06-22


inky, bottomless pit Of despair. The
breath of the overheated city changed
as by magic, and the thin-faced 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 a sudden
pity smote her.
won't you pretend I'm not here,
and drive just as you always do? 1
won't mind" she said.
"My dear, it's late. You'll need to
go home"
mo, no."
"ReallyT His eagerness was genu-
inc. won't your people worry?"
Her answer was a short, mirthless
laugh that made him glance at her Gu
riously. "They know I'm perfectly
safe. It's the other way round: 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?"
mo. l can't be a hired spy"
you said over the phone that you
had learned something"
81 have. 1 believe there is an effort
on foot to get some of Mr.. Hammon's
money dishonesty. 1 have a reason
for wishing to prevent it,
81 knew I wasn't mistaken in you,"
smiled Merkle.
ooh, don't attribute my actions to
any high moral motives! I'm getting
a little rusty on right and wrong. Per-
sonally, have no sympathy with Mr..
Harmon, and don't imagine he ac-
quired all of his tremendous fortune
in a perfectly honorable way. Besides,
he's married man."
SIT isn't alone Jarvis or his family
or their money that is concerned"
Merkle said, gravely. "Great financial
institutions sometimes rest on founda-
lions as slight as one mans person
ality-one mans reputation for moral
integrity A breath of suspicion of
any sort at the wrong time may bring
on a crash involving innocent people.
"Hammon at this moment carries
tremendous top-heavy burden of re-
sponsibilities; his death would be no
more disastrous than a scandal that
would tend to destroy public conf
dence in him as man."
doesn't he know that himself?"
Perhaps. But his infatuation over
took him at an age when a man is
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 1 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 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 a 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
trail, for he had never taken time to
acquire the positive kind. His hobby
was Napoleon Bonaparte. He read ev-
erything there was to read about Ma
poleon; he studied his life and pat
termed his own on similar lines. Do
I bore you, Miss Knight?'
mo; go on. I'm tremendously in
terested."
"Well, naturally, Harmon began to
consider himself another Napoleon,
and his accomplishments were in a
way quite as wonderful. He even con-
fided to me once that his idol sur
passed him in only one respect
namely, the power to relax. Jarvis
had never taken time for relaxation,
and he was beginning to wear out; and
so-he deliberately set about learning
to play. The emperor of France, so
history tells us, took his greatest pleas
ure in the company of women; there
fore Harmon sought women. He
doesn't know the taste of defeat, so
the result was foreordained."
"But surely he thought something
of his family" protested Lorelei
Didn't he consider them?"
81 fancy he wasn't well acquainted
with his family. I'm sure he never en-
joyed any home life, as we understand
it. He lived with a rich old woman
who bore his name but scarcely knew
him; his daughters were grown women
whom he saw on rare occasions and
whose extravagant whims he gratified
without question. But there was little
real intimacy, little sympathy. This
was his first taste of youth. But-he
was not Napoleon. AS you've noticed,
he's quite mad on the Lynn woman.
He's no longer himself He has been
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