Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-06-13
CHAPTER I.
Bank Cashier and Society Man.


1t was ten minutes of eight when ].
Montague Smith had driven his run
about to it's garage and was Fastening
across to his suite of bachelor apart
ments in the Kincaid terrace. There
was reason for the haste. 1t was his
regular evening for calling upon Miss
Verda Richlander and time pressed.
The provincial beatitudes had chosen
a fit subject for their illustration In
the young cashier of the Lawrence
Vile Bank and Trust. From his earliest
recOllecti0ns Montague Smith had lived
the life of the well-behaved and the
conventional He had his niche in the
Lawrenceville social structure, and an
other in the small-city business world,
and ne filled both to his own satisfac-
ton and to the admiration of all and
sundry. Ambitions, other than to take
promotions in the bank as they came to
him, and, eventually. to make money
enough to satisfy the demands which
Josiah HIGHLANDER might make upon
prospective son-in-law, had never trou
bled him. An extremely well-balanced
young man his fellow townsmen called
him, one of whom 1t might safely be
predicted that he would go straightfOr-
war,fly on his way to reputable middle
life and old age moderate in all things,
Impulsive In none.
Even in the affair with Miss Rich
lander sound common sense and sober
second thought had been made to
A. . -.
Smith did not know what il was TO be
violently In love; though he was a
charter member of the Lawrenceville
Athletic club and took certain pride
in keeping himself physically fit and up
to the mark, it was not his habit to be
violent in anything. Lawrenceville
expected its young men and young
women to marry and settle down."
and J. Montague Smith, figuring in a
modest way as a leader in the Law
renceville youngest set, was far too
conservative to break with the tradi
ton, even If he had wished to. Miss
Richlander was desirable in many re-
spects. Her fathers ample fortune had
not come early enough or rapidly
enough to spoil her. In moments when
his feeling for her achieved its near
est approach to sentiment the conser-
vative young man perceived what
graciously resplendent figure she would
make as the mistress of her own house
and the hostess at her own table.
Smith snapped the switch of the cleo
tries and began TO lay out his evening
clothes, methodically but with GER
tain air of calm elaboration. inserting
the buttons in the waistcoat, choosing
hose of the proper thinness, rummag-
ing n virgin tie out Of its box in the
top dresslng-case drawer
1t was in the search for the tie that
he turned up a mute reminder of his
nearest approach to any edge of the
real chasm of sentiment small glove,
somewhat soiled and use-worn, with a
tiny rip in one of the fingers. 1t had
been a full year since he had seen the
glove or IFS owner. whom he had met
only once. and that entirely by chance.
The girl was visitor from the West.
the daughter of Il ranchman he had
understood; and she had been stopping
over WIFI tAttiluS AZ a
town. Smith had driven over one eve
ming in his runabout to make call
upon the daughters of the house. and
had found lawn party in progress,
with the western visitor as the guest
of honor.
Acauaintance-sucb an acquaintance
ms can be achieved in a short social
bour-had followed. AT all points the
bewitching young woman from the will
derness had proved 10 be hooking
critic Of the commonplace conventions,
and had been moved to pillory the
same in the person of her mOmentary
entertainer. SoAe thrills this young
Derson from the wide horizons had
stirred in him we're his only excuse for
stealing her glove. There remained
now nothing Of the clashing encounter
AZ the lawn party save the sOiled glove,
a rather obscure memory Of face too
nluusnt and attractive TO be cheapened
BY the word pretty these and