The Red Cloud chief., 1917-06-14
CHAPTER 1.
Bank Cashier and Society Man.


It was ten minutes Of eight when J.
Montague Smith had driven his run
about to its garage and was Fastening
across to his suite Of bachelor apart
ments In the Kincaid terrace. There
was reason for the haste. It 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
r~ecollections 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 he filed 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 Richlander might make upon a
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 60 straightfor-
wardly 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
stand In the room Of supersentlment.
Smith did not know what 1t was to be
violently In love; though he was a
charter member of the Lawrenceville
Athletic club and took a certain pride
In keeping himself physically fit and up
to the mark, 1t was not his habit to be
violent in anything. L~awrenceville
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, vas far too
conservative to break with the tradi-
ton, eve II he had wished to. Miss
HIGHLANDER 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 O
graclously respondent 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 a Ger
tain air Of calm elaboration, inserting
the buttons in the waistcoat, choosing
hose Of the proper thinness, rummag
ing a virgin tie out of Its box In thu
top dressing-case drawer.
1t was In the search for the tie tina
he turned up a mute reminder of hi
nearest approach to any edge Of th'
real chasm of sentiment: q small glove
somewhat soiled and use-worn, with
tiny rip In one Of the fingers. 1t hat
been a full year since he had seen tn
glove or It's owner. whom he had me
only once, and that entirely by chance
The girl was a visitor from the West
the daughter Of q ranchman, he ha'
understood; and she had been stoppin
over with friends In a neighborin
town. Smith had driven over n eve
ming in his runabout to make a cal
upon the daughters of the house, an
had found a lawn party In progress
with the western visitor as the CUES
Of honor.
AcQuaintance-such an acQuaintanc