Marble Hill press., 1917-06-07
CHAPTER |.


Bank Cashier and Society Man.
Il was tom minutes Of eight when !.
Montague Sm.;h had driven his run.
about 90 i.s garage and was hasten.u:
across 90 his suite OF bachelor apart.
nents IN the Klncald terrace. There
was reason ;or the haste. Il was his
cegular evening for calIin: upon Mss
Verdi HIGHLANDER, and time pressed.
In provincial heat!;uleS had chosen
" ~rhiva for their illustration in
Ehe y0un: cashier OF the Lawrence.
viilc Ban, and Trust. From his earliest
recni'r''tnaS Montague Smith had lived
the lie OF the well.behavcd and the
conventional He had his niche In tho
icWrcnCgvi.lc social structure and an.
other In the small-city business world
and h. filed both 10 his own satiStac.
stan aud to ih' admiration Of all ani
Egul'v Ambitions, Other than 20 take
promotions In the bank as they came 10
aim, and. eventually, to make money
enough 20 Sntl>fy The demands which
Josiah R'ehlanGer Nigh. mike upon Il
prospective ~un-in-law. had never trou-
bled him. IN extremely well.balancrl
gouu, man his fellow townsmen called
him. one Of whom II might safely be
predIctcl that he would 90 stra!shtfor-
wardly on his way to reputable middle
!afe and old age: moderate In all things,
GnpulSivc In none.
Even in the affair with Miss Rich
iandcg sound common sense and sober
second thought had been made 10
-stand In the room Of supersentIment.
Smith did not know what II was 70 be
violently in love: though he was
charter member Of the Lawrenceville
Athletic club and took a certain pride
In keeping himself physically fit and up
60 the mark, II 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 q
modest way rs leader in the Law
'renccvllle youngest set. was far too
. conservative to break with the tradl-
ton. even IL he had wished TO. Miss
iRichlander 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-
vattye young man perceived what a
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
erics and began to lay out his evening
clothes, methodlcally but with GER
tain air of calm deliberatlon, inserting
che buttons In the walstcoat, choosing
hose of the proper thinness, rummag-
ing virgin tie out Of Its box In the
cop dressing-case drawer.
II was In the search for the tie that
ne turned up a mute reminder or his
nearest approach to any edge OF the
zeal chasm Of sentiment: q small glove,
somewhat solled and use-worn, with a
tiny rip in one Of the fingers. 1t had
been full year since he had seen the
glove or its owner. whom he had met |
ouly once. and that entirely by chance.
The girl was a visitor from the West, |
the daughter Of ranchman, he had
understood; and she had been stopping |
over with friends In nelghborins |
tpwn. Suith had driven over one eve |
uing in his runabOut to make a call
upon the daughters Of the house, and
had found lawn party In progress,
.,gtth the western visitor as the guest
- honor.
Acapaintance--sucha an acquaintance |