Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-11-16
CHAPTER /.

Bank Cashier and Society Man.
II 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. 1t was his
regular evening for calling upon Miss
Verda HIGHLANDER, and time pressed.
The provincial beatitudes had chosen
a At subject for their Illustration In
the young cashier of the Lawrence
Vile Bank and Trust. From his earliest
recollections Montague Smith had lived
the life Of the well-behaved and the
conventional. He had his niche In the
Lawrencevllle social structure, and an
other in the small-clty business world.
and he filed both to his own satlsfac-
ton and to the admiration Of all and
Sundry. Ambitions. other than to take
Promotions In the bank as they ame to
him, and. eventually, to make money
enough to satisfy the demands which
Josiah HIGHLANDER might make upon n
prospective son-in-law, had never trou-
bled him. An extremely well-balanced
young man his fellow townsmen called
him, one OF whom II might safely be
predicted that he would go s~tralghtfor-
wardly on his way to reputable middle
life and old age; moderate In all things,
impulslve In one.
Even in the affair with Miss Rich
lander sound common sense and sober
second thought had been made to
stand In the room OF Supersentiment.
Smith did not know what II was to be
violently In love; though he was a
charter member Of the Lawrenceyllle
Athletic club and took n certain pride
In keeping himself physically ut and up
to the mark, It was not his habit to be
violent In anything. L~awrenceville
expected its young men and young
women 10 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 70 break with the tradl-
ton. even II he had wished to. Miss
Rlchlander was desirable In many re.
spects. Her fathers ample fortune had
not come early enough or rapidly
enough 10 spoil her. In moments when
his feeling for her achieved its near.
est approach to sentiment the conser-
vative young man perceived what q
grnciously re%splendent 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, m~ethodically but with a GER
tain air Of calm deliberation, inserting
the buttons IN the waistcoat, choosing
hose Of the proper thinness, running
ing a virgin tie out OF Its box In the
top dressing-case drawer.
II was In the search for the tie that
he turned up a mute reminder OF his
nearest approach to any edge Of the
real chnsm Of sentiment a small glove
somewhat soiled and use-worn, with
tiny rip In one OF the fingers. II haC
been a full year since he had seen the
Hove or It's owner, whom he had me-
lnly once, and that entirely by chance
The girl vas a visitor from the West
the daughter OF a ranchman. he hat
understood; and she had been stoppinl
over with friends n a neighbortnl
town. Smith had driven over n eve
ning In his runabout 10 make a cal
uTon the daughters OF the house, anC
lad found a lawn party In progress
with the western visitor as the CUES
u honor.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT an a~cQuaintanc