Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-03-29

to the intricate stratagems--not to
say treasons and spoils-of Wall
street
He and Mulry In the flush Of their
early successes had spread out--had
established branch offices in Albany
Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago
st. Louis and Pittsburgh While the
tide set their way these branches
served as so many hands to gather in
shekels. But when the hard times
came upon the financial world they
served as so many mouths to feed
The Office of Freneau & Mulry be-
came one of those dismal places
where the pay roll is weekly agony
and where the watchword is every
thing going out and nothing coming
in"
When Freneau at last awoke to real
ize that bankruptcy instead of plutoc
racy was likely to be his portion he
turned back to his work with a des
perate energy And now Lois found
that he was as fierce an office man as
her husband He had engagements
when she was lonely.
She naturally imputed his neglect to
some other charmer She could not
believe him guilty of overworl. She
grew jealous and their meetings were
stormy She kept his telephone busy
to make sure that he was at his desk
She began to annoy him. He wished
to be rid of her, but she would not
be Tilted
1t was during this crisis that Gloria
marked off the last month of her FIVE
years ordeal. She was ambitious
enough to go on and finish her course
and get her diploma. She compressed
her last year OF schooling into half a
year and graduated all alone in mid
winter.
She dashed into her room at college
for the last time, with her solemn
mortarboard askew on her head, her
somber black gown flying from her
shoulders, and in her hand her parch-
ment diploma Tin Latin that she could
nearly translate). She looked like a
llLllG GOTLid IOT IL UuUH6Ut.
She threw her diploma in air and
her mortarboard after it. She whipped
off her black robe and began to juggle
school books, letting them fall where
they fell She danced Jig over her
scholarly past and made haste to
pack her things and dart out to meet
her future. Future" was her spelling
of "Freneau."
The journey to New York from
school was as long as the Journey to
New York from Palm Beach had been
years ago; only then she had been
travelling away from her romance.
row toward it.
When her father met her at the
train she Rugged him almost to suf.
location, then asked him how dea
Mr.. Freneau was the last time he saw
him.
"The last time saw dear Mr.. IRE.
mean was at Palm Beach," said Pier
pont, who had almost forgotten his
name and had hoped that Gloria had
forgotten it entirely.
AS soon as she reached the house
on Riverside drive and embraced the
old servants and shook hands with
the new, Gloria took her father into
his library and asked him for Mr. Ere
neeu's telephone number. She had
found "F'reneau & Mulry" in the
book already, and she said: do you
suppose that that Mr. Mulry's Free
neau is my Mr.. Freneau?"
II don't know, I'm sure" Pierpont
grumbled. But 1t wouldn't be very
correct to telephone a busy man,
would it,"
81 suppose not" Gloria admitted
where's a pen? Til write him.
''How long has it been since you
wrote him 1ast?" said Pierpont anx-
iously.
why, I've never written him at all,
Gloria answered shocked Il prom.
ised, didn't ~
Pierpont kissed her brow with a
profound pride Then he venturei 10
say. Don't you think it would re
nicer if you waited for him to look
you up?'
Gloria gnawed the end of the pen
holder a moment, and then sighed
with all the impotence Of youth in
the shackles of conventionality. Il
suppose So She flung down the pen
and wondered how she could manage
delicately to attract Mr.. Freneau's
attention without seeming to.
BY the way" said Pierpont, there's
a big gala performance at the Metro
politan Opera house tonight. special
benefit for some war relief Would
you like to go?'
You bet" cried Gloria with school,
girl elegance.
At about that time Freneau was just
putting down the telephone in his Of
ice. Lois ha6 called him TO say that