Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-08-16

Gllut was luC way Ill she
terrupted the financial secretary's
brOw-knittings over new material
contract. II have just wagered him a
nice fat little round iron dollar Of my
allowance that you won't. How about
itT
Smith looked up with his best-na-
tured grin.
"You win," he said shortly.
"Thank you" she laughed. ain q
minute or so I'll go back to the presi-
dents Office and collect" Then: "One
dinner, lodging and breakfast of us
was about all you could stand, wasn't
it? I thought maybe it would be that
way"
"What made you think so?"
She had seated herself in the chair
reserved for inquiring investors. There
was a little interval of glove-smooth-
ing silence, and then, like a flash out
of a clear sky, she smiled across the
desk end at him and said:
evil you forgive me if ask you q
perfectly ridiculous question:"
Certainly. Other people ask them
every day."
"Is-is your name really and truly
John Smith,"
why should you doubt it?"
It was just here that Smith was
given to see another one of Miss Co
rOna's many moOds-or tenses-and it
was a new one to him. She was vlsibly
embarrassed.
"I-I don't want to tell you," she
stammered.
"All right; you needn't"
"If you're going to take 1t that easy,
/ will tell you" she retorted. "Mr.
Williams thought your name was an
alias; and I'm not sure that he doesn't
still think So"
1.-THE Smiths never have to have
aliases. It's like John Doe or Richard
Roe, you know"
Haven't you any middle name?"
Il have middle initial. It is M"
He was looking her fairly in the eyes
as he said it, and the light in the new
offices was excellent. Thanks to her
horseback riding, Miss Corona's small
oval face had touch of healthy out
door tan; but under the tan there
came, for just fitting instant, flush
of deep color, and at the back of the
gray eyes there was something that
Smith had never seen there before.
"Its-it's just an initlal?" she
queried.
eyes; it's just an initial, and I don't
use 1t ordinarily. I'm not ashamed of
the plain john"
II don't know why you should be-"
she commented, half absently, he
thought. And then: GLOW many John
NJ. Smiths do you suppose there are
in the United States?"
"Oh, i don't know; million or so, I
guess"
81 should think you would be rather
| glad of that" she told him. But when
he tried to make her say why he should
be glad, she talked pointedly of other
things and presently went back to her
fathers Office.
There were fine little headings Of
perspiration standing on the fugitive's
forehead when she left him.
|
fee force had taken their departure,
he still sat at his desk striving to bring
himself back with some degree of clear
headedness to the pressing demands Of
his job. Just as he was about to give
1T up and go across to the Hophra
House for his dinner, William Starbuck
drifted in to open the railing gate and
to come and plant himself in the chair
Of privilege at Smiths desk end.
swell, son; you've got the animals
stirred up good and plenty, at last"
he said, when he had found the "mak.
ings" and was deftly rolling a cigar
ette-his one overlapping habit reach
ing back to his range-rldlng youth.
"Dick Maxwell got a wire today from
his kiddie's grandpaw-and my own
respected daddy-in-law-Mr. Hiram
Fairbairn; you know him-the lumber
king"
'Tm listening" said Smith.
"Dick's wire was an order; instruc-
tons from headquarters to keep hands
Off Of your new company and to worl;
strictly in cahoots-'harmony was the
WORD ne used-with Crawford Stanton
How does that fit you?"
The financial secretary's smile was
the self-congratulatory face-wrlnklinq
of the quarry foreman who has seer
his tackle hitch hold to land the bis
stone safely at the top of the pit.
what is Maxwell going to do abou
it?" he asked.
"Dick is all wool and yard wide
and what he signs his name to Is wha
i, he is going to stand by. You won't los,
him, but the wire shows us just abou
: where we're aiming to put orr leg int
the gopher hole and break it, doesn'
: it2"
: ''rm not borrowing any trouble. Mr.
Falrbairn ard his colleagues are jus