The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1919-12-20
CHAPTER xxiii.

EugeneS Keeling about George had
not been altered by his talk with Kin
ney In the club window. though he was
somewhat disturbed. Kinney had rep
resented George as a new George
at least I'm sp0ts-a George who was
/ proving that decent stuff Ind been hid
In him In fact. George who was do
ing rnther a handsome thing In taking
a risky job for the sake of his aunt,
poor old silly Fanny Mlnaferi Eugene
! didn't care what risks George took, or
how much decent stuff he had In him !;
, nothing that George would ever do In
this world or the next could change
Eugene Morgnn's feeling toward him.
II Eugene had wished, he could cas-
lily have taken George out of the nitro
,, glycerin branch of the chemical works.
Always Interested In apparent lmpOs-
sibilities OF invention. Eugene had en-
c0uraged many experiments I'm such
groupings as those for the discovery OF
substitutes for gasoline and rubber
and. though his mood had withheld the
Information from Kinney. he had re-
Gently bought from the elder Akers
substantial quantity OF stock on the
condition that the chemical company
should establish an experimental labO-
ratory. He intended TO buy more;
Akers was anxious TO please him; and
a word from Eugene would have
placed George almost anywhere In the
chemical works The possibility Just
edged itself into Eugene's mind; that
In, he let II become part OF his percep-
lions long enough for II to prove to
him that II was actually a POSSIBLE =.
Then he half started with disgust that
he should be even idly consId, ring
such thing over his last cigar f0t the
night, In his library. "N0I" And he
threw the cigar into the empty fire
place and went to bed.
His bitterness for himself might
have worn away. but never his bitter
ness FOR Isabel. He took that thought
TO bed with him-and II was true that
Eugene might not have done the odd
thing he did that day. He was an adj
venturer; II he had lived In the six
teenth century he would have sailed
the unknown new seas, but having
been born In the latter part OF the
nineteenth, when geography was
fairly well-settled matter, he had be-
come an explorer In mechanics. But
the fact that he was "hard-headed
business man" as well as an adven-
turer did not keep him from having
queer spot In his brain, because hnrd-
hended business men are as suscep-
tible to such spots as Adventures are.
Two weeks after Isabers death, Eu-
gene was In New York ON urgent bush
ness and found that the delayed ar
rival of "A steamer gave him day with
nothing to do. His room at the hotel
had become intolernble; outdoors was
int0lerable; everything was intolera-
BILE. II seemed TO him that he must
see Isabel once more, hear her voice
once more; that he must find some
way TO her, or lose his mind. Under
this pressure he had gone. with com
plete scepticism, 10 -trance-medium'
Of whom he had heard wild accounts
from the wife OF business acquaint-
ance.
The experience had been grotesque.
and he came away with an encourag-
ing message from his father, who had
failed 10 Identify himself satisfactor-
lily, but declared that everything was
ION a higher plane" In his present
state OF being. and that all life was
continuous and progressive" Mrs
Horner spoke OF herself as a
''psychic;r but otherwise she seemed
oddly unpretentious and matter-0f-
fact; and Eugene had no doubt mt all
OF her sincerity. He went to Mrs
Horner's after his directors meeting
today. He used the telephone booth In
the directors room 10 make the APP
pointment: and he laughed feebIy at
himself, and wondered what the group
OF men In that mahogany apartment
would think II they knew what he was
doing. Mrs. Homer had changed her
address, but he found the new one.
! and somebody purporting to be n niece
of hers talked 60 him and made an ap-
pointment for sitting" at five o'clock.
! Mrs. Homer appeared In the door
/ way. a wan and unenterprisIng look
Ing woman I'm brown. with thin hair
artifcially waved-but not recently
and parted IN the middle over a blush
forehead. Her eyes were srnnll and
seemed weak. but she recognized the
visitor.
-0h. you been here before she said.
In a thin voice. not unmuslcal II rec
ollect you. Quite a time ago. wa'n't
itfs
"Yea. quito long time"
Il recoIlect because I recoIlect you
was disappointed. Anyway. you was
Kind of cross- She laughed falntiy.
I'm sorry n seemed So" Eugene
EId -Shall we"
conasped mont vssR. KHn