The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-03-20

COMMANDMENT
By RUPERT HUGHES j
down, sending all It's workmen into
the hordes of the unemployed. The
Office forces were reduced to a mini
mum and the salaries Of the minimum
further reduced. Clay was thrown
out Of even his half-job and Bayard
was put on half-pay.
4 Bayard's sober thoughts concerned
themselves with extricating himself
from the wreckage. It was not pos
sible to debarrass himself Of every
thing. He could not give up his ex-
pensive apartment. It was leased for
a year and a half more. He could not
dismiss his expensive wife; she was
leased FOR ninety-nine years. He
could not give up his character, his
costly tastes, his zeal for front, the
maintenance Of a good facade.
The instinct Of lovable bluff was
seen In his telegram to Leila. He
wanted her at home to comfort him,
now that he had no business for her
to hamper. Besides, he could not at
ford to keep her at Newport. Out OF
his ominously small funds he tele-
graphed her a liberal sum to pay her
bills and her railroad fare and parlor
a fare. He met her and found her
astonishingly beautiful In her million
aire uniform.
He felt like the pauper who received
q white elephant for a present. But
She was gorgeous in her trappings.
They embraced with mutual approval.
He laughed:
II was going, to begin economy by
cutting out the taxi business, but I
couldn't carry a Cleopatra like you in
the subway. You look like all the
money in the world. And you're worth
It" In the taxicab he crushed her to
him again in a dismal ecstasy sad,
sighed gayly: "You're too grand for
me, honey. I'm busted higher than a
Kite. You didn't bring home any
change, Of course" #s -.
n Ibid better than that" she heamed,
and. being married to him, made no
bones about bending and disclosing
one entire silk stocking most ele-
sanity repleted. It was transparent,
translucent, indeed, like gossamer
over marble, and Of q sapling sym
metry except for one unsightry knob
which she deftly removed and placed
In the hand Of Bayard.
He did not need to glance at his
palm to tell that it was full Of bank
notes. @asm ~
"What's all this?" he said.
And she, prim and proper again,
Shortled. '.That's the money you tele-
Kraphed me to pay my bills with"
'But-" .
'.This IL no time to pay bills"
sYou're q genius he said.
And she was, in her way.
When they were at home again he
told her Of his ruinous sp%eculations.
She did not reproach him. She was
gambler enough to thrill at the high
chance, and sportswoman enough not
to blame him for losing his stakes.
'Don't you worryr she said, from
his lap, as from a dais. "WeM be
rich yet. You mustn't imagine any
thing else. There's everything In
thinking a thing is going to happen.
Tn too sensitive to be a Christian Sci
enlist about pain, but I am one about
good luck. You must just tell your
self that you're going to ONE out all
right and you will.
"And we must keep up appearances
% that other people viii believe in
Us. It's the only way, too. to keep
your credit good. / learned that at
Newport. People who are people up
there never pay their bills. That's
why they get trusted everywhere, and
have plenty Of cash. Their creditors
don't dare insult 'em or sue 'em. The
only people who get sued are the poor
little dubs that pay cash most Of the
time and then ask to be trusted when
they're hard up"
Bayard had rebuked Leila for
#0VOAOAA0 AAVAOy Va ~AOSAOO 0A0 Va
amusements. But she had had the
fun; she stl had the clothes; and
whore were the fruits Of his years Of
0~elf-denial3 Where were his boarded
earninss1 His few bonds were IRE
deemably In pawn. And on the roads
of Belgium and East Prussia myriads
of wretches who had kept thrift and
builded them houses were staggering
along IN hungry penury, fugitive from
shattered homes and wondering about
the next days bread.
cHAPTEB,xN.
Bayard tried Leila's recipe Tor q
time. but there yer expenses that he
could not charge, and even the. wad Of
money she had smuggled ont Of New
port did not last long. Other people
were no more willing. to pay bills than
he. Moneys that were owed to him he
could not collect. He could not re-
opond to the multitudinous appeals for