The Lamar register., 1919-01-01
Bank Cashier and Society Man.
CHAPTER l.

IHents In the Kincaid terrace. There
Was reason for the haste. II was his
regular evening for calling upon MIS-
.tserda Richlander. and time pressed.
..Ehe provincial bealitudes had chosen
u BIT subject for their Illustration In
the young cashier OF the Lawrence
Vile Bank ard Trust. From his earliest
recollectIons Montague Smith had lived
the life OF the well-behayed and the
conventional. He had his niche in tho
Lawrenceyille social structure. and AN
other liz the small-city business world.
and he filled both TO his own satlsfac-
ti6n. and to the admiration OF all and
sandry. Ambitions. other than to take
promotions in the bank as they came I"
him, and, eventually. to make money
enough to. satisfy the demands which
Josiah HIGHLANDER might make upon II
prospective son-in-law. had never trou-
bled him. An extremely well-balanced
young man his fellow townsmen called
hun. one Of whom II might safely be
predicted that he would 90 straightfor-
wardly on his way To reputable middle
life and old age moderate In all things.
impulsive In none.
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
charter member OF the Lawrenceville
Athletic club and took certain pride
in-keeplng himself physically fit and up
to The mark. II was not his habit to be
violent In anything. Lawrencevilie
expected Its young men and young
women to marry and settle down."
and j. Montague Smith. figuring In a
modest way as leader In the Law
renceyille youngest set. was far too
conservative to break with the tradi-
ton, even II he had wished to. Miss
Richlander was desirable In many re-
spects. Her fathers ample fortune had
not come early enough or rapidly
enough to spoil her. In moments when
his feeling for her achieved Its near
est approach to sentiment the cohser-
vative young man perceived what
graclously resplendent 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, metiodicaily but with a GER
tain air of calm deliberation, inserting
the. buttons In the waistcoat. choosing
hose OF the proper thinness. rummag-
ing u virgin tie out Of Its box In the
top dresslng-case drawer.
Ii was In the search for the tie that
turned up II mute reminder of his
.,approach to any edge OF the
i-of sentiment small glove.
oiled and use-worn. with
one of the fingers. lhad
un year since he had seen the
its owner. waom he had met
e, and that entirely by chance.
was visitor from the West.
best mel nite- OF rnnclnnan. he had
fighting ID; and she had been stopping
they rctrl friends L. neighboring
tion willhith had drftep over one eve
.yer his runabout to make call
upon the daughters OF the house. and
had found a lawn party In progress.
with the western visitor as the guest
Of honor.
Acquaintance-such an acquaintance
a. can be achieved In a short social
hOur-had followed. At all points the
bewitching young woman from the Will
derness had proved to be mocking
critic of the commonplace conventions.
and had been moved TO plliory the
same In the person Of her momentary
entertainer. Some thrills this young
,p person from the wide horizons had
stirred in him were his only excuse for
istealing her glove. There remained
now nothing Of the clashing encounter
at the lawn party save the solled glove,
a rather obscure memory OF face too
plauant and attractive to be cheapened
by the word pretty" these and
thing she had said at the moment OF
parting: Yes; am going back home
very soon. don't like your Snug mid
die West civilization, Mr.. Smith-it
smofhers me. | don't wonder that IL
breeds men who live and grow up and
die without ever having chance 10
tind themselves"
Some day. perhaps, he would tell
yerda HIGHLANDER Of the sharp-t9nyued