Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-05-28
Robert ]. C. Stead
Author Of
Kitchener 0ad
Other Poems"
illustrations By
IRWIN MYERS

| irene. we cannot afford to continue
living at a hotel and we must have
our own home. You must look up
responsible dealer whose advice we
can trust in matter of this kind"
| And was it remarkable that Irene
Hardy should think at once of the firm
of Coward & Eden? 1t was not She
had, indeed, been thinking of men,
Der of that firm ever since the decision
to move to the West. The fact is
Irene had not been at all sure that she
wanted to marry Dave Eden. She
wanted very much to meet him again;
she was curious to know how the years
had Jared with him, and her curiosity
was not unmixed with finer senti-
ment; but she was not at all sure that
she should marry him.
| "What, Dave Eden, the million
aire?" Bert Morrison had said. EVERY
! body knows him." And then the news
paper woman had gone on to tell what
figure Dave was in the business life
of the city. Zone of our biggest young
men," Bert Morrison had said. IRE
served, little; likes his own company
best; but absolutely white"
That gave new turn to the situa-
ton. Irene had always wanted Dave
| to be a success suddenly she doubted
whether she had wanted him to be so
big success. She had doubted wheth-
er she should wish to marry Dave;
she had never allowed herself to doubt
| that Dave would wish to marry her.
Secretly, she had expected to rather
dazzle him with her ten years. devel-
opment-with the culture and knowl-
edge which study and travel and life
had added to the charm of her young
girlhood; and suddenly she realized
that her luster would shine but dimly
in the greater glory of his own. ;.
1t was easy to locate the office of
Coward & Eden; it stood on a prin-
cipal corner of a principal street.
Thence she led her mother, and found
herself treading on the marble floors
of the richly appointed waiting room
in secret excitement which she could
with difficulty conceal. She was, in.
deed. very uncertain about the next
development. Her mother had
to be reckoned with.
young man asked courteously |
what could be done for them.
1--WE want to see the head of the |
firm" said Mrs. Hardy. "We want to
buy house."
They were shown into Conward's |
office. Coward gave them the well |
come of man who expects to make |
money out of his visitors. He placed
very comfortable chair for Mrs.
Hardy; he adjusted the blinds to
nicely; he discarded his cigarette and
beamed upon them with as great a
show of cordially as his somewhat
beefy appearance would permit. Mrs.
Hardy outlined her life history with
considerable detail and ended with the
confession that the West was not as
bad as she had feared aud, anyway, it
was case of living here or dying else
where, so she would have to make the
best of it. And here they were. And
might they see house?
Coward appeared to be rejecting.
As matter of fact, he saw in this in.
experienced buyer an opportunity to
reduce his holdings in anticipation of
the impending crash. His difficulty
was tfat he had no key to the finan.
cial resources of his visitors. The
only thing was to throw out a feeler.
You are wanting a nice home,
take 1t, that can be bought at favor
able price for cash. You would con.
slider an investment of, say"
He paused. and Mrs. Hardy supplied
the information for which he was
waiting. about twenty five thousand
dollars" she said.
I'VE can hardly invest that much"
Irene interrupted in whisper. 1--WE
must have something to live on"
people here live ON the profits of
their Investments. do they not, Mr..
Conward?" Mrs. Hardy inquired.
"Oh. certainly" Coward agreed,
and he plunged into mass of Incl
dents to show how profitable invest
ments had been to other clients of the
nrm. Then his mood of elaboration
gave way to one of briskness he sum.
car, and in few minutes his
clients were looking over the property
which he had recommended. Mrs.
Hardy was an amateurish buyer, her
tendency being alternately to excess
OF caution on one side and reckless
ness on the other. Conward's manner
pleased her; the house he showed
pleased her, and she was eager to have
I over with. But he was too shrewd
% appear to encourage a hasty deci-
sion. He did not seize upon Mrs.
dardy's remark that the house seemed
perfectly satisfactory; on the con-
rary, he insisted on showing other
Houses, which he quoted at such Inn
possible figures that presently the old
ady was in feyerish haste to make
deposit lest some other buyer should
oreStall her